rechargeable lights

The Moon X-Power 500 looks neat and compact and feels pleasingly chunky yet light.

Mounting the light was easy, the mount is easy to adjust and fitted very solidly to the bars, and stayed firmly in position without having to be cranked up stupidly tight. It has some horizontal adjustment too, so you can point the beam towards the verge and make sure you're not going to dazzle any oncoming traffic. The release switch is easy to locate and operate, even in gloves.

Lupine make some of the most serious (and expensive) bike lights going and this Piko is the baby of the bunch. It comes in three flavours, Max (which we have here) Mini and Ultra.

The Piko Max is a small torch style unit aimed squarely at the booming all-in-one market that the likes of Exposure have helped to create. It's a pleasing little slab of metal and fits onto the bike with a simple o-ring. I found it a bit of a struggle to squeeze onto oversized bars and users with a weak grip or small hands might have a hard time.

Cateye's EL540 is a viable alternative to dynamos for commuting and utility riding round town and in the sticks. Don't be fooled by the slightly quaint looks and AA Nimh power source, cutting edge technology squeezes every last ounce from the single LED and it's powerful enough for navigating unlit backwaters by. Forgetful types will be reassured by the fact the cells can be swapped for common or garden alkaline types without impairing performance.