A bicycle headlight is an integral part of this vehicle. This is simply a vital necessity if night trips or movements are carried out in the dark. This is especially true for the winter-spring period. After all, it gets dark early, but I want to take a bike ride. Plus, this is additional safety for all road users. Such lighting is often mounted on children's bicycles. This allows the baby to feel like a real cyclist, even if he is only a year old. He can turn on and off the headlights.
Headlight Location
There are several accommodation options:
- The front steering wheel is a traditional accommodation option, but not the best. The light has the appearance of a spot, at the angle of incidence, which comes out as a result, the terrain of the road is poorly visible.
- Front above the fork - this mount gives more light, has the shape of a long ellipse, which allows you to better see the road.
- Front on a fork, on both sides - a bicycle headlamp placed in this way can illuminate the road as much as possible. Such an installation is practiced for night driving in difficult terrain.
- If the taillight is mounted on a bicycle, this helps to identify the cyclist on the road.
Of course, you can use the reflectors, but the use of headlights is an option that will provide maximum safety. These are the main accommodation options. In addition to them, if desired, you can install additional ones on the frame, in the area of the rear wheel or on the steering wheel. Also, a bicycle headlight can be called a flashlight on the helmet of a cyclist.
What are the lighting elements?
A modern bicycle headlamp most often has a single LED that is powered by a battery or battery. Such lighting can have different sizes and installation patterns. Mostly it is mounted using special clamps on the steering wheel. The headlights for a cyclist with a somewhat limited budget can be ordinary flashlights of different capacities and, accordingly, different luminous intensities. They are mounted on the steering wheel a little to the left of the central part.
There are special bicycle lights, the manufacturers of which take into account all the requirements of cyclists: a strong light output, a significant duration of work, a reliable body and glass, convenient fasteners, several lighting modes are present. There are also dynamo headlight options. This means that light comes in when the wheels of the bike are driven. The light intensity directly depends on the speed of movement. They have a big plus - they do not require battery charge control, although some motorists consider this lighting to be the last century.
Characteristics of the taillights and headlights
The bicycle headlamp can play a different purpose depending on the installation. So, the front illuminates the path, and the rear highlights the vehicle on the road. Thus, the glow of the headlight is identical to that of a car - there may be yellow or white light. The number of LEDs or other lighting elements is limited only by the desire and capabilities of the owner. The taillight on a bicycle (safety lamp) has a red glow, which will not allow the cyclist to go unnoticed. Mount it should be in such a place that when moving its light did not interfere. Its sizes can be different - from one LED to several tens. As for the other additional headlights, they may be different at the discretion of the cyclist. All can have different shapes and mounts.
Homemade Headlight Benefits
A bicycle headlight made by yourself is primarily cheaper. You can’t save on safety, but the purchase of a specialized bicycle lamp will be very expensive, and it does not guarantee excellent quality.
Having made the headlight yourself, you can take into account all the requirements and wishes regarding brightness, installation options and power. The necessary materials for the production of a bicycle lighting fixture can be purchased at any lighting store.
Headlights
How to make a headlight on a bicycle? The following components will be required for this:
- LEDs in the amount required for a particular case.
- The collimator provides flare on the sides.
- AA batteries or batteries.
- Current limiting resistor.
- Suitable housing.
- Lens.
- Glue.
The manufacturing process should begin by gluing the collimator to the lens. Next, this design must be wrapped with electrical tape and make holes for removing wires. The latter are most conveniently connected to a switch, to which, in turn, batteries or accumulators are connected. Then you need to install the resulting headlight in its place.
Headlights for a specialized tricycle
Oddly enough, there are tricycles for adults. A tricycle with a headlight requires additional lighting sources, the main task of which will be the designation of the dimensions of such vehicles. Often, such units are moving stalls with food or kind of carts for the sale of flowers, toys, souvenirs. Considering that they are most often distributed in tourist places, they just need taillights, front and extra. Since it will be very bright and attractive from the side.
