Bicycle lighting – what do the regulations say about it?
We divide bicycle lights into 3 basic types: front warning lights, front illuminating lights and rear warning lights. What are their characteristics? The former, or front warning lights, have a key role because they make the cyclist visible. The second type – front illuminators – features a strong beam of light, enough to make the cyclist visible to others. Rear warning lights, on the other hand, ensure that the bike is visible from behind on the road. Should a bicycle be equipped with all these types of lighting, what do the regulations say about it?
The Traffic Law leaves no room for doubt and makes it mandatory to have permanently mounted position lights on the front and rear, as well as a red reflector. So let’s remember to make sure we have the right bicycle lights when preparing our bikes for the season. This will ensure our safety, but also protect us from criminal fines.
Lighting – how many lumens?
Before buying, let’s pay attention to the most important parameters! The range of bicycle accessories, including lighting, is so rich that it’s easy to get lost looking for the right solutions. The most important thing is to know what we are looking for and focus on our own needs.
One of the most important parameters to analyze well is the power of the emitted light output expressed in lumens. The more there are, the stronger the lighting. It is available in a range from 100 to as much as 2,000 lm. For these higher values, we are dealing with lamps for professionals. Whether as much as such strong we need, it depends on how, where and when we drive. For example, if you’re mainly moving around a well-lit city, it doesn’t make sense to invest in lighting with a great number of lumens. This is completely different for MTB bikes, which are designed to cope with the toughest conditions, such as single-truck riding, so the lighting here must be absolutely strong and quality.
Planując jazdę w ekstremalnych sytuacjach, po zmroku, w trudnym terenie, jak gęsty, ciemny, potrzeba minimum 600 lumenów, a zdecydowanie lepiej jak jest więcej – 800, 1000, 1200… Tutaj górna granica działa na naszą korzyść. Im więcej, tym lepiej. Biorąc to pod uwagę, polecamy szczególnie przednią lampę rowerową Mactronic Trailblazer – wyjątkowe źródło światła, zapewniające aż 2000 lumenów, co daje nawet 270 metrów skutecznego zasięgu oświetlenia.
Not just power – other important parameters
Power is not the only important thing to evaluate before buying. Consider a number of other factors.
- One of the most important is water resistance, which is especially important if you intend to ride in all conditions, so not even a downpour is intimidating. If a bicycle lamp is to withstand this, it is essential to invest in a model with total splash protection – this is defined by the IPX4 symbol.
- Inny istotny czynnik odnosi się do czasu działania lampy. Jeśli jest ona dobrze zaprojektowana z uwzględnieniem energooszczędności, może działać nawet przez kilkanaście (w trybie oszczędnym) lub kilka godzin (tryb intensywny). I tu chcielibyśmy zarekomendować niezwykle wydajną i super wytrzymałą lampę polskiego projektanta Noise XTR 04. Nie zawodzi nawet podczas najdłuższych nocnych maratonów, bo świeci aż do 28 godzin i 30 minut.
- And what kind of power supply? A practical solution for MTB cyclists are rechargeable lights or just ordinary batteries, which can always be easily purchased and replaced when needed. However, if we had to recommend something, a bike light with a USB rechargeable battery is a much better option. And the ideal is a bicycle lamp with a power bank function, so you can plan even the farthest trips.
- We should also find out about the mounting method, which applies to both the front bicycle lamp and the tail lamp. That’s why it’s important that not every one of them will fit the bike’s design. Let’s also pay attention to whether the lamp provides modes of operation – continuous and flashing.
In summary, there are several factors that need to be evaluated before purchase. This will provide us with a comfortable ride even when conditions are not very friendly, to say the least.
