Bike Lights for Night Riding

[snwbrdr]

Not sure if MTBR still does it or not, but in the past, they have an annual bike light review, where they test distance, spread, battery life, etc.

 

[firebanex]

Everyone will curse you so hard that you won't even bother to turn them on on MUPs or reasonably lit roads.
Mounting arrangement on the bike becomes a very much non-trivial issue. You might need to dedicate a frame bag or a bottle cage to the battery.

Outbounds Trail EVO is one of these.. I get flashed by peoples brights when riding at them on roads in the winter. Had a couple people wave me the bird early on, now I cover the top part of the beam output to help. 2200 Lumens on high is brighter than most headlights fyi, your car head lights are usually somewhere around 1200-1500 lumens in a very well engineered beam. Which is why they seem to work so much better than most bike lights of similar light outputs. Matt, the founder of Outbound Lighting used to be an automotive lighting engineer and that is one reason his lights do so well.

(seriously, I warned you guys that I'm a huge OL fan)

 

[PowHog]

As others already said you can't have enough light if you plan on riding off road at night. This is the one I am using for years

Lupine Wilma LED helmet lamp

Purchase the Wilma as helmet lamp with SmartCore battery, Bluetooth remote control, app support and full 3600 lumens. The FrontClick system allows a…

www.lupine-shop.com

Lupine Helmet- and Bikelights

High-tech LED lamps helmet for mountainbiking. Extremely bright, robust and waterproof - Made in Germany. Buy now at Lupine shop.

www.lupine-shop.com

Excellent light and you can get differently sized battery packs. I tested it side by side to the much pricier Betty but the difference was not notable enough to justify twice the cost.

That said if you only ride modest trails wide enough or gravel paths then you can get away with one of those as cheaper alternative to the Lupine Pico. Good experience with this one too and awarded for being best bang for the buck by magazines

Sun Storm II - LED lamps

<p>Die Sun Storm II ist der Nachfolger der legendären Sun Storm I (<strong>Preis- Leistungssieger</strong> im großen BIKE Test 11/2013, 11/2014 und 01/2016). Das hart anodisierte Gehäuse aus <strong>widerstandsfähigem Flugzeug Alumini

blacksun2.com

 

[Tom K.]

I have a version of this Bontrager self contained light that I use on my helmet - it can be bar mounted too. I've been very happy with it and it's widely available.

Same. Good light, though I don't use it much for actual bicycle riding. If you happen to have a Bontrager helmet, this light will mount very nicely via an integral magnetic mounting pod.

One other big concern about non-name-brand lights is that their batteries do not live up to the advertised run time, especially at steady (non-blinking) illumination.

And, occasionally start on fire.

Pro Tip: There is no downside to charging these with a small, inexpensive timer plug.

Just in case the built-in automatic off feature of the light itself malfunctions.

 

[Tony S]

And, occasionally start on fire.

 

[cantunamunch]

That sounds better than my assumption that people were stringing it across the path in a malicious manner to injure cyclists.

Fortunately the Park Service closes a lot of it off mid-summer to do a grass re-seed. Fourth of July crowds have a trampling superpower.

 

[Rudi Riet]

Yes. Yes. Most of those are Capital Bikeshare bikes - I don't know the light specifics but I would be surprised if they were less than 500-600 lumens. @Rudi Riet would probably know.

Some are CaBi, but the lights on their fleet are mostly "be seen" lights and don't do a great job illuminating the trail. Trail use is not their forté after dark, even though there are stations on all the major multi-use trails in the DC area. While their headlights are likely in the 300-400 lumen range, they strobe and have no lens to focus the light so aren't great if it's really dark as your eyes will never fully adjust.

(The shared scooters do have steady lights, most rated in the 500 lumen range. Tho I'm not sure why folks would ride them for a long distance as the cost per minute for renting is super high.)

I'm sure many of the folks you see on the MVT (or W&OD, Custis, Capital Crescent, et al) are using something in the 800-1100 lumen range. I see a lot of Light & Motion, CygoLite, NiteRider, Lezyne, and Bontrager headlights when I'm riding on MUPs or Hains Point around sunset, most of them of fairly recent vintage which means they'll be in the aformentioned range. My headlight is a CygoLite Metro 1200 and it does great on everything short of singletrack, where I pair it with a helmet mounted Light & Motion unit rated at 800 lumens.

