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

Ravemen’s CR450 is small, light and runs for a long time on the lower lumen setting and flashing/pulsing settings. It has a rather useful remote switch and you can even keep using it while it charges from a battery pack.

It weighs in at just 105g, and the wired remote switch attaches to your handlebar with a rubber o-ring. While it’s certainly not the brightest light you can buy, for being seen this light is well worth it for the reasonable price, and is bright enough on high to see by on dark lanes. As mentioned already, it also has useful extra features.

The third generation of the Fly12 Sport from Aussie brand Cycliq is easy to use with quality footage and almost everything you’d want for an ‘incident capture’ camera.

The light is slightly less powerful than the previous generation, but it’s still fine for road riding at 400 lumens, and this means the Fly12 Sport is now lighter and more compact than ever, at just 151g.

Mounting above or below then handlebar, mounting is easy and operation is simple enough via three side buttons. It comes with a 64GB card for storing footage, and you can also take photos with the touch of a button as well as record your footage.

The run-times and battery life aren’t outstanding, but if you want a camera to record your rides and capture any incidents, the Fly12 Sport is among the best out there currently.

The Exposure Sirius 11 is right up there among the best bike lights on the market. Its combination of high-lumen output, excellent DayBright pulse modes, class-leading flashing runtimes, low weight, and long-term serviceability makes it a superb choice for both road cyclists and commuters.

Despite being small and light (just 98g), the Sirius 11 can belt out 1,300 lumens, and it offers 270° visibility. The build quality is high, with a CNC-machined aluminium outer shell, and you get three program sets, with three output modes in each. This is a really strong all-round option.

The Ravemen K1800 front light is a great option that provides up to 1,800 lumens and good runtimes. The seven modes cover both night and day use, and the IPX7 waterproof rating means you can be confident that no rain will get in.

The K1800 is easy to operate, and the top setting is impressively bright, providing excellent visibility on unlit roads for 1:30 hours before switching to a lower constant setting for 30 minutes. Even the medium and low settings provide great visibility.

If you don’t need this level of power, we were equally impressed by the Ravemen K1000.

The Exposure Zenith 4 is designed for mountain biking and gravel riding rather than the road, and it provides a whopping 2,360 lumens.

Runtimes range from an hour right up to 36 hours, and the 150g weight is perfectly comfortable for extended periods.

The Zenith’s three LEDs create a bright, concentrated beam that’s very impressive, and you’re rarely likely to need the most powerful setting except on the most technical of trails.

The ES Pro 2 hasn’t really changed in many years, and neither should it: this is still one of the most reliable dynamo lights we’ve come across, and if you’re into long-distance bikepacking or audax riding, it should be high up your wishlist when choosing a light that works off your own steam.

The beam is a German road-legal one that directs 95% of the light downwards to avoid blinding oncoming traffic, and once you’re over about 5mph the beam holds steady. We found the beam pattern to be more or less ideal for road riding, with the majority of the light concentrated directly ahead of you but still enough throw for picking out turns and suicidal rodents in the verges.

If you don’t care for worrying about whether or not your light is charged, this is a great option.

The Giant Recon HL 350 is a brilliant front commuter light to ‘be seen’ while also delivering a decent level of brightness on its highest setting. The light really comes into its own in towns and suburbs but the full-power beam is sufficient to see even on dark roads if you end up going the long route on your commute home.

It has three steady modes and two flashing ones all with good run times. Full power at 350 lumens lasts close to two hours, the lowest steady mode of 100 lumens lasts around 6 hours and flashing mode takes it up to about 12 hours.

The Recon HL 350 is USB rechargeable, IPX7 waterproof and mounts to the bar with a straightforward strap. Side windows spill light for visibility at junctions too, all in a compact lightweight package.

The Exposure Race 19 might not be cheap, but it is well made, offers a good beam pattern, and can be fixed in place either above or below your handlebar. It’s an impressive piece of kit that performs extremely well.

