You Light Up My Life
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- By KW
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We are lucky here in west Michigan to have the spring and summer sun stretch well into the nighttime hours. In June the sun is up by 6 a.m. and stays up well past 9 p.m. It's really cool to be able to ride for 15 hours in daylight! During the winter, though, it's kind of the opposite, and we end up with some days where the sun, if it's seen at all, doesn't seem to rise until around 9 in the morning, and it's pretty dark by 5:30 p.m. What does one do in order to get the maximum enjoyment out of a bicycle, then? Well, you have to ride at night. So you'll need something to light your way and keep you safe. Let's talk about lights and their various applications, as well as our recommendations for those applications.
One of the first things we discuss with a customer when purchasing lighting equipment is whether you want to SEE or to BE SEEN. Both are important. One will help prevent you being hit by a car, while the other helps you find your way home after dark.
Let's start with BEING SEEN. Most of us here in the shop use lights on at least the rear of our bikes any time we ride on the road, whether it's gravel or pavement. A rear solid or flashing light can help a car see you from a considerable distance even in broad daylight. Many of us also run a headlight all the time as well. Again, even during daylight hours, this will help drivers see you on your bike. For the front we recommend a flashing light of some type - it gets their attention faster.
What if you want to SEE, though? Maybe you love riding all night. Maybe you commute to work at a third shift job. We agree - it's fun to hit the trails or the roads after dark. But you'll need something to help you see so you don't crash into random stuff. Like buildings. It's also helpful for drivers, who aren't necessarily expecting to see cyclists after dark (seems like they have enough trouble seeing us during the day sometimes...). For night riding we recommend more lumens, and maybe even more lights.
One of our "be seen" favorites is the Knog+ Twinpack. These two lights hang out on the front and rear of your bike, attaching with handy rubber band-style devices. They have several modes of solid and flashing lights, and are easily visible from a distance no matter the time of day. The entire unit plugs into a USB charger, so they're easy to recharge, too. The Serfas Thunderbolt combo is also a good choice for being seen. This moves up a notch in lumens, making the lights a little brighter. Like the Knog+, the Thunderbolt lights are also USB rechargeable.
How about for you night owls? What's in the shop that you should have a look at? Well, there are several that we would recommend, and the first of those would be the Serfas E-Lume 350/30 set. This is a good combo to get you started in night riding, especially if you don't ride in the dark too often or if it's not fully dark when you ride. If you are even more serious about night riding, you can check out the Ravemen PR1600 headlight, which approaches the lumens of an automobile headlight.
For those of you riding the trails overnight, we recommend getting your light onto your helmet. Since your head officially turns before your bars do, a handlebar- mounted light will be a little behind you as you turn, right? So a light on your head is better than one on your bars. The Serfas helmet mount will allow you to put your Serfas light up there, and a couple of our Kali helmets come with a built-in accessory mount.
Virtually all of the lights we sell employ several different levels of brightness and/or a flashing mode. Most are also USB rechargeable, meaning you won't need to keep replacing worn out batteries. There is also a wide range of pricing and brightness - as you might imagine, brighter lights/more lumens equates to a higher price. But we are sure you'll be able to find a light that fits your budget and allows you to ride safely no matter what time of day or night.
https://main-street-bicycle-company.shoplightspeed.com/accessories/lights/
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