For comfortable and safe cycling, additional devices are required. Among them are bicycles. They are designed to illuminate the road at night and warn other drivers that a cyclist is on the road.

Before proceeding to consider the features of bicycle headlights, it is worth mentioning the purpose of reflectors.

Reflectors or reflectors are not a source of light, they only return the light directed at them, letting the drivers behind the passing cars know that a cyclist is riding in front of them.

The front reflectors are white as standard and the rear reflectors are red. In addition, yellow reflectors are installed on the spokes of the wheels, which help to identify a bicycle moving from afar.

These devices allow you to provide some to the cyclist, but do not illuminate the path in front of him.

Many experienced riders note that the choice of bicycle headlights can be argued endlessly, since each model has its own advantages and disadvantages.

In addition, the materials used for the production of headlights are constantly being improved, and it is difficult to find the best option for all users.

Let's discuss some general points to consider before buying a bike light.

Choosing a Bike Light

LED headlight

When buying a bicycle headlight, the following points should be considered:

• Brightness;
• Color spectrum;
• Viewing angle;
• Power supplies;
• Duration of work.

Brightness

The lantern should have such a degree of illumination that the night trip is as close as possible to riding during the day.

Bicycles, scooters, components

Since sometimes you have to drive over rough terrain, you must clearly see the presence of all foreign objects, holes or branches.

A bicycle headlight with a luminous flux of at least 800-1000 lumens can provide a similar level of illumination.

Such a lamp will allow you to view the road at a distance of 40-50 meters.

At an average speed, the cyclist will have enough distance so that he can slow down or change the trajectory of movement in time.

Currently, Cree XM-L T6 LEDs have gained wide popularity.

They are the best value for money, so this element is used on many models of bicycle lights.

Range

At the moment, bike lights come in two types of colors: neutral white and warm yellowish.

But the spectrum of white light includes blue, which is the brightest.

This phenomenon had a negative effect on older models of bicycle headlights. There was a predominance of blue, which distorted the contour of objects, was misleading regarding the distance to various objects, and simply strained the cyclist's eyes.

To avoid the "cyanosis" of the headlights, it is important to read the reviews before choosing a product and look at the photographs of the lighting of the device attached to the package with the bicycle lamp.

Viewing angle

The next important point when choosing a headlight is the viewing angle. LED bicycle lights are designed so that the light penetrates only the center of the road, depriving the cyclist of side illumination.

If you look at the illuminated road, you can see the following: the diode shines far ahead in the form of a pillar, a little on the sides there is a pronounced illumination from the reflector, and then a clear border separating light and darkness.

The distance between the borders of the light "pillar" on different models is different. Therefore, before buying, check out the photos of the device in action.

This feature of the lamp affects not only safety, but also the driver's psyche.

Insufficient lighting gives the impression that the cyclist is moving through the tunnel.

This makes the eyes tired and creates a certain sense of paranoia that comes from not knowing the situation around the driver.

This problem is solved by installing a flashlight on a bicycle helmet. You can do it yourself or purchase a ready-made model with a built-in device.

This helmet will allow you to illuminate any area in the direction of which you turn your head.

autonomy

The most common source of power for bicycle headlights is 18650 lithium-ion batteries.

They provide the duration of the device from 2 to 4 hours. This is quite enough for a trip at night or returning home.

Certain models use 18650 batteries. The charge time for these power supplies is an average of 3 hours.

Velofara on a helmet

Which manufacturers are the best?

As with any other product on the bicycle market, there are devices manufactured by large European and American companies, as well as their Chinese counterparts. Which is better: a brand or a copy?

Perhaps many will answer that it is better to overpay and get high quality than to chase a cheap fake.

However, in reality, everything is much more complicated. The cost of Chinese analogues is indeed several times lower, since buyers pay a huge percentage of the price for the brand. But the quality doesn't always match the price tag.

Chinese manufacturers do not produce goods in such large quantities as branded companies. This gives them the opportunity to constantly introduce new developments into their product.

The situation is reversed for the largest foreign manufacturers. Due to high production volumes, older LEDs may be present on certain models.

As a result, you get an expensive device with a lower quality of lighting.

The weak link of Chinese models has always been build quality. Manufacturers of analogues tried to create bicycle headlights that are in no way inferior in terms of light quality and power, but made a serious omission in the cooling system.