As usual with Exposure, the build quality is superb, and the maximum output of 2,650 lumens means you get enough light for gravel and mountain biking at night, although the recessed lens means there’s no real side visibility.

You can tailor the output to suit your riding and how long you need the battery to last.

This front and rear combination light is affordable with generous run times and decent output, and can be used as a secondary light on yur helmet or a ‘get-me-home’ emergency light on your bars.

You get seven modes, with 50 lumens/100 lumen flash at the front and 30 lumens at the rear. Charging is via USB, and although it weighs just 70g, the light proved secure and durable for our reviewer after months of heavy use.

If there was ever One Light To Rule Them All, it would be the Exposure Joystick and whilst there are cheaper options, our reviewer thinks that it’s well worth the money.

We’ve been reviewing Joysticks since at least 2012 when the Mk6 got 4.5/5 stars for its 325 lumens, £165 cost and three-hour run-time and at 98g. We last reviewed the Mk17 but now Exposure is up to Mk18 which comes with up to 1200 lumens and run-times of between 1.5 hours and 36 hours.

Overall, the Joystick is solid, rugged, beautifully made and performs brilliantly out on the trail or road, day or night.

This head torch isn’t in the latest Knog range but it’s still available through some retailers. It is feature-loaded, rechargeable and has plenty of features and functions.

Weighing just 88g, the Bilby is super comfortable to wear and easy to adjust. Our reviewer found he could sneak it on his forehead just below a helmet, although it’s important not to compromise your helmet’s position here. At the max 400 lumens output, it should last you over five hours, although we found it could run for as long as nine hours.

The Bilby is light, bright and typically Knog-ish in that it comes in various bright colours (or grey or black if you’d prefer) and is a bit different to the norm. The sheer range of lighting options can make it bewildering, but once you get to grips with it, it’s impressive.

The Lezyne Strip Pro AI Alert 400 is an excellent rear light that’s easy to fit and pushes out some serious lumens for a long time. It also offers a decent braking function. 

The Strip Pro AI Alert 400 has a wide 270° field of visibility, and the 400-lumen day ‘highly disruptive’ flash mode is really bright. You get seven modes, all the way down to 5-lumen Femto mode, which lasts for 80 hours. On its 80-lumen constant output, which is a lot of rear light, you get five-and-a-half hours.

This is a high-quality rear light that’s easy to fit, bright, impressively waterproof and has great runtimes. What more do you need?

If it’s simplicity you want and you want a good deal, look no further than the Oxford Ultratorch Slimline R50. This design has been around for years; it’s easy to fit, great value and offers decent performance for the money.

The bracket is a simple rubber wedge that fits to the back of the unit, held on by a rubber band. It won’t fit aero seatposts, but for the rest of us it’ll work just fine. 50 lumens is quite a lot for a rear light, and plenty to use it as your main rear light. The weight is just 27g, and battery life is from two hours on the highest steady setting up to 23 hours on the lowest pulse mode.

This simple rear light does the job of making sure you’re seen, with ample light output, good mode choices and easy operation.

The Cycliq Fly6 Pro combines a rear-facing camera and bike light, offering video recording in 4K and 100-lumen output. The video resolution is excellent for capturing details in case of an incident, and the device is easy to use with Wi-Fi transfer simplifying footage viewing.

The bundled package being reviewed here includes the Fly6 Pro unit with a 64GB microSD card, a USB-C cable for charging and transferring files, a safety tether, mounting bracket, two mounting straps, and four bracket adapters. The Fly6 Pro unit is also available to purchase on its own, currently priced at £329.

The Moon Helix Sense 150’s output is impressive, runtimes are good, and recharging via the USB-C port is quick.

You can get up to 130 hours of use in the flashing 5-lumen mode, through to a 50-lumen solid beam that lasts 1:30 hours. The Helix Sense 150 also offers an optional braking function and automatic brightness sensing.

