Where there is darkness, light is needed there to illuminate the road ahead. When riding at night or cycling in a dark tunnel, a bright enough headlight can always give people a sense of safety, whether for the rider or the pedestrians around. With the continuous improvement of production technology, bicycle lights nowadays have evolved to be more exquisite and also provide more powerful illumination at the same time. As ebike lights are closely related to your riding safety and there are several types of lights on the market, there are many factors to consider when choosing ebike lights. Brightness, battery capacity, weight, etc. will all have different effects on your riding. Therefore, before buying ebike, please take the light into considerations so that you can choose the most suitable electric bike. Next, let us continue to discuss how to choose ebike light in terms of the type of ebike light, the factors you need to consider, and what you use it for.
Types of Electric Bike lights
There are typically three types of ebike lights on the market: front lights, rear lights, and light sets. They are exactly different whether from their appearance or function, and their prices range from twenty dollars to several hundred dollars. Let us explore them one after another.
-
Front lights
The front lights, also called headlights, can always bring sufficient light to the rider. Usually, the front light is installed under the head tube of the bike and will change direction according to the steering of the handlebar. As the front lights are closely related to the personal safety of the rider, they are usually required to emit a bright white light beam so that you can see the road conditions clearly. Of course, they can also increase your chances of being seen by others. Another type of helmet light, which is similar to a bike headlight, is mounted in front of the helmet and acts according to the movement of the wearer's head. And since there is no power supply on traditional bikes, helmet lights can sometimes be used as a replacement for bike headlights, or to enhance the brightness of an ebike light. Because the front lights require greater output power, they are usually larger than tail lights, and their prices are relatively expensive. But out of consideration for riding safety, it should be an investment for the rider.
-
Rear lights
As the name suggests, in order for pedestrians or drivers behind you to notice you in time, an ebike taillight is usually mounted on the back of the bike rear rack. And in order to improve safety performance and avoid most traffic accidents that occur at night, most ebike tail lights are designed to emit conspicuous red beams to make your ebike more attractive in dark conditions. In fact, the design of reflective strips or LED lights on the back of some helmets is similar to the ebike taillights. Since taillights are mainly designed to warn people behind instead of lighting, in other words, they are used to make you be seen by people behind, so taillights require less output power than headlights, and their prices are more affordable.
-
Light sets
The light set is actually a package that includes a matching headlight and a taillight. The price is usually cheaper than buying a headlight and taillight separately, so it can sometimes be a more cost-effective choice. Most light sets come with fixing clips or straps to mount the headlights near the handlebars and the taillights near the seat tube or rear frame.
The Factors You Need to Consider
There are many factors that affect the performance of ebike lights. When choosing an ebike light, customers should not only consider the specifications of the light itself, but also combine the condition of your ebike and your own needs. Here we listed some of the factors that should be considered so that you can make a better choice.
-
Brightness
In the field of physics, the unit of luminous flux is lumens, which is used to measure the total amount of visible light in a unit of time. The luminous flux per unit of time of a candle is one lumen. Most electric bike headlights on the market are about 400 to 500 lumens, capable of illuminating an area within 10 meters. If you require a greater visual range, then you would better choose an ebike with brighter headlights, such as Himiway ebikes, which has 800 lumens of luminous flux, about twice that of ordinary ebikes, and can help riders see more than 10 meters of road conditions ahead.
-
Battery
In common sense, the lower the power of the ebike light is, the longer the working time per charge will be, but that does not mean that we should try to choose a light with lower power, for greater power can bring brighter illumination. Therefore, it's best to buy an electric ebike with a large battery capacity. The Himiway Cruiser series ebikes are equipped with 48V, 17.5A Samsung/LG electric bike batteries, which can continuously power the lights for more than 10 hours.
-
Run Times
The run time is related to the battery capacity and the power of the light. A larger capacity and lower power will significantly extend the service time of the light per full charge.
-
Budget
The price of ebike lights ranges from a few dollars to hundreds of dollars, and the price of the headlights is usually slightly higher than that of the taillights, while the price of the light set is more cost-effective than buying the headlights and taillights separately. Himiway ebike lights bring bright illumination at a reasonable price, most customers who have purchased our products are satisfied with the lights.
-
Power Output
Poor output power will result in dim light, while exceeded power will consume a lot of battery power. Therefore, it is necessary to choose lights with moderate output power.
-
Light Modes
Light modes usually only used in cars and are distinguished as constant light and flashing light. Constant light can provide sufficient brightness even in the daytime, while flashing light helps to save energy.
-
USB Rechargeable
A light with a USB plug may be convenient for your travel, but as long as your ebike and the light are integrated, it is not a big deal.
-
Waterproof
The use of waterproof materials seems to have become a consensus in the bicycle industry. Most ebike headlights on the market are waterproof, but please do not soak them in water.
-
Bulb Types
Nowadays, LED lights have developed to a very high level, occupying a large market share with their stable performance and relatively long service life.
-
Weight
The headlights and taillights account for a small proportion of the ebike weight, but in order to reduce the burden of riding, please try to choose the lighter ones.
-
Mounting
The headlights can be mounted on the handlebar, head tube, or even basket, while the taillights can be mounted on the seat tube or the rear frame. The light sets usually come with fixing clips or straps for easy installation and removal purposes.
What You Use the Light for?
For different purposes, we recommend making a choice according to your own needs.
-
Road
If you just want to use your ebike for entertainment, such as cycling on weekends or leisure recreations after getting off work, then it is best to choose a light set. Because the light sets have better illuminating performance, whether it is the front light or the tail light.
-
Commuting
As for commuting use, we suggest equipping your ebike with a brighter primary light as well as a secondary light to improve safety performance, especially when riding in the winter evenings, as the sky will get dark earlier. If possible, an emergency light is more appreciated. Besides, As you are using your ebike almost every day, the power of the lights and battery endurance are factors to consider.
-
Mountain Biking
What about more exciting mountain biking? As there are many trees and shrubs on the mountain that may block the view, and the weather may be foggy. Therefore, we recommend choosing a headlight with sufficient brightness. Waterproof function is a must. Only in this way can you ensure your riding safety on mountains with low visibility and high humidity. Given all that, Himiway ebike lights are specially designed to guarantee your cycling trip.
Since each component of an electric bike plays a vital role in ensuring your riding safety, the ebike lights will serve as your eyes at night to help you see the road condition ahead. After reading this article, we hope to help you choose the right "eyes" for yourself.
