Light up your bike when traveling at night

One of those frustrating times is when I see cyclists riding at night without lights, wearing dark clothing. It’s a situation where the cyclist is begging for an accident to happen.

As a nighttime cyclist, you must alert motorists to your presence and register in their brains that you are riding a bicycle. You are often trying to make this impression in dimly lighted situations as well as in the midst of urban light clutter from other vehicles, traffic lights, streetlights, commercial signs, porch lights, windows and many other sources.

Most bicycles come equipped with front and rear reflectors mounted on the bike as well as reflectors on the pedals and attached to the spokes of both wheels.

Some tires and rims are now equipped with light-reflecting materials. Because light in motion attracts attention, reflectors on moving pedals and wheels can be spotted at much greater distances.

Although reflectors do make the cyclist easier to see in the beam of vehicle headlights, they do not replace the visibility of a lighting system. Oregon law requires lighting — a red rear light or reflector visible from 600 feet and a front white light visible from 500 feet.

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Putting adequate lighting on your bicycle is inexpensive and easy. It’s less expensive to buy a proper front and rear light than to purchase bright, reflective clothing. However, I highly recommend this type of clothing as well.

The two major considerations for lighting on your bicycle include first, being seen by others, and second, seeing the road ahead of you. The front light serves both functions.

Bicycle lighting systems can be purchased in four forms: standard battery filament bulb lights, rechargeable battery filament bulb lights, light-emitting diode (LED) lights and Dynamos.

The most inexpensive front lighting system is a single-filament bulb powered by AA or AAA batteries. Don’t expect their beams of light to last much more than six to eight hours.

Rechargeable battery packs are the core of the more efficient systems. They usually come bundled with a separate LED rear light or sold separately. NiCad batteries are used in the majority of the smaller self-contained lights, but you may find lead acid, NiCad, NiMh or even Li-Ion batteries. Typically, the more expensive the system, the more efficient the battery.

Cat Eye, NiteRider, Blackburn and Planet Bike are a few of the companies that specialize in bicycle headlights. A super-bright (up to 10 watts) Krypton or halogen bulb lights your way. Runtime is usually 50 steady hours.

Most rear lighting comes from LED lights. The beauty of an LED is the amount of directional light that it emits for an extremely low energy input. LED lights can operate for more than 100 hours on a single set of batteries. Many cyclists know that the flashing LED offers greater visibility to other road users.

LED lights for the rear of your bike or helmet come in all shapes and sizes. They can be solid or blinking. Some blinking versions have "scroll blinking" and can be mounted vertically or horizontally.

Dynamo systems, small generators that produce electricity from a wheel that comes in contact with your rim, are probably the most widely used worldwide. They provide a self-sufficiency valued by their users: They have no batteries to recharge or replace and are permanently fitted to the bike, so there are no worries about being out late without your lights. If you can’t find them locally, you can order them from Internet suppliers.

If cyclists want to be recognized as legitimate users of the roads, we need to be recognized at night and not be a hazard to motorists. Don’t be invisible cyclists floating through the dark. Be safe and seen, and motorists will "share the road."

Bicycling enthusiast Bob Korfhage of Phoenix is a former president of Siskiyou Velo bicycle club.