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How Many Lumens for a Bike Headlight?
You may enjoy all kinds of different sports and other types of outdoor activities. From jogging down the road early in the morning before daybreak to running long distances to beat the record of those in the same competition, outdoors is the place you want to be, day and night.
Though night time may be a good time to get your exercise, it may not be the safest when you are traveling from one destination to another. This is one of the main reasons why you should make sure that you are completely prepared for these rides before you start out.
In some cases, you may not be riding for amusement or sport, you may be using your bikes to commute or to run errands. In either case or situation, there are some key things that must be considered and factored in when preparation is being made.
One of the most important is ensuring the lights on your bike are bright enough to handle the ride. More importantly, you should research to see what types of lights are recommended for maximum visibly. That said, here is some invaluable information about lumens for bike headlights.
What are lumens?
Lumens can be described as the amount of light that is emitted per second. The measure of a lumen is in units, specifically as it relates to the solid angle of one steradian.
Therefore, when you choose light bulbs and fixtures for certain needs, you will need to understand lumens instead of watts or LEDs, especially since these measurements are their counterparts.
Once you understand lumens as compared to watts or LEDs, you can choose the bike headlights that you will need for your purposes and individual needs. It is important that you have a good handle on what lumens means since it involves your personal safety as well as others’ too.
For instance, the higher the lumen rating that you select, the brighter the lamp on the bike will appear, meaning it will make it much easier for you to see items in front of you during the night. Brighter lighting will also make it easier for others to see your lights.
Either way, the right measurement will help to keep you safe while riding along the road. For instance, if the lights are not bright enough, you may injure yourself if you drive over potholes in the road or you do not see other obstacles that can obstruct your view.
How many lumens for bike headlight?
When choosing lumens, there are a number of different factors that must be kept in mind because choosing the right number of lumens is only a part of the decision that will need to be made. For instance, lumens will only tell you how much light will be put out, but it does not address the direction in which the light will travel. In some cases, two lights may not be sufficient enough for the ride if the beam of the light is too narrow.
You should also be aware of the different types of riding prior to making your final selections since the number of lumens will vary based on your activities. For instance, in an urban setting, you may not need more than 500 lumens to ride safely to your destinations.
On the other hand, if you are mountain biking, the number of lumens may be increased quite dramatically. This is also true if you plan to ride at high speeds at night from their home to the office.
Conclusion
Choosing the number of lumens is not always as simple as you may think because there are other factors involved that will need to be considered. Some of the more commonly known include the type of bike riding that will be done at night, whether it is commuting from home to the job or mountain bike riding; the number of lumens will often vary greatly based on the activities involved in traveling from one destination to the next.
Staying safe is always the main consideration when choosing the right bike light for your purposes, and it is better to err on the side of too many lumens rather than not enough. Remember that it is not only your own safety, but also that of others you may encounter along the way.
