There's about a week left until Daylight Saving time ends, and we're definitely noticing the change in daylight as we ride our bikes home from school or after-school events. We're making a lot more use of our bike flag lights and headlights and tail lights.
Bike lighting transitions
It requires a little bit of a transition for us. We usually pack lights just in case, but we try to get more into the habit of putting them on (we usually remove them when parked because of potential theft) and remembering to keep the lights in the correct bag.
Bike Flag Lights in the fall
The bike flag lights always stay on the bikes, so we always have them available as a backup in case we forget our normal tail lights. (If you are looking for tail lights, I've written a guide for LED bike lights for kids. The bike lights don't have to be fancy, but the fancy ones are definitely better.)
As far as the testing new stuff for the bike safety flag goes, the iridescent prototype Bike Bus flags have been great for the daytime. They have a mirror-finish and shimmer in different colors. Way more fun than the traditional orange flags you see for safety applications.
The prototype flags aren't quite as good at night though. They are completely opaque and make it hard to see the LED light pole inside. I'd probably switch to a lighter-weight iridescent material and use a different material for the portion that goes around the "staff" or pole so that the LEDs on the bike flag light can still shine through.
Another small change is that we've started engaging the safety lock or retention strap that is included with the Bike Beam. At school, apparently some kids had taken the LED flag pole off of the kid's bike and started swinging it around and hitting things with it. They broke the light, and my kid was pretty upset about this. It hasn't been a problem again since I repaired it and locked it in place.
Of course, like the other lights, we have to charge the bike flag lights periodically. The battery can last for about 5 to 36 hours of continuous use, which is plenty for us. Recharge is pretty quick and easy with the USB charging port.
One of the best parts of riding at night with the bike flag lights is creating a fun outdoor colorful LED light show. We hear kids say "bike!" or the other night, a precocious toddler said "those are very colorful lights" as we rolled by. It's fun to smile and wave back and ring our bells in response.
