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For a growing body of lighting information, visit the "Lighting" section of: http://www.egroups.com/docvault/zappy/Links/Technical

For a list of links to 14 bike light manufacturers, visit:
http://www.bicyclingmagazine.com/daily/1098/10_28_98.htm

The ZAPPY NiteRider headlight is a single-beam light, sells for $69.99, and comes complete with all the connectors you need. It's very rugged, like the rest of their products, and meets the CA SB441 requirements. See it at:
http://www.zapworld.com/catalog/zappy.html#headlight

CHOOSING BICYCLE LIGHTS
by Mark Gilkey

You need lights for 2 reasons:
1) to illuminate the path in front of you so that you can avoid potholes, etc.
2) to make you visible to other drivers.
California law requires bicyclists to have a front-facing light and a rear-facing light (or reflector, but a reflector is not enough to make you safe, in my opinion). Note that the front-facing light must not be a flashing red light; only emergency vehicles may have a flashing red light facing forward.

As a year-round bicycle commuter for most of the last 20+ years, I've spent several hundred dollars on bicycle lights. I have been disgusted by how many have been unreliable. My goal for this article is to help you choose products that will meet your needs and be at least moderately reliable.

My comments are all based on my personal "on the street" experience with 1-4 samples of each product, not on controlled testing of large numbers of samples of each brand/model. Many, but not all, products have been tested in heavy rain.

Lights fall into categories (e.g. battery-powered vs. generator-powered). Some advantages and disadvantages apply to entire categories. For example, all generators slow you down, but unlike batteries they rarely die when you're half way home. I first discuss the advantages and disadvantages of each category, and later list products along with advantages and disadvantages that apply to that specific product; for most products, I don't repeat the information that applies to the whole category.

There are 2 main categories of light sources: LEDs and incandescent bulbs. LEDs, unlike incandescent bulbs, rarely "burn out". LEDs are very efficient; a battery-powered flashing LED light can last hundreds of hours on a pair of AA batteries, while incandescent bulbs drain batteries in a few hours. Unfortunately, current LED lights aren't bright enough to illuminate the road, so you need at least one incandescent bulb facing forward. (Although there are other possible light sources besides LEDs and incandescent bulbs, I know of no bike lights that use fluorescent bulbs.)

There are 2 main categories of power sources for lights: batteries and generators.
Generators get energy when pressed against the spinning tire. Generators can be disengaged when you don't need any light. A generator adds drag and slows you down, although the good ones don't slow you much. If you're moving slowly (or stop), the light will be dim (or off); when you stop at a stop sign, cross traffic can't see you. Generators don't get a good grip on some tires, especially when the tires are wet. Generators require more skill and patience to install than do most battery-powered lights. Many generators get dimmer over time (perhaps due to corrosion caused by riding in the rain). Even when new, none of the generator lights I've owned have been as bright as I would like. Yet, despite the many disadvantages, I like generators a lot. Unlike batteries, they rarely go dead when you're halfway home. Most generator sets include both front (white) and rear (red) lights for a reasonable price. And generators are more environmentally friendly than disposable batteries. (I've been unsatisfied with rechargeable batteries.)

There are 2 main ways of mounting a light: fixed or head-mounted. A light that you can mount on your head is more flexible because you can point it whichever way you want.

I've categorized lights into levels of quality: very good, good, mediocre, questionable, and poor.
The prices listed are the approximate prices I paid when I bought the items. Since these purchases were made over a period of several years, pricing and availability may have changed.

VERY GOOD
VistaLite:
Categories: battery, LED, fixed-mount (although can be attached to helmet with some work).
Of the 2 brands I've tried, VistaLite was good and the other non-name brand was mediocre.
PRO: Very noticeable at night. Reasonable price ($17-20). Usually works even in the rain. Can be set to flash or be steady -- but flashing is more noticeable and drains the battery less.
CON: Very directional; drivers who are nearly directly behind you can see you well, but from the side or a moderate angle the light is quite dim.
SUGGESTION: Everyone should have a red one facing backwards. You may also want to get another color to face forward.