All of these lights have lenses that focus the light beam in a useful pattern for riding. They also have different intensity settings (the max lumen rating is the highest beam), and often have a variety of strobe or "steady-flash" (where there's a stutter flash in the beam to make others aware that you are a bicycle). With my CygoLite, most of the time I can ride with it on its low or medium beam settings (I estimate those to be 500 and 850 lumens, respectively), and sometimes I'll use the "walk mode" steady beam (150 lumens) if I'm riding on a well-lit street and simply want to be seen. The strobes I only use in daylight as a "be seen" measure.

Rear lights are amazingly visible at quite low cost. Have two - then you can run at least one in non-blinking mode and cars can place you much more accurately.

Also: if you ride with other people a strobe is not only unfriendly, but can be dangerous to riders with strobe sensitivity, causing epileptic seizures. It's great to have two lights and to set one to phasing in and out and the other to solid, but they key is to have a light that's bright and that can be easily switched from solid to phasing to strobe. Lights from Lezyne, Cateye, Planet Bike, NiteRider, and Bontrager fit this bill well. And the Garmin Varia lights are also awesome if complete overkill (tho the radar feature is handy for rear awareness).

I have quick-clamp attachments for most everything if I expect to be away from the bike for any length of time. I'm usually much more paranoid about the GPS headunit.

I remove anything that can "walk" from my bike if I'm parking it in an urban space for any period of time. That includes lights (save for the tiny "be seen" lights handed out at events like Bike to Work Day), GPS, mini pump. I've had a tool bag rifled through once over the years, and the person made off with a fairly cheap multi-tool - no huge loss, and since then I've not taken to removing that when I park.

But given the cost of good lights with a warranty, I'd sooner take them with me than leave them on the bike.

 

[fosphenytoin]

@cantunamunch - I was referring to root heaves on Mount Vernon Trail. Do you call these fish lines? There are too many root heaves on Mount Vernon trail and makes biking at night very challenging.

Yes July 4th crowd on MVT was a bit too much. I went to Gravelly Point to watch fireworks. Biking back home in pitch dark was scary. Very lucky I did not fall or hit anyone on my way home (few close calls). I thought I was well prepared w/ my cheap bike light + camping headlight. The fireworks was not so memorable, the biking part was memorable and don't think I will go to Gravelly point on July 4th to watch fireworks again...

"Strobe" - Learned a new word today!

I bought Bontrager Ion Pro RT Front Bike Light online, now I need to figure out where to place it on my bike "smartly" so it does not blind people at night.

 

[cantunamunch]

@cantunamunch - I was referring to root heaves on Mount Vernon Trail. Do you call these fish lines?

No. I call those root cracks.

What I call "fish line" has a hook at one end and a fishing rod at the other. If you're passing through there on less crowded nights, be extra careful and go slow near the marina bridge.

There are too many root heaves on Mount Vernon trail and makes biking at night very challenging.

Tweak tire pressure lower if you can. Ride a bike with a suspension fork if you can. Ride with very soft hand pressure on the handlebars.

Without a suspension fork they're never *pleasant* but as you ride more you'll adapt to where you can pretty much ignore them.

 

[Pdub]

Best solution for me has been two powerful lights, one mounted on handlebar and one on helmet. Wider beam on handlebar. Niterider has good options at reasonable prices.

 

[Rod9301]

No. I call those root cracks.

What I call "fish line" has a hook at one end and a fishing rod at the other. If you're passing through there on less crowded nights, be extra careful and go slow near the marina bridge.



Tweak tire pressure lower if you can. Ride a bike with a suspension fork if you can. Ride with very soft hand pressure on the handlebars.

Without a suspension fork they're never *pleasant* but as you ride more you'll adapt to where you can pretty much ignore them.

What do you mean ride with a suspension fork?

Does anyone ride today with a rigid fork?

