The evenings are still getting darker sooner, and if you ever find yourself not being able to see ahead of you properly on the bike at any time, it might just be sensible to upgrade your bike lights.
Similarly, proper lights are one of the most essential things to keep you safe on the roads. Every winter, we review dozens of lights so you can choose the best for you, and these five are currently out there being assessed by our intrepid team of reviewers.
The reviews of these lights are out soon, and you can see our existing guide to the best bike lights here. We’d also recommend checking out the annual tradition that is our front light beam comparison engine, that shows you how the lights compare in real life.
Lezyne Lite Drive 1200+ LED light
The Lite Drive 1200+ Front light boasts eight LEDs, which means it can beam out 1,200 lumens of light, and you can choose from seven output modes. Despite the impressive power, it also claims to have an impressive 60-hour max runtime, and when you do run out of battery you can charge it through the waterproof USB-C 2A+ fast charging port.
Like many of Lezyne’s lights, this one is made with CNC-machined aluminium construction for durability and efficient heat dissipation.
Trek Commuter Pro RT Flare RT Bike Light Set
Sometimes it’s easier to simply buy your lights as a light set, and the Trek Commuter Pro RT and Flare RT light set is one of your options. It can serve as a battery bank, too – the 1000-lumen front light connects wirelessly to the rear light, which means you only need to press one button to power up both. The lights can also double up as battery banks for your other gadgets.
The front light utilises ‘kind beam technology’ which directs light onto the ground, preventing glare for oncoming riders, and the rear can provide daytime visibility to distances of up to 2km, claims Trek.
Moon Nebula Rechargeable Rear Bike Light
The Moon Nebula Rechargeable Rear Bike Light has a max power of 200 lumens in daytime flash mode. In this mode, you should get up to 14 hours of use.
There are four flashing and steady modes, the device has an IPX4 waterproof rating and it features a Light Memory Mode, which means it remembers your light settings when you turn it off and on again.
Magicshine RAY 2600B Bluetooth bike light
The RAY b2600B Bluetooth front light has a max lumen output of 2,600, meaning this light is great at lighting up the road ahead of you… and rather bright, maybe too bright for most situations.
The huge number of lumens doesn’t mean you’ll be dazzling everyone around you, though! There’s an integrated smart sensor that automatically adjusts the power, switching off when you stop, going brighter in tunnels and dimming down again on the other side, to give some examples. You can also control the light with a Bluetooth remote, which could be good for fast-changing situations. The max running time is 14.5 hours, and you can charge the light through a USB-C port.
Gaciron KIWI-1200 Anti-Glare Bike Front Light
The KIWI-1200 anti-glare light offers, as the name suggests, 1,200 lumens of power, and it has a ‘cut-off’ beam that means that you won’t be blinding the oncoming drivers or other cyclists.
Much like the above Magicshine light, this one can also be controlled by a separate Bluetooth controller, and can be installed on top or below the handlebars. Again, charging is done by USB-C cable, and the claimed max running time is 24 hours in the daytime flash setting.
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11 thoughts on “Light up those dark evenings on your ride (with up to a whopping 2,600 lumens) — five bike lights we’re testing from Lezyne, Trek, Moon, Magicshine + Gaciron”
Can anyone recommend a strip
Can anyone recommend a strip COB rear, with good weatherproofing, and able to be secured to a narrow seat stay?
The Moon Nebular was tempting for a while, but don’t seem to be supplied with the correct “o” rings anymore, and the waterproofing is a bit low.
Sample size of one but I’ve
Sample size of one but I’ve been using a Moon Nebula rear light for commuting and general riding (on the bike and the trailer at various points today) since 2019 and I’ve almost nothing but praise for it.
Bright, useful flash/constant patterns and rarely seems to need charging. If I have any complaint it’d be that it turns on easily stuffed in a bag.
Haven’t tried it myself, and
Haven’t tried it myself, and not a COB light, but if I were attaching a light to a seatstay I would be tempted by something like the Fibre Flare.
I had the original fibre
I had the original fibre flare for the seatstay, got a bit weak (with everything else getting brighter) and the rubber sealing died, and the helmet one, which was fantastic, but the rechargeabilty went, and it was a bit weak. The new one looks good though, I’ll give it a consider.
Just got meself an Exposure
Just got meself an Exposure TraceR with USB-C charger rear light.. and I’m very happy with it, decent battery, great light output and it tells me when the battery is low or full 🙂
Raceware do a seat stay mount for it.
I’m amazed, as usual, at the
I’m amazed, as usual, at the lack of mention for Aldi bike lights. They’re really good. The previous generation rear looks like the Moon Nebula above, and I bought it several years ago. The battery has now failed, but I had already replaced it with Gen2, which is also excellent and very bright. The front Gen1 gave out a bit earlier but had also already been superseded. I have 2 Gen 2 sets, the second bought for £5 for the pair in Fort William Aldi in midsummer. This is BV15 PXW, yet another Lancashire Audi driving 8 months MOT dodger, filmed the other night on the 3rd of 4 constant beam settings
Couldn’t agree more. I got a
Couldn’t agree more. I got a front and back pair for €14 and while the rear doesn’t flash it’s fine. The front light is great: the beam is focussed to put all the light just where you need it allowing it’s relatively modest power output to let me pretty much use all of my extremely modest power output even on unlit roads, though then I’d choose an uphill route.
I’m forever missing them. The
I’m forever missing them. The original Cree ones were great but I seem to miss them every time they come back in stock.
I seem to miss them every
I seem to miss them every time they come back in stock
Yes- you have to seize them when you see them, no matter which season it is at the time
Took delivery of the
Took delivery of the MagicShine Ray 2600 yesterday, and although I’m yet to go out in the dark with it, I did have a moment of disappointment during installation.
The mount uses a strap and pin to hold it in place; a pin with a threaded hole is in one end of the strap, and the screw then pulls the pin closer to it, tightening it up.
This is where you have to be careful.
The mount is entirely plastic.
The screw is metallic and passes through a counterbored hole (to keep things neat).
If you over tighten the screw, it will pull itself through the mount, leaving the mount effectively useless.
I was, shall we say, *somewhat* disappointed when this happened, and I may have expressed my opion via one or five choice expletives.
A quick rummage in my toolbox found a washer with a suitable ID and an OD that was significantly large enough to cover the counterbore and grip some of the plastic each side.
This seems to have worked and thus far, it’s my only gripe with what seems to be a well constructed light.
A shout out from me for the
A shout out from me for the Guee front light. It’s bright, nice and compact, doesn’t rattle around and as a commuter is easy to unclip and clip in to its handlebar mounting bracket.
The Lezyne I have relies on a plastic handlebar strap – apart from being a real fiddle, wear and tear leading to breakage to this mounting would be a problem with this design.
My See.Sense rear light has a very good attachment system – again, most of it can stay on the bike, but the light snaps out and securely in.
I worry about the quality of the USB sockets on many lights – in general they’re not intended for rugged outdoor use.
Please always be clear in reviews about how all lights attach – retailers likewise.