Bicycle Lights - Front & Rear bike lights

Bicycle lights serve two main purposes; illuminate the road in front of you and notify people who are behind you of where you are. Bike lights should be installed anytime you ride at or near dawn or dusk, and during nighttime, no matter how well lit the roads are from street lamps. When selecting a bike light for the front, you'll have a few options, mostly size, distance of light thrown and how it is powered.

Some take AA batteries; others need to be charged in a wall outlet for a few hours to work again. If you lock your bike outside of work or home, look for a model that offers a quick release option so you can easily take it off. The goal of a headlight is to illuminate the road or path in front of you as best possible to see any imperfections in the road surface and so you can safely get to or from your destination.

Rear facing bike lights are usually red in color, or clear with red bulbs inside. They are used to signal to anyone behind you that you are indeed in front of them. For this fact, most taillights come with several blinking options to them, and a steady on. The advantage to having a blinking option is that you are more likely to be seen. Since these lights are not meant to illuminate, they generally don't cast light onto the road, but are bright enough for other cyclists and motorist to see you from a good distance away.

Once you get your rear facing light on, locate the on/off switch and practice turning it on and off while riding your bike in a safe place during the day. This way, if you are out riding near dusk you can easily turn it on without stopping or looking down.

To further illuminate your presence on the road, lights can also be mounted to the bar ends of handlebars and helmets. Again, the main purpose of these lights is to increase visibility to others to help avoid accidents.