Cause...you...light up my bike...

October 28, 2016 9:39 AM

I'm determined to continue my bike commute until the first here-to-stay snowfall happens. But I want and need to be visible! Suggestions that deviate from the usual bike headlights and how-to's wanted.

I see images of people with fairy lights on their bikes and then there are these cool-as-hell wheel lights (they just happen be out of my price range). How do you put fairy lights on your bike? Especially since you need a plug?

Help me be visible and colourful and unique and safe with my bike! Also, I'm in Canada so any purchases I'd prefer to make here and not internationally.

posted by Kitteh to Health & Fitness (33 answers total)

You can get cheap battery powered LED fairy lights from Amazon. The ones I got claimed to be weather proof but I kept the battery box inside a waterproof container to be sure. They crapped out after a a month or two though, not unexpected given they were a cheap, non-branded thing from China. They were also not especially bright but good for giving side-on visibility.

I was also able to get some very good value spoke lights from Tiger (not sure if they are in Canada), they were very durable and have lasted me a year so far on the original batteries. These were just the single coloured LED lights that wedge between your spokes. Decent brightnes and also good for side-on visibility.
posted by EndsOfInvention at 9:48 AM on October 28, 2016 [1 favorite]

There are plenty of battery-operated fairy light sets available, but I wouldn't use them as a replacement to a good headlight and taillight(s). The way they are set up in your example picture makes me think the wheels aren't going to turn very far.

If your primary concern is being seen, rather that to see, you might want to consider reflective slap-on strips for your arms and legs.
posted by achrise at 9:55 AM on October 28, 2016 [2 favorites]

Yeah, your best bang-for-buck if you don't mind it looking a little rough and probably crapping out on you after a while is to get some strings of cheapo battery-powered LED lights and just ziptie 'em to your bike's frame. The quality is not great, but the price can't be beat. You can get an awful lot of "ooh, shiny!" that way for well under $50.
posted by Anticipation Of A New Lover's Arrival, The at 9:55 AM on October 28, 2016

For non-light visibility and safety: I like the idea to mount a bright pool noodle to the back. In most jurisdictions, you're entitled to 3 feet clearance on both sides, and having a colorful flexible marker will dramatically increase your visibility and hopefully discourage close passing, day or night.

I'm tempted to put a 6' one on my bike, but I'm afraid that advertising my legal rights would generate hostility and possibly assault, so I'll probably settle for something more like the pic above.
posted by SaltySalticid at 10:00 AM on October 28, 2016

I just bought a packet of reflective spoke wraps for my tire spokes and pin stripe tape for the body.
posted by tilde at 10:02 AM on October 28, 2016 [1 favorite]

A few years ago we found some cheap EL-wire kits on Amazon (like $9?) that we used for a moonlight ride here; they lasted a couple years, which was fine for us.

I actually have a lower-end Monkeylight on my commuter/bar bike, but I get that $30 or $40 might be too much. People sure do love it, though -- I get all sorts of compliments.

The other picture you linked seems to be just Xmas lights on the bike, which is I'm sure why you're asking about a plug, but a really fun thing has happened with lights in the last several years: LED lights have gotten MUCH cheaper, and batteries have gotten MUCH better. LEDs are perfect for this kind of thing because they use much less power than conventional bulbs, so it's pretty easy to find battery-powered LED strings on Amazon now.

The LED revolution extends to "boring" bike lighting, too. Older style bike headlights typically relied on a big-ass battery pack strapped to your frame, but mine is just a light you clip to your handlebar. It's not tiny (about the size of a roll of quarters?), but it's way easier to move from bike to bike, or slip into your pocket, than any of the old kind while still putting out a HUGE amount of light (750L).

I'm actually considering some of the Flectr "high efficiency" spoke reflector decals for my bikes -- it's not as fun as active lighting, but it's cooler, lighter, and less obtrusive than regular reflectors.
posted by uberchet at 10:02 AM on October 28, 2016 [1 favorite]

My husband has these NiteIze SpokeLit wheel lights - I think he picked them up at REI, and they were pretty cheap. One on the front wheel, one on the back.

