High Visibility eBike Lighting

I actually did work at StreetFx [I was their computer geek in the back room], so I kept seeing all their Electropods and lights whenever I went into the back warehouse. I wasn't sure whether the motorcycle lights would work on an electric bike, but I asked the guys in the front office what they thought. That turned out to be the best thing I could have done!

Now I can take a computer apart, and rebuild it blindfolded (yes, I've tried), but mechanics confuse me utterly. Thankfully the guys in the front office were just as curious about the E-Bike potential, and jumped at the chance to see how well the StreetFx lighting would solve my riding visibility problems.

I decided that I definitely wanted a set of their Brake Pods. After modifying my bike with a full size back carrier case, I needed to make sure motorists would easily see when I'm braking.

I also wanted some side lighting so cars would see me crossing intersections. They suggested the Light Strands. It turned out to be the perfect choice for my needs! I was going to use blue lights at first, to match my bike, but then a minor brainstorm came to mind (which it does on rare occasions).

One hazard cyclists face at night is drivers don't always recognize which direction a bike is actually travelling. With that realization, I decided to go with red strand lights on the back, and I'll be adding white lighting to my front wheel area, and adding a red LED Pod over my back wheel as my next project. That way motorists will always know which direction I'm travelling, even when they see me from the side: lighting the front of the bike in white light, and the rear in red -- easily visible even from the side..

So with my lights picked out, the guys raced my bike into the shop. Minutes later, I followed into the warehouse, and there was my poor cycle seatless with the wiring in full view: of course it didn't help when they kept chuckling and asking if I knew there these "extra parts" were suppose to connect to? I would get even with them someday, but the results of their light installation turned out so well that all the teasing was well worth it.

WIRING NOTE FROM THE GUYS:

"It took us a few moments to realize [my particular bike] was wired with the Ground as Positive. It would be a good idea to have other E-Bike riders check their bike polarity with a voltmeter if they aren't sure about getting the brake lights running as expected, because the LEDs are set as polarity specific for flashing."

The Brake Pods were wired directly in sync with my regular brake light, and mounted just below each side so they would be apparent by drivers sitting in their cars. They worked like a charm!

Encouraged by the fact that the motorcycle lights did indeed seem to work fine on my electric bike, the next step was to hook up the new Light Strands.

At first I suggested running the lights just under the edge of the seat. I walked about 30 feet away, and they turned them on. They looked great: exactly what I had hoped to see. Then the guys came up with a better idea -- putting the lights right along the rear fairing. I admit, I wasn't sure about the idea until he turned the lights on -- then I was hooked!

Wiring the Light Strands (one on each side) into the bike's Running Lights allowed me to turn them on and off as I needed. Better still, from directly behind, they increased my road visibility immensely because they showed up so well. Drivers actually have a lit-up frame of reference now.

With the new lights all hooked up, my bike coverings were quickly put back together -- albeit after a bit more teasing from the guys that I would be on my own to do it *lol*

Like I said above: I won't ride without my lights now that I've seen the difference. Riding along some of the stretches that previously made me so leary [a lot of cross traffic and blind drives] now feel so much safer. I figured the added lights would help make it easier for cars to see me, but I hadn't expected it to be as big an improvement as it has.

My special thanks to the guys for helping me with the lights, and whether I worked here in the office or not, I would definitely recommend all E-Bike riders add some sort of additional lighting as I have. It really does make for a much safer ride.