The sun is shining, its 74 degrees outside, and you’re getting ready for a bike ride. Helmet? Check! Water bottle full? Check! Energy gummy? Check! Sunglasses? Check! Headlight and taillight? …. at 4pm in the afternoon? Check!

Regardless of when I’m hopping on my bike, I always make sure to have my headlight and taillight mounted and turned on. We’ve all read the stories of, or worse, know someone who has been hit by a car while on a bicycle ride. Heck, a close call with a distracted driver is enough to dissuade you from the next ride for a few days.

A good headlight and taillight set make you much more visible to any traffic around you, especially if they have an “inconsistent flashing” mode to reduce the chance that you appear as a stationary reflection or blend into surroundings.

My current setup is the Bontrager ION system, an ION 800 R and Flare R (headlight and taillight, respectively).  These lights offer quick mounting, USB recharging, and varying brightness settings and flashing modes. The only negative to these units is that you’ve got to worry about recharging them, I’ve gotten into the habit of plugging them in immediately after a ride so they are always ready to go.

There are tons of options out there, from basic lights to keep you visible to a headlight that works as well as a car’s for an 8 hour ride at night. You can’t go wrong with either, or something in between, you’ll be more likely to be noticed by drivers and less likely to be in an accident.

Get organized and get out there!

-Tony