Many Chinese-made appliances have an ill-conceived aluminum case that acts as a passive radiator.

Its main drawback is that the LED is only cooled while driving, when the wind blows over the lantern.

When stopped, the device heats up to a critical temperature after a few seconds.

Therefore, when choosing a bicycle lamp from China, read the product reviews and all the materials related to the operation of the device.

We have already talked about bicycle lights and their choice more than once. This is a really necessary thing that will save you from entering an open sewer manhole on a dark night.

The luminous flux of flashlights is measured in "lumens" (lm). But dry numbers won't tell you anything. So let's take a clear example. A 40 W incandescent lamp emits a luminous flux of 415 lumens. Is it light enough to drive with such a lamp at night? Let's start with this number.

It is worth remembering that the greater the luminous flux of the flashlight, the faster it discharges the battery. Consequently, for long-term operation with a high luminous flux, the flashlight requires a more capacious battery, which affects its dimensions.

Today in our topic:

Cat Eye volt 400

One of the most popular bike lights. 5 operating modes - maximum mode (3 hours), medium (8 hours), economical (18 hours), stroboscope (60 hours) and economical + stroboscope (11 hours). Built-in rechargeable battery with USB charging cable included. Minus - price, it often exceeds$80 .

Cycle Torch Shark

Minimalism and simplicity are the slogan of this lantern. Luminosity - 500 lumens. Usually, a red beacon is included with the lantern, which can be hooked under the saddle, for greater reliability. There is a 2200mAh 18650 battery inside, it is easy to replace it with a 3200mAh battery and get additional flashlight usage time. Minus- Poor handlebar mount. Price - more pleasant, $40.

CatEye volt 800

It's 400, but on steroids. A slightly larger size is a price for autonomy and power. Minus - price, $100 for the lantern is a serious step.

Bright Eyes LED Aircraft Aluminum Waterproof 300 Lumen Bike Light Set

Chinese crafts on the theme of bicycle lighting. 2 flashlights of 150 lumens. You can quickly remove the flashlight and use it as a pocket. It is powered by 3 AAA batteries, however, you can use a 18650 battery. There are also several operating modes and an adjustable beam, since you have 2 lights, each can be configured in its own way. Cons: Waste on batteries. And if you decide to use the battery, then you have to charge it with something else. Price -$40 per pair.

Vanica Sport VL 7026

Made in the best traditions of bicycle lights. Here and a reliable mount for the steering wheel, and a battery, and USB charging. You can easily charge the flashlight from the power bank, the cord is included in the package. The flashlight has 3 modes of operation. You can choose between 500 and 1000 lumens version. No objective cons. Price - $40.

Outcome

The choice of a flashlight is an individual thing, someone likes the design, someone cares about the quality. We tried to describe the most popular solutions on the market, and you just have to choose.

Just the other day, I posted a review, not forgetting to point out the classic drawback of long-range performance - low usability as a low beam. Today I propose to talk about the headlight, which is devoid of this drawback. I'm not even afraid to say that it has practically no flaws in principle, even with an eye to its considerable cost. This is how I immediately run into holivarchiki.
Everything else is around the corner. Come on, I'll show you ;-)

Looking at this headlight, someone remembers Mickey Mouse, the hero of foreign cartoons. And an old joke came to my mind:
Cheburashka and Crocodile Gena are riding a bicycle along the side of the highway. Gena rules, Cheburashka sits in front of him on the steering wheel. At the traffic police post they are slowed down. Turning to Gena and pointing with a rod at Cheburashka, the inspector says: "Remove this one from the steering wheel." “I’m not Srul,” Cheburashka replies offendedly, “I’m Cheburashka

The review promises to be great (I don’t know how much, I just sat down to write :)), so I’ll get down to business without unnecessary water.

