A great bike light is essential for cycling \u2013 both for seeing, and for being seen. But with so many bike lights on the market, how do you choose the best one? This post explains all the key factors to choose the best bike light for bike commuting.<\/p>\n
The ideal bike light must be bright enough to see and be seen<\/strong>, but should not be so bright as to blind other people. Bike lights are rated in lumens, with 300 lumens being a minimum for commuter cycling in the dark.<\/p>\n As a reference point, bear in mind that a single car low-beam headlight is about 700 lumens, and a single typical car high-beam headlight is 1,200 lumens.<\/p>\n It\u2019s also not the best idea to go too bright<\/strong>. A range of 300 to 500 lumens is usually fine for city cycling. However, with a light such as the LuminTrail<\/a> (reviewed here<\/a>), you have the option of using it on low, when it puts out around 400 lumens, and then engaging high (1000 lumens) if you are riding off-road in pitch darkness with no other road users.<\/p>\n Although 300 lumens is bright enough, it is great to have a bike light that has some extra power for when you need it. For example, the NiteRider Lumina 900 Boost <\/span><\/a>has 900 lumens and quality engineering. This bike light has all the versatility to be excellent for commuter cycling, and then step up to be your trail riding light when you need it. Basically the different modes on high quality bike lights like this one enable you to use maximum lumens when needed, and use much less lumens\u00a0 when you don’t need that much light, and don’t want to blind people.<\/p>\nRelated Post: Best Budget Bright Bike Headlight \u2013 Our Lumintrail Review<\/a><\/h3>\n