I've talked about bike computers before, so now I want to talk about lights.
There are few bike accessories more important than lights, especially if you do any night riding. On the road, at night, the main purpose of a good set of lights is no so much to see, but to be seen. Good lights are bright, long lasting, and visible from a great distance. Let's talk about that middle factor, long lasting.
When I first started riding seriously, back in 1989- (wow, that long ago?), there were two choices for poweing lights on a bike: batteries, or generators. Both had lots of flaws.
Alkaline batteries are heavy, and short lived, and not particularly powerful for the task at hand. Some riders, myself included, tried using small generators to power front and rear lights. The generator mounted to the frame, under the seat, and had a rotor that touched the rear tire. As the tire turned, it turned the generator, producing electricity and turning on the lights. Very nice. The price was paid in the great weight of the device, the drag it produced on the tire, and the lights' dimness at lowspeed and darkness at full stops.
Today, there are numerous models of lightweight lights on the market, using more powerful, longer lasting, lithium ion batteries, LED-type bulbs, or combinations of the two, to produce bright, long-lasting, beams. There are lights that can be mounted on the handlebars, under the seat, on the front or rear fork, or even on the rider's arm or leg. When used with reflectors, they really do make night riding a lot safer.
