- Let there be light!
In this video, we're gonna give a full rundown
and a guide on all things bike lights.
We're gonna go through the different types available,
the ideal use for them,
as well as key features`to look out for.
Now, armed with all of this information,
you're gonna be able to know what lights
you should be using, when and where.
To demonstrate the different types of
bike lights available,
thanks to our mates at CatEye,
we've got a full range here being supplied,
because well, they cover all of the key points
you need to consider.
So, power output, visibility, batteries,
as well as, get this- smart tech in bike lights.
Now, it's worth remembering too that there also
a heap of other bike lights out there on the market,
but they do broadly fall into two categories:
Lights to see, and lights to be seen with.
Lights to see with are generally more powerful
and are designed to actually illuminate the
roads or the trail that you are riding on.
Where as lights to be seen with are the ones
which are generally less powerful,
less expensive, and are there to actually help
other road users see where you are.
Now most lights out there do tend to have both
a flashing mode, as well as a constant mode.
And generally, the less powerful light you have,
the more you are gonna rely on that flashing mode,
because other road users, their eyes are attracted
more to something flashing than something
constant, believe it or not.
As well as, the added benefit of the fact your
batteries are gonna last a little bit longer, too.
To determine whether or not a light is to see
or be seen with, is basically determined by
the output of lumens that your
getting from that light.
Take for example, this bad boy.
The CatEye Volt 6000.
The 6000, that stands for 6000 lumens,
which quite frankly is outrageous.
It's like sticking a car head light, or
a couple of car headlights on your handlebars,
and riding along.
You could call for batman with this thing on.
On an unlit mountain bike trail, this is
gonna keep you riding like you're in broad daylight.
Now I'm pretty sure that a 6000 lumen light like
this one, is gonna be a little bit overkill for
most of us riding down unlit roads.
Instead, we could probably all get away with
something like this.
An 800 lumen light, which is considerably smaller
thanks to it's incorporated battery here.
After all, less power equals less battery required
to get it going.
You're probably gonna get more life out of it too
on its' maximum setting.
Even when you compare it here to its' older sibling,
The Volt 1700,
which has over twice the power output,
it is still really slimline in its' shape and appearance.
So, when it's on your handlebars, its not gonna
clutter it up, and importantly,
you're able to adjust the angle of them,
so you don't dazzle any other road users.
It's important also to remember that in
some countries, there are legal requirements
for different types of lights, and where you can
position them, as well as the output.
So essentially, you're gonna be riding safer
with other road users.
What about the rest of the lights then?
Let's go out to the studio to check them out.
Back in the studio then, so we can get into
the nitty gritty of all these different lights.
So following on from that logic which we've
just spoken about, a 400 lumen light is
smaller still than the 800.
Now, a 400 lumen light is probably about the
minimum I would like to go cycling down an
unlit road with.
Something to consider is that this one here,
so a Volt 800 could actually be used with a
lower output of light, so 400 lumens for instance,
or even 200, therefore giving you a longer
battery life, and that's certainly worth considering
if you attempted to ride into the wilderness a little
bit more and desired that extra bit of visibility.
Now, if your simply looking for a light to be
seen with, than something around the 100 to 200
lumen mark is going to be sufficient.
And the reason you'd opt for less power is
because a lower output light is gonna be
more affordable, smaller, and generally,
a little bit lighter too.
Now, this model in particular does take a rather
headlight-style appearance, because it is still
gonna give you a bit of visibility lighting the way,
as well as making sure that you're seen by
other road users.
However, there are other front lights out there
that have been specifically designed to help you be seen
at wider angles, and of course they fall more
into the camp of the, "to be seen" style lights.
So this rapid X3 light, it does in fact have a
younger brother and sister, called the X2 and the X.
They just don't put out quite as many lumens.
The way they've been designed is they
don't really put out light front ways,
but also sideways, too,
helping you be spotted just that little bit more
when riding along.
Now a top tip here I must just let you in on
is to maximize your visibility,
use more than one light.
Why not even mix it up a little bit so that
one's steady, and one's flashing.
It's gonna help you be seen certainly a lot more
by other road users, as well as helping you in the
unfortunate instant that you run out of battery.
Something which, yeah,
it's happened to me in the past before so
it's a good little backup to have with you.
Of course, some lights, they still do come with
replaceable batteries inside of them.
Now all of the lights that we have spoken about
so far are in fact USB rechargeable units,
and that's certainly one of the areas of
light technology in the last few years,
that has really come on.
So, of you're an infrequent user though,
you may still want to go for something like this,
the Omni model, which certainly does its purpose,
although it's not gonna give you the same output
as something with a bigger battery.
Real lights, however, they're slightly different
because generally, they're to be seen with
rather than seeing with.
However, more expensive models like the
Rapid X3 here, which is the brother of the
X3 front that we have already spoken about;
They have a bigger output of light,
making them ideal for daytime running lights,
as well as alerting drivers to your presence
from further away.
Admittedly, in cities and really built up areas
that's not necessarily the forefront of
everybody's mind, but if you're riding on fast,
open roads, that that is certainly something
I'll be considering.
Again though, looking for a nice,
wide beam pattern is gonna be great to
help you be more visible on the road,
but I recon that we should take it up to
the next level, and add some extras onto our
basic front and rear lights.
Now these, they're orb lights, they simply
pop in to your handlebar ends,
replacing the standard bar end plugs,
and giving you an extra light.
Now something else big in the world of lights are
wearables, so studies and research have
shown that light that accentuates the motion
of the body's movement are certainly more
noticeable than a light in a fixed position.
So, something on your seat post for example.
But don't go taking off the light on your seat post.
Instead, add to it with something like
a light on your ankle.
Now I mentioned earlier on about USB rechargeable
batteries, but there is in fact something which is
more recent in the world of lights,
and that is smart tech.
So, for example, these sync lights, they actually
communicate via Bluetooth to one another,
so when I turn one of them on, the others come on too.
And you can actually customize the flash patterns
and such like in the app that comes with it, too.
Meaning that simply, you cannot ever forget to
turn on one of your lights, something which I do
see cyclists do from time to time.
Despite having battery in the rear light,
they quite often forget to put it on.
But with this fail safe solution,
it's not going to happen.
And then, for the clumsier of us out there,
you can even check out how much battery life
is remaining, as well as receiving a notification
when it gets extra low, so you can never get
caught out again.
That's a blessing for someone like me.
And Si Richardson.
So there, in a nutshell, a pretty broad selection
of different bike lights, from the most basic
user replaceable units, right the way up until
something which is gonna illuminate the sky and
everything and anything around it.
There is something for every different type
of cyclist out there.
Now, for you to actually decide what model you need,
first of all, you need to figure out
what the use is gonna be.
If you want to just be seen, or if you want
to see as well.
And then also, it's worth considering the battery
life too, depending on how long you're gonna
be riding for.
And lastly, fit, because
believe it or not, not all lights will
fit on all bikes because with the recent advent of
aerodynamic frame tubes and handlebars,
not everything's gonna fit.
For instance, if you've got an aerodynamic
handlebar, it's more than likely, you're gonna need a
mount or bracket which can accommodate it,
such as this, bare that in mind.
You don't wanna buy something that's useless.
Now, I do hope that this has been really useful
for you, if it has, remember to give it a big
thumbs up down there, and share it with your friends.
And also don't forget to check out the GCN shop,
at shop.globalcyclingnetwork.com, where we have a
whole heap of goodies for you to check out.
And now, for another great video,
how about clicking just down here.