Riding at Night

by John Preston

This page will cover information to help make riding at night as safe and enjoyable as possible.
DISCLAIMER: I am providing this information as a reference of what one cyclist (me) does. I do NOT mean to suggest that you must (or even should) do the same. As always, USE YOUR OWN JUDGEMENT!

Recommended (and legally required) equipment:
  1. Reflectors front and rear (Required), and on the wheels (Recommended)
  2. Headlights and tail lights (Required).  Recommend minimum of 10Watt Halogen front and 5 LEDs rear.
  3. Reflective tape on helmet and shoes (Recommended)
The plan is to BE SEEN as well as being able to see!  Most urban cyclist assume that if the light on the bicycle helps them to see cracks in the road or branches and other debris then they are using enough light.  In reality, it is as necessary to BE SEEN by cars and trucks as it is to see where you are going.

Outfitting the Bike

Using the idea that enough is NOT enough I outfitted my commuter bike with a 10W and 20W front light and a 18LED tail light.  I use an inexpensive 12VDC 5AH Sealed Lead Acid battery which gives me about three hours of light with the 20W front light.  The 10W is a backup if the 20W were to go bad while I am riding or if the battery starts to run low.

My UAB (Urban Assault Bike). Note the full size JANDD Expedition rack for carrying heavy loads.  Also note the Kenda street tires with light knobbies on the sides for riding through gravel.  Actually makes a nice 15-18mph street cruiser with the guts to hop curbs and tackle construction zones!

Large Tail light.  Uses 18 high power LEDs and is VERY bright.  Only $8.50 See link at bottom of page for more info about this tail light.  I made my own mounting hardware but I here there is a $20 version now that has bicycle mounting hardware.  Battery life is approx 4 months when run 5 days a week for about 20 minutes a day.

Dual head lights.  20W flood, 10W spot.  Both HALOGEN.  Very bright!  I won't run anything less even on my racing bike.

Car horn.  YES CAR HORN 134dB!!! Note charger plug sitting on seat-post quick release.

Details of home-made waterproof Horn Button

Picture of 12VDC, 5Ah SLA battery sitting inside bike bag.  Note spare AA batteries for tail light.  This large batt weights approx 5 pounds but provides enough amps for the car horn and can run both lights for approx 2 hours and only costs $25 (cheaper if you shop around).

Another picture of bike bag showing placement of battery and power cord.



Pictures of racing bike here...

Links to other lights here...

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