It is no use telling the city dwellers about the advantages of having a bicycle and using it on a daily basis, as they are obvious. The pluses of riding bikes are numerous, from maintaining in good health condition to preserving the environment.

1. How To Choose A Bike Light (Guide For Urban Cyclists)
It is no use telling the city dwellers about the advantages of having a bicycle and using it on a daily basis,
as they are obvious. The pluses of riding bikes are numerous, from maintaining in good health condition
to preserving the environment. Anyway, if you have a bicycle in the city, you definitely ride it. And there
often are some cases when you need to ride in the evening or even at night, whether you commute
from work late in the evening, need to visit a store or just want to experience a relaxing evening ride.
In all these cases, using a bicycle light is essential as it guarantees your safety and comfort on the road.
The function of bike lights is twofold: it makes you visible to car drivers and enables you to see the road
ahead. To put it simply, the better your bike light is, the safer you are while riding in the dark.
“But wait”, you can say. “I am living within the city and not somewhere in the country where headlight is
badly needed!” However, you should just think for a moment whether all the streets in your city are
well-lit and the visibility is the same as in the daytime everywhere? I think not, and that is the main
reason you should think about using a bicycle light.
Actually, bike lights have to be chosen very carefully and with great attention. To feel safe and have a
comfortable ride it is not necessary to buy the most expensive headlight models (as you can be advised
in the stores). The main secret is to check if it has the most important functions and possesses the
needed qualities.
First and foremost, your bike light has to be waterproof. This feature is extremely important in case of
rain: you should be 100% sure that you will safely reach your destination independently of the weather.
Secondly, look only for those bike lights that have blinking mode. Naturally, no other vehicle uses
blinking light, so you will be instantly recognized as a cyclist. Consequently, the alertness of drivers
increases and chances of having a road accident drop dramatically. What is more, when your bicycle
light is blinking it tends to draw much more attention than when it is shining steadily – and that is
another way of keeping you safe.
However, if you know that your route will lie only through the well-lit streets you can turn on the
blinking mode on your bike light right in the beginning of your ride and adjust its angle so that it blinks
just on the car drivers’ eye level. Otherwise, you can turn on blinking only when it is really needed. For
example, you will definitely like to turn your bike light to the blinking mode (and even turn it slightly in
the direction of a car) when standing on the intersection and seeing a car driving up close to you. In this
case, making yourself noticeable means protecting your health and even life (especially when you find
yourself to be in the car’s blind spot).
Next, your bicycle light has to be very bright. This will ensure you that both car drivers and pedestrians
see you from the distance. Also, it is much more convenient for you to see the road ahead quite well.
Good road visibility is important even in the city, as you can see (thus avoid) puddles, bumps and even
different stray animals, all of which are very unpleasant to “meet” while riding!
To sum up, choosing a bike light is a very serious thing, and you should take the one which will really
come in handy on your way, not just the one which is told to be cool.