It’s the Season of Lights

As the seasons change and especially after the fall back time change, urban cyclists are faced with dark commutes and the struggles of winter riding. The must have accessory for this season is bicycle lights. Although DMV vehicle code does not change with the seasons, its clause on light requirements becomes an area of focus for local law enforcement this time of year. Avoid dangerous dimly lit streets and expensive traffic citations by carrying lights on your commute. Several affordable options exist for the determined nocturnal cyclist. One basic difference between light sets is bulb type. Two common bulb types are halogen and LED.

Halogen bulbs emit a fairly bright yellow light; can run on regular alkaline batteries or rechargeable cells, and can be very affordable. Some high end performance lighting systems feature large rechargeable battery packs and high wattage, high discharge, halogen bulbs. The biggest downside to halogen lighting systems is a short battery life. Halogen bulbs run at relatively high temperatures, so significant battery energy is diffused as lamp heat during operation. The light beam itself can be fairly large, and the light beam itself is yellow in spectrum and closely resembles dim sunlight.

This is where Light Emitting Diodes (LED) come in. LED lamps are comparatively small in size, but unmatched in intensity and battery life. Because of their small size, the diode itself is very durable. Few light bulbs can handle the abuse that LED’s survive. Perhaps the best feature of LED lights is their affordability. Generally a few dollars more than halogen light sets, LED lights can feature up 100 times the battery life of halogen lights. With durability and battery life aside, the light emitted from LED’s is an intense white-blue light. Perhaps the only downside to Diode light is the beam size. LED lights produce very bright light, but the area lit is fairly small; a function of the small bulb size. For some, a small beam of blue light is an acceptable

So there you have it. Peak Adventures is featuring two light sets from Planet Bike: The 1200 Halogen light set for $17 and the Beamer 1 LED light set for $22. Both products come with batteries, mounts, and include the Planet Bike Blinky red LED taillight. Installation is always free with purchase of our light sets.
-Your bike mechanic, Ryan