Union generator light:
Categories: generator, incandescent, fixed-mount.
PRO: all the pro's (and con's) of any generator light.
CON: no longer widely available

GOOD:
Cyclotech Generator Set Model # 14-345:
Categories: generator, incandescent, fixed-mount.
PRO: has 2 front headlights, so if one bulb burns out you can still ride home. Cheap (less than $20).
CON: cheapo build quality, with plastic painted to look like metal so that when you look through the packaging you can't determine what you're buying.
SUGGESTION: Look for a better brand. If you can't find a better one, get this -- it's much better than nothing and is reasonably priced. Despite the cheapo parts, mine has worked more or less reliably during dry weather.

Buddy Products Lighted Safety Belt:
Categories: battery, LED, fixed-mount (but visible 360 degrees). ($35)
PRO: Unlike other flashing LED lights, most of which are VERY directional, this makes you visible from almost any angle.
CON: Not as bright as other flashing LED lights. Fails occasionally in rain. Technically may be illegal, since some of the red flashing light is visible from the front. Flashes more slowly than most other flashing lights and thus there is a longer time that a driver may not see you.

ZAP light:
Categories: battery, incandescent, fixed-mount
This is an optional $40 front light that has a connector that will hook up to the battery used in the ZAP electric bike motor. If you don't have a ZAP, it's not for you.
PRO: Very bright. Since it's hooked up to the large ZAP battery, it lasts a long time (if you're not using the motor at the same time); furthermore, the battery is cheap and easy to recharge.
CON: Despite being bright, it doesn't seem to illuminate the road well; perhaps it's dispersing the light over too broad a range. The mounting bracket doesn't fit all bike steps; I was unable to install the light myself and had to have the work done by my local bike mechanic.
SUGGESTION: If you've got a ZAP and you don't have a front light that you're happy with, then get this -- as long as you or your mechanic can install it. I don't use my ZAP motor much, but I've been using this light a lot!

MEDIOCRE:
Panasonic TaskMaster:
Categories: batteries, incandescent, head-mounted.
PRO: Cheap ($12). Comes with extra bulb. Reliable when dry (not tested in rain). Batteries last reasonably long considering there are only 2 AA batteries. Useful as a "hands-free" flashlight even when you're not cycling.
CON: Not very bright. May be hard to find (I've seen it only at a store in Yosemite). Doesn't fit very well when you're wearing a helmet.
SUGGESTION: If you rarely ride at night and don't want to spend much money on lights, buy one of these and a flashing red LED VistaLite.

POOR
Nite Rider:
Categories: battery, incandescent, fixed-mount or (for more money) head-mount
PRO: Very bright. Makes an excellent head-mounted spotlight -- when it works.
CON: UNRELIABLE. Head-mount clip allows the light to fall off (and break) very easily. Difficult to remove old batteries and insert new ones. Wire from battery pack to light can break in a way that is not visible from the outside, leaving you wondering why a light with a good bulb and fresh batteries works intermittently or not at all.
VERY expensive ($150).
SUGGESTION: Avoid this. It's not worth anywhere near the price.

Eveready Industrial Headband Light No. IN420:
Categories: battery, incandescent, head-mount
PRO: fairly bright and makes a good spotlight.
Fits OK even when you wear a helmet.
CON: UNRELIABLE. The slots that hold the batteries are slightly too small, which means that the batteries usually don't slide down far enough to make contact with the rest of the circuit.
SUGGESTION: Most Eveready lights/flashlights that I've bought have been unreliable. Avoid them.

BrightEyes:
Categories: battery, incandescent, head-mount.
Unlike most head-mounted lights, these are worn like eyeglasses.
PRO: 2 lights, so if one bulb goes out you still have one light. Cheap (about $13, maybe less).
CON: UNRELIABLE. The metal contacts bend away from the batteries and don't spring back, so the light often stops working after the first or second use. Batteries (AAA) are too small to last more than a short time (40 minutes).
SUGGESTION: The "new, improved" model is even less reliable than the old one. Don't buy this product!

QUESTIONABLE
Radio Shack Xenon light
Unfortunately, I've forgotten the name and model number of this light. Radio Shack sells a light that uses a xenon bulb and works more or less like a strobe light. Unfortunately, the blink rate is not very fast and I didn't find the light as noticeable as I would have liked. On the positive side, I didn't have any reliability problems with it during dry weather.

