There are a wide variety of lighting options available with different ways of installing each, but it is always important to first know where these lights should be facing so that you can install them properly. Mountain bike lights can be put into three main categories: bar mounted lights that go on your handlebar; helmet lights that attack to your helmet; and see-me lights that either go on the back of your bike or on the wheels and don’t really help you see but instead their main purpose is to help others to see you.
So, how do you want to install mountain bike lights? Whatever kind of light you want to install for your night mountain biking adventure, the main light should always come from your handlebar area. The handlebar light should be focusing a beam of light at a spot several feet in front of your bike, letting you see where you are going on a dark night. However, this can lead to blind spots directly in front of you, especially if the trail has a number of twists and turns.
This is why it is also good to have a helmet light in addition to having a handlebar light. The helmet light does not have to be nearly as bright as the other, but it will light up the area in between the front wheel of the bike to where the bar-mounted light starts. This eliminates any blind spots in that area and also provides a little extra light in case you need to see something off the side of the path.
While it is possible to have just a helmet light and to therefore forgo the need to install a light on your handlebar, this is not advisable. Putting a light that is bright enough onto your helmet will not only put an uncomfortable amount of weight on top of your head, but any movement of your head will affect your light. This can not only be dizzying to some riders, but it also means that you cannot look at anything but the trail you are riding and anytime you look to the side for any reason it will leave you blind to where you are going.
The best time to install any mountain bike light is right before dusk or after dark, this way you can check and make sure that all the lights are pointing correctly where they need to be. Doing a check in a dark room with all the curtains drawn and lights off is another option if for any reason you cannot wait until it is dark outside.
While you do want your bar-mounted light to be centered with the line of your front wheel, you do not want it to shine directly down on your front tire or you will not be able to see far enough ahead of your bike to see where you are going. Ideally it should shine 10’-20’ in front of the front wheel of your bike; closer to 20’ if you are going to be doing some fast riding and closer to 10’ if you will be riding slower or if there will be a number of twists or turns in the path you plan on riding on.
As for your helmet light, it should be as centered on the top of your helmet as possible so that its weight won’t strain your neck by constantly pulling your head to one side or the other. It should point in whatever direction you are looking and should be enable you to see your handlebars without having to strain your head downward at an uncomfortable angle.
One important thing to always do is to verify that your lights, no matter where they attach, are on as securely as possible and that any bolts and screws are as tight as you can get them. One thing you do not want when you are out night riding is for a loose bolt to allow your handlebar light to slide forward due to the bumps of the trail and to suddenly leave you blind with little or no forewarning!
O-Ring Style
One of the simplest handlebar lights to install is the kind that uses an o-ring. This style essentially has a ring that is stretchy and often adjustable and which stretches around the handlebar before attaching back to itself. A small cradle is often where the light is to prevent it slipping either forwards or backward even over bumpy trails.
These tend to be light and inexpensive but don’t always have the amount of lumens that night riders need. While this is pretty straightforward you do want to make sure that it is as tight as possible and check it every once in a while to see that the elasticity has not begun to stretch out thereby making it loose.
All-in-one helmet lights can often be attached by the same o-ring design that some handlebar lights use. In fact, sometimes o-ring lights are interchangeable and can be used for either one. On the helmet it usually goes into one of the holes in the helmet and out of another and then attaches back to itself.
Clamp-On Style
Clamp-on handlebar lights generally have bigger, heavier lights but they are not always adjustable. This means that you have to make sure ahead of time that the light you get is for the same diameter as the handlebar of your bike or it will not fit properly. However, some do come with rubber shims of different sizes to help it fit different handlebars, so pay attention to this.
Simply remove the screw from the clamps mount-piece, holding onto the nut on the other side so you don’t lose it, and then pull the clamp open enough to fit on your handlebars and get it where you want it to be. Then reattach the screw and tighten it as much as you can with the bolt.
Clamp-on lights are also one of the more common options for rear lights, clamping on to the frame of your bike underneath your seat. This kind of light also tends to have a better grip due to the fact that the bolt – or bolts – can tighten it quite firmly, making it less likely to come off.
Helmet lights can come with a different sort of clamp that is either a side-to-side clamp or a front-to-back clamp so that they can adjust to line up with the holes in whatever helmet you already own. Clamping helmet-lights and handlebar lights can sometimes be more like a cradle along with a Velcro strap. The Velcro goes either around the handlebar or in and out of the holes in the helmet and attaches back on the other side as snuggly as you can get it.
Two-Piece Style
Helmet lights usually come in two main forms: an all-in-one that has the battery and light all in one unit that is right on top of the helmet; and another kind that has the light at the front and the battery at the back of the helmet. The latter are sometimes called two-piece lights and, while they are not as simple to install, their weight is more spread out instead of having the weight all in one place at the top of your head.