The goods are packed coolly, in a practically gift box with a magnetic clasp and with high-quality printing

Directly at the entrance, we are met by instructions (frankly, not the most useful passenger in the box, I’ll tell you why later)

And under the instruction in the foam rubber enveloping captivity lies the useful contents of the box, which with honor endured all the hardships and hardships of the journey from China to Independence

Box contents:
- instruction
- mounting rubber rings, three pairs
- Charger
- battery
- battery case
- a headlight with a remote button for switching on / controlling modes

By the way, the green rubber rings glow in the dark

I suggest looking at

characteristics from the site

brand SingFire
Model SF-530
Quantity 1
color Silver+Black
material aluminum alloy
Emitter Brand Cree
LED Type XM-L
Emitter BIN T6
color bin cool white
Number of Emitters 3
Working Voltage 8.4V
Battery Configuration 4 x 18650 (Included)
Circuitry 3000mA
brightness 2730lm
runtime 3-LED on for 1 hour
Number of Modes 4
Mode Arrangement 3-LED on / 2-LED on / 1-LED on / 3-LED Stepless dimming
Mode Memory no
switch type forward clicky
switch location remote switch
lens glass
reflector Aluminum Smooth / SMO
Flashlight Mounting Handlebar
beam range Above 300m
Strap Included no
Clip Included no
Features Hard anodized / Waterproof / Long time pressing switch button to enter into stepless dimming mode
Certification CE / RoHS
Packing List 1 x Bicycle lamp (Power cable: 70cm / Switch cable: 50cm)
1 x Rechargeable lithium 18650 battery pack (45cm)
1 x 2-Flat-Pin plug power charger (100~240V / 110cm)
6 x rubber rings
1 x English user manual

Pay attention to paragraph

Long time pressing switch button to enter into stepless dimming mode

And compare the description of the modes in the instructions


Mismatch, however. Let's see who is right.

Let's now take a closer look at the hero of today's review






So, this headlight consists of three independent modules installed in a single holder.
The central module is the high beam module. Made on the basis of the XM-L T6 diode, has a smooth reflector and transparent glass.
The low beam side modules, working synchronously, are based on XM-L T6 diodes, using

Based on the DX photos, I expected the headlight to be bigger. I was not upset when I realized that this was not the case. Compare with the headlight from the previous review:




op!


As you can see, the central module is somewhat smaller than a single headlight, but the whole structure, including the side modules, is somewhat larger than the previously reviewed solution.

Let's talk about modes. As I said, the modes are switched with a remote button.

The headlight has three main modes:
- high beam when the central module is engaged
- dipped beam, two small modules work
- far + near, it's full power, it's darkness, goodbye

When the power is connected, the LED built into the button turns blue if the battery is sufficiently charged.

If the batteries are low, the glow changes to orange


a red glow signals that darkness will come soon and calls to turn down the brightness

By the way, about brightness. The instruction says that with a long press on the button, the headlight should switch to strobe mode.
In reality, this is what happens:

PS:
the camera in video mode shoots only on the machine, the aperture behaves as it wants, so I had to use an aperture meter to demonstrate the brightness range.
The brightness can be arbitrarily adjusted in any mode (far / near / near + far). in order to somehow calm down the aperture of the camera, to shoot this video, I covered the headlight with paper. The ammeter is connected to the diode of the "near" module.

This is such a great driver. No S.O.S., but there is a smooth brightness control. It's a charm.

Now, using the example of beamshots, I will show how it all looks. The camera is set up in such a way that it would not convey the brightness, but the shape of the light spots. About brightness will be lower

1 mode, central module

2 mode, side modules

3 mode, all modules

Now I'll try to show how the whole thing shines.
In the last review, I already complained about the lack of a tripod (it needs to be corrected) and the resulting impossibility of shooting outdoors. I tried, really :) Only one photo turned out - low beam


I won't even show you the rest of the mess. Today there will be a roof again.

high beam

dipped beam


full throttle (far+near)

Now let's shine down from the 9th floor and see what happens.
darkness

high beam

dipped beam

near+far

The runtime at the maximum near + far mode was 123 minutes. Why the site says 1 hour - I do not know.
In static mode, the headlight heats up decently at maximum mode. I used a fan to measure runtime.

Now let's take a look at the numbers :)

A small preface to testing.
When measuring currents, I use homemade probes that I solder to the lights


they are short and rather thick, which, as planned, should minimize the effect on the ammeter readings. But the fact is that I made them for my old DT830, and in the new one they hang out like a pencil in a glass. You have to press them with your hands, creating a normal contact, and at the same time you also need to take pictures ... In short, for measurements I used the folk DT-830. In fact, I did this so that they would not write that my multimeter is better than a bicycle

So, in the maximum mode, a little more than two amperes comes to the diode of the high beam module


in the minimum mode - 0.22A


As I said, the brightness can be set to any. The measured range is 0.22A-2.02A, which, according to is from 92 to 719lm (spherical lumens in vacuum, of course)

Each of the two diodes of the low beam modules receives from 90mA in weak mode


up to a little more than an ampere in the maximum mode


which corresponds to approximately 40-400lm. The intermediate value can also be anything. Let me remind you that there are two low beam modules. Accordingly, the brightness values ​​are also doubled.

