To See Or Be Seen: How To Choose The Right Bike Lights

Lights are one of the smallest accessories that can make the biggest difference while out for a ride. Riding with lights increases your visibility, alerting other road users where you are so they can avoid you. Most bike lights will serve one of two purposes: being seen or seeing. Some special lights, like the Blackburn 2’fer, can do both. The downside of versatile lights is a small drop in performance in both the being seen and the seeing modes. 

SEEING LIGHTS

The main function of a light is to provide visibility of the road or trail in front of you. There are many different lights to suit each rider's needs, mainly separated by the amount of lumens each light offers. Blackburn offers their Dayblazer headlight in four different lumen counts, ranging from 400-1500 Lumens, ensuring that each rider can choose the correct headlight for getting around on their bikes after dark. For the select few that still need more light, Blackburn offers the Countdown 1600, a headlight with a whopping 1600 lumens, perfect for shorter rides after dark. The Countdown may not be the best choice for longer rides, as the extreme brightness does tax the battery, leading to only about a 2-hour battery life. 

While some people think, brighter is better, relying on lumen count alone is not the best way to choose a headlight. If you plan to use the headlight on single-track or roads without streetlights, then you should consider the brightest light you can get. In these settings, you should prioritize visibility over battery life, as you want to ensure safety in dark conditions. For those looking for a headlight for use around dusk, on lit roads, or just needing added battery life, a headlight offering 400-1000 lumens will be plenty, but remember with more lumens comes less battery life.  

Each of Blackburn's lights is designed around handlebar mounting, which works for most standard handlebars, but for those with unconventional bars, you may want to consider a helmet light. Helmet lights are also useful for night-time mountain bike riding, as they ensure the light is always pointed at where you are looking. For those who need a helmet light, check out the Portal Bike Light from Outbound Lighting. This helmet-mounted light provides massive visibility with its 1650-lumen maximum. 

BEING SEEN

Being seen is as important as your visibility when riding in the dark. Most riders will opt for one light on the handlebars and one on the seat post to ensure safety as they ride. In the past few years, more and more people have been adding lights to the side of their bikes, either on the forks, wheels, or seat stays so cars can see them at an angle. This ensures safety through intersections. Blackburn offers the Luminate 360 light set, providing four lights including two yellow, flashing, side lights to ensure visibility. 

For customers who only commute every so often after dark, or just want a couple of lights that can do anything, the Blackburn 2’Fer Light is perfect. This light can operate as a front or rear light, offering red or white flashing or steady lights. These lights are great to leave around the office or home, so whenever you need a light, you have one that will work in a pinch. 

Regardless of when you ride, riders should ride with a designated rear light. Even if you never ride after dusk, the increased visibility can be the difference between life and death. The Blackburn Dayblazer 65 is a perfect solution, with 3 different flash modes, and a steady mode. Blackburn even offers it with many different front lights, enabling riders to find the ideal setup for their bikes. 

RADAR

While not every rider needs it, those who spend a lot of time on the bike should consider a Radar light for their bikes. Garmin offers the Varia series, which features a headlight along with two tail lights to ensure safety as you ride.

The headlight uses radar to sense when other road users are approaching, automatically dimming and brightening upon encounter. The tail light offers an irregular flash, along with sending an alert to your head unit, telling riders when a car is approaching. Garmin also offers a tail light with the same functionality, but with the inclusion of a camera, automatically recording encounters with cars, enabling users to save clips for their own personal use.

WRAPPING UP

Riding with lights keeps other road users aware, provides visibility, and keeps you safe. With the vast amount of options available, finding the perfect light or light set for your needs can be tricky. Feel free to reach out with any questions, or visit us in-store to pick out your perfect light set.