Bicycle lighting is about two things: being seen by other motorists and seeing what's ahead of you, especially in the night.

Bicycle Lights to Make You 'SEEN'

These lights are placed in the rear and are designed to allow other cyclists, motorists and pedestrians to see you in the night or in low light conditions. They improve your visibility to other road users and especially ensure that motorists can be alerted to your presence from a distance. Cyclists mostly use LED bulbs these days as they provide a better quality light while using much less battery power. Some of these lights also operate in a flashing mode and are efficient in attracting attention from fellow commuters.

Bicycle Lights to 'SEE' the Road Ahead

These bicycle front lights help to illuminate dark roads and trails ahead when riding in the night. Having good visibility is important especially when you're riding in poorly lit areas. With these lights, you can see, anticipate and react to what lies ahead of you. It is recommended to opt for a good front light to double your visibility to passing motorists.

Factors to Consider When Buying a Bicycle Light

Choosing the right bicycle light is a tricky business. There are several factors you need to consider, some of which include:

• Bulb Type: Most of the bicycle lights available today are using HID (high-intensity discharge) and LED (light-emitting diode) technologies. The traditional incandescent and halogen bulbs, which were previously used for bicycle lights are gradually becoming obsolete.




• Weight: When shopping for a bicycle light consider its weight. A heavy light will add to the overall weight of your bicycle, which will affect your speed especially when riding uphill.




• Luminosity: The brightness of a bicycle light is the most crucial factor. While the brightness of an incandescent bulb is measured in Watt (W), an LED light is measured in Lumens (lm). The more lumens a bulb has, the better power output it provides.




• Mounting: The mounting devices help to attach the lighting units (front lights) with the handlebars or helmets and rear lights with seat posts.




• Batteries: Most of the bicycle lights use a rechargeable Lithium battery. They are lightweight and offer a longer battery life in comparison to the regular batteries. Since they are rechargeable, Lithium batteries deliver consistent light throughout their lifetime.

• Run Times: The battery life of your bicycle light should essentially last the duration of your ride. It depends upon the battery type, the kind of LEDs used, and the power of the lighting system. The run time of your bicycle light is less with a steady beam than in a flashing mode.

Bicycle Lights by Brands

Here's the list of some of the most popular bicycle LED lights by brands:

Cygolite USB Rechargeable Bicycle Lights

The rechargeable bicycle headlights from Cygolitegive out bright, white light. In fact, you can adjust the brightness of the Expilion 700. But the 800 USB rechargeable light is the most dominant of the Expilion range.

Cygolite lights mostly feature user-replaceable Li-ion battery and unique steady-flash pattern. The latter allows this headlamp to pulseoff and back on fast (3 times in a row) while in steady-burn mode. This is very helpful when you need to grab the attention of an approaching car. The 700 series now has a new feature called 'day flash' that allows you to be visible even in daylight using rapid high-intensity flashes.

Expilion offers brilliant beam spread, covering a pretty wide area without giving a tunnel effect. However, its side-visibility isn't something to boast about. Furthermore, this bicycle LED headlight has a completely rigid mount with no rubber or silicone. These lights therefore can be adjusted only to thick or thin handlebars. If you're using this headlight, expect to re-tighten the mountfrequently as it comes loose relatively quickly.

The rotating mount of Expilion range is helpful for lighting up curves but expect the light to slide side to side. The removable battery makes this lighting unit quite heavy for mountain biking.

Lumintrail Bicycle Lights

LuminTrail bicycle lights offer the perfect lighting solution for riding in the dark.This brand offers LED bicycle lights ranging from 1000, 2000 or 3000 lumens, which means the light is nearly as bright as your car headlight. If you're riding roads and trails in pitch darkness, LuminTrail bicycle lights are the best option.

You can easily mount the LuminTrail headlight on your handlebar or helmet. However, the battery pack is fairly heavy. The light uses a cord which will be trailing down to the pocket of your jacket, if you're wearing the light on your helmet. In addition, it features a hidden strobe mode apart from the bright, very bright and blinding mode. You can change the mode on the go and even aim the light downwards as it pivots easily on the mount.

The only downside of a LuminTrail bicycle light is its battery weight. But its bright, strong light makes LuminTrail one of the most popular choices for people who like mountain biking.

Serfas Bicycle Lights

Those looking for USB rechargeable bicycle lights can also consider theSerfas brand.The TSL-500+ headlights give out very bright light and come with user-replaceable Li-ion battery. Though it is quite challenging to clip the light into and out of its mount, it is extremely easy to remove the mount from your bicycle.TSL-500+ also features a helmet mount. The only disadvantage is that it gives out a focused beamwhich cannot cover the whole road. The TSL-750 light addresses this issue and features interchangeable lens.

The Thunderbolt range from Serfas is very popular especially because of its unique design that allows very wide angle visibility. These lights therefore make a great choice as a be-seen light.They can be mounted on both the handlebar and helmet. However, they are not a very good option for seeing the road and the battery life is also shorter at full brightness.

Conclusion

When shopping for bicycle lights by brands you first need to consider your purpose. Why do you need the light? Do you want to see the road ahead or be seen?

If you want the lights for commuter biking, your focus should be more on being seen and you will need lights that increase your visibility. On the other hand, for mountain or trail riding you'll need high-output lights that let you see in all directions as these areas are practically un-lit. You will also need bicycle lights with extremely long battery life for mountain biking. Remember that a good lighting system is essential to keep you, and people around you, safe.