 

[Philpug]

Does anyone ride today with a rigid fork?

Not many but I do see a lot of hard tails out there. I followed a guy up Peavine yesterday in 100* temps who was on a hardtail. I was on my eMTB and never felt I had to back it off not to come too close behind him. He was moving at quite a good pace.

 

[Rudi Riet]

@cantunamunch - I was referring to root heaves on Mount Vernon Trail. Do you call these fish lines? There are too many root heaves on Mount Vernon trail and makes biking at night very challenging.

I bought Bontrager Ion Pro RT Front Bike Light online, now I need to figure out where to place it on my bike "smartly" so it does not blind people at night.

Those heaves caused by tree roots are a constant problem on the MVT. Friends of the Mount Vernon Trail are working hard with the National Park Service to get the trail properly resurfaced and widened. It was designed in an era where there wasn't a thought that it would become a busy commuter route, but here we are.

FoMVT has been working since late spring to trim back the foliage that was obscuring sight lines, as well as cleaning the wooden decking and installing some grip strips where they're allowed to make the surface safer. It's worth making a donation to them or pitching in to help one weekend. They're good people.

With regard to aiming the headlight: the Ion is designed for a hendlebar-area mount, so aiming it is key. There's no 100 percent sure fire way to avoid shining it at all users, but it should be possible to do a quick pivot of it to make it less of an issue.

 

[skibob]

Those heaves caused by tree roots are a constant problem on the MVT. Friends of the Mount Vernon Trail are working hard with the National Park Service to get the trail properly resurfaced and widened. It was designed in an era where there wasn't a thought that it would become a busy commuter route, but here we are.

FoMVT has been working since late spring to trim back the foliage that was obscuring sight lines, as well as cleaning the wooden decking and installing some grip strips where they're allowed to make the surface safer. It's worth making a donation to them or pitching in to help one weekend. They're good people.

With regard to aiming the headlight: the Ion is designed for a hendlebar-area mount, so aiming it is key. There's no 100 percent sure fire way to avoid shining it at all users, but it should be possible to do a quick pivot of it to make it less of an issue.

need a device like a rear view mirror in a car. Where you can flick it down to a predictable and still useful, and not blinding, position. And then flick it back up to exactly the original position w/o fiddling.

 

[fosphenytoin]

Educate me on the following:
1) Why do some people turn on bike lights (front and back) during the day?
2) When and why do you use flash mode (strobe?) for front light?

For root heaves on MVT, why can't we paint over them to make them more visible? Some bike trails in Delaware do that.

I heard of Friends of Mt Vernon Trail, I may check them out this summer. The group I ride w/ (BPAC), my impression is they avoid MVT like a plague. It is a dangerous, esp weekends, at times it feels like I am on 495 rush hour, some cyclists are very aggressive and fast.

There was a study about Safety on MVT, done by a Masters of Public Health Student. It looks at all injuries occurred on MVT and identified 3 most common causes: 1) change of "texture" on trials (from gravel to wood or vice versa) when it rains / wet on trails; 2) trail merge 3) I forgot the 3rd reason...

No. I call those root cracks.

What I call "fish line" has a hook at one end and a fishing rod at the other. If you're passing through there on less crowded nights, be extra careful and go slow near the marina bridge.

Thanks for the clarification! You do mean what you say......
I don't think I have ever seen a fish lines on that trail.

 

[cantunamunch]

Educate me on the following:
1) Why do some people turn on bike lights (front and back) during the day?

There are situations when a light *does* make you far more visible.
If it's rainy, you will be better seen, especially in turning mirrors.
If the sun is low in the sky, you are a black silhouette to drivers headed east in the morning and to drivers headed west in the afternoon.
If there is a lot of foliage, your motion and contrast is not necessarily obvious.

If you have the battery capacity for it, daytime lights are a thing. I generally don't have battery capacity for it - if I'm out, I'm out for a long time after dark.

2) When and why do you use flash mode (strobe?) for front light?

I *never* do because
it is unfriendly to other cyclists,
the first thing one does after seeing a strobe is look away from it
it doesn't convey range, speed or angle information to onlookers
it kills your dark adapted eyesight without giving you road information

In other words, I believe much the same things the German legislature did when they made bike strobes illegal there.

