Bike Lights

[jverweijen]

He everybody, I need your help. I'm am a student at the Technical University of Delft and I'm studying Industrial Design. I need to know a few things about bike lights and especially the requirements for them that people have in the States. In the end I have to come up with a new concept for a Dutch company that wants to introduce themselves in the USA. So can you help me by maybe answering a few of these questions: What type of lights do you use? (detachable?) and why? Where do you use them for? (to see or be seen?) What do you expect in terms of lifetime? What do you think is a good idea for bike lighting? Maybe some other stuff that's on your mind? Those are my questions and I would like to thank you in advance for helping me out! Jur

 

[Conniebiker]

Amazing power is useless if used wrong. In my opinion a person cannot have too many tail lights, mixing steady and flashers. Power dazzle gets more space in the american context. Forward lighting is directly related to your scenario, therefore you need to determine your maximum need. If you ride faster and in less lighting areas or in higher traffic you will want a power bright high beam. If you are in a city where there is a lot of street lights or an area without much traffic, lower light/marker light is more feasible.

Wheel lighting is a helpful thing for side view and sometimes fore/aft. Due to the wide range of motion afforded by a valve stem mounted unit, they are very effective at attention grabbing. Lastly, a reflective vest is a good idea.

My general use setup is a 30 watt halogen dual beam Niterider with integrated 1 watt LED tail unit. It has proven effective up to 3 hrs of ride time with the current battery and is bright enough that cars think its a motorcycle sometimes

 

[jverweijen]

@Conniebiker:

Thanks for your reply. Do you think there should be some sort of system where the lights adapt to the surrounding (with or without the input of the cyclist)? Are your lights detachable? I can imagine they get stolen when your bike is parked outside or do you take your bike always inside?

 

[Nukuhiva]

In most of the US, bicycles are seen as kids' toys, sports equipment or the absolutely last resort of the desperately poor.
They kind of fly under the radar as far as most laws and city ordinances are concerned.
In my area, bicycles are, for example, technically considered 'vehicles' with the same rights and obligations as a motorcycle, car, etc., and are as such not allowed to be ridden on sidewalks, but people do it all the time anyway and I've never seen anyone get in trouble for it.
I guess the cops would rather let the cyclist break the law than having to scrape his or her broken, mangled corpse off the road with a putty knife.
Which is what might happen if the cyclist would actually insist on some of those rights they technically have......
Anyway, in regards to your question, in my area, the only legally required safety features on a bicycle are at least 1 reflector per wheel, so every bike sold must be sold that way.
Most people remove them as soon as they get the bike home, because they are not 'cool'.
Very, very, very few people would even think of riding a bicycle at night or in weather conditions that would require lights, and the ones who do usually have neither reflectors nor lights and prefer dark clothing.
Why are the streets not littered with dead cyclists?
Because there aren't very many.
Personally, I like to use one blinking light in front (current color greenish) and a red one in the rear plus wear a reflective little vest thing. Blinking lights attract the eye more than steady lights and if you live in an area where drunk and/or drugged driving is the norm, you want to attract the boozy, coked-up eye as much as you can.
I also have reflectors, 2 per wheel.
The lights are attached to the stem and rear rack via screws, clip-ons are way too easy to steal.

 

[alienator]

He everybody, I need your help. I'm am a student at the Technical University of Delft and I'm studying Industrial Design. I need to know a few things about bike lights and especially the requirements for them that people have in the States. In the end I have to come up with a new concept for a Dutch company that wants to introduce themselves in the USA. So can you help me by maybe answering a few of these questions:   What type of lights do you use? (detachable?) and why?

I use a helmet mounted light from Ayup. It's light weight as is the battery which also mounts on the helmet. It provide a lot of light in a well designed spread. It's immune to the elements and takes abuse. For the rear, I use a couple of SuperFlash type lights.  

Where do you use them for? (to see or be seen?)

I use it to see. IMHO, lights designed to just allow you to be seen are a waste of money, especially since many of such lights don't really allow you to be seen well.  

What do you expect in terms of lifetime?

I expect any light to last at least 5 years.  

 

[latina]

I expect any light would be work minimum 3-4 years.

 

[kman17]

Do you think it's more important to have a headlight or a taillight? I have one solar-powered bulb that I flip over to charge and then flip the other way to use, it's cool, but I only have one, and right now I use it in the front..

