Soon it was winter and the sun was coming down early. I would bike home and it was mostly dark. The path I rode around Lake Harriet was not well lit, and as a result, the on-coming traffic would blind me with their headlights. Throw in a few stupid dog walkers who weren't paying attention to my flashing front light and a couple of joggers who like to play chicken, and I realized that I was going to have to figure out a better lighting situation.
I began biking in the street the other way around the lake so that I was with traffic (one-way). That way I got the benefit of their headlights. Eventually in winter, the trail became two-way and I went the way with the car traffic.
To fend off joggers and dog walkers, I kept my flashing front light aimed at their line of sight. I have an older (several years old) Cateye OptiCube, which I use for the flashing front light. It has three white LEDs in the front. To help me see the ground, I picked up the five white LED Beamer 5 from Planet Bike. (More on these lights in a moment.)
My rear light is perhaps the best light I own. It's a three LED light, the TL-1000, from Serfas. It is a very focused light, but has a housing that's transparent so that it can be seen 180 degrees. Every year a large group (200) bikers do a midnight to dawn bike ride in the Twin Cities. Obviously, being seen is important when biking in the middle of the night. One of the bikers who was half a block back from me sprinted up to me to ask what light I had. He said he and his friends have been blinded by it for quite a while as they approached from behind. I've had other bikers make similar comments. [Photo at right.]
The Beamer 5 from Planet Bike is a very bright front light as far as low price bike lights go ($25 at REI). With five LEDs, it makes a decent riding conditions at night. I typically have mine aimed down towards the ground. It eats batteries when it's really cold out. I think I replaced batteries after every 40 miles or so when it was below 20 degrees (f). I got about 5 hours out of it during a recent overnight ride...but I replaced them before it was totally out. If you do a lot of night riding and want a bright light, this is probably not the best option out there because of its battery life. But for the occasional night time ride, it's a great inexpensive option. [Photo at right]As a side note, Planet Bike donates a portion of its profits to bike advocacy groups. That's pretty cool.
Other things:
- I use a reflective leg band from Jogalite ($6 at REI) on my left leg to help being seen by cars approaching from behind. I use a different reflective band on my right leg to keep my pants from rubbing against the chain.
I have a Cateye SL-LD100 (also called Compact Safety Light) in red ($15 at REI) that can attach to bags, clothes, etc. I haven't found it the easiest thing to strap down and not move. The light only flashes from one side, so positioning is key. I've most recently used it on the back of my helmet. I'll probably stick with that for now. [Photo at right]- I've used the Nathan 3M Reflective Tape on the handle bars and around the post of my bike to help be seen. It is pretty reflective when light hits it. The tape hasn't come off yet and I've used it for one season in snow, slush, and rain. The only downside I've come across so far is that it can be difficult to put on if you're curving it. It's not that cheap either ($6 at REI) for 27 inches of it, but for making my winter bike more noticeable, I'll gladly pay it.
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The two headlights in action.
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