What To Look For
Many styles of headlights exist for bicycles. Online cycle safety experts BicycleSafe.com state headlights hold as much importance as taillights. Bicycle Helmet Safety Institute director Randy Swart uses a battery-operated automotive headlight while cycling. Define area of use and observe lighting conditions. Dark roads actually require less bright lights for safe cycling. Light polluted areas, such as urban settings or high-traffic areas, require brighter lights for easy vehicle identification. Many night cyclists choose to sacrifice weight for safety when cycling after dark. Light technology advances offer cyclists several new light choices and power options.
Common Pitfalls
Many cyclists believe headlights exist solely for motorist identification. Quality bicycle lights offer visibility for cyclists as well. Many styles of lights available offer sufficient light for cyclist identification of road hazards and pedestrians. Many cyclists believe lights increase vehicle weight considerably. Recent advances offer several high-powered lights at incredibly light weights. Marathon cycle racers, often participating in 24 on- and off-road competitions, help push light advances forward each year in the cycling community. A field formerly dominated by few companies now boasts several manufacturers of lightweight nighttime visibility cycling instruments.
Where To Buy
Many local bicycle shops, outdoors outfitters and online cycle accessory retailers offer a wide variety of bicycle headlights. Purchase a light fitting purposes. Brighter lights often increase visibility for motorists and cyclists. Most states limit bicycle light brightness equally to automotive light brightness while riding in traffic. Off-road light brightness features little regulation. Many local bicycle shops install headlights purchased in store free of charge. Mount lights safely pointed forward and facing slightly down. Downward angles highlight road surfaces better while still offering excellent bicycle identification visibility. Replace or recharge batteries frequently to maintain optimum light output.
Cost
Many inexpensive headlights exist offering low battery life but quality lighting for less than $20. Quality inexpensive lights offer brighter light and more advanced reflector designs for $20 to $50. Rechargeable headlights offering battery and light in a single unit, often suffering from low battery life, typically cost $50 to $100. Many quality lights with external battery supplies offering longer life and bright lighting often cost $100 to $200. High-end lights offering adjustable light settings for a variety of terrain often cost $200 to $500. Lighter weights and smaller batteries offering comparable charge times typically increase overall light cost.
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