There’s definitely some confusion surrounding the law for bike lights in the UK. For example, Is a flashing light legal or does it have to be steady, do you have to fit reflectors?
Are lights important so you can see where you’re going, most of us would suggest on city streets, street lighting probably do that fairly well. Probably more importantly bike lights and reflectors help us to be seen by other road users and pedestrians - how much do you value your life?
The UK’s Road Vehicles Lighting Regulations (RVLR), suggest it’s illegal to cycle on a public road between sunset and sunrise without lights.
Whilst the RVLR has been amended quite a few times over the years the current version of the RVLR was published in 1989.
If you want to stay on the good side of PC Plod, let alone stay safe and be seen you must have a white light seen from the front of your bike and a red light seen from the rear.
There are minimum minimum outputs for these lights and the law requires that complete bikes must be sold with reflectors on the front and rear of the bike, as well as both the front and rear of each pedal. If you can, leave these on, what harm will they do compared to the benefit they may have?
Interestingly any lights you have should always be fitted to your bike and not your helmet - let's not get into the discussion of damage a light fitting can cause your head in the event of an accident! The law explicitly states they should be mounted to your bike and they cannot be higher than 1,500mm from the ground in any case.
If you decide to ignore the law and you are involved in a nighttime crash, it's very possible the crash could be regarded as ‘contributory negligence’, in other words, it's your fault.However in the real world you’re highly unlikely to be pulled over by the police providing the front and rear of your bike is illuminated.
With the law in mind, Bik3d have designed a totally universal light fitting that attaches securely to the standard saddle rails. We know you can buy lights that have a saddle fitting, we know you can attach a light to a rucksack or the seat post.
What you can't do is attach a light to a dropper post and if you do and use your dropper post the light will fall off and you'll be buying light quite quickly!
Let's place the light under the dropper post.........hang on a minute, now the rear wheel or mudguard is in the way and the light can't be seen.
Let's buy a nice shiny new light with a saddle fitting, that will do the job won't it. But what if you already have lights and don't want or need a new light?
Using our universal saddle fitting you possibly have the best of all worlds, your light attaches securely to the bike and we then redesigned our IPO Designed Registered light holder to securely house an Apple AirTag.
