-=(8)=-

If your LBS is too painful to visit, KMart has generic BELL front and
back sets for 10.00 that are perfectly adequate, and if you dont mind
going McGyver style, you can get a small flamethrowing LED flashlite and
roll of electrical tape for 7.00 at any of the CVS's that overrun any area

Blue Order

Front lights are required by law, rear lights are not.

Both are "necessary."

Once, I went out for a ride in the country; I rode all the way to the end of a country road, stashed my bike in a drainage ditch, camouflaged it with brush so it wouldn't be stolen, and then trespassed into the back country just to see what was there. I found a nice lake and spent the day just laying in the grass, watching the clouds go by. Ah, the folly of a misspent youth.

At dusk, I hiked back, retrieved my my bike (which thankfully, was still there), and rode home. I think I had a front light; I know I was wearing black, and there was a LOT of rush hour traffic along the way. It occurred to me then that maybe I was hard to see; I remember that ride home whenever I see a ninja biker.

If you want to know why lights are necessary, you need to go for a drive around some ninja bikers. When you realize how hard they are to see from the driver's seat, you'll realize how hard you are to see when you don't have lights, and then you'll know why lights are "necessary."

Aside from all that legal stuff.

Blue Order

andrelam

In NY state you need front and rear lights, and there are specs for side visability as well. I commute year round so I ride in the dark to and from work for a better part of 3 months. There is an other 1.5 months or so before and after winter when I ride in low light conditions.

Good lights for being seen don't have to cost a fortune. As other have stated spending around $25 for a PB Super Flash for the back is an excellent 1st step. I've been told by cycling club members that they could see me clearly from at more than a quater mile back when we were riding around sun-set last fall.

I have a generator hub B&M front light that does a good job of lighting up the road. None the less I found that people frequently pulled out in front of my while passing through residential neighborhoods. I would see the cars stop, but then they'd still pull out at the last second thinking I was farther away. To solve that problem I got a PB Blaze 1 Watt light for about $35. The light is only barely good enough to see properly while riding in the bark at 15+ MPH, but as a blinky light it ROCKS. I can see the flashing light reflect off of street signs that are at least 1/10 a mile out. Since I started using the Blaze in conjunction with my head light (to see the road) I have not had anyone come close to cutting me off. It may help that the Blze flash looks a LOT like a police car's front strobe lights. It gets the driver's attention and that is what I need.

For additional visability while riding in low-light or completely dark, I will also wear an ANSI class II vest. There are plenty of sources to get these for anywhere from $5 to $20. There are a few vests out there that use yellow reflective tap that I've seen at local sporting goods store, but those tend to use useless. MY wife has followed me home before in the dark and tells me that the reflective vest realy helps make my whole torso light up light a christmass tree when a car comes up behind me.

Happy riding... and don't be a Ninja,
André

K4LK

You are driving a vehicle on the road at night. White light in front and red in back are required by law. Absolutely critical. No excuses.

KitN

In NYC you are required by law to have both front and rear lights. (You are also required by law to have a bell or horn.)

Personally, I hate "Bike Ninjas" with a passion. They are everywhere in NYC at night. It's as if they crawl out of the fetid bowels of the city the second the sun goes down. They're a horrific accident dying to happen. An accident containing bike to car, bike to pedestrian, bike to bike or they crash solo because they can't see the pothole, sand, loose dirt, gravel, road obstruction, whatever.

If you are going to ride at night, you have to put some front and rear lights on your bike. It's not just common sense, it's the law -- here in NYC and in most places.

Don't be a Bike Ninja!

JohnBrooking

Many people think that if you can see the road well enough with streetlights, a taillight is more important than a headlight, because the traffic nearest you is approaching from the rear (if you are riding on the correct side of the road). But that may not actually be true, for the following reason.

Consider the situation where you are approaching a side street where a car is about to turn onto your road. That car's headlights are not shining on you, so even your bright/reflective clothing or a front reflector are not likely to be picked up, especially if there is no nearby streetlight or another car coming towards you. That's why you definitely need a light in front.

Since the headlights of cars approaching from behind are always on you, as long as you at least have a reflector and/or bright clothing, that is often sufficient. Some states (maybe all, not sure) only require a "red light or reflector" in back, but I think that all require a white headlight in front.