How to Buy Bike Flashers

Selecting bike flashers that maximize your visibility is critical if you ride at night. Whether you're commuting on busy city streets or taking the back roads, sharing the road with cars can be a safety challenge. Before you buy bike flashers, make sure they are durable and bright. Make sure they'll stand up to your riding habits as well.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

1. Evaluate your budget and survey your options. Whether you visit a bike shop or shop online, you'll find bike flashers in a variety of price ranges, depending on brightness, range and mounting design. You don't have to purchase the priciest model, but when it comes to safety, you can't afford to skimp.
2. Buy a light with high numbers of light-emitting diodes (LEDs) or super-bright LED design. Most bike flashers have moved from fluorescent to LED technology due to the power of LEDs and their ability to outlast fluorescents when turned on and off frequently. However, bike flashers vary in the number and type of LEDs they are designed with, so make sure you find one with maximum light-producing qualities for the best visibility.
3. Buy a bike flasher with 180-degree range. These types of flashers contain LEDs on the front and sides of the light, allowing cars to better see the cyclist.
4. Choose amber or red bike flashers, so you don't confuse the drivers with whom you share the road. Since white lights are typically associated with headlights, you don't want the driver behind you to think you're coming toward him. Red and amber lights are generally associated with the back of a vehicle.
5. Buy a rechargeable flasher if you plan to use it often. Most bike flashers take AA or AAA batteries, and battery cost may become an issue. Decide whether you're better off spending more upfront, so you can recharge your flasher's batteries.
6. Determine what type of flasher mount will work best with your bike. If you'll be changing bikes frequently, consider a flasher that can attach to a backpack, fanny pack or belt. If you're looking for permanence, find a flasher that mounts tightly on your seat post or rack.

Tips & Warnings

• Most bike flashers come with several options for light patterns, so experiment with yours to determine which one makes you the most visible to passersby.
• Do not self-rig a mounting system that may not hold. You don't want to take a chance on your flashers falling off or breaking just when you need to be seen.