A tricycle with a headlight is equipped with quite powerful lighting. If the front lighting is installed, as in conventional ones (on the steering wheel, above the fork or on it), then it is better to install the rear lighting either on the frame in the region of the rear wheel or on the rear of the basket. The usual place on the tube between the seat and the frame can be closed, and the main function of such headlights will not be fulfilled - the designation of the cyclist on the road.
Children's bicycles with a headlight
Often, manufacturers of children's bicycles equip them with a headlight so that the little cyclist can feel like a real participant in the traffic. The design of the lighting devices in them is somewhat different. A children's tricycle with a headlight does not require very powerful LEDs and a complex security system, which provides a red rear light - this is only an additional accessory. After all, a child of five years old, it is up to such an age that such toys are designed, he will not move on the street himself and for him there is no need to clearly identify himself on the road.
In addition, such vehicles travel mainly in yards, parks, playgrounds and only under the supervision of adults. In most cases, the headlight in such bicycles is located directly on the handlebars. As mentioned earlier, it does not have a special functional value, so you can place it on the helm of the toy.
Bicycle Headlight Power
The main part of the bicycle headlight models is powered by batteries. This is very convenient, because they can be recharged repeatedly. And if on an adult bike the headlights will turn on as needed, then a children's bike with a headlight with a small driver, who when he wants it, then turns it off and on, needs to be equipped with spare batteries. They can be carried with you just in case. After all, a frustrated child, and that is exactly what he will become if he cannot turn on the lighting of his bicycle - this is a “storm of the seas and oceans”.
As for the technical characteristics of batteries, they must support a minimum of 2,000 lumens of luminous flux. 18650 batteries have such properties, they have a voltage of 3.4V, and a capacity of up to 5000 mA / h. The more batteries, the longer it will be possible to ride at dusk or in the dark. In reserve, you can have standard AAA batteries, which, by combining in a special cartridge, can compare with one battery with the characteristics described above.
Headlight Installation
Most often, fixtures for headlights have a plastic base, which is mounted on the steering wheel, above the fork, directly on it or on the saddle post (for taillights) and has the principle of fastening as with clamps. And this means that it is installed in its place and clamped with bolts for reliable fixation. Such mounts relate primarily to the use of conventional flashlights as headlights.
As for specialized portable bicycle headlights, the models already have a convenient mount, moreover, it is designed for constant movement. That is, this means that the cyclist can leave his headlight in the parking lot and take off the headlight and take it with him, since it costs a lot, and thieves do not want to tempt. There are also bike models that come with a built-in headlight. Most often these are children's options - for example, the Azimut Lamborghini bike, its headlight is mounted on the steering wheel, it is more like the one that is installed on mopeds or motorcycles.
Headlight Shape
The shapes of the headlights can be varied and limited only by desire, capabilities and imagination, especially when it comes to home-made models. The market for such products offers the following basic configurations:
- Headlights - round or oval. Most often in such models, one or two light sources. These may include LEDs, xenons, and very rarely incandescent lamps.
- Headlights - square or rectangular, such options are most often home-made.
- The taillights are round, oval, rectangular. They are slightly larger in size, as they have an important function of marking the cyclist on the road.
In addition, the headlights may vary in size. Most often, large round ones are installed on children's models, such as a Trike bike (with a headlight).
Indicators for the right choice of headlights
As a rule, bicycle lights and headlights have a moisture-proof housing. Important performance indicators include:
- LED lighting - such sources are able to work many times longer than, for example, halogen ones. They also have the ability to reproduce moderate or bright light. They are much stronger than other lamps. That is why they are often used in transport for the smallest. An example is a Lamborghini bike with a headlight.
- Lumens This is the name of the unit for determining luminous flux. It characterizes the intensity of light and measures it at an identical distance from the object.
- Ray. For adherents of night driving, the best option would be the front light, which has a narrow focus and a slight diffusion coefficient.
- A very good option would be if the model has several modes of light intensity and blinking. This will significantly save battery power, which means that you can continue to work without recharging.
A little generalization
As it becomes clear, there are many options for equipping your bike with lighting. The main thing is to understand what a minimum set is necessary for a comfortable ride and safety. All other additional lamps, headlights and flashlights can be installed as desired and are limited only by the imagination of the cyclist.