I agree that they're not a replacement for a strong headlight and rear red light, but as a driver in a place with a LOT of bike commuters, I strongly recommend adding something like this in. Bright headlamps / headlights are useful for seeing bikers when they are coming directly towards you in the opposite lane; tail-lights are useful when they're in the bike lane going the same direction - but it can be nearly impossible to see bikers in the dark in poorly-lit intersections when approaching from the side. The one really close call my husband has had with bike-commuting was at a four-way stop at dusk, when the car crossing at a right angle couldn't clearly see his very bright headlight (because they weren't pointed towards the car). When I'm driving, I definitely find bikers who have even cheap wheel lights to be a lot easier to see and track than those who only have front and rear lights.
posted by iminurmefi at 10:12 AM on October 28, 2016 [1 favorite]

MEC's USB rechargeable lights are cheap and great. I keep two each front and back in rotation to ensure I always have a charged light on me.

Last year I bought my fairy lights from Home Depot. Mine were an indoor set, but I generally am lucky enough to not have to park my bike outside and I took them off when it was snowing heavily.

Finally, and I hate when people give this type of advice, so I'm sorry, but I worry less about how lit up my bike is and more about never ever trusting that drivers are actually looking for me - darkness, daylight, rain, fog, whenever. I do what's necessary plus a little more reflectiveness (including reflective sidewalls on my tires) so that I am visible (from all angles), but I just never ever assume that drivers see me. There's always that one (or, honestly, those several) who isn't even thinking about people bikes and no amount of lights is going to change that.
posted by urbanlenny at 10:20 AM on October 28, 2016 [3 favorites]

I got got this dirt-cheap ($10 US) package from Amazon, which has four wheel lights plus a rear light that sets down rear laser lines (similar to this). It would be a good start.
posted by Mr.Know-it-some at 10:31 AM on October 28, 2016 [2 favorites]

I just bought these LED lights for $15. Easy to install and now my front wheel looks like a spinning ring of glowing death. Can't vouch for durability but so far they have survived several downpours and I'm happy.
posted by baby beluga at 10:31 AM on October 28, 2016 [1 favorite]

I have front and back flashers installed on my helmet and I think they are hugely beneficial in terms of visibility to cars - especially the front flasher. When someone only has a light on their handlebars, the light may not be visible to cars that are not directly in front of you but may be crossing your path (e.g., someone approaching same intersection as you from opposite direction and making a left across your path or someone pulling out of a driveway perpendicular to you across your path). The handlebar light can get blocked by other cars going in same direction as you or by parked cars on your right. The helmet mounted front flasher is visible over these cars and you can turn your head to point it at people and make sure they see you. I use the knog strobe on the front - it can be looped through vents.
posted by Mid at 10:41 AM on October 28, 2016

I also have a strong front flasher on my handlebars too, for good measure, but I think the little knog on my helmet is maybe more important to safety.
posted by Mid at 10:44 AM on October 28, 2016

I just had new fenders installed, with long red stripes of lights right on the fenders. They're amazing. You can set them to steady or blinking. I believe they're the Topeak Defender iGlow fenders; they were around $80. I decided the price was well worth it if the extra lights saved me from just one accident.

Second, I clip one of those little nite-ize carabiners to my backpack, as one additional blinking light.
posted by pril at 10:50 AM on October 28, 2016

You can buy (in pet stores here) a spray that is not visible in daylight buy is highly reflective. Use stencils to spray patterns on your clothes.
posted by Iteki at 11:05 AM on October 28, 2016

Blinking lights and spoke lights that create a pattern that repeats and isn't just a solid color are very effective. As both a driver and occasional rider, I find that it's the interrupted light of a strobe or blinker that really gets my attention.
posted by quince at 11:26 AM on October 28, 2016

I second Mid's suggestion of the helmet mounted lights. It adds something that moves and indicates which way you are looking. A camping headlamp on the outside of the helmet works, too. I also have reflective sidewalls. Possibly lights on your wrists would be useful for indicating turns.

I make sure the light on the front of my bike it strong since in the past I have ridden along multi use trails that, while visible from the road and safe, are not lit. Having a strong headlamp allowed me to ride faster since I could see further and allowed me to light up runners that were wearing reflective gear but were invisible with normal bike lights.
posted by TORunner at 11:26 AM on October 28, 2016

I would like to point out that as you are making your bike a rolling Christmas tree, please be considerate of your fellow cyclists. Angle your front lights down so they are not pointing directly into the eyes of oncoming riders. If you are on a bike path with ambient light, knock the brightness down a notch or two. Keep the beam on steady. It's great that you want to be visible, but if you are blinding me as I ride towards you, I won't be able to see anything other than your giant blinking strobe.

this message has been brought to you by the Retrogrouches of America.
posted by computech_apolloniajames at 11:44 AM on October 28, 2016 [9 favorites]

I run and bike at night in a reflective mesh vest I got at a local running store that also has 2 strips of embedded LEDs that have a solid on option and a blink option. Not great for seeing, but really great for being seen.
posted by charmedimsure at 12:20 PM on October 28, 2016

I bought the Monkeylights just last month and they are quite cool. I got them from Amazon and there were a ton of similar looking products that were significantly cheaper. Might be worth looking into.

