Advice On Lighting A Commuter Bicycle?

[jyl]

I'm going to start commuting by bicycle.

Why? Because I want to save the earth from you carbon-guzzling losers. No, seriously, what I want to save is $12/day and what I want to lose is 20 pounds.

The ride in will be at 4:30 am (dark) and the ride back will be a 7:00 pm (will be dark much of the year), so I need advice on bicycle headlights, tailights, reflectors, etc.

Any advice, general or specific, will be welcome since I haven't swung leg over bicycle in many years.

Are dual NightSuns still the best headlights? What's just as good but more affordable? Would you use a helmet-mounted headlight instead of bike-mounted? For tailights, should I just bolt one of those blinking red LED thingys to the seatpost or has technology moved on?

The bike will be my old mountain bike (Bridgestone MB-Zip), probably wearing fenders.

[Laneco]

Okay - I do 24 hour mountain bike races solo and that makes me a gen-u-ine expert at night time riding... If you are only going to have one light - make it a helmet lamp. Try changing a flat tire in the dark with a handle bar mounted light or climbing a set of stairs carrying your bike in the dark etc. Two lights one on the bar and one on the helmet is best. But for one, choose the headlamp light.

Headlamp lights do offer a distinct disadvantage when it is very dusty (unlikely for you) or when it is snowing. The light tends to reflect back from the dust and snow into your eyes. For that example, handlbar lights work best.

The helmet light also lets you make real strong "eye" contact with cars at intersections. Before you make a left hand turn, even if you have the right of way, look DIRECTLY at the driver of the car. Shine your helmet light right into their face, then look away and turn your bike safely. Also, that scary noise off to your side, you can turn your head with the light and SEE what it is...

Many good makers of lights out there. I use a NiteRider system that I've had for 4 years. The newer ones are better, but my old one is fiercely bright, gets 4 hours out of each battery pack (I have two for racing) and after 4 years, lots of training in the dark and five 24 hour races, I'm still on my original bulb. Bombproof.

You do not need a $400-$500 light set for commuting, shop around and check systems out. As stated before, several very good brands including the one mentioned. Check spares availability for the battery and the bulbs. Many times the bulbs are special order. Consider the LED systems for reliability.

Tail lamps: Red blinky LEDs are great. But add a second one on your clothing, like on your back pack. Buy reflective clothing such as Illuminite. Remarkable visibility when headlamps hit them. I have a Platypus water hydration system t hat has a full length LED flashing light and a large reflective strip of material behind it. From the rear, it looks about 3" wide and about a foot long! I mean Ray Charles can see this thing.

I'll let the others chime on for the remainder of your questions.
Stay safe!
angela

[cantdrv55]

I know this doesn't answer your question but I thought I'd pass on a link about this online retailer of bike products. Have fun commuting and losing weight at the same time! I love my bikes.

http://www.nashbar.com/subcategories.cfm?category=101

[Tobra]

There are also little reflecting stickers that go on the perimeter of the rim. Quite effective. You want as many lights, reflectors and even a flag on the top of your helmet if you can stand it. You want maximum visibility, obnoxiously visible. Bicycle is worse than a motorcycle for people not seeing you. Also, you want some pepper spray, in case a dog tries to get you, or a human tries to steal your ride. If you are squeamish about spraying a dog, get a loud air horn, will work on a dog, but not so much on a person.

[Porsche-O-Phile]

I did this for a long time when I lived in Chicago - it's fun, rewarding and you'll greatly enjoy it.

First, make sure the bike is as indestructable as you can make it. I used an old-school early Peugeot mountain frame (still have it too) - all steel, probably weighs 40 pounds. It's a beast. A tank. But that's what you want.

Second, any "breakaways" you have for the seat posts, wheels, etc. REMOVE THEM. Either that, or count on using them every single time you park the bike, even if it's for a two-minute cup of coffee. If not, the "quick release" will become an invite for theft. Use actual nuts and bolts (and carry the appropriately-sized tools with you).

Third, Use slicks. Mountain tires are good for trails but are going to suck on roads & bike paths. You'll burn a lot of extra energy to get nothing out of it.

Fourth, as far as lighting goes, the helmet idea is good but you can also get the little LED (Cats Eye) devices that mount to the handlebars (front) or seat post (rear). They're very good and the batteries last a long time since they use LEDs. If you're doing a fair amount of street riding (I did) I actually used two of them on the rear under the seat post set to "random flash". Anything you can do to make the idiots see you is a good thing.

Next, I'd invest in a reflective vest (the orange, construction worker mesh type). They weigh nothing, can be folded up to take next to no space, and will help a lot with your visibility at night.

Good helmet and gloves - duh.

You should always carry a full set of tools (shouldn't be all THAT many, but the wrenches, allen wrenches, screwdrivers and such that fit the connectors on your bike). An air pump, dial gauge, spare tube, etc. are all good ideas. Ditto on some bike lube. Sounds like a lot but really isn't.

I stronly recommend getting a good set of panniers and/or a rack. Way better than a backpack and keeps the center of gravity lower. The fenders are a great idea too.

Obviously park in a well-lit spot with a lot of foot traffic and get the biggest most obnoxious honkin' lock you can stand. The kryptonite U-locks have been shown to be ineffective since they can be opened with a ball-point pen case (supposedly they've re-designed them) but a simple BIG hardened-steel chain (you can put a plastic sleeve on it if you want) with a nice big padlock on it works well. Ditto on the 1/2" thick steel cable deals (that's what I use). People will steal the stink off of **** given half the chance. Never doubt that they'd make off with your bike. I've known plenty of people it happened to and I actually lost a front wheel 'cause I was too lazy to run the lock up to it. Word to the wise. . .

Have fun.