So, we looked at the beamshots, shone the light on the street, devoted an hour of time to measurements. I propose to move on to dismemberment.

A mount is fixed at the bottom of the headlight (the pun is out, however)


it needs to be unlocked. below it and on each of the side modules are screws that hold parts of the headlight in place. We twist them


All optical systems are traditionally held in housings with threads. Unscrewing them, we get to the LEDs

Diffusers and reflectors in all their glory:










As you can see, everything is done well, the seals are in place.

I honestly tried to look under the central diode, unsoldered it, but the part on which it was installed did not want to leave its place. Not at all.

It was a little easier with side diodes.


The diode is located on a rather massive base, which fits tightly into the case


there was nothing interesting under the base


We assemble it back, adding thermal paste along the way (actually, the case already warmed up well, evenly and quickly, but I couldn’t help but smear it with thermal paste :))


The module itself is very small, and inside, by the way, there are hops (albeit working at 1A). The modules are in contact with the aluminum "frame" of the headlight. I decided to treat this place with thermal paste too, so that the heat is evenly transferred to the aluminum frame

The attentive reader, probably, has already noticed that the driver was nowhere to be seen. So yes. The design is not quite ordinary, the driver is in the button.








as you can see, the wires are filled with compound for strength.

So, everywhere they seem to have looked, I propose to look out of the corner of my eye at charging







I don't know if comments are needed. Works, charging. Like the charger from the previous review, it glows green at idle and when the battery is fully charged, and red when charging.

The battery is visually no different from the previous one, it was also sealed (well, I would like that, at least) with cling film and tape.

But the measurements of the capacity pleasantly surprised and pleased.
With a starting discharge current of about 1.5A, the capacity was 4329mAh. Not bad.
Schedule:

Finally, I'll show you how all this stuff looks on a bike.

This is how the headlight happened. Cool headlight, powerful, with a convenient driver, it will even seem beautiful to someone, but to many - expensive. It's not cheap, but do not forget that for this money you will be sold, in fact, three flashlights on hops (two of them with TIR optics!), 4 good batteries and a cool driver.

It probably makes no sense to write pluses, because. I didn’t talk about the cons in the review :)
But there are still downsides. Or rather, not cons, but wishes, rather.
- I would like (I repeat already) that such headlights are equipped with holders for 18650, I want to choose the batteries myself, and also quickly change them if necessary.
- after all, 4 banks for such a capacity are not enough, I would like 6, especially since the Chinese have been manufacturing such products for a long time. For some, 2 hours at the maximum will not be enough.
- it would be cool if it was possible to adjust the position of the extreme modules relative to the central one. I would slightly tilt the dipped beam down. But this is not essential.

Thank you all for your attention, I'm done. If I forgot something - kick it, I'll add it.

I plan to buy +47 Add to favorites Liked the review +75 +126

The bicycle headlight appeared along with the bicycle. Even when it was just a scooter, in order to push off with two legs, it was necessary to light the way. Actually, the bicycle headlight itself did not exist; instead, a kerosene lantern dangled. Due to the strong vibration of the case, he had to be held in his hand. Further development of the bicycle headlight in a variety of designs occurred only with the advent of air chambers and the possibility of a more or less smooth ride.

What kind of headlights should be equipped with a bicycle

First of all, we recall that it is necessary to distinguish between bicycle headlights and retroreflectors (reflectors). Headlights are sources of light, and reflectors reflect (return) his. Thus, the driver of the vehicle lighting the bike can see it and react in time.

There are rules for equipping a bicycle with lighting devices that do not differ from those of other vehicles:

• front - white bicycle headlight (or white retroreflector);
• rear - red reflector, or red stop - a signal that can be on constantly or in a different flashing mode, performing the same function as the rear position red lights on a car. You can, of course, make the brake light brighter when braking, but this is unnecessary. Below is a red brake light with an integrated circuit and batteries for flashing in various modes. This backlight is very popular;
• on the spokes of the wheels it is necessary to have simple orange reflectors, since they help to see the cyclist from afar.

