If you are someone who likes to bike commute to work like me, then having the right light set up on your bike is crucial not just for visibility, but more importantly for safety. For a while I was able to get away with a little blinking light that attached to the back and a headlamp just in case it was too dark. I like to take routes that keep me off of high traffic roads to make sure that I minimize as much risk of being hit by a vehicle.
Well recently I WAS hit by someone who pulled out in front of me on one of the quietest part of my commute. You gotta look out for those wrinkly drivers, they’ll get ya every time. The first thing she said to me was that she didn’t even see me! So that lead me to find the gnarliest light I could find so that hopefully that doesn’t happen again.
Being a husband and father, I obviously cannot afford for something like that to happen again. So I started looking at a lot of different options and landed on Cygolite. Most of my riding buddies recommended their stuff so I decided to check them out.
Overall Thoughts
With the hope of being seen both during the day and at night, this light performs beautifully. With its high output LED (450 lumens to be exact) light and 7 total settings, I have much more piece of mind while riding. I mainly use 2 of the settings. The pulse or “Day Lightning” setting, which is really bright and annoying, is great for crossing any busy roads and for possible oncoming traffic. The other one is the first setting that may as well be a headlight on a car.
I have noticed a significant difference in people’s awareness of me when I am crossing or in intersections. That has made my daily commute so much more enjoyable knowing that my risk of injury had decreased with this light. Installation was super easy with its tool-free handlebar mount and fits on pretty much any diameter handle bar. Coming in at around $40 a pop it won’t break the bank so you don’t break your face.
Photos and Price
I took advantage of their combo that comes with an equally comparable taillight called the “Hotshot SL” for basically the same effect on your tail. The combo will set you back around $54 bucks. I highly recommend using this combo for a multitude of reasons but put simply….it’s bright, it’s durable, and people see me. Enough said.
Official description and features
All of the content below was sourced from the official Cygolite website:
Engineered for day and night use, the Streak™ 450 packs an intense 450 lumens in a compact and lightweight design. Fire up the night with a selection of powerful brightness modes, and stand out in broad daylight with DayLightning® mode’s blasts of lightning-like flashes. The Streak™ 450 enables you with high performance lighting anytime, anywhere.
- 450 lumens
- 1 ~ 100 hours run time
- 7 light modes
– Powerful 450 lumen output with 7 light modes
– Built-in 24/7 Safety Technology® gives you a powerful selection of night and day modes (Boost – High – Medium – Low – SteadyPulse® – DayLightning® – Walking)
– SteadyPulse® mode alerts night time motorists with pulses while constantly lighting your path
– DayLightning® mode emits lightning-like flashes to highlight your presence in the brightest of daytime hours
– USB rechargeable Li-ion battery
– Low battery indicator
– Light mode memory saves the mode you’re in before the light is turned off
– Rugged, water resistant design only weighs 90 grams
– Side illumination ports highlight your presence to nearby motorists
– 2nd generation Locktite™ tool-free handlebar mount securely clamps to 22 to 32mm diameter handlebars
Specs:
| # OF LEDS | 1 |
| LED OUTPUT | 450 lumens |
| TOTAL MODES | 7 |
| RUN TIMES | Low: 10 hrs Medium: 3 hrs High: 2 hrs Boost: 1 hrs SteadyPulse®: 3 hrs DayLightning®: 10 hrs Walking: 100 hrs |
| CHARGE TIME | 4 hrs |
| MOUNTING | Handlebar |
| BATTERY | Built-in Li-ion |
| SYSTEM WEIGHT | 90 g |
Would Single Geared recommend the Cygolite Streak?
Yes. An abundant yes.
I am someone who likes to get the most bang for the buck and the combination of affordability, reliability, and more than anything peace of mind for my family are the reasons why I recommend this light for anyone commuting on a daily basis.
Pingback: The best bike gear you can buy for your commute – CapitolZero
Pingback: The best bike gear you can buy for your commute – Daily Program Newspaper
Pingback: Business_news The best bike gear you can buy for your commute - TwuToday