Bicycle Mechanics - Wrist/Hand Lights?

I've been doing a bit of night-riding as of late. I use one of the standard handlebar lighting devices, yet I would like a bit more with additonal range. A light capable of being strapped to your wrist seems optimal. The problem is I can't find any online!

Any seen these babies anywhere?


Something like this:

http://denvertrailrunners.org/images/resources/WristLight1.jpg

Light on helmet - it is high, very visible, and shines where you look.

Your wrist isn't usually pointing where you need to see, unless you are riding no-hands.

For you to be visible to other motorists, nothing beats a reflective, hi-viz vest.
For you to see where you're going, you need something with a bit more oomph than that. LED lamps of that size can give either a nice intense spot that's too small, or a reasonably wide shine that hasn't got the distance.
For a lamp that will allow you to light your own way at speed you should be looking at something like this: http://www.dealextreme.com/p/mj-808e-ha-iii-cree-xm-lt60-3-mode-1000-lumen-led-bike-light-set-4x18650-57100

FYI: riding in traffic with a headlamp can be prohibited by law due to the potential of blinding other road users.

Not that I've ever heard about someone being pulled over for it though.

I've found that LED flashlights with handlebar mounts are a less expensive alternative to bike specific lighting and have the bonus of using standard rechargable batteries and being useful off the bike, like when you have to fix a flat at the side of the road.

I have a Coleman 144 lumen compact flashlight that runs on three AA batteries and cost $25 at Walmart (camping section) on a $9 clamp I bought on Amazon. A fully charged set of NiMH batteries is good for about 4 hours before they start getting dim and I keep a second set in my underseat bag so I could go all night if needed. I'm looking at a 205 lumen light at Home Depot that costs $44 but honestly, the light I have is fine for road riding as long as I keep my speed down so I'm not overrunning my light. I'm good up to about 15-18 mph as I can easily see a person or parked vehicle at 75 - 100 yards and can spot potholes and road debris at 100+ feet. If I was planning to ride faster or offroad, I'd want more light.

+ 10 on the hi-viz jersey, shirt, or vest with reflective trim.


FYI: riding in traffic with a headlamp can be prohibited by law due to the potential of blinding other road users.

I've heard this but I find it strange as even good helmet or handlebar lights are 1/10th as bright as a vehicle headlight and they have two.

Light on helmet - it is high, very visible, and shines where you look.

Your wrist isn't usually pointing where you need to see, unless you are riding no-hands.

A high-intensity "blinkie" light attached to the rear of your helmet is also a good idea. +1 on the reflective vest.

Another worthwhile safety items are reflective ankle bands with the reflective material all the way around. Since your feet are usually moving, these are real attention getters and are visable from all sides of the bike.

For you to see where you're going, you need something with a bit more oomph than that. LED lamps of that size can give either a nice intense spot that's too small, or a reasonably wide shine that hasn't got the distance.
For a lamp that will allow you to light your own way at speed you should be looking at something like this: http://www.dealextreme.com/p/mj-808e-ha-iii-cree-xm-lt60-3-mode-1000-lumen-led-bike-light-set-4x18650-57100


FYI: riding in traffic with a headlamp can be prohibited by law due to the potential of blinding other road users.

Not that I've ever heard about someone being pulled over for it though.

I have a decently nice light attached to the handlebars for front lighting. What I want is something I can point around to look on the sides of my path, preferably not a headlight. I've considered trying to fasten some sort of flashlight to a wrist strap. Just curious if any products fitting my need have already been created.

I've heard this but I find it strange as even good helmet or handlebar lights are 1/10th as bright as a vehicle headlight and they have two.

The risk of blinding is a combination of power and aim. A vehicle headlight has a specific alignment (ignoring bumps and vehicle condition etc...) which limits the risk of blinding. A helmet mounted light will shine where you're looking, so when you encounter an oncoming vehicle, odds are you'll be pointing your light right in the face of the driver. Kinda hard to train yourself to always keep your head down and your eyes forward.

Again, never heard of anyone having had that law applied to them. but it's the kind of thing that is nice to know about beforehand.

The one in the picture you posted looks just like a caver's (spelunker's) head light with the head band strap choked up tight. It's got the same look to it with the light assembly able to adjust to any reasonable angle. It may well be that some come with wrist straps for use as shown.

I'm with the others that say the wrist is a poor place to put a light. But if it'll be an ADDITIONAL forward light that goes along with a fixed bar mount then I can't see the harm.

For you to be visible to other motorists, nothing beats a reflective, hi-viz vest.

I'd add the standard warnings:

1. reflective stuff only works when conditions are right. The motorist needs to have their lights turned on, and the lights need to be aimed towards you (front & rear approaches yes, side approaches not always).

2. hi-vis fluorescence works in daylight because daylight contains ultraviolet, which the dye converts to fluorescence. In darkness, in front of car headlights that don't put out UV, it's just light-colored cloth.

3. the intensity of light drops with the square of the distance. Since reflected light has to travel twice the distance, reflective gear is most effective at short-to-medium range, and works especially poorly in fog and rain.

So use hi-vis reflective vests and legbands for sure, but have plenty of active lighting to cover the shortcomings of reflective gear.


I use one of the standard handlebar lighting devices, yet I would like a bit more with additonal range.
I doubt that little wrist light would give you any additional range compared to a decent high-output bike light. If you're not satisifed with the range of your light, tell us what you're using now, along with your runtime requirements. As a blanket suggestion, look into the MagicShine at Geomangear.com.