As far as more regular lights are concerned, in addition to the front and rear lights I also have a small light from MEC on the front of my helmet that I leave flashing. One thing that I have been thinking of is getting some retro-reflective tape/spray and apply that to the back of my helmet to add visibility from the rear.

I got a velcro strap from MEC to stop my pants going onto my chain and that is also covered in retro-reflective material. You could easily put one on your arm like a wrist band that would help for signalling turns.
posted by any portmanteau in a storm at 12:27 PM on October 28, 2016

I'm not a member of the retrogrouches of America, but wanted to chime in and say that helmet-mounted lights - especially flashing ones - can be (/generally are) blinding to your fellow people on bikes and to drivers. You don't want your lights shining in their eyes and blinding them so they can't see anything (including you).

(it's the worst when you're stopped at a light behind someone with a flashing helmet mounted rear light and it flashes in your eyes constantly.)
posted by urbanlenny at 12:27 PM on October 28, 2016 [3 favorites]

Just want to chime in and say that by far the best night protection I have had while biking is wearing my light-up vest. It’s fifty bucks on Amazon and gets a ton of attention from cars and pedestrians, so I know people are seeing me. The batteries also last a pretty long time, it flashes, and there are different colors it cycles through. Noxgear.
posted by tooloudinhere at 2:50 PM on October 28, 2016 [1 favorite]

Just this week I had the experience of trying to ride past a cyclist coming towards me on a sidewalk before the sun came up.

This cyclist had a flashing light on the handlebars and a bright lamp on the helmet.

I could see the lights just fine! but I could not figure out where the rest of the cyclist was

I am currently looking for some sort of cyclist-illuminating light. Perhaps strapping a headlamp pointed towards me, or some ambient LED cords to wrap around my helmet.
posted by rebent at 3:13 PM on October 28, 2016

Further to rebent's comment - you take up more visual space (front on) than the bike. Get yourself a reflective jacket or vest, because ultimately being safe means drivers avoiding YOU, not your bike.
posted by girlgenius at 3:26 PM on October 28, 2016

Not inexpensive, but Vespertine has great reflective stuff for cycling. I'm a hug fan of my Lightning Vest, too, which packs tiny, goes over coats easily, and is quite bright,

In the winter months, I also use my Torch helmet.
posted by crush-onastick at 4:42 PM on October 28, 2016 [1 favorite]

For fairy lights for the wheels you want Wheel Brightz. They are the best -- they make you much more visible and look super cool (they are much more impressive on a moving bike then in the photos) and I get tons of compliments on them when I'm out riding. The only reason the rating on Amazon is so low is because for a while the Amazon orders were fulfilled by an import company that was selling knock-offs rather than actual Wheel Brightz. And, yeah, you don't need a plug; they have a battery pack that you attach to the spokes.

I would not recommend EL wire -- while it's better than using nothing, LED lights like Wheel Brightz are MUCH brighter than EL wire, as well as cheaper and more durable.
posted by phoenixy at 6:47 PM on October 28, 2016

I live in an area with tons of bikers and very hilly and busy streets. The BEST most visible combo to me as a driver is a very powerful headlight/ tail light (so I identify it as a vehicle) and a highly highly reflective jacket (so I identify it as a vehicle that is a bike). The people who put lights on their helmets make it very difficult to tell if they are a tall light close to you on the hill or a regular height light that is up the hill a ways. The flashing lights are just not bright enough to see on a street with lots of lights going on. The wheel lights are cool looking and I know it's a bike but I don't immediately know where the bike is relative to me or the street, the way I do with a light mounted at headlight level.