Reviewer Michael Drummond said, “If you are set on making a lasting solid impression on road users, other lights may be better for you. However, if you’re confident enough in the flashing options and long life this small light offers, then I recommend it highly for long rides and wet days on the bike.”

The Garmin Varia RearVue 820 is a fantastic radar and rear light that is highly customisable to your preferences and setup. It proves that Garmin’s radar lights are still the benchmark.

Okay, the Varia RearVue 820 is quite expensive, and it’s best paired with a compatible Garmin head unit to make the most of its rich feature set, but it shows more useful detail than before, while retaining the right amount of audible alerts to let you know what’s going on behind.

It improves situational awareness significantly and is now more customisable than ever. Add in an excellent light and a fast recharge time, and it’s pretty much unbeatable.

The Coospo TR70 Smart Radar Tail Light is an excellent device at an excellent price – and that’s a strong combination. Reviewer Paul Grele struggled to find any weaknesses.

As a radar detecting traffic behind you, the TR70 is reliable, accurate and dependable. As a light, it provides various solid and flashing modes – including a Day Flash mode – and the battery life is long – 14 hours for the High Solid light through to 30 hours for the Day and Night Flash settings, with the Radar-only mode capable of 40hrs.

This is a really impressive offering that functions well in all areas.

It might be called the Knog Plus, but this rear light is anything but plus-size as it weighs just 18g.

Described as “an impressively simple light that weighs almost nothing” by our reviewer, the 20 lumens it pumps out is bright enough for a useful visibility boost. The mount is magnetic and, like most Knog lights, there’s a USB port built into it so you don’t need a cable to charge.

Burn time isn’t the greatest in steady mode at two hours, but on eco flash you can get a huge 40 hours out of it according to Knog. There are five modes to choose from, and at well under the 20 quid mark you can’t really go wrong.

No-nonsense, easy-to-use and highly capable – that’s how our reviewer summarised Lezyne’s revamped Strip Drive with a huge 300 lumens in its max setting, and loads of other useful modes for all use cases at a sensible price.

You get a huge 80 hours out of this light in the lowest 5-lumen mode, and in the 60-lumen ‘always on’ mode, it’s still over five hours – enough for a week of commuting or more for most of us. It’s easy to use and fits almost any seatpost with the flexible back and stretchy rubber strap to attach it.

If you want to go even brighter still, there’s always the Lezyne Zecto Drive Max 400+ that also scored well in its road.cc review – but the Strip Drive edges it for the huge run times and ease of use. You don’t get any smart braking tech or extras beyond the super bright light, but the very good price reflects that.

The Recon 200 is neither cheap nor too pricey, and kicks out a huge 200 lumens on the max setting. You get 270 degrees of visibility thanks to two strips in the side of the light unit, ensuring you’re visible to motorists approaching from side streets.

Charging is via USB and you can mount the light vertically or horizontally. There are seven modes to choose from, and you can get an impressive six hours on the high flash mode. It weighs just 51g in total.

This is a great little light with lots of power. If your budget is tighter or you don’t feel like you need this many lumens, we’d also highly recommend the Giant Recon TL 100.

This smart rear light from Exposure gives you a big 80 lumens on the max setting, plus six modes with run-times ranging from six to 48 hours.

The ‘ReAKT’ feature is excellent, adapting to the light conditions and flaring up when it senses that the rider is braking. Additionally, the Peloton feature recognises when there is a front bike light behind you and dims itself to save dazzling the following rider.

If you have the cash to invest in this light, you won’t be disappointed.

The Lezyne Strip Drive+ Pair is a durable, well-made light set that does an excellent job of increasing your visibility out on the road.

Each light has a solid feel with a USB-C charge port hidden by a tough rubber cap and an IPX7 waterproof rating to add confidence.

The Strip Drive+ front puts out a maximum of 700 lumens, while the Strip Drive 300+ adds 300 lumens at the rear.

They offer wide 270° visibility; the only issue is that the front light can be a little distracting when mounted horizontally on the handlebar.