Commuting via bike can be the perfect way to gear up for a busy day at work — and unwind after a long one. To stay safe while riding after sunset, proper lighting is key to helping you see and be seen.
Even if you ride the same 5, 10 or 15 miles to work every day, seeing what’s on the road in front of you can be the difference between a flat tire and a smooth ride. Beyond being able to see the path ahead of you, cars and people need to see you as well — and it helps to be illuminated even when it’s light out. “Eighty percent of fatalities on bikes occur during the day, and forty percent of those are from behind,” notes Scott Kasin, director of electronics at Trek Bicycle Corporation. So yes, you do need a light on your bike both in the front and the rear.
For the back of your bike, a red flashing light is ideal to keep the attention of motorists coming at you from behind. “When you use a flashing light, you are recognizable from three times the distance than if [you have] no light,” Kasin says. Attaching a solid red light to your heels or ankles as well is shown to be even more conspicuous.
Kevin Balay of Bicycle Workshop in Tenafly, NJ says there are a few things to consider when shopping for bike lights. “Selecting the proper lights depends on how you are going to use them, what level of brightness and what you are willing to spend,” he says. The brightness will vary if you’re riding through the streets of New York, or along suburban roads outside of Bend or Austin. “We prefer rechargeable lights,” Balay says. “They tend to be brighter and you aren’t throwing money away on batteries. So, in the long run, they will cost less overall.”
David Weiner, co-founder of Priority Bikes, also acknowledges that commuters have it tough. You need a set of lights that will hold up to the rain, snow, sleet and wind, yet is also easily powered and hard to remove (or steal). “Charging lights sucks,” Weiner says. “I used to forget it all the time. Remembering to remove them when you run inside somewhere, so they don’t get stolen, is a hassle.” Certain light frames can stay on your bike when you lock it up outside, but for others, you have to physically remove them every single time you stop, lock up your bike and then go inside. It can be a pain.
With all of that in mind, we pulled together a variety of lights at a plethora of price points that will help you see and be seen. We also tapped experts from all over the country to share their favorites with us.