Since the review of bicycle headlights will mainly affect white light sources, we will immediately say about those bicycles that are equipped with turn signals.

The effectiveness of turn signals is obviously low, it is recommended to use them only at night, when gestures may not be visible to drivers. This is understandable to those cyclists who are also drivers of cars.

Reasons why it is dangerous to use bicycle turn signals:

• the signal is not regulated by traffic rules, and it is not necessary to pay attention to it;
• the bicycle is quite rarely strictly in front of the car, except perhaps on the ring, or during the maneuver;
• in the daytime, it is often simply impossible to see the turning lights, especially since the driver does not know where to look and does not wait for them to be turned on;
• the cyclist himself has no right to be 100% sure that his signal is understood correctly, and still has to turn around.

What bicycle lights are used in modern bicycles

The real “boom” of small-sized and high-efficiency bicycle lighting began with the widespread introduction of ultra-bright LEDs in all colors to the market.

It is LED bicycle lights, especially Chinese ones, that are most often seen on most bicycles, and there is nothing wrong with that. The quality of these light sources is good, microcircuits and other complexities are practically not required, cooling occurs due to the aluminum radiator that gives off heat well, the optics are simple. An example of a Chinese-made LED headlight is shown in the figure.

The price of a Chinese headlight of remarkable factory quality is about 2,500 rubles, and the best Western brands can cost 5-6 times more expensive with the same lighting parameters and service life. In addition, the fastening of the headlight to the steering wheel is simple and reliable - with clamps or even with Velcro.

An example of quality products is outdoor lighting products, which have been produced by the Chinese company Magicshine since 1999. All products have the international quality certificate ISO 9001.

The most popular models are MJ 808 and MJ 808 e with a luminous flux of 900 and 1000 Lm, which "pierce" the darkness at 200 m, have two operating modes and a good cooling system. It is the Magicshine bicycle headlight that is shown above.

Choosing bike lights

The requirements for modern bicycle lighting sources are quite diverse. But in order to choose a good and reliable light source, it is necessary to take into account the following most important "selection criteria":

1. The headlight should create an illumination equal, if not daylight, then such as to allow you not to slow down even while driving downhill. This requirement is met by headlights with a luminous flux of at least 800 - 1000 Lm (lumens). In practice, this means that in absolute darkness you can clearly see objects at a distance of 25-45 m.

Such illumination is capable of creating the Cree XM-L T6 LED, which was created in 2011. With its help, a large number of different modifications of bicycle headlights have been made. This is a super bright 10W white LED.

Don't be deceived by the seeming lack of power. Indeed, a 10 W incandescent lamp will hardly make it possible to read. But for incandescent lamps, 99% of the power goes into heat, and for LEDs it is much less, so this light flux will be no less than from a 100 W light bulb.

The current in the circuit is 700 milliamps, and the voltage consumed, or rather, the voltage drop across the diode, is 2.9 V. The luminous flux varies depending on the voltage from 900 to 975 lm.

An important characteristic of any headlight is the solid angle in the space of which the light wave propagates, or visibility. It is 125°.

Next to the semiconductor crystal that emits light, there is a Fenix ​​BC 30 bicycle headlight, which is a pair of such LEDs with separate optics, which “collects” the scattered beams into narrower ones, further concentrating the light flux. The total flow is 1800 lm.

Such a headlight can be powered by either 18650 batteries (2 pieces) or CR -123 A batteries, but already 4 pieces.

Warranty - 2 years, the most "long-range" light - up to 170 meters.

The indicators are good, but the price is “biting” - about 8,000 rubles, or 800 rubles / t. By the way, a powerful 3 W cold white LED costs (without optics) 42 rubles, that is, 14 rubles / watt.

The surcharge is for the brand and a highly efficient aluminum passive cooling system, in which the headlight housing is the radiator. It is this beautiful model that adorns the bike at the beginning of the article. It is well recognizable by the two Phillips screws in the frontal plane.

It must be said that Chinese manufacturers are not inferior to branded ones, for example, the same Fenix ​​products. Here is their new 2011 development called "Owl", using exactly the same Cree XM-L T6 dual modules, with the same characteristics.

