How to choose your lighting for urban bike?

When riding at night or in dark weather, it is necessary to equip your bike with the lighting adapted to your needs. See or be seen, rechargeable battery or batteries; there is now a very wide range of lighting, this post aims to enlighten you on the issue.

Choose the type of charging for your lighting

Today there are several types of charging on the lighting market, with batteries, USB charging or even dynamo.

• Dynamo lights : they work without batteries and are recharged using the energy of the cyclist, causing a loss of power. This is a choice which may prove to be judicious in the case of daily use, however when stopped the dynamo light will no longer work, not being suitable for all users.
• Battery- powered light : interesting when riding occasionally, their main drawback is that they can fall flat when the batteries are discharged.
• USB-rechargeable battery lights: a clever and interesting choice when driving a lot and for quite a long time, such lights ensure savings and durability (often around 1000 recharges, therefore 1000 uses).
• Light with batteries rechargeable by magnets : a magnet glued to the hub allows the battery to be recharged when you are riding, this is an unusual but very effective solution.

Choose the mounting system for your lighting

There are fixed lights, however these are less practical because they can be stolen and do not allow you to easily change bikes. Removable lights are therefore an interesting solution, there are in particular quick-attach systems that facilitate the installation and removal of the light.

Choose the location of your lighting

For the front lighting, it is preferable to fix the light on the handlebars, or at the level of the fork or more rarely on the front hub. For the rear, the seatpost forms an ideal location in terms of height to be seen from afar; the light can also be fixed to a guy wire.

Choose the light output of your lighting

Light output is measured in lumen (lm), there is also lux ; reduced unit that measures light output per unit area. The higher these indices are, the stronger the lighting will be.

The luminous power of the lighting is chosen according to the conditions in which you are cycling, on a lit road you will try to be seen while on an unlit road you will try to see the road.

To be seen on a lighted road: Medium powers are sufficient; typically around 20 lumens.

Knog Blinder mini

Lighting output of 20 lumens for the front models and 11 lumens for the rear. Weighing 11 grams each and being visible up to 800 meters, they are perfect for urban conditions where there are lit roads. They have an autonomy of up to 11 hours (depending on the mode selected from the 5 available) with USB rechargeable battery, a charging indicator and a low battery indicator.

See on an unlit road: The lighting must be of a higher power; from a minimum of 50 lumens up to 400 lumens.

Knog Blinder Mob "The Face"

Lighting power of 80 lumens for a weight of 35 grams and visible up to 1200 meters; it will perfectly illuminate poorly lit roads, giving you the vision you need to drive with a range of up to 60 hours depending on the mode selected from the five. Like the other Knog models presented, it is rechargeable by USB.

Knog Blinder R70

Rear lighting with a power of 70 lumens; with 5 different lighting modes with an autonomy of up to 20 hours for a weight of 50 grams. It is perfect for being seen from afar in minimal light conditions. With a charging and low battery indicator, this model is also USB rechargeable.

Knog Blinder Road 250

It is one of the most powerful models of the brand; 250 lumens (available in 400lumens version) to light up the darkest roads. It has 8 operating modes with an autonomy of up to 5 hours, with a USB rechargeable lithium battery for a total weight of 75 grams.