See and be seen. We never tire of repeating this recommendation that we’ve highlighted so many times on our blog and social media. It is one of the practices that will give you the most safety while riding your bike. Being able to clearly see everything around you and making sure others can notice your presence on the road.
In previous blog posts we’ve talked about tips to improve visibility on the bike and the minimum requirements set by the DGT regulations for cyclists. Now it’s time to talk about the different types of lights you can use and how they perform when riding your bike at different times of day and in different visibility conditions.
The first thing you need to consider is whether you are going to use lights on your bike to be seen – that is, their purpose both during the day and at night will be to make sure others can see you – or to generate your own illumination and be able to see on roads that lack lighting.
In this way, if you are going to ride in the city on well-lit roads, perhaps less powerful lights combined with other elements that make you more visible will be enough.
On the other hand, if you want to ride on interurban roads or take night routes in the mountains, it won’t be enough just to be as visible as possible – although that’s also important – you should also equip yourself with lights that are powerful enough to ride safely and with sufficient autonomy for at least the duration of the route.
First of all, in order to assess the power of a particular bike light, you need to know how it is measured and what that measurement means. In this case, we refer to the lumen (lm). One lumen is a unit of the International System of Units and measures the luminous flux of a light source. It is the way in which most manufacturers indicate the power of their lights and, although it is very useful as an approximation, other factors that influence the actual power must be taken into account.
In this sense, bear in mind that there is no single system for calculating lumens, so sometimes this measure is not very effective when comparing lights from different manufacturers. Our recommendation is that, as far as possible, you make sure the light is as powerful as you need by checking additional references, reviews and even testing its brightness first-hand.
The output angle of the light source and its reach also affect the power. And this is largely influenced by the reflector (everything surrounding the light source), the lens itself and the number of LEDs. Speaking of LEDs, it is worth highlighting their progress in lighting, making it possible to achieve the same light output with much lower consumption.
At Eltin, as you can see in our extensive catalogue of bike lights, all lights are measured in lumens, always seeking maximum accuracy between specifications and real performance. That is to say, the power expressed in lumens always matches its actual performance. In addition, you will find many other specifications that will be very helpful: modes of use; number and type of LEDs; weight; component materials; battery type, capacity and duration in different modes; dimensions; and dust, object and water resistance certification. All this along with product images from different angles.
Once you know all this, we can move on to the recommended power levels depending on how you use your bike. Let’s get to it!
A good way to classify bike lights according to their use is to divide them depending on the type of areas and routes you can ride with them. Before anything else, take a look at our infographic.
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In these areas the main priority is that you are visible from a sufficient distance so that other vehicles can notice your presence and take the necessary safety measures. To achieve this, you can use front lights with a maximum power of between 50 and 100 lumens. In addition, in these cases our recommendation is that you use other visibility elements such as wearing some reflective clothing or accessory (like an armband), reflectors, or a helmet that stands out.
When you go out on your bike and you are not sure about the lighting conditions you may encounter on some roads, or the day is overcast and visibility is compromised, our recommendation is to have a more powerful light at hand, of at least 200–400 lumens. It will be very useful, as you can use it in a lower intensity mode when visibility is good and, when it decreases, increase the power and therefore your vision and safety.
Here you will rely solely and exclusively on your lights. The bare minimum for this type of situation is 400 lumens; however, the more power, the better. That is why having lights over 800 lumens will be essential to ride in safe conditions. Keep in mind that the higher the speed, the wider the field of vision you need to anticipate bends and obstacles.
If you are one of the brave riders who enjoys night-time adventures and planning mountain routes after dark, you need the very best in lighting. As a minimum, your front light should be 1200 lumens. From there, and depending on the type of route, you can choose even more powerful lights. For example, if the route requires riding along demanding trails, you will need more power and even several lights with different angles to cover a larger area. In the case of these lights, you must also pay close attention to battery life, and it is advisable to use lights with an external battery to extend operating time at high power.
The main function of rear lights on a bike is to make you visible, which makes them one of the most effective safety elements and at the same time one of the easiest to implement. For this reason, it is advisable always to carry a red rear light on the seatpost, even if it may seem that visibility conditions are good.
We can classify them according to the use and areas where you will be riding, in the same way as we did with front lights. The difference is that rear lights are divided according to the distance from which you can be seen by other vehicles and not by the field of vision they provide. In this way, the main consideration will be the presence of other vehicles in the area where you are riding and the visibility they are able to provide despite the existence of good natural (sunlight) or artificial (headlights, street lamps…) lighting. The more powerful lights will provide the best performance for daytime use, unlike what happens with front lights.
We have also prepared an infographic where you can see, for example, the distance from which a vehicle can spot you.
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The main goal in these situations is to achieve a balance between visibility, lightness and autonomy. In this way, a power output between 5 and 20 lumens may be sufficient for others to notice your presence.
They are capable of making you visible in broad daylight from hundreds of metres away. With a power output between 20 and 70 lumens, they are the right choice for road use and areas with moderate or heavy traffic, ensuring that other vehicles notice your presence in advance and can take the necessary measures to guarantee your safety, such as anticipating and keeping a safe overtaking distance.
The most powerful ones. With them, you will be visible from a great distance even in broad daylight. Their power exceeds 70 lumens, and it is advisable that if you have a light of these characteristics, you use it at its lowest power levels at night and in low-visibility conditions to avoid dazzling other vehicles and creating danger.
We hope we’ve helped you better understand the different types of bike lights available, their power and their recommended uses, so you can identify which light you really need.
At Eltin, we offer all kinds of lights with a wide range of power levels, intensities, modes, shapes and sizes... to cover every use and help you find the ideal one for you. To make your search easier, we divide our light catalogue into three lines: Explorer, Focus and Lite. In the dedicated article, we introduce and classify each of them.
The Explorer line is made up of front lights for night MTB routes and rear lights that make you visible from afar even in good visibility conditions. The Focus line, on the other hand, represents the perfect balance between lightness and performance, being ideal for areas with low or poor visibility when it comes to front lights, and for being seen from hundreds of metres away in good visibility conditions in the case of rear lights. Finally, the Lite line is designed to comply with regulations and the minimum safety requirements, helping you to see better in well-lit urban areas at night or in areas with medium lighting for front visibility, and to be seen at night in well-lit urban areas or on roads without heavy traffic when it comes to rear visibility.
If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to ask us — we’ll be happy to help. We hope our infographic proves useful and that you can ride safely with the right lighting to see and be seen.
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