Eveready Sport Gear Headband Light, model F420WB-E
Categories: battery, incandescent, head-mount
After I wrote a nasty letter to Eveready and the retailer who sold me the Eveready IN420 mentioned above, Eveready promptly sent me a replacement that looked identical and has a similar model number. The replacement works much better than the IN420. In fact, I've been satisfied with it so far except for the fact that it tends to slip off my forehead when I sweat. Whether Everready has fixed the problems with the IN420, or whether I had bad luck the first time (or good luck this time), I don't know -- that's why I rate this unit questionable.
PRO: good spotlight (most of beam is quite narrow), cheap. Eveready claims the light is waterproof, but I haven't tested that yet.
CON: Because the beam is narrowly concentrated, it doesn't provide much illumination outside a narrow spot. This light slips off my forehead more easily than the Panasonic Taskmaster when I sweat. The almost identical IN420 light was atrocious, which makes me very reluctant to recommend this light, even though I'm pretty happy with this one so far. Caveat Emptor! ("Let the buyer beware.")
SUGGESTION: If you don't have a head-mounted spotlight, get one of these, but save the sales receipt and buy it from a place that will give you your money back if you're not satisfied.

You need lights at night. But if you're riding home shortly after sunset, you might get by with just brightly-colored clothing. Those yellowish green garments (shirts, windbreakers...) that some cyclists wear really stand out in low light. After I got over the sticker shock ($50 for a windbreaker that isn't even waterproof!??), I bought one. Subjectively, I think I've experienced significantly fewer near-misses since I started wearing it. I recommend anything this color -- especially if you can find it for a lot less than $50.

Summary:
After 20 years of "field testing" and several hundred dollars, as well as many hours installing, "debugging", and repairing lights, I have not found an affordable combination of lights that I consider effective and reliable. (Yes, America can put a man on the moon but can't make a reliable flashlight.) Currently I use:
ZAP headlight
Eveready F420
Red VistaLite (rear-facing)
Buddy Belt
This is more or less satisfactory, at least in dry weather, but cost a total of $125 and if you don't have a ZAP motor/battery ($550), you can't match this combination.

Here are my overall recommendations, in descending order of preference. Buy the two items at the top of the list. These 2 are crucial because the combination ensures that other people can see you and that you can see the road. After you've bought the first 2 items, keep moving down the list accumulating things until you've maxed out your budget or you run out of relatives who want to buy you birthday presents.

1) Get a Union generator light if you can find one. It's the best all-around useful, mostly reliable light you can buy for a reasonable price. And if you're so poor that you can't afford to buy more than one light, you don't want one that needs new batteries every week!
(Note: If you have a ZAP motor, get the ZAP front light.)
2) The generator light won't work while you're stopped, so supplement it with at least 2 flashing lights like VistaLites, a red one facing backwards and a yellow-green one facing forward.
3) Get a yellow-green windbreaker or vest or shirt. They're absurdly overpriced -- but so is medical care. They also make you visible after sundown but before it's dark enough for bike lights to make much difference.
4) A head-mounted light like the Panasonic Taskmaster or Eveready F420 gives you some directable "spotlight" capability. The Taskmaster is not bright enough or focussed enough to do this well, but it's better than nothing and it's cheap and is as reliable or more reliable than any of the other head-mounted lights I've tried.
5) The Buddy Belt makes you quite noticeable from almost any direction.

For ANY light that you buy, save the receipt because the rate of defects (and bad designs) in bike lights is incredibly high. Flashlights are simple. If you can't get one to work reliably, it's probably the manufacturer's fault, not yours. This industry has the worst quality control of any industry I can think of (even worse than computer software, which at least has the excuse of being genuinely complex), and for decades the bike light industry has gotten away with shipping defective products. Be aggressive about returning unreliable merchandise. And when you find something that's good, let your friends and fellow cyclists know about it.

Have a safe ride home!

Note: Many of these company names and product names are trade-marked,
despite the fact that I didn't indicate that.

Mark Gilkey
505 Cypress Point Dr. #96
Mountain View, CA 94043-4878
mgilkey@compuserve.com

For another article on lighting, see http://sheldonbrown.com/lights

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