We all have to ride in the darkness sometimes, and for many people – early starters or late finishers – it’s part of the routine, whether for commuting or just getting out early (or back late).
And when that happens you’ve got make sure you’re as visible as possible. Here are five of our favourite products to use when you need to make sure everyone else on the road can see you.
See.Sense – Icon Rear Light
The obvious way to be seen while on the bike is with lights, so we couldn’t exclude them from our lisat of the best ways to be visible on a bike. However, the See.Sense Icon rear light is no ordinary bike light, it’s a USB rechargeable, 190 lumen light with 15 hours of battery (whilst on flash mode) and comes with smartphone app to check the battery.
What separates the See.Sense from other bike lights is that it is the only bike light that can react, by flashing brighter and faster, to any hazards you might be approaching. While connected to the app the light can text your emergency contact with your location if you’ve had a crash or let you know if someone is trying to steal your bike.
RRP £65
Best price £56.99
Moon – Merak Bar-End Rear Lights
Another light that will help improve your visibility while ridingise the Moon Merak Bar-End Rear Light. These lights have the advantage of being attached to your bar ends, giving traffic a better indication of how wide your bike is and hence more likely to give you more room.
The lights feature 5 modes, including a bright day flash mode and will last 100 hours with a CR2032 coin battery. The lights are mounted using a magnetic bracket for easy attachment and removal when not in use..
RRP £19.99
Best price £13
Lumos Helmet
More lights mean more visibility and having them integrated into your helmet make it that bit easier. Lumos haven’t just stuck some lights onto a helmet when they designed the Lumos Helmet, they gave it a USB rechargeable battery, wireless remote, turn signals and hard brake lights.
All these features in the safety-certified helmet will help increase your visibility on your next commute.
Buy from Lumos £159
Provis – REFLECT360 Men’s Cycling Jacket
Next on the essentials when trying to make yourself more visible is reflective clothing. The REFLECT360 Men’s Cycling Jacket takes reflective clothing to the next level. As its name suggests the jacket features a 100% reflective outer-shell, improving your visibility to hazards at all angles.
The jacket is also highly waterproof with has taped inner seams and waterproof zip as well as front, shoulder/back and underarm vents to allow you to regulate your body temperature. The jacket also has several zipped pockets to keep all your valuables safe when you’re cycling.
RRP £79.99
Best price £71.99
Prologo – OneTouch 2 Handlebar Tape
Perhaps more of a marginal gain when it comes to improving your visibility whilst riding but every little helps.
Prologo OneTouch 2 Handlebar Tape features reflective sections on the tape that, when wrapped around your bars, improve your bike’s visibility at both the bar ends and tops.
Also available in fluro yellow the tape provides excellent grip due to Prologo’s CPC material similar to that found on their CPC saddle range.
RRP £25.99
Best price £18.95