What gives a car a striking safety advantage in winter also works on bikes and e-bikes: winter tyres and a powerful LED lighting system with a reliable hub dynamo.
Cycling is also very healthy in winter, is fun and helps protect the climate. That's why winter tyres with a non-slip tread and soft rubber compound have been available for bicycles and e-bikes for some time now. They cannot prevent you from losing your balance on slippery surfaces. However, because of the significantly better traction, this happens much less than on summer tyres, with which bicycles are equipped as standard in our latitudes. You can already feel it on damp grass that winter tyres provide a much better grip, shorter braking distances and thus more riding safety. Also studded tyres do not miss their effect in snow and slush in winter. If you also want to be safe on ice, choose tyres with studs, which are also available for bicycles. Good winter tyres have reflective strips that make the bike visible from the side when it comes into the headlights.
Weak point roller dynamo
Another weak point can be the lighting, especially on cheap bikes. The cheap roller dynamos, which are driven by the tyre by means of a friction roller, have the unpleasant property of slipping in wet and cold conditions and therefore fail to provide power when it is most urgently needed. A hub dynamo, on the other hand, supplies power - just like the alternator in a car - even when it's hailing cats. Installed in the centre of the wheel, it always turns when the bike is moving and reliably supplies electrical energy for the headlight and rear light.
In combination with a fixed, modern LED lighting, this is the most fail-safe variant to get safely through night and fog. By the way, even if the bike is parked at the crossing. Modern bicycle light systems not only have a much better light output, but also a parking light function that continues to burn for up to five minutes when the wheels stop turning. However, it is important to note that the headlights must be adjusted correctly so that they do not dazzle oncoming traffic.
Battery light requires attention
LED technology has also provided a significant safety boost for detachable battery lighting thanks to the greater light output and longer burn times. However, rechargeable batteries have the unpleasant property that they have to be charged regularly. With increasing age, their capacity also decreases and they become more sensitive to cold. In cold winter nights this can lead to a sudden voltage drop and thus to a complete loss of light. This is why hub dynamo lighting is the most fail-safe option for cyclists to see and be seen at all times and in all weather conditions.
3 December 2021