Comments on: Are you ready to ride your bike through the winter?

By: nhinkle

nhinkle — Fri, 22 Nov 2013 07:39:23 +0000

Higher powered lights are definitely important for mountain biking, and MTBR does a great job of covering those. We also have some comprehensive reviews of lights in the sub-1000 lumen range, all posted at http://bikelightdatabase.com/. Especially in adverse weather, a bright light is definitely key!

By: Krisc

Krisc — Thu, 21 Nov 2013 23:20:30 +0000

I’ve been riding at night on the mountain bike for all of two weeks, but I can’t imagine going without my 1200 handlebar light (with external battery pack) combined with my helmet mounted 700 “usb” light (internal battery). I wouldn’t cheap out on lighting, especially in the winter when seeing ice and wet leaves becomes supremely important.

Just checkout mtbr.com’s latest light review: http://reviews.mtbr.com/2014-mtbr-bike-lights-shootout-tunnel-beam-patterns

By: StefG

StefG — Wed, 20 Nov 2013 07:49:36 +0000

Excellent article, I especially like the comments on biking-specific products when it comes to clothing. I missed some comments about lightning systems that are not battery powered but by e.g. hub dynamos. Having exprimented with the former types a lot, I came to appreciate the hassle-free performance of the latter; no need to worry whether betteries are sufficiently charged for a long ride, or having to bike in the dark because it took you longer than expected.

As I see it, this is a cultural thing, meaning that the lightning systems that are fixed to the bike and powered by dynamos are far more popular here in Europe than in the US. Actually, German traffic law required you to use them; only a recent change in legislation allows battery based systems on some bike types.