I pass like 50-60 bikes on my commute and I bike myself. I've spent a lot of time thinking about this!
posted by fshgrl at 8:04 PM on October 28, 2016 [1 favorite]

Not sure what your price range is, but the Volvo glow in the dark paint is about $40 in Australia and looks amazing.

http://www.citylab.com/design/2015/03/volvo-wants-to-make-bike-commuting-safer-by-selling-you-glow-in-the-dark-paint/389204/

These guys make uh-mazing reflective wear. The jackets are expensive but they do cheaper sleeves and bag covers. Disclosure, I have a jacket and love it. I see people wearing them and they really, really light up when headlights glance off them.

http://www.heyreflecto.com.au/sleeves/

I also see a lot of people wearing the vests road workers wear - these are hi-vis orange or yellow with reflective tape. They're pretty effective and are $5 or so from discount stores. LEDs zip-tied to the helmet especially blinking make people verrrry see-able as well.
posted by t0astie at 8:16 PM on October 28, 2016 [1 favorite]

I have light-up pedals similar to these, where the lights are powered by small generators built into the pedals. They're fun, don't require batteries, and may assist with side-visibility and identification-as-a-bicycle.

Last I heard, 3M Scotchlite was still the gold standard for reflective material. I think it can be had not only as tape (good for cutting into fun shapes) but also as fabric for adding to clothes. For more DIY extra-flashy clothing, also consider reflective embroidery thread!

There are a variety of "fun" lights on this page, including some that mount to your valve stems (animated gifs) and some downlights that shine on the road underneath you - I've seen a few of those around, and they look pretty neat.

As another Retrogrouch, I second the above recommendations regarding NOT using BLINDINGLY bright STROBE lights and aiming headlights correctly. I also endorse quality dynamo lighting systems, which usually have proper beam-shaping reflectors; they are boring and expensive but also the best thing ever and totally worth it.
posted by sibilatorix at 9:57 PM on October 28, 2016 [1 favorite]

Depending on how craft-inclined you are, reflective beads and acrylic paint, like what they use to mark roads and highways etc, will enhance your visibility and no power source required.

And seconding hi-viz PPE.
posted by esto-again at 12:39 AM on October 29, 2016

I am currently looking for some sort of cyclist-illuminating light. Perhaps strapping a headlamp pointed towards me, or some ambient LED cords to wrap around my helmet.

Get a flourescent hi viz jacket and pants with reflective patches and very good front and rear lights if you want to be really really visible. It's not uncommon to encounter people wearing both here and boy can you see them. They are instantly recognizable as human, I don't have to puzzle out what the moving object is.

This video is a good explanation I think. Lots of cheap low power LEDs don't do much from a distance at all. The part of the video in a residential area with all the reflections is much more typical for most commuters. Except around here it's worse because every bush and house is festooned in those LED lights. And every dog has a twinkly leash. And the buses have a weird flashy brake light pattern. Flashing lights don't stand out well from a background of .... flashy moving reflections and small twinkly lights.

Here's another example. 90% of what you notice about this guy is his headlight unless he's only about 30m away.
posted by fshgrl at 1:11 AM on October 29, 2016

I am a big fan of Busch & Müller headlights. Made in Germany, they use an LED and a mirror that produces an asymmetric beam, like a car's low beam lights, that illuminate relatively far but then have a cutoff so they don't blind oncoming drivers and cyclists.

There more recent battery-power lights are excellent. They aren't cheap, but they are good value for money. A bright light is useful for seeing what's on the road or path ahead of you, but also for letting people see you while you're approaching an intersection; they can see the patch of light from your headlight even if you yourself aren't visible to them.

My link is to Peter White's website. His shop is in the US, but he is the US and Canadian distributor for B&M, so he could tell you which Canadian dealers stock the lights.
posted by brianogilvie at 3:01 PM on October 29, 2016 [1 favorite]

Fellow Canadian here. I second the MEC recommendation for traditional bike lights. You'll get the best quality to cost ratio there, and even if they don't have a brick and mortar store near you their shipping is fast and cheap.

As others have mentioned, those LED fairy lights can be powered by battery packs. I just bought some from this place for a Halloween costume and they work great and cost a lot less than buying the same product at my local Michaels:
http://www.greenmunch.ca/led-fairy-lights/

Finally, my local bike co-op (Edmonton Bicycle Commuters) also carries a huge array of reflectors and lights. Maybe your city has something similar? They're basically a non-profit bike shop / DIY repair space.
posted by sanitycheck at 11:00 PM on October 29, 2016

Just got a near tire, Giant brand from Taiwan. What I first thought was a narrow white-wall is actually a reflective strip - a new option in bicycle reflectives.
posted by Rash at 8:25 PM on October 30, 2016