There are also handlebar lights that have this same feature. These have the light itself separate from the battery, though attached with a thin wire. The battery is most often attached further down on the stem of the bike with a strap of Velcro and some people prefer this style since it cuts down on some of the weight that would otherwise all be at the top of the handlebars.
These employ the same methods of attaching as the others, only this time there are two pieces to attach instead of one and you have to thread the wire in and out of your helmet at least once to prevent it from catching on everything.
These are less likely to get knocked off of your helmet should you be riding underneath low-hanging trees since they do not poke out as much. On the other hand, the wires can catch on any branches that brush the bike or you, so you have to pay careful attention to anything that might snag them whether on the trail or when carrying your bike to your vehicle or back into your house or garage.
Common Mountain Bike Lighting Mistakes
Even if you are only riding on public streets at night, having lights to let vehicles and pedestrians know where you are is an important part of preventing accidents and is even required by law in most places. Forgetting to simply to turn on rear lights or to check them to make sure they are working is actually one of the most common mistakes. When riding on public streets it is especially important to wear a rear light and a headlight of some kind, even during daylight hours, if it is cloudy or foggy weather.
The second most common mistake is to have the lights run out, either because something delays you, or because you crash into a tree and broke your light, or even because your light is getting old and no longer runs for the same length of time that it used to. Right along with this is the mistake of not carrying a backup light and/or not making sure that your backup light even works.
For this reason it is vital that you not only have backup lights, but that you check your backup lights every few months to make sure that they are still in working order. Also, keep track of how long your lights actually work for and pay attention if the length of time they last seems to start getting shorter. When you start noticing this happen, or feel pretty sure that your lights are not as bright as they once were it is probably time to start planning on getting new ones.
Another fairly common mistake that is occasionally made by mountain bikers is that they use the same lighting that they would use on the trail when they ride on public streets. This is a mistake since not only do you need less light on streets but sometimes riding with lights that are too bright can blind oncoming drivers. Since this is obviously something that you don’t want to do, find some way of either using setting your lights to dimmer or using a different, duller set of lights when riding on streets.
A few other notable mentions when it comes to mistakes are: accidentally covering your rear lights, usually by wearing a long coat or jacket or even with a handlebar bag; not securing your lights on well enough, which is wear duct tape can come in handy for a quick emergency fix; and, finally, using a helmet light only and not a handlebar-mounted light as well, which not only results in blind spots but can also confuse drivers who might have a hard time figuring out where exactly you are.
Reasons Why To Get Lights And Go Night Riding
Many people are interested in the idea of night mountain bike riding, or have at least heard of it, but only about half of those who actually do mountain bike riding in the daytime have even tried it at night. Some common excuses are that it is too expensive to buy lights, that it is too dangerous, or simply that it is too creepy to go through the woods at night by yourself.
In reality, if you think about it, a low end mountain bike itself can cost over a thousand dollars easily so spending a hundred bucks or so to get lights so you can ride more often is well worth it. If you don’t have lights, then every year when the days get shorter you will likely find there isn’t enough time in the day to ride and your thousand dollar investment will end up just sitting there unused.
As for the danger, with the right lights properly set up there is very little more danger than there is when riding during the day, and this small amount is easily compensated by the fact that there are less people around that you could accidentally collide with. There are even mountain bike clubs that plan regular night rides if you happen to think that night riding by yourself is creepy, so look around and see what might be in your area.
One of the most exciting things about night riding is the fact that there is often a little bit of adrenaline involved if you are going fast. Even when going down a trail that you may have gone down a dozen times before, everything can look entirely unfamiliar due to the shadows different look of things at night. This can be great if you are getting bored with the same trails and cannot travel to visit new one as a way of changing things up and can also sharpen your reflexes on the trail.
If foot traffic makes you nervous and you enjoy being the only one riding a trail, then riding at night is the perfect time for this. It also leaves your daytime free to spend on other things or, if you like riding with other people, it can be a great activity to talk your friends into without having to worry as much about conflicting schedules.
Even in the summer when the nights are short it is still possible to go night riding and doing so is a great way to beat the heat as well as to avoid the crowds. You will still want to take plenty of water but, without the sun beating down on you, you probably won’t need as much as you would if you were riding during the day. In fact, you are far more likely to need to wear a jacket or something warm.
Then, of course, there is the simple fact that the sight of lights going down the trail in the forest at high speeds can look amazing, as you possible know if you have ever seen them. The trail itself can look pretty neat with the light from your bike. All in all, night riding is a great way to extend your season and can give you a lot more opportunities to go biking on a mountain trail.
Just be sure before you go that you verify that the trail you have in mind is still open at night, since some park trails do close at or around dark. Also, let someone know where you are going and when you should be back since, if you do end up getting hurt, there is not likely going to be anyone else going down the trail who would find you and help you out and you would otherwise have to wait until morning for some form of help to come.