Philips SafeRide LED Bikelight Dynamo 60 Lux Reviewed

In an earlier post I wrote about upgrading my Raleigh Oakland’s front light from a weak battery powered light to a powerful dynamo light, a Philips SafeRide LED Bikelight Dynamo 60 Lux. What a difference this has made to my night time winter cycling.

Many of the backroads I ride on are very poorly surfaced, potholes are getting more common. With a dim light it was very hard to see potholes on a wet road at night. With this light it’s easy to see these kinds of hazards clearly and I can now ride as fast at night as I can in daylight.

But the greatest benefit of the bright light comes from dealing with cars. On rural roads motorists will not see a dim bicycle light in the distance and will leave their headlights full on. This used to leave me cycling blind until they got closer and dipped their headlights. With a bright light they see me in the distance and dip for me same as they do for a car. Last week I had the odd experience of a car driver flashing their lights at me. Presumably they wondered why I had not dipped my light.

The bright light makes oncoming motorists take more care as they approach. When driving on rural roads at night a single bright light in the distance could be a motorbike or it could be a car with only one headlight. Prudent drivers slow down in case it is a car with one light.

The other new thing that happens at night on narrow single lane roads is that many motorist will see my bright light and pull in to let me by. With the very bright light they don’t know it’s a bicycle coming.

Even at low speeds climbing steep hills the light is still bright. I have also used it on very wet nights and it still works well

If you cycle on unlit rural roads at night and currently have a weak battery powered light, upgrade it for a powerful light, if you decide to go for a dynamo light the Philips SafeRide LED Dynamo 60 won't let you down. I no longer turn off the light day or night, even in the day the bright light helps to make me more visible. I still carry a small battery powered light at night in case I need to fix a puncture or do a roadside repair.

The Philips SafeRide LED Bikelight Dynamo 60 Lux is a great light, if you ride dark rural roads at night and don't want the expense of a battery powered light. The light also has a capacitor so even when you stop it stays lit for four minutes, not much value to me, but very useful in an urban area.

Philips SafeRide LED Bikelight Dynamo 60 Lux