If you believe being seen while riding your bike is a good thing, the bright Thousand Traveler Light could be just what you need.
These lightweight lights are incredibly visible, front and back, on your bicycle. Whether you’re on the road or trail, and I know trail riders may think “Eh, no,” the Traveler is a solid piece of safety equipment. Perhaps one of your best, along with a helmet.
I’m not a flashy guy, someone who likes to stand out or be seen. Honestly, I like to blend, disappear, be the gray man unseen in a crowd. It’s not that I don’t like you, but I’m no social butterfly. That doesn’t count when I’m riding my bike, though. I want everyone to say “What the heck is that?” when they see my chartreuse top and flashing lights.
I’ve seen riders in our neighborhood and on city streets decked out in all black. They’re not visible to drivers. They’re almost impossible to see, sometimes, until you’re on them. They blend into the backgrounds of buildings, vehicles, vegetation and whatever else is around. That’s not good. I’ve never understood the mentality of wanting to be less visible on a bicycle while riding in traffic.
I have a chartreuse zip-up Bontrager cycling shirt, which is a bit snug but is comfortable in summer. I also have a blaze orange construction worker’s mesh vest, also a zip-up. When it’s terribly hot, I wear it without a shirt. Both are bright and visible. My helmet isn’t bright, but I’ll likely change that at some point and get one that is chartreuse. I don’t want anyone to say, “Hey, I didn’t see him” after they knock me in a ditch. If you can’t see me — because I will stand out — then you have no business driving or were intentionally trying to do harm.
Thousand Traveler Light
I recently had the chance to try the Thousand Traveler Light on a media loan, and readily agreed. I’d been looking for different lights with varying brightness. These seemed like a good option to try.
Other cool features of the Traveler:
— Magnetic mounting allows you to secure the base where you want it and remove the light from the base, which stays on the bike. The light then can be charged and returned to the base when you’re ready to ride again.
— Switching light modes is easy with the dial, so you can go from static to slow pulse to fast pulse quickly. You can do this smoothly while riding, with the front light, of course, should you want static light in dim conditions.
— Charging the light is easy with the USB port, which is located on the rear of the light. Remove it from the base, plug it in and it will be at 100 percent in a couple of hours. A USB-C cord is included. I recommend putting a spot of red fingernail polish on the cord or doing something to let you know that’s the one. With all the charging cords we have these days, you don’t want to lose it or try to use the wrong one.
— The lights weigh just 40 grams and the mount is 20 grams. The mount is durable rubber with ample knobs for securing it to the handlebar and seat post. The lights are water resistant in light rain but not waterproof; heavy or constant rain could be an issue.
How Bright Are They?
For all the other features, the key aspect of any bike light is the brightness. Right? Right.
The Thousand Traveler Light has different lumen outputs for the different modes.
Front light:
— Solid: 100 lumens on an 8-hour run time
— Daylight flash: 250 lumens on a 6-hour run time
— Eco flash: 30 lumens on a 36-hour run time
Rear light:
— Solid: 35 lumens on a 4.5-hour run time
— Daylight flash: 80 lumens on a 3.75-hour run time
— Eco flash: 10 lumens on a 22-hour run time
The lights are bright in any of the modes. I know 100 lumens doesn’t sound bright, and it’s not compared to some of the blinding flashlights or other LED lights on the market. But for quick visibility from others, they work well. Humans are attracted to movement and light. Even a tiny firefly blinking in a yard or pasture gets our attention.
I don’t understand the disparity in the lumens and run time, though. That doesn’t make sense to me. If I’m riding eight hours, why would my rear light — which, honestly, I want to be more visible to vehicle drivers behind me — have only half the lifespan and brightness? I doubt that I’d ever ride eight hours. Even so, I want my front and rear lights to have equal output and lifespan.
Final Thoughts
The Thousand Traveler light is a nice addition for your biking experiences thanks to its light weight, ease of operation, security while riding and visibility to others.
I’d like to see more lumen output, though, along with equal lumen output and run time for front and back lights. Having one light with less output and lifespan is nonsensical. Both lights should have the same lumen output and same run times. I guess you could buy two front lights and mount one on the seat-post for a rear light.
Thousand touts these lights as for the “modern urban traveler,” which to me is city streets. Thousand’s other products include helmets in a classic (equestrian, to me) design and handlebar bells. To me, the modern urban traveler needs visibility and a loud bell or horn to overcome traffic, noise, sirens or whatever else modern urban life is hurling at them in the streets.
These are good lights that with, I think, a few tweaks to the output and lifespan could be even better.
