Oxford Ultratorch City Light Set

The Oxford Ultratorch City Light Set is a budget-friendly pairing intended primarily for urban commuting and daytime visibility. While the rear light is a good performer for the price, the front light serves better as a ‘be-seen’ safety light than a primary beam for dark country lanes.

Front Light: Ultratorch CL200

The CL200 is a compact, lightweight unit with a versatile mounting system. One of its best features is the 360-degree swivel mount. This allows you to attach the light to various points on your bike while still ensuring the beam points exactly where you need it.

The light offers eight modes, though I found only the brightest two were actually usable for riding at night. On the highest setting, the battery life is limited to roughly two hours, which might be an issue for longer winter commutes. However, on the daytime flash modes, it manages a solid 9.5-10 hours of life – perfect for a week of short daytime commutes on a single charge.

A handy feature is the charge indicator on top, which helps take the guesswork out of your remaining battery. On the downside, it still uses a Micro-USB charging port, which feels a bit dated in a world moving toward USB-C. Additionally, the brighter settings are limited to ‘still’ modes only. I would have liked to have seen a high-intensity flash for daytime use.

Rear Light: Ultratorch CLR

The rear light is the stronger half of the set. It is decently bright for its size and offers five well-spaced settings, ranging from a constant beam to various pulsing and flashing patterns. On the Day Flash mode, you can expect around eight hours of battery life, which is good for a light of this size.

Oxford has made some smart design choices here. Unlike the front light, the rear unit uses USB-C charging and the port is cleverly hidden underneath the mounting clip, meaning that even if you happen to lose the rubber weather flap, it will remain shielded from mud and road spray.

The mount is secure and doesn’t slip on standard round posts, though it isn’t the most elegant fit for aero seat posts.

Both lights sit securely without slipping or vibrating. They are light and portable too, making them easy to toss into a pocket when you park the bike.

For longer rides or a bikepacking setting, the Ultratorch City Light Set serves as decent daytime safety lighting, but you will need to be diligent about charging them every night if you anticipate any riding after sunset. If your route involves unlit roads or high speed night riding, you’ll likely find yourself reaching for a more powerful front beam.

At £36.99 for the pair, these lights are pretty budget friendly, and if you don’t have any lights and need some to make you easier to see in the darker months, they are definitely an option that could work.

Another budget friendly front light option is the Magicshine ALLTY 200 light which comes in at an impressive £19.99. It gives you 200 lumens, makes you very visible, and generally impressed Paul.

A slightly more expensive pairing is the Knog Frog V3 twinpack. Both lights are very small, but they are impressively bright for the size. The battery life isn’t the best, and they’re surprisingly dear at £46.99 for the pair.

Another set is the Infini Mini-Luxo. These are bright and offer decent run-times on flash modes. They are £44.99 for the pair, and Charlotte was pretty impressed.

Conclusion

The Oxford Ultratorch City set is a reasonably okay budget option for the urban rider. The rear light has the fewest drawbacks of the pair, and performs pretty well, while the front light is a usable safety beacon for daylight and well-lit streets.

If you can overlook the mixed charging cables (Micro-USB and USB-C), it’s a reliable set for the price, so long as you aren’t looking to ride in the dark.

> Your ultimate guide to bike lights for road cycling — see and be seen with our selection of the best for your bike