Do we need an expensive bike light?

Do you need an expensive bike light? That depends on how often you ride at night and how bright you need it to be if there are no street lights where you ride. The higher the lumens (brightness) the more expensive it is going to cost. Just make sure that the lumens of the light you are getting are within the limit acceptable in your own country.

This 300 Lumens front light is USB rechargeable and water resistant.

Then there is the front light and the rear light. Some brands sell them packaged together which tend to be cheaper than if you buy each separately. There are some rear lights that can also shoot laser beams right on the road you cycle. There are also front lights that can beam the contour of the surface you are cycling on.

Older models are cheaper, especially those with PVC casings. They can be a hassle to unscrew the cap or open up to replace AA cells. They usually have on, off and flashing light functions. The brightness depends on the number of batteries required to run it.

The later and better models run on led light and are usually USB rechargeable with its brightness indicated in lumens.

They have more light setting functions, some as many as 6. They tend to be lighter in weight with alloy casing or with silicon covers. Some brands even sell silicon covers in many colours so that you can interchange them. They are usually easier to install and remove.

So, now that you know what is available in the market, it will be easier for you to decide what you are willing to pay for after checking it brightness, the weight, the functions that go with it and its ease to install. If brand name is important to you, then you have to pay for that too.

There is another option for bicycle light that most cyclists missed checking out on. Do you have a mini lightweight torchlight at home or in your car? If you can mount it on a bicycle light holder that you can find in the market, you may prefer to use that over the regular bicycle light. There are torchlight that are supplied with a regular battery and a rechargeable AA battery. They also come with a charger that you can use to recharge other rechargeable AA batteries that you have in your home. One of the functions I like about such torchlight is that you can reduce the size of the light or have it narrowed down to a pinpoint mode so that it shines more brightly in dark corners.

Am I done on this topic? No. If you are talking about making yourself visible with light while you are cycling, there are headlights,…

…lights on wheels that you can change its design digitally for a signature look.

There are lights that you can strap on your body or bag.

There are lights that run on dynamo if you are an eco-hero.

There are lights that you can attach to your handlebar to indicate right or left turn. Lights that can be mounted to the front of your helmet…

…or permanently attached to the rear of your helmet.

The right question to ask is how safe you want to be while out cycling in the dark. The safer you want to be the more expensive it will cost you should you consider installing every gizmo there are in the market to brighten your ride.