‘Tis the Season to be Merry and Bright
As the fall leaves change to vibrant red and gold colors, we revel in the days of milder temperatures, tacky dirt, and long miles on the pavement. Back to our earth science lessons, the leaves change colors due to their lessening ability to produce chlorophyll thanks to the dimming sunlight as our hemisphere tilts away from the sun. While trees drop their leaves, cyclists break out their bike lights to adapt to the shorter days.
With that being said, it’s time to get a refresher on safety tips while riding in the dark. Knowing how you can increase your visibility during the winter months sets you up to increase road cycling safety. Read on to learn more recommendations for how to dress for rides and change your bike’s setup to increase your visibility.
Riding Visibility Tips During the Day
The number one tip to increase daylight visibility while riding is to wear fluorescent colors. Wearing fluorescent colors only works effectively in ultraviolet light, or more commonly known as sunlight. There is 200% more light from a fluorescent color than a normal color because ultraviolet light excites the neurons of fluorescents.
It’s important to note, an automobile’s headlights will not create the same effect that ultraviolet light does on fluorescent colors. Studies show that riders overestimate the effectiveness of wearing fluorescent colors in the late afternoons and evenings. This presents a danger as the rider wearing fluorescents is likely to be less cautious than a rider wearing all black, who already assumes that cars cannot see them very well. Bottom line: As the sun sets, the effectiveness of wearing fluorescent clothes decreases more and more.
Another tip: use daytime running lights. Use very bright LED lights with a wide beam angle, focus optics, and a visible distance of 400 or more meters. Drivers are often distracted, and research yields that cars need at least that distance to slow down. A flashing light also helps catch the eye of a driver compared to a steady beam of light. Anything that helps set you apart from the background is beneficial.
Browse daytime running lights right here: Daytime Running Lights.
Our final tip for daytime riding visibility: Biomotion. Increase your likelihood of being seen by up to 83%. We are wired to recognize other humans more than any other creature or object. Use fluorescent colors around your feet, ankles, knees, and so on to highlight your body’s contour.
Riding Visibility Tips During the Evening
As you likely guessed, the best tip for evening and night riding is to deck out your bike with lights. By law, you must have one reflector (or red light) mounted on the back of your seat post and one white light positioned on the front of your bike, such as on your handlebars.
You must also have reflectors mounted on the following places while riding at night:
“Visible from the side: 1) white or yellow reflector on the front half of the bicycle and 2) a red or white reflector on each side of the back half of the bike. These reflectors are not required if the bike has reflectorized front and back tires. CVC 21201(d)”. (CalBike).
This is the bare minimum. You can read more about California’s bicycle laws by clicking here.
The brighter, the better. You want to shop for lights that are at least 400 to 800 lumens. If you plan to ride offroad, such as a mountain bike ride, you’ll want lights that are even more than 800 lumens. It is also suggested to mount one light on your helmet and another on your handlebars for optimal visibility and safety.
Our staff has picked the Bontrager Circuit Wave Cell Helmet as their top choice for evening road and commuting. Why? It’s cleverly designed with magnetic bike light mounts. You can ride equipped with the lighting you need snugly mounted on your helmet. Then you can put your focus on the road ahead of you.
Contrary to daytime riding, wearing clothing with reflective strips has been shown to work more effectively at night than wearing fluorescent colors at night. It should be a no-brainer. But the scientific finding is that fluorescent colors need ultraviolet light in order to be effective. There is next to no such light at night. Car headlights will pick up reflective strips on clothing, bikes, and shoes.
With that said, put reflectors on the back of your pedals, on your wheel spokes, and on clothing for best practice.
Click the links below to research and buy our most popular bike lights: