A lot of you use your bikes as your daily source to commute throughout in every aspect of your traveling. You need to ride in all kinds of places, it is good to be on bumpy terrains or routes that are pitch black.
So, it is necessary for you to own a Bike light at all costs with decent lumens. There’s also a bit of caution in maintaining it properly and knowing its functions.
I have had colleagues who suffered a lot in their riding because they couldn’t turn on bike lights since it was either not charging or it wasn’t charging enough. I’m guessing you are going through a similar issue.
Do not worry because I am here just to help you with this case!
Do all bike lights need to get charged?
There are many bike lights led lights, tail lights, and helmet lights, frame lights. Some of them come with pre-installed batteries that cannot be changed or removed, So, you need to take notice of those lights.
Also, some other bike lights require you to charge the batteries with a battery charger. You may need to take out the batteries and charge them separately, or there might be a charger given with the lights. Furthermore, you may also own bike lights that require charging through USB ports.
So, in short, not all of them require charging but the best ones definitely need charging. If you had picked one that was worth using as it didn’t have charging then that would be the dynamo-powered lights. But, hold that thought because I will further talk about Dynamo Lights after I have solved your problem.
Why aren’t your bike lights not charging?
You may be concerned if the issues are too technical or not, or maybe the solution is not easy enough. But, worry not because the answer, as well as the problems, are not really something complicated but relatively easy to assess and identify.
Issues in Batteries
One of the very first things you should check is if your batteries are okay or not. You need to check if the batteries are detachable from the lights because some bike lights have the batteries permanently attached. If your battery is 18650 batteries, then you need extra caution as to take them out or charge them. Because if those batteries are overcharged, then it could even erupt fire.
Solution:
So, I think you probably have overcharged your 18650 batteries and it is safe not to charge them with your USB but rather to replace them. Also, if your batteries are more in the lower density, then I think those batteries have simply died. Like the AAA batteries, if you have seen through the instructions that your light requires AAA batteries, then go for a replacement.
Fragile USB cable
This is one of the cautionary ones because you clearly need a good clean, well-circuited USB cable so that you can have a smooth flow of charging. You need to get a well-branded USB cable because it torn apart. The non-branded cable might charge slowly or not charge at all. The circuit is causing irregular flows of electricity.
Solution:
I would recommend you get an adequately shielded USB cable that doesn’t break easily. Also, I want you to check if you accidentally inserted the wrong USB jack, the lights could be asking for Mirco USB, but you are trying to force a USB type c cable.
Broken USB Port
I think this is the most technical issue out of all the reasons why your bike light may not charge. This could happen if the USB port on your bike light has somehow got broken. I had a friend who has faced this issue.
He accidentally dropped his bike while the bike light was getting on his garage’s plug. The pull from the wire caused the USB port to get crumbled, so he replaced the USB port’s body with a new one. He then tried to turn on the lights and it short-circuited almost immediately.
Solution:
In this case, if you are technical, not just attaching the USB port will happen, but instead, you need to connect the pins to the PCB, which might require a lot of effort. If you had to ask me, then I would recommend you get a replacement because it is just too much work. Possibly your Bike light won’t work.
Loose Connection with the Motor
This is for e-bike users. And, this comes from my simple understanding. Your wire connections with the motor have probably loosened or the cables have started to become a bit fragile, which is why it cannot generate enough power to turn on the lights.
So, this will simply require some inspection and reconnecting all the cables again. Simply charge your e-bike since its power is related to bike lights power and things should be okay.
Bulb Issue
It may come down that your bike light is actually charging just usually, but actually, it is your bulb that has become fused. Then again there are some bike lights where the lights have connections with their charger.
So, replacing your bike bulb may do the trick as I think you will need a replacement anyway given that you have been using it for a long time.
Alternatives for Bike lights that require charging
In case if it comes down that you actually fed up with bike lights that require charging, then I might have just the suitable alternative for you. That is Dynamo Powered Bike Lights, the process is simple in these bike lights.
You start riding, the lights begin to turn on. The hub motor is usually placed at the front end of the bike. You begin riding, and energy that is generated from the rotation of the wheels gets converted into high voltage electricity to the hub, which then makes the light turn on.
You simply never need to be concerned about batteries with dynamo lights, and it requires no form of recharging. Now some of the dynamo lights even have a light switch-off feature.
Dynamo light can generate brighter beams than a lot of battery-powered lights, but the most bright high lumens Dynamo is not more powerful than the most bright battery power lights.
Do bike lights have type-c chargers on them?
Before, the type-c cables weren’t seen that much, but bike lights with type-c cable chargers have now started to become more and more visible. Bike lights obviously need to keep up with the technologies since now most devices have type-c cables, and Mirco USB has now started to become almost extinct.
Wrap up!
Thus, I hope I have made sense in explaining this simple issue to you in detail, along with alternatives and other insights that will help you in many ways.
You are now quite an intellectual in this niche sector, and as an avid cyclist, I am glad to have explained the things I know from my experience.
I hope you use your bike lights wisely and time on time do a bit of maintenance on the lights along with the bike. I am sure you will step up if you see someone is facing this simple dilemma.
