The "LIGHT"

The Light

.............  Fall is upon us and for bike commuters who ride year round that means making some changes in how we go about our business of transportation.  Which means shorter daylight hours.  For the those of us who take commuting seriously that means being seen.  When I thought about creating a blog concerning bicycling, I promised myself I would not be one of those bloggers heaping a lot of nonsense about this product and that product.  However, I live in a city where this year there has been a dramatic increase in pedestrians and bicyclists injured and/or killed by vehicles. 

I am amazed each morning on my bike commutes to work the number of people walking their dogs, children on their way to the bus stop, runners and bicyclist who have absolutely no reflective material on; much less cyclists with lights or reflectors. 

I do not understand the lunacy of these individuals who put themselves at risk, put others in the position of having to live with the memory of injuring or possibly killing someone because they were unwilling to be seen.  Well, I WANT TO BE SEEN as much as possible.

Over the past few years I have used several brands of headlights.  All served their purpose one way or the other. I still use most of them, either alone or in combination.  However, what I have come to rely on and what WORKS FOR ME on my daily commutes to and from work is the CYGOLITE Metro 500 lumen USB Rechargeable Light..

This is such a small light which makes it great to remove and carry around.  The USB charging capability is quick and easy. 

The CYOLITE Metro 500 has six lighting modes.  Low, Medium, High, Steady Pulse, Blinking and a Day Lightning-Walking mode. A full single charge can last up to 10 hours.  

 I have a pair CYOLITE Metro 500 mounted on each side of the forks of my front wheels.  These lights served me well during one of the coldest and icy winters on record in Louisville,KY.

  

Daylight - Walking Mode

  The only issue I had with the lights is the clip on the mounting bracket broke one cold morning (-2 degrees f) when trying to remove light. I only had the light about two months. Tried to get company to honor warranty which they did not and ended up purchasing a new mounting bracket. However, for me it was worth it.

Here are a few shots of lights in operation.

Medium

HIGH

Full view of lights and reflective material

Here is what the lights look like in real time video.  This starts out at 400 yards from video camera.  You will notice a couple of people walk in front of the me about 10 seconds into the video.

I have been stopped by motorist and even a few police officers thanking me for being so visible.  I used this light during my bike tour in late spring of 2014.  All of my riding was during daylight. During that time I used the day light and the strobe blinking mode.  At a few stops I made I had several motorist tell me they saw me over a half mile away,  This light has severed me well.  IT WORKS BEST FOR ME.