As night starts falling earlier and earlier, Bob Munro shines a light on cycling safety
With the clocks now back on GMT, cyclists, particularly commuters, need to be sure they have effective lights. Your local shop will inevitably go all Hamlet on you – "to see, or to be seen, that is the question" – as you study the bewildering array of products on offer, priced from £2 to £600.
Sensible advice must be to spend as much as possible to make sure you are as visible, as it might just save you from serious injury or worse. It might also be worth considering one of these innovative products, which might just give you the marginal gains you need to avoid becoming a statistic.
Blaze Laserlight
Launched last year, this stylish 300 lumen front light also projects a green laser image of a bike 6 meters ahead, warning lorries and buses of your presence in their left hand blind spot, and pedestrians of your approach.
London Mayor Boris Johnson likes the idea so much he’s just launched a pilot project fitting 250 of the capital’s Santander (Boris) Bikes with the laserlight. It’ll cost you £125.
Check out their website for more details.
Garmin Varia Smart Cycling Devices
Rearview Bike Radar Light and Transmitter
This radar detects vehicles, including other cyclists, approaching within 140 meters to the rear, and warns the rider via a unit on the handlebars or on their existing Garmin Edge 510 or 1000.
Simultaneously, the Garmin tail light automatically brightens, warning the driver about the cyclist ahead.
It costs £239.99.
Smart Bike Front Light
This 600 lumen front light can also link with the existing light-sensing Garmin Edge 1000.
Its USP is to brighten and project further forward, as the cyclist’s speed increases, to counter the risk of a faster pace.
It'll set you back £159.99.
What price safety? You decide.
See Sense
An ingenious light set – invented by rocket scientists, no less!
This gadget is so intelligent that it knows when to flash faster and get brighter to make you and your bike more visible.
Using cutting edge sensor technology, it detects when you approach a junction or filtering into traffic or in low light. Just plug it into your computer to recharge.
It's available at £79.99 a set from the See Sense website.
Find more cycling tips, routes, and gear in our magazines or our online cycling section
