How to choose and install your bike lights?

The bicycle lights is one of the elements bicycle safety the most important. It is also included in the compulsory equipment. From city bikes to mountain bikes, your bike must have a front bike light , yellow or white, and a rear bike light , red. How to choose your bike light? Our buying guide offers you to guide you according to the brightness you need, the type of power supply you prefer, the technologies specific to major brands such as Busch and Muller or Reelight. And finally, according to the fixing of the light on the bike.

How to choose and install your bike lights?

1. How to choose a bicycle light according to the brightness

What light output should you choose for your bicycle lighting?
Choose a Led / diode or bulb light?
How to choose your bicycle lighting: flashing or fixed light?
What bicycle lights to be original?

2. Choose a bicycle light according to the diet

In which cases can we choose dynamo lights?
Battery-powered bicycle lights, the right choice of lighting?
Rechargeable lights, ecological and sustainable lights
USB battery lights for easy recharging
Bicycle lights with magnet charging
Rechargeable electric bicycle lights on battery
Electric bike front lights
Rear VAE lights

3. How to choose a bicycle light from the major brands

Busch and Müller bicycle lights
Moon bicycle lights
Knog bicycle lights
Reelight bicycle lights

4. The different fixings of the lights

There are two units of measure for the intensity of a bicycle light: Lumen and Lux. The lumen (lm) is the unit of measure of the efficiency of light; or the quantity of energy emitted by a source in the form of light radiation. It therefore measures the power of a light source. As for the L ux , it also measures the efficiency of the light but per unit area, that is to say the illuminance. 1 Lux = 1 Lumens per m². Everything is explained in our guide on Lux and Lumens .

difference between lumen and lux

If a cyclist rides on a well-lit road such as in the city center occasionally, a 10 lux bike headlight is the recommended minimum. Note that in town on a well-lit road, the 10 lux allow you to be seen but do not really provide better visibility for the cyclist. For poorly lit roads , it is best to equip your bike with headlights of at least 20 lux .

Here are some benchmarks to give you an idea of ​​the light intensity:Here is a pictorial example of the different light intensities (Busch Müller images):

different bicycle lights

Warning: you should know that Lux and Lumen alone do not define the performance of a fire. Indeed, it is necessary to take into account its whole, such as the width, the depth, the anti-glare or the precision of the chiaroscuro limit.

Also important to know; although bicycle lights are part of the obligatory signaling accessories in town by bicycle, no details are given on the power of said lights. The only restriction is that the fire must not be dazzling.

Choose a Led / diode or bulb light?

The advantage of a light with a conventional bulb is that it offers significant lateral visibility. And if you are driving on poorly lit roads, halogen bulbs are more efficient than simple bulbs. Watch out for these types of fires that consume a lot of energy. The duration of autonomy decreases sharply if they are powered other than by dynamo. To replace your conventional or halogen bulbs:

There are also lights with LED / diode (Light Emitting Diode, or LED) more efficient than the old bulb lamps. The advantages of LED bicycle lights are as follows:

A powerful light
Energy saving
A long lifespan.

These lights are sometimes equipped with reflectors and allow both seeing and being seen. LEDs also offer ideal power for more common use, and do not require changing the bulb.

A diode / LED light allows you to be seen. It is interesting, for example, to install a yellow-orange LED light on the back of your bike. Indeed, it allows the cyclist to be visible to other road users, in addition to being economical in terms of cost and energy. For a front light, it is advisable to use a yellow-green diode light .