04.What to look for
Staying visible
- Check your lights regularly; if they're looking dim, it's time to replace the batteries.
- It's worth carrying a backup light or two on your bike or backpack - lights can fail unexpectedly, especially in the rain.
- Wear light-coloured or reflective clothing, or a reflective strip or vest.
- Steady lights are good for a rider's visability. However, flashing lights are more distinctive and allow other road users to see you better.
- Most bike lights use LEDs rather than globes. Lights with multiple LEDs are usually brightest but a single LED can still be very bright if the light has a good reflector.
- Ask the bike shop if you can test the lights before buying. Try the different flash rates – if the flash is too slow you'll travel further between each flash giving motorists an inaccurate judgement of your location. If it's too fast, it'll create a strobe effect, again distorting motorist's judgement of your exact location.
- Check the light is clearly visible when side-on or at an angle.
- Light mounting brackets will fit most bikes but check they'll fit yours.
- Ideally the light should use easily obtainable batteries such as AAs or AAAs.
- Riders are easiest to see when their lights are mounted at handlebar height.
- Helmet-mounted lights aren't ideal - they can overwhelm other riders.
- Bear in mind that high-powered lights that are too bright can blind other riders and road users. Mounting them at the correct height should help to avoid this.
Dynamo vs high-powered LED
Since 2010, dynamo lights and high-powered LEDs have been included alongside compact lights in the annual test.
Dynamos don’t require batteries – they’re powered by rubbing on the wheel or hub. Hub dynamos are built into the front wheel of the bike, which requires a wheel rebuild that can be a pricey exercise costing anywhere from $500. However, they’re silent, have little drag and are efficient. Cheaper options are bottle dynamos, which have more drag, are noisy and wear the tyres due to contact with the sidewall of the tyre. Magnetic induction dynamos may have no drag, noise or wear, but they’re heavy and don’t provide the same level of light as hub dynamos.
High-powered LEDs are great for being seen and are most useful if they come with a strobe function – without one their light can meld with the surrounding street and traffic lights. Some require a separate battery pack that is strapped to the bike, while others are “cable free” where the battery is incorporated into the light. For most batteries, simply plug the battery into the mains power with either a charger or USB to charge these lights. It can take two to five hours to fully charge them, and the light can run out in only a few hours, so look for one with a high burn time. If your light uses batteries (eg AAA), always carry spares so you never end up stranded.