Joined: Jan 2009
Posts: 44,163
Likes: 6,382
From: New York, NY, and High Falls, NY, USA
Bikes: 1962 Rudge Sports, 1971 Raleigh Super Course, 1971 Raleigh Pro Track, 1974 Raleigh International, 1975 Viscount Fixie, 1982 McLean, 1996 Lemond (Ti), 2002 Burley Zydeco tandem
Spare headlight
I see a lot of people here carry a spare headlight in case the main headlight fails. Not a scientific poll, but who here does not do this, and why?
My main commuter bike has a dynamo powered headlight, and it pretty much never fails. It has a dynamo powered tail light, and I also use a battery powered tail light, and I ALSO use a battery powered spoke light, so I have quite a bit of redundancy in tail lights.
Sometimes I commute on my racing bike, so I use a USB-rechargeable headlight. I try -- and usually succeed -- to remember to charge it while at work, and it rarely lets me down.
I guess terrain is a factor. I have a 13-mile route, but most of it is not with motor traffic, so if my headlight fails, I'm not in great danger. My way is lit the whole way except for a few tiny spots where street light coverage doesn't reach. Also, my route is not hilly, so I don't reach high speeds.