Your Bike Lights & Understanding Them

Lights are a bike component to which we rarely give much thought. It can be thought of as a foundational tool for staying safe on the road. Bike lights, on the other hand, are much more than that. Daytime lights help you express your presence on the road to other users, not just when riding in the dark. If you're not sure how to choose the right light for you, we'll break down the lingo and have you an expert in no time.

What are lumens?

Most bike lights will tell you how many lumens they have, and many will virtually shout it off their package. We can all agree that 500 lumens is better than 300, but what exactly are lumens? Lumens are a unit of measurement for how much visible light reaches the human eye.

There's also a new feature called "useful lumens." The EU devised a grading system called useful lumens, which is intended to make it easier to choose the right light. Consider how a standard light bulb emits light in all directions. It may be 850 lumens in total, but it may only be 300 lumens where you are sitting immediately under the light. The effective lumens are then 300. For their claimed total lumens, several bike lights have counted their distribution of light. What you need to know is how concentrated the light is where you need it to see the road.

Finally, you want the lamp with the highest lumen output. No, not exactly.

Bike light modes

Different light modes are available on bike lights. Bike lights suddenly stop being as simple as you thought they were once you start going through the modes. Although most people just put their lights on their bike and don't think about their modes, taking the time to go over them will keep you safer on the road.

To flash or not to flash?

When riding on the road, the majority of people will turn their lights to flash mode to attract the attention of other drivers, however there are a few things to consider:

• Check your local laws to see if this is prohibited where you live.
• It's more difficult to view the road clearly.
• It is more difficult for drivers to assess their distance from you.
• "Just use steady light," you might be thinking.

However, there are several aspects to consider:

• The biggest one is that the battery life of your light will quickly drain, especially if you use it at a high power setting. When it's dark or you're riding offroad, it's safer.
• You will conserve battery life by using a lower power setting, but other road users may not see you.

The simplest solution is to purchase a high-quality front light with a large battery and a low-cost front light. Use the bright light to guide you and the flashing light to bring attention to yourself. This technique can also be used to improve rear visibility. It's also advisable to arrange the lights at different heights at the back. One lower down is the constant light, which will resemble a car light. A flashing light appeared higher above. Because the two lights are at different heights, vehicles will have an easier time recognizing you as a cyclist and judging their distance from you.

During the day

During the day, you shouldn't need to be as brightly lighted and should be able to see the road ahead of you. You'll need a light with a daylight mode in this situation. A daylight mode is available on our Entity lights. The purpose of daylight mode is to remind inattentive drivers that you are present. Although you should not require them, it is always better to be safe than sorry.

If you have any queries regarding which lights to buy, please contact your local shop and they will put you on the correct path.