But it was here that the Chinese made a mistake: chasing power, they forgot about a good cooling radiator. The model cools well in motion, and when at rest it heats up very quickly (in half a minute), with a loss of power. At the same time, the cost is about 10,000 rubles. - impressive.

It should be noted that progress does not stand still. And for lovers of more expensive lighting, there are, for example, products of the famous bicycle brand Cateye (cat's eye). We are talking about a headlight costing 36,750 rubles, a luminous flux of 1600 Lm. It is called Sumo 3 (HL-EL930RC). As shown in the figure, you need a good heatsink with extra area to cool the pnp junction area.

2. The second important requirement is normal color rendering. The white color should be exactly that: warm or cool, but without the distortion inherent in some LEDs with the wrong balance of “blueness”.

This can lead to distortion of the contours of objects and a violation of the estimation of the distance between the cyclist and obstacles. The fact is that white is a mixture of colors, of which the brightest is blue, and the dullest is red. This should be taken into account by manufacturers of lighting devices.

3. Peripheral illumination, or the lateral pattern of the optics, is important. You can also say the angle of the LED beam. The physics of LED lighting is such that it is very contrasty. A bright spot of light is created, and to the side - complete darkness. There are no smooth, gradual transitions from light to darkness. It is important for a cyclist to have an overview of the entire hemisphere in front of his face. The front headlight should provide such an opportunity.

It is worth remembering that if you have a flashlight in your hands, then you can instantly send it where you need it. And you can’t turn the headlight, you need additional dispersion.

4. The next important indicator is the autonomy of work. Of course, this is not so important if the current is generated by the generator. In this case, it is much more important that the current does not exceed the specified conditions, otherwise the LED will quickly heat up and may burn out. To do this, the current is limited by the presence of additional resistance in the circuit (resistor). In the event that the current is generated by powerful batteries, the luminous flux will be more even, without voltage drop and flicker.

Typically, 18650 cells are used. If you wish to buy such cells from Fenix ​​along with a charger, you will have to fork out another 5,500 rubles.

For example, a battery of two pairs of such batteries can provide good illumination within 1000 lm for at least 2-3 hours. Since it is unlikely that anyone will ride all night long in complete darkness, this time is enough to get home, or for an extreme ride.

In conclusion, a few words about other sources of illumination. Bicycle lights can be not only LED, but also working on other physical principles. For example, a xenon headlight.

Depicted is a bicycle headlight using xenon inert gas vapors. This is the Light&Motion ARC brand worth more than 11,000 rubles. (in 2014 prices). It is capable of delivering about 700 lm at a power of 13.5 watts. On the road it looks like this:

Such a device is charged within 3.5 hours.

Summing up, we can say that there is no shortage of lighting devices for bicycles. Everything depends on the ratio "price / quality". Currently, 1 W of power, as mentioned above, is rapidly becoming cheaper, and you can pay large sums only for high-quality optics, design, convenience, as well as for the warranty period.

According to the SDA, each bike must have a front light and a rear red reflector (or a red flasher). Bicycles must have orange reflectors on the sides. These rules must be observed, because otherwise the cyclist will be invisible at night and there is no need to explain what this is fraught with.

Of all the means of passive safety, the most optimal, versatile and multi-purpose is the front bicycle headlight. In addition to the fact that it indicates a bicycle in the dark, it performs an equally important function - it illuminates a small space in front of the cyclist when riding and parking. The comfort of cycling at night largely depends on how high-quality and correctly selected headlight is installed on it.

Bicycle headlight power

Bicycle lights come in rechargeable and battery powered.
Battery-powered headlights are inexpensive, light in weight and last a long time. But they do not illuminate the road in front of the bike very well, their luminous flux is rather weak, and the light spot is blurry. At dusk, such headlights are practically useless.

Battery-powered headlights provide excellent light output and good overall illumination. Their light beam hits far and can be adjusted in brightness. At dusk, such headlights are best used. But they are relatively expensive, the battery packs on them weigh relatively much. Charging takes at least four hours, and in the maximum mode of use, the glow time of the flashlight is not very long.

Distinctive features of bicycle headlights

Special bicycle headlights have an advantage over their conventional counterparts. Their light is more saturated, because the beam is focused very well. Visibility is excellent even at night without natural or artificial ambient lighting. In addition, special bicycle lights have a design that allows you to adjust their angle of inclination, as well as the direction of their light beam.

