Home Made Bicycle Lights

Lighting is of primary importance for any vehicle and bicycles are no exception. Bicycle lighting basically has two main purposes- seeing the others and being seen to them. Several types of bicycle lights are available, each with its own advantages and disadvantages, as also each with its own enthusiastic advocates and critics! There are different technologies, which address these two purposes in different ways. Also, no one solution is the best for any rider, and many riders make a mix and match of different technologies for providing the balance that works for them. As with high power halogen systems, the high power LED systems have also attracted self-build enthusiasts. This is because top-end commercial products tend to be pretty high priced, as a result of relatively low production volumes for these high-end parts. Read further to learn about home made bicycle lights.

Learning about Home Made Bicycle Lights

There are quiet a few cyclists who build their own lighting systems with commercially available lamps, batteries and chargers. If a person has the necessary technical background and workshop skills, this could be practiced as an enjoyable challenge. Also, the hardware costs can be lower than the equivalent commercial systems (though "intelligent" chargers can sometimes be quite expensive). But, some components are not typically available in local hardware stores, and time spent searching for suppliers cannot be underestimated.

Besides the locating of appropriate batteries and chargers, the biggest challenge lies is attaching the lamps to the bicycle. The resulting systems very often have a decidedly "homemade" look, relying on blocks of wood, pipefittings, etc. for housings and the mounting hardware. Many web sites give access to detailed instructions, including parts sources and one can search for: "build bicycle lighting systems" for finding these sites.

Some Advantages of home built systems are the low hardware expense and for hobbyists, the pleasure of designing one’s own system, while the disadvantages are the necessity of searching for appropriate components and the need for an appropriate home shop tools and skills, both mechanical and electrical. The construction time is another disadvantage in making home made bicycle lights.

Trek pilot 1.2 bicycle