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Daily Commuting Tip

An argument to light the rider, as well as the bike

Posted: 6th November 2009 | Eddie Allen

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When you ride every day, you start to ponder the imponderables. You start to do the maths on the percentage game of risk we're engaged in. Without scaremongering, riding a bike on the road has an element of risk attached (just like riding a horse, driving your car, climbing a ladder, or playing football has risk attached).

But when the nights draw in and every commute home from work in the dark, I've started to think that it's a really good idea to have some form of lighting attached to ME and not just THE BIKE.

It's a legal requirement to have appropriate lighting attached to your bike when using it at night, but have you ever wondered what would happen if you were riding down a busy road at night, fell off, and you and your bike parted company?

Picture the scene; your bike is lying in the road, front wheel spinning, LED lights flashing. You're on the deck a few feet away, completely unlit, dazed with traffic coming towards you.

Is there not a pretty good argument to have some ancillary lighting attached to you? Many lighting manufacturers seem to think so. For years, LED light manufacturers have incorporated a belt or clothing clip into their light designs, primarily with the nocturnal runner in mind. However, this could be a lifesaver for the cyclist.

Pedalite, well-known for its light-generating pedals, also market a Velcro ankle strap, the Anklelite, a really intelligent, multifunctional piece of design - it's not only got Scotchlite reflective strips, it's got a kinetic energy generator which uses the motion of your ankle to power flashing LED lights. These lights carry on flashing for a few minutes after you've stopped moving, so you're still visible if you've been waiting at traffic lights, at a right turn in the middle of the road, or if you've taken a tumble and are lying on the deck, nursing your road rash. It also helps to keep your trouser hem out of your chain. In a word, clever.

I'd always recommend having a back up set of lights - but if you put those lights on YOU rather than THE BIKE you're covering all bases.