Should the come fitted with lights?

brightgarden

no, i don't think bikes should be sold with lights on. if they were, i would never afford to get one. (because presumably, if the bike has lights, it probably has bells, bottle cages, maybe even a flag--where would you stop?)

actually, i am one of those weirdo people who would rather choose a saddle too. i've never kept the saddle the bike came with and it irks me that there are basements all over the world where some stock saddle (or two or three) are just getting moldy because they had eventually gotten replaced. so much waste!

but of course, i would never suggest that a bike should ever be sold without one. my road bike didn't come with pedals, but that was actually preferable as i could just use my mtb pedals until i recover from the financial plunge into my road bike (haven't recovered yet).

swimmeronwheels

But they could give me a $10 or $20 discount for taking the bike without the useless (to me) saddle ... that's a nice idea!

bikinchris

What kind of headlight do you think you want? A $400.00 dual headlamp system or just a cheap LED? The kinds of lights a bike need depend on your speed, your surroundings, and you length of trip. Many bikes are never ridden off of well light streets and don't need anything more than a simple light. My commuter bike has dual headlamps and dual batteries because I ride fast on rough rural streets after I am out of town. I don't think adding $400.00 to the price of EVERY bike makes much sense. On the other hand, if you are going to ride at night, buy a headlamp with the bike that is appropriate. BTW, my racing bike has no lights because it never sees the dark. Ditto with my fixed gear bike, my tandem and track bike.

Dan Burkhart

More effective by far is reflective marking on your clothing. A cyclist with reflective piping on jerseys, jackets or backpacks is far more conspicuous than without, even when used in conjunction with a good lighting system.
Reflective tape liberally aplied to parts of the bike, like forks, chainstays and seatposts is a good idea too.It takes no batteries to operate, and the upkeep is cheap. Best bang for the buck.
Dan Burkhart
Oakville Ont

Geonz

I agree -- I have a toasty warm coat, but started noticing that when it seemed to be "one of those days" and every other driver was cutting it a lot closer, that it was when I was wearing the coat instead of layering up under the flaming yellow reflectorized windbreaker. (The coat's too warm for anything over 20 F. anyway.)

And don't decide what I want with my bike. If I already have a perfecdtly good Major LIghting IMplement then I just need to make sure the water bottle cages will work to hold the battery. And a bike shop should help me build the bike I want - last bike I bought it was "and of course we'll have to talk about the tires," and the assorted other parts that were swapped before the thing ever left the store.

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Dawnrider

not a $400 set up thats for sure! You surely wouldn't pay that much for a light set.
And a road LED set would do nicely, with a good headlight for those dark country lanes,not that I venture out down such roads if I can help it.

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Ride like the wind, but keep away from prunes!

bikinchris

That's just my point. The lights that would come on a bike would almost always be the wrong ones for your use. But if you were going to ride in the rural areas and had a fast downhill, you would need really good lights. Otherwise the bike shop SHOULD ask to sell lights with your bike when you buy it. And gloves..etc.

Dawnrider

I think most consumer bikes are of the lower end of the market, not the $1000 plus bikes, in which case a general road legal set would be fine, a rear LED plus the option of extra permanent rear light and a decent front lamp.

__________________
Ride like the wind, but keep away from prunes!

Geonz

"should be" -- but why impose it on me?? Drop the price and let me buy what *I* want to buy -- or make it a sweet "option package" with a supposed discount.

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Dawnrider

It should be an option at least.

__________________
Ride like the wind, but keep away from prunes!

tacomee

I think your average LBS in the USA charges way, way to much for anything other than bikes. My local store wants over 50 bucks for a set of hybrid fenders! And a bike that these fit on is less than $350! Lights, racks, fenders, ect cost big bucks.... so lots of newbie riders skip this stuff. Cheap blinkie style lights can't cost the retailer more than 2 bucks each. I'd love to see all those worthless reflectors sripped off and blinkies installed on every bike. It would save lives.

I also would like retailers to really push reflective tape, blaze orange vests and other lower cost safety gear, plus saftey courses. It's good for the general health of cycling to have better trained, better equipted riders out there.

Mouse Potato

What's the practical difference between "an option", and just buying suitable lights if you want them (i.e. as happens at the moment)?

sbarner

Bikes are so highly individulaized that lighting should be optional equipment, purchased by the user. Would you really want some kind of built-in second-rate lighting system, designed for its low production costs and possibly leaving some sign of its existance on the bike after removal? There might be a market for an integral lighting system as existed in England and Europe last century, but I suspect even then that individual tasts would win out over built-in elegance. If there were a market for this, someone would have exploited it.