 

[alienator]

Do you think it's more important to have a headlight or a taillight? I have one solar-powered bulb that I flip over to charge and then flip the other way to use, it's cool, but I only have one, and right now I use it in the front..

It's important to have both. Not having either isn't an option. Would you rather be hit from behind or from the front?

 

[Conniebiker]

.....Thanks for your reply. Do you think there should be some sort of system where the lights adapt to the surrounding (with or without the input of the cyclist)? Are your lights detachable? I can imagine they get stolen when your bike is parked outside or do you take your bike always inside?


It depends on the context. Front lights are more important at intersections and to allow the car to know when the pass is completed(if they actually look back). Rear is brighter the better even in daylight.

I have actually been pulled over in this area (in college) once and the cop tried to pin my lights as inadequate. He was reaching highly, and tried to go for any straw but said it was inadequate because it didn't throw a 500 ft beam! His partner laughed at him when I said his squad car could hardly do that and that he needed to reread his manual. It said bike must have lights and reflectors visible from 500 feet. So, technically anything less is skirting laws of both legal and sensibility.

The lights are technically detachable but to do so takes a bit of time since the tail light control/power and headlight control are wire fed from a frame bag mounted battery. Backup lights are not usually mounted unless needed. On my normal(fancier) bike the security factor is minor since I park it in the living room at home or the office at work. If it goes on errands or lunches I don't let it out of sight even when locked. My 'ugly' has basic lighting that pops off and carries since that one goes into the rougher city areas or mall lockups. That said, it doesn't do as many of those missions since I usually don't do those at night(for obvious reasons).

 

[shockgarden143]

Light bikes ride nicer on most styles of terrain.A bicycle's performance, in both biological and mechanical terms, is extraordinarily efficient.and Typical speeds for bicycles are 15 to 30 km/h (10 to 20 mph).

Advantages of light wheels:-

The advantage of light bikes, and particularly light wheels, from a KE standpoint is that KE only comes into play when speed changes.

 

[alienator]

Light bikes ride nicer on most styles of terrain.A bicycle's performance, in both biological and mechanical terms, is extraordinarily efficient.and Typical speeds for bicycles are 15 to 30 km/h (10 to 20 mph). Advantages of light wheels:- The advantage of light bikes, and particularly light wheels, from a KE standpoint is that KE only comes into play when speed changes.

None of which has anything to do with lights on a bike. You must be a spammer in the making.

 

[kman17]

Alright, I get it. Lights are important on front and rear. The thing is that I only have one, so if I'm riding with traffic, I guess it'd be better to put it on the rear. But I see your point.
I'm also trying to figure out if there are bike lights that can actually let me see the road in front of me, rather than just being high-tech reflectors. Do lights ever illuminate the road/terrain enough to bike at night?

 

[alienator]

Alright, I get it. Lights are important on front and rear. The thing is that I only have one, so if I'm riding with traffic, I guess it'd be better to put it on the rear. But I see your point. I'm also trying to figure out if there are bike lights that can actually let me see the road in front of me, rather than just being high-tech reflectors. Do lights ever illuminate the road/terrain enough to bike at night?

As far as I'm concerned, a headlight isn't worth anything if it's only designed to let you be seen. Yes there are headlights that allow you to see the road. I can do mountain descents with mine. There is no excuse for being on the road at night with only one light. Moreover, it's very likely that you're riding illegally if you've only got one light. Cyclists riding as such should be ticketed and fined.

 

[kman17]

Hey Alienator,
Your name makes more sense now...Before you go ticket and fine me (redundant, no?), why don't you chill out a bit and say something more helpful/constructive? Can you recommend a good headlight, for example?
Thanks.
Kyle

 

[alienator]

Hey Alienator, Your name makes more sense now...Before you go ticket and fine me (redundant, no?), why don't you chill out a bit and say something more helpful/constructive? Can you recommend a good headlight, for example? Thanks. Kyle

If you do a search of the forum, you'll get loads of suggestions for good bike headlights. Nite Rider, Ayup, Lupine, Cygolite, LIght & Motion, Dinotte, Lezyne, and many others make good lights. As for the name, you have no clue where it came from, so don't assume things you for which you don't have the knowledge

 

[latina]

Hi Bike Light is the mane thing for bicycle, bethought bicycle light i can not go for long drive, so it is very important. Thank You.barcode scanners