What to look for when choosing a bicycle headlight

Bicycle headlights are manufactured by various companies. Along with popular brands, Chinese, inexpensive and universal headlights have been very common in recent years. When choosing a headlight, pay attention to the pattern of its reflector. It is he who is responsible for the level of illumination of the road, not only in front, but also on the side. Side illumination is very important and is a prominent parameter when choosing headlights.
The operating time of the headlights depends on the installed batteries (almost all modern headlights are equipped with them, with the possibility of replacing them with batteries). A typical 18,650 l / hour battery will allow the headlight to work at maximum mode for about three hours. Brightness is achieved up to 1000 Lumens, but it is not always needed, here you can save. With economical energy consumption, such a headlight will be enough for most of the night.
When choosing a headlight, pay attention to the range of its light beam. Modern LEDs provide very high quality brightness and range of the light flux, many headlights are designed to illuminate a distance of up to 30 meters. Here I would like to separately note the headlights, which are based on the LED brand Cree XM-L T6 - it provides very bright and good lighting. Well, in general - when choosing a bicycle lamp, pay attention to the fact that its luminous flux is at least 800-1000 Lumens, and better - more.
And the last important parameter to consider is the color spectrum. The headlight can work in different color spectrums and how exactly it will illuminate the path depends on your choice. . LEDs in flashlights can have such a spectrum from white to yellow. Whites are considered the brightest, and yellows are softer.

Manufacturers

Now there are a lot of different manufacturers of bicycle lights on the market, ranging from famous world brands to Chinese counterparts, available at a good price. Let's focus on the most popular brands and models that have decent quality and not exorbitant prices.

Topeak offers a variety of cycling accessories, including reasonably good headlights. You can equip your bike with dimensions from this brand and front front lights. Attention should be paid to the Topeak TMS029 and Topeak TMS039 headlight models.

They are presented in various colors, have acceptable dimensions, a convenient universal mounting system and excellent characteristics. The universal size of the company, the HeadLux TMS034 model, has also proved to be excellent.

The Sigma brand is also a good manufacturer, which offers high-quality universal-type front lights. The Sigma Smilux features a bright LED (1500 Lumens), focused optics and a really well thought out light reflector. Due to this, this model (and many others from this brand) perfectly illuminate the road not only in front, but also on the sides. Among the flashlights of this brand, you can find models both on batteries and on accumulators. But even models with batteries provide high-quality illumination thanks to powerful LEDs.

Another notable brand is XLC. It is a prominent accessory manufacturer that offers compact and powerful universal type bicycle lights. Among the front lights of this brand, it is necessary to highlight the Triton lineup, as well as Thebe, among which you can be guaranteed to choose something that is most optimal for yourself. Among the marker tail lights, you can pay attention to the kits and choose something like the Minibeamerset models, which are presented in a wide range.

The next popular headlight manufacturer is Fenix. It offers several optimal and inexpensive models, each of which is equipped with a two-zone light supply system. The headlight reflector of all models of the brand is made in the form of a sphere, so the angle of its beam is wide and bright. Almost all models of this manufacturer are made of aircraft-grade aluminum.
Of the good oriental models, it is worth noting the MagicShine headlight, which is equipped with powerful modern LEDs and has a simple but very reliable housing. Excellent work for a long time with this accessory will be guaranteed.
There are other well-known manufacturers, among which you can find quite good offers, but you should still stop your choice on the above brands. They have been around for many years and perform well on the practical side. Some companies, such as XLS or Topeak, offer a range of different cycling accessories, offering a truly complete range of essential gear for everyone. The quality of their products is on top, and for the cost you can always find models with a compromise price.

When choosing a bicycle headlight, you should be guided solely by its quality and ease of use, and not by chasing low prices. Yes, now there are quite a lot of inexpensive Chinese lamps, but for testing, almost all of them are unable to provide the same quality of light, the same level of safety on the road and the reliability that headlight models from eminent manufacturers give. It makes no sense to buy inexpensive headlights and change them literally every 1-2 months. You can buy a really high-quality thing once and use it for years.

In addition to headlights, there are other accessories that bike owners prefer to purchase, they are listed in another article: