Should the come fitted with lights?

[Dawnrider]

I asked this question on my Photography site, and got mixed answers.
I believe that all road bikes should come fittted with lights.
Many years ago i would have ridden my bike at night without lights, but then i grew up, and would never recommend it now. You can get quite heavy fines too. Now the bikes that most commuters buy are road bikes, whether they are racers or mountai bikes, whatever, yet they are not strictly speaking road legal at night-crazy! You wouldnt buy a motorbike without lights, so why not apply the same to road bikes or at least give the option when buying!
What does everyone think?

 

[rek]

Riding at night without at least LED flashers for both directions is just silliness. It's difficult for other cyclists to see them, let alone motorists!

They seem to come with front/rear reflectors (and also on the wheels), whether they actually stay on the bike by the time it leaves the shop is another thing.

Lights seem to be a common thing for people to buy alongside the bike, amongst things like bottle cages, water bottles, seat bags, etc.

 

[Dawnrider]

Those reflectors I find are about as useful as a chocolate fireguard! LED flashers are excellent tho, I have a rear one and have always preferred those to conventional lights(I see that modern motorbikes use LED rear lights nowadays!)

 

[circuitweed]

Mmmmm... Chocolate fireguard.

 

[tanyaq]

Originally posted by Dawnrider
I asked this question on my Photography site, and got mixed answers.
I believe that all road bikes should come fittted with lights.
Many years ago i would have ridden my bike at night without lights, but then i grew up, and would never recommend it now. You can get quite heavy fines too. Now the bikes that most commuters buy are road bikes, whether they are racers or mountai bikes, whatever, yet they are not strictly speaking road legal at night-crazy! You wouldnt buy a motorbike without lights, so why not apply the same to road bikes or at least give the option when buying!
What does everyone think?

No the bikes should not be forced to come with lights. The road bike I bought recently did not come with reflectors either. If you are a recreational rider that is only going to be riding during the day, or a racer (in daylight), why bother with the extra weight? People should be responsible for their own safety and well being and equip their bike as necessary if they will be riding their bike after dark, by choosing the lights that best meet their needs (depending on the darkness of the environment they plan to ride in etc.)

 

[Dawnrider]

but at least they should be given the option dont you think?

 

[tacomee]

Bikes in Europe often come with lights (and racks and fenders as well). But riders in Europe are often smarter bike buyers than us here in the US. Here in the NW USA I'm not sure how you could really ride much in the winter without lights-- it's dark much of the time I'm not working. And it rains and if I couldn't use my rack for trips around town-- I'd never find the time to ride.

Some of it is bike shops and manufacters like to keep stringing us along for after market sales of lights, racks, panners, ect... If I ever plunked down a grand for a new bike....I'd want all this stuff stock.

 

[Dawnrider]

Here in the NW USA I'm not sure how you could really ride much in the winter without lights-- it's dark much of the time I'm not working.If I ever plunked down a grand for a new bike....I'd want all this stuff stock.

exactly! Its like this trend of selling bikes without the pedals! Like wTF??

 

[swimmeronwheels]

Originally posted by tacomee
Bikes in Europe often come with lights (and racks and fenders as well). But riders in Europe are often smarter bike buyers than us here in the US. Here in the NW USA I'm not sure how you could really ride much in the winter without lights-- it's dark much of the time I'm not working. And it rains and if I couldn't use my rack for trips around town-- I'd never find the time to ride.

Some of it is bike shops and manufacters like to keep stringing us along for after market sales of lights, racks, panners, ect... If I ever plunked down a grand for a new bike....I'd want all this stuff stock.

If I paid a grand for a bike... #1) I probably wouldn't use it as a commuter bike; #2) I'd want the exact pedals and other stuff that I wanted ... not have to pay for the average choice and then replace them.

I think people have lots of different riding styles and times and therefore, as much is left to personal choice as possible (short of a custom bike). There is no shortage of bike lights in every size and price range to be bought from LBS or a discount house like nashbar.com. And they are easy to install. Same with pedals. I'm all for leaving some choices to the rider/purchaser ... everyone has different priorities in their ride. I'm still surprised at the number of comfort bikes that come with bells.

 

[tacomee]

Most bikers love bells-- all the old folks around here ride around clanging those bells at eachother and waving. Kids love them as well. My wife even loves them. Some of the charm of bikes dates back to childhood and memories of a gentler, slower paced Americana-- and bells play into this.

In realty, what % of bikes are ever raced? And if you're not racing-- why not have a light? The worst it could do is save your life.

I understand the personal choice issues. It's an awful lot of fun putting together a bike with all your personal touches on it

 

[swimmeronwheels]

Originally posted by tacomee
And if you're not racing-- why not have a light? The worst it could do is save your life.

I actually have a light ... but since I don't do much night riding it is usually in my bag. I don't leave it on the bike for fear of theft ... they click right off. If I had a bike for purely workouts or a specific kind of ride that I only did in the daytime I wouldn't even have the light bracket on there. As it is I have one bike for everything including commuting and some errands so I'm ready for an occasional dark trip.

I think some serious mountain bikers wouldn't want another thing to smash on the handlebars if they never rode at night. For others who like a computer, things can get crowded.

 

[Dawnrider]

And if you're not racing-- why not have a light? The worst it could do is save your life.

nicely put tacomee!

 

[msrw]

I think the reason bikes in the U.S. don't come with lights is because virtually the entire American bike market is dominated by performance oriented equipment for road or trail use. Even the so-called comfort bikes often don't have fenders, a chain guard, an upright riding position etc. In Europe, a number of bikes are available for actual transportation use--not just for performance. And of course they have lights, fenders, chainguards, built in locks etc.

 

[newsace]

Originally posted by tacomee
Most bikers love bells-- all the old folks around here ride around clanging those bells at eachother and waving.

I never saw the point -- until this weekend. On a big organized ride on rough roads and with a pretty stiff wind, a couple of tandem riders had a bell that they used to alert other riders as we (I was doing my best to keep pace with them) came up behind them. It was more pleasant sounding than a constant string of "on your left" and was easier to hear over the noise of the road and wind (and easier to hear well before actually being passed -- most calls of "on your left" seem to come as the other rider is already on me, and often startle me more than if they just blew past). Now I'm thinking I may increase my Fredliness even more by adding a bell.

mike

 

[tacomee]

Originally posted by msrw
I think the reason bikes in the U.S. don't come with lights is because virtually the entire American bike market is dominated by performance oriented equipment for road or trail use. Even the so-called comfort bikes often don't have fenders, a chain guard, an upright riding position etc. In Europe, a number of bikes are available for actual transportation use--not just for performance. And of course they have lights, fenders, chainguards, built in locks etc.

Yikes!! Of course this completely true and also very sad. Although I support bike racing of any kind and exstreme mtb or bmx riding that doesn't tear up the landscape.... I'll never race again (at 38 I'm too old and fat and when I was younger, well I basicly sucked at racing) So I guess I shouldn't be riding anymore. I have buddies who used to be hard core single track guys, but got married and just completely quit riding. It's the old, ride hard or go home club

Bikes are very versatile--- they can be a part of just about anyone's life.

 

[brightgarden]

no, i don't think bikes should be sold with lights on. if they were, i would never afford to get one. (because presumably, if the bike has lights, it probably has bells, bottle cages, maybe even a flag--where would you stop?)

actually, i am one of those weirdo people who would rather choose a saddle too. i've never kept the saddle the bike came with and it irks me that there are basements all over the world where some stock saddle (or two or three) are just getting moldy because they had eventually gotten replaced. so much waste!

but of course, i would never suggest that a bike should ever be sold without one. my road bike didn't come with pedals, but that was actually preferable as i could just use my mtb pedals until i recover from the financial plunge into my road bike (haven't recovered yet).

 

[swimmeronwheels]

actually, i am one of those weirdo people who would rather choose a saddle too. i've never kept the saddle the bike came with and it irks me that there are basements all over the world where some stock saddle (or two or three) are just getting moldy because they had eventually gotten replaced. so much waste!

but of course, i would never suggest that a bike should ever be sold without one. . [/B]

But they could give me a $10 or $20 discount for taking the bike without the useless (to me) saddle ... that's a nice idea!

 

[bikinchris]

What kind of headlight do you think you want? A $400.00 dual headlamp system or just a cheap LED? The kinds of lights a bike need depend on your speed, your surroundings, and you length of trip. Many bikes are never ridden off of well light streets and don't need anything more than a simple light. My commuter bike has dual headlamps and dual batteries because I ride fast on rough rural streets after I am out of town. I don't think adding $400.00 to the price of EVERY bike makes much sense. On the other hand, if you are going to ride at night, buy a headlamp with the bike that is appropriate. BTW, my racing bike has no lights because it never sees the dark. Ditto with my fixed gear bike, my tandem and track bike.

 

[Dan Burkhart]

Originally posted by Dawnrider
Those reflectors I find are about as useful as a chocolate fireguard! LED flashers are excellent tho, I have a rear one and have always preferred those to conventional lights(I see that modern motorbikes use LED rear lights nowadays!)

More effective by far is reflective marking on your clothing. A cyclist with reflective piping on jerseys, jackets or backpacks is far more conspicuous than without, even when used in conjunction with a good lighting system.
Reflective tape liberally aplied to parts of the bike, like forks, chainstays and seatposts is a good idea too.It takes no batteries to operate, and the upkeep is cheap. Best bang for the buck.
Dan Burkhart
Oakville Ont

 

[Geonz]

I agree -- I have a toasty warm coat, but started noticing that when it seemed to be "one of those days" and every other driver was cutting it a lot closer, that it was when I was wearing the coat instead of layering up under the flaming yellow reflectorized windbreaker. (The coat's too warm for anything over 20 F. anyway.)

And don't decide what I want with my bike. If I already have a perfecdtly good Major LIghting IMplement then I just need to make sure the water bottle cages will work to hold the battery. And a bike shop should help me build the bike I want - last bike I bought it was "and of course we'll have to talk about the tires," and the assorted other parts that were swapped before the thing ever left the store.