That said, the best two arguments for using flash mode are
- better battery life
- as @Rudi Riet mentions above, having flash mode means you are a cyclist and not a roadside vegetable stand or driveway marker.

For root heaves on MVT, why can't we paint over them to make them more visible? Some bike trails in Delaware do that.

Hehe. If you think the MVT is bad, have a look at some of the Fairfax County paved disasters like the pseudo MUP along Roberts Parkway or the Accotink Creek bridge section of the Fairfax County Parkway trail.

The essential problem is that people think MUPs are glorified sidewalks, and they don't prepare the underlayers properly. And so concrete sidewalk slabs heave and corner grinding is a thing. Asphalted paths crack. Asphalted paths also develop icing more than gravel because they trap both water and mud. Asphalted paths also trap drainage mud. Asphalted paths get lichen, algae and mossy slicks in shady zones.

The irony is that gravel paths are often smoother and grippier overall, because they don't get root damage as fast and because they don't get slick with algae/ice. And gravel trails are much easier to resurface.

my impression is they avoid MVT like a plague.

Yes. The well known trails are best used for bridge access and water access and little else. The trick is to find cycling connections that put you at the same destination without using the trail.

Avoiding the Crescent, W&OD, Custis, MVT, WB&A, C&O up to Pennyfield Lock, Anacostia Riverwalk, Gerry Conolly CCT is very much a thing. Just wait until the I66 trail is finished, we'll avoid that too

I don't think I have ever seen a fish lines on that trail.

You don't ride it during non-busy times enough - but no reason to start now .

All the trails have their off-hours weirdness. The MVT has geese, geese droppings and fishermen. The C&O has frogs, deer and turtles. The W&OD has groundhogs, deer, foxes, rabbits and hornets. Little Falls has giant luna moths that go after your helmet light and congested bats that fly right into your helmet. The CCT has coyotes (there's even a sign about it), underpass mud, underpass dwellers and dog droppings.

 

[LiquidFeet]

....All the trails have their off-hours weirdness. The MVT has geese, geese droppings and fishermen. The C&O has frogs, deer and turtles. The W&OD has groundhogs, deer, foxes, rabbits and hornets. Little Falls has giant luna moths that go after your helmet light and congested bats that fly right into your helmet. The CCT has coyotes (there's even a sign about it), underpass mud, underpass dwellers and dog droppings.

For some twisted reason that was fun to read.

 

[skibob]

Educate me on the following:
1) Why do some people turn on bike lights (front and back) during the day?
2) When and why do you use flash mode (strobe?) for front light?

For root heaves on MVT, why can't we paint over them to make them more visible? Some bike trails in Delaware do that.

I heard of Friends of Mt Vernon Trail, I may check them out this summer. The group I ride w/ (BPAC), my impression is they avoid MVT like a plague. It is a dangerous, esp weekends, at times it feels like I am on 495 rush hour, some cyclists are very aggressive and fast.

There was a study about Safety on MVT, done by a Masters of Public Health Student. It looks at all injuries occurred on MVT and identified 3 most common causes: 1) change of "texture" on trials (from gravel to wood or vice versa) when it rains / wet on trails; 2) trail merge 3) I forgot the 3rd reason...



Thanks for the clarification! You do mean what you say......
I don't think I have ever seen a fish lines on that trail.

Here, painting root heaves and other pavement irregularities with florescent paint is a vigilante activity. Usually performed by conscientious trail users early in the AM on a weekend . . .

 

[fosphenytoin]

FoMVT has been working since late spring to trim back the foliage that was obscuring sight lines, as well as cleaning the wooden decking and installing some grip strips where they're allowed to make the surface safer. It's worth making a donation to them or pitching in to help one weekend. They're good people

I volunteered this sunday to help cleaning up trash on the Mt Vernon trail after the flood. Picked up some interesting object and surprised so many things do "float". The work seems interesting, different focus each weekend day for 2 hours, I may do it again.

 

[cantunamunch]

How are your lights working out?