Bike lights not shown--let's change that.
Part 4: Own the Road
So we come to the end of our list, the best of the best bike lighting options. With these final two (plus) lights, you will earn the respect, and maybe even the envy, of everyone else on the road. They're big, they're powerful, and they definitely get noticed. The idea, as always, is to make sure everyone on the road knows you're there. After all, how can a car/other cyclist/pedestrian avoid you if they can't even see you?
Just pick any option from this list, and you won't have to worry about being invisible anymore.
#2 - The Down Low Glow
Sure, maybe ground-effect lighting on a car is a little too fast and a little too furious, but on a bike? It's something else entirely: 360 degree light. It's visible in the front, the back, the sides, and splashing off of pavement, buildings, cars, pedestrians, dogs, other bicycles, etc. in every direction. The DLG lights up like a halo around you in a bright color of your choice. Purple in front and ice blue underneath? Go nuts. Big neon red as a tail-light? Do it to it.
Berkeley-based inventors/advocates Rock the Bike developed the Down Low Glow to promote what they call "The Sex Appeal School of Bike Advocacy"--simply put, if you're out there on your bike and you look damn good, people will get on bikes to be more like you. Now that's change I can believe in.
#1 - Betty
She's big, she's bold, she's bright, and she's badass. Betty, by Lupine Light Systems, pumps out more light than any other bike-specific system, up to 1500 lumens. The seven LEDs get so hot that when the bike isn't in motion, they'll automatically dim to keep from overheating/melting into slag. Plus, since normal AA batteries wouldn't last very long, Betty uses a recharchable lithium battery pack that clips onto your frame.
"7 LEDs burn tireless in the darkness...Our own lens design allows us to harness all 23 watts of beam and provide a perfect beam pattern, creating a most enviable portable lighting package." boasts Lupine, elegantly translated from the German.
Essentially the equivalent of a car's low beam, Betty is the next best thing to sunshine for making sure that you can see and be seen on the road.
And finally...
Honorable Mention - Antique Carbide Bike Lamps
Before you whippersnappers and your fancy batteries were around, real men put real lights on their bikes. We're talking live flames with reservoirs of calcium carbide or acetylene oil. Commonly made of brass (sometimes nickel-plated), these mounted onto the front of early bicycles much like the modern varieties do today. They often had a focusing lens and put out a surprisingly large amount of light. Remember too, that street lamps were pretty primitive in 1897 and the overall ambient light would've been much, much less.
Of course, that same bicyclist would've stood a much, much better chance against the average automobile of the day. Horses and carriages, though? That's a whole different can of worms.
These amazing, vaguely steampunk-ish lamps can be found at antique stores (both internet-based and the old-fashioned kind) and would look pretty sharp on your vintage cruiser or Dutch bike.
There you have it, my roundup of the best ideas in bike lights. Please leave a comment below and let me know what you think of the series!
Down Low Glow Photo: The guys at Rock the Bike
Betty Photo: Lupine Light Systems
Carbide Lamp Photo: Rauleigh Webb, at The Carbide Lamp Page
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