| Make sure you are well prepared for cycling at night, | | | | Producing light of sufficient power on the front of you |
| especially as the long and light Summer nights turn into | | | | bike, has until recently, meant having fairly hefty light |
| dark Autumn and Winter ones. No matter what your | | | | units powered by batteries that needed to be fairly |
| reason for riding at night, go well equipped. | | | | hefty themselves if they were to last more than a |
| It doesn't have to be work that causes this. Maybe | | | | few minutes at a time. |
| you just enjoy riding at night. If it is your intention to ride | | | | There is another way of course, and that is to use |
| on the roads in the dark, then you need to make sure | | | | lights powered by a dynamo which is driven by your |
| you are well equipped. | | | | wheels. This is fine and removes the need to |
| What equipment am I talking about? I am talking about | | | | continuously invest in new batteries but it makes it feel |
| appropriate lights. Lots of coutries have made it the | | | | like you are riding through treacle due to the resistance |
| law to be well lit at night. But, even leaving the | | | | the dynamo causes. |
| legislation aside, you need to do the right thing from a | | | | There is an alternative to both these solutions now |
| health and safety point of view. | | | | though. New technology has meant that the LED light |
| There are two main reasons for adding a light to the | | | | units of the past which were dim and pretty much |
| front of your bike and one of the reasons may make | | | | useless for seeing where you were going have been |
| your choice more difficult. | | | | replaced with much more capable LEDs which will |
| The first is that you need to be seen by pedestrians | | | | illuminate your path quite effectively. |
| and other traffic using the road. In order to take any | | | | Some manufacturers such as Cateye and Exposure |
| necessary avoiding action, they need to be able to see | | | | are now offering single LED lights rated in excess of |
| you coming in the first place. | | | | 1500 candle power. |
| The second reason, and possibly the more difficult | | | | So, if you are in the market for new lights, don't |
| thing to achieve is that you need to be able to see | | | | discount out of hand the new generation of LED lights |
| where you are going. | | | | as they offer far more than they used to. |