Cycling offers freedom, fitness, and a fantastic way to explore the world. However, as daylight fades, safety becomes paramount. Investing in quality Bicycle Bike Lights is no longer optional but essential for every cyclist, from daily commuters to adventurous long-distance riders. Let’s delve into the world of bike lights, exploring their evolution, crucial features, and how they enhance your riding experience, especially after dark.
My journey with bicycle lights started with the limitations of early battery-powered models. Participating in cross-state races required lights even at the midnight start in Seattle. My initial setup, a Nightsun battery light, provided a mere five hours of illumination from a heavy NiCad battery pack. This barely sufficed to conquer the first mountain pass before sunrise, leaving no safety margin for longer rides like the 285-mile (460 km) trek to Spokane if darkness fell again.
Cyclist with early battery powered bike light
For longer events like Paris-Brest-Paris, battery lights were simply inadequate. I transitioned to a bottle generator, but the experience was far from ideal. The noise and significant resistance made me prefer riding by moonlight, and the vibrations on rough roads soon broke the ‘heavy-duty’ light mount.
This led me to invest in a generator hub, a substantial upgrade. Yet, night riding was still hampered by the weak halogen lights of that era. Choosing between a long, narrow beam for speed and a wide beam for cornering was a constant compromise. Descending winding farm roads at 40 mph (65 km/h) on a tandem during PBP, the narrow beam barely allowed enough reaction time, making cornering more of a gamble than a visual navigation.
Cyclist with vintage bicycle and bottle generator light
Reflecting on those experiences, the advancements in modern generator hubs and LED bicycle bike lights are truly remarkable. Today’s generator hubs offer near-negligible resistance, and top-tier lights project broad, well-engineered beams comparable to car headlights. Night descents on mountain passes are now as swift and enjoyable as daytime rides, a testament to the evolution of bicycle bike lights.
A common misconception is equating brighter lights with better lights. Beam pattern is significantly more critical than sheer light output. Many bicycle bike lights produce a round beam, creating an intense bright spot directly ahead. While suitable for off-road adventures, road cycling demands distance vision. A concentrated bright spot close to the bike causes your pupils to constrict, hindering your ability to see into the darker areas beyond, creating a ‘riding in fog’ sensation and causing eye strain.
Diagram illustrating bicycle light beam distribution
Effective bicycle bike lights employ a carefully designed beam pattern, similar to automotive headlights. The beam extends further down the road at a shallower angle, requiring increased intensity to maintain consistent surface illumination. A quality beam pattern gradually intensifies towards the top.
Crucially, the beam should have a sharp upper cutoff to prevent blinding oncoming traffic. On narrow roads, dazzling drivers is dangerous, potentially causing them to veer towards you.
The SON Edelux II headlight, a personal favorite for all my bikes, exemplifies this superior beam design. Its performance is astonishing, providing near-daylight visibility during nighttime rides.
SON Edelux II headlight mounted on a bicycle
Optimal headlight placement is low on the bike. This positioning leverages shadows cast by potholes and bumps, making road imperfections more visible. I discovered this benefit during my first PBP when a broken light mount forced me to attach it to the fender bolt on the front dropout. While effective on straightaways, the tire obstructed part of the beam, and cornering visibility suffered on winding descents.
Mounting the light beneath the front rack offers a better solution. Collaborating with SON, we developed an Edelux version designed for inverted mounting. (The shaped beam prevents simply flipping a standard light.) This provides a clean, elegant mount, and the light’s weight no longer causes forward tilting.
Rene Herse racks feature optimized light positioning to minimize tire shadow in the crucial field of vision. Our custom mounting bolt with a locknut allows tool-free angle adjustments. Raise the beam for fast mountain descents to see further into dips, or lower it in traffic to avoid glare. The locknut ensures the light remains securely positioned.
SON Edelux II headlight mounted on a bicycle
For generator hubs, the SON Delux stands out. It boasts the lowest resistance among generator hubs, making drag virtually imperceptible even with the light activated.
A challenge with generator hubs is air and moisture ingress due to temperature fluctuations causing air exchange through bearings. An early SON hub I owned developed roughness and oxidation over time. SON addressed this with a clever system that isolates air and moisture in a separate chamber, preventing contamination of the hub’s internal environment. This innovation significantly extends hub lifespan.
The Wide-Body version of the SON Delux features wider flanges, enhancing wheel strength. This allows for fewer, thinner spokes without brake rub during out-of-saddle climbs and reduces the risk of wheel damage from impacts on gravel surfaces.
SON Delux generator hub on a bicycle wheel
Finding a satisfactory taillight proved difficult, leading us to create our own. It incorporates the reliable circuitry of the B&M Seculite Plus, featuring a bright LED and standlight function. The LED shines through a reflector, adding a safety redundancy and producing a diffused light. This diffused light maintains visibility from a distance while being less harsh for riders drafting behind.
Seat tube mounting positions the taillight for optimal visibility to approaching and passing vehicles from all relevant angles, while also offering protection.
Rene Herse bicycle taillight mounted on seat tube
The final touch is an integrated light switch within the stem. Stopping to operate lights or reaching near spinning spokes always felt unsafe and inconvenient. Car-like light operation while riding became the goal.
Inspired by my 2007 Urban Bike design and a Bicycle Quarterly blueprint, the stem-integrated switch emerged. A rotary switch inside the steerer tube, activated by turning the stem cap, provides a safe and accessible way to control bicycle bike lights while riding. We plan to offer our version with the Rene Herse stem in the future.
Integrated bicycle light switch in the stem cap
As daylight hours shorten, the advancements in bicycle bike lights are truly appreciated. Whether embarking on a 210-mile (335 km) overnight ride across the Cascades with Lael Wilcox or simply commuting home, night cycling is now as enjoyable and safe as riding in daylight. Investing in quality bicycle bike lights transforms night riding from a necessity to a pleasure, extending your cycling adventures beyond the constraints of daylight.
