Why buy a bike light?
A cyclist must carefully decide which lights to choose depending on the type of bike they are riding, length and type of ride, and the riding conditions. There are lights to be seen and lights to see, and also immense differences to consider between mountain biking, road biking, and commuter biking. There is research to suggest that bike lights are a beneficial safety precaution when they are used during the day.
Which bike light for my use?
Fundamentally, you need to decide whether you need the bike light to be see or to seen.
Generally, bike lights that are required to be used to see, are brighter (higher lumens), have a larger battery to be able to power the brighter light, and also a narrow beam to light up longer distance (throw). Bike lights required to be used to be seen are usually less bright (lower lumens), and visible from many angles with a broader beam, therefore they are generally lighter, with smaller batteries, and lower in cost than lights to see. Flash-pattern bike lights that are visible to 400 meters during the day have been found to make you more noticeable during the day. This may be essential if you are riding on busy roads or even on quiet country roads where cars might be going alto faster. The mixture of both a light that throws and a light that makes you easier to be seen is the best combination, covering many angles there will be less excuses that drivers might have that they didn’t notice you or give you enough room.
Things to consider when buying bike lights:
Depending on whether you are riding on the road or off the road, your lighting requirements will be quite different.
Road riding will generally require lights that allow you to be able to see a fair distance (and directly) in front of you. Road biking also requires that you be visible to drivers and pedestrians, from the front and back and alternating colors eg. Front light white and bright and backlight red and maybe alternate flashing to solid.
If you are riding off road like mountain biking or trail riding you might not be as concerned with making yourself visible from behind but what you do want is as much light and as spread as possible coming from the front. This might be to see the rest of the track stray branches or even wildlife running in front of you.
