Tom Place is the co-owner and head of Product Development for Outbound Lighting (outboundlighting.com). He’s a former Cree LED manager and holds multiple LED chip design patents.

In this episode, we ask Tom to fill us in on how bike lights work, and how we can get the most out of our setup for night riding.

• What is the ideal beam shape for trail riding? Are certain beam patterns better than others depending on where you ride (eg. wide open desert vs. thick forest)?
• How does light placement affect the beam shape?
• What’s the theory behind helmet vs. bar mounted lights? If you only have one light, is it better to be on the bars or the helmet?
• Can brightness make up for an inefficient or poor beam shape?
• Why shouldn’t buyers focus on lumen numbers? Which features can buyers look at to compare bike lights?
• How do you determine the optimal battery size for a bike light?
• Why do LED lights produce so much waste heat? Is there better tech on the horizon?
• What could cause a poorly designed or manufactured light to pose a safety risk?
• Do you have any tips for night riding?

✏️ A written transcript of this conversation is available at singletracks.com.

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