For riding your bicycle at night, you need the best bike light to save your life. Therefore, if you enjoy riding trails, a bike light is necessary compared to a person cycling in urban environments. Here we have some of the top-rated bike lights for mountain bikes and urban cycling here. Check out Best Beginner Mountain Bikes
Best Bike Lights to Buy Review
10. Bright Eyes Rechargeable Bike Light
Our top pick is the bike light from Bright Eyes. You get versatility, loads of features, and outstanding brightness. Used on the MX setting, you get 1200 lumens that are similar to car headlights. You can use it for commuting and off-road adventures. Alternatively, you can use it in flash/pulse mode as well.
9. Cycle Torch Shark 500
Here we have another rechargeable bike headlight made for urban riding. However, the beam is not wide enough for off-road cycling. You get 500 lumens brightness with different settings and a flashing mode. Cycle Torch 500 is one of the best city riding bike lights you can buy. Furthermore, it works with a lithium-ion battery and not replaceable.
8. Super Bright USB Rechargeable Bike Light
For the best value bike light, you will find the Super Bright 1200 one of the best available on the market for its price. The light has a four Cree XM-L2 LED bulb throwing a bright white light with the wide pattern. Therefore, you will not get tunnel vision but you cannot adjust the beam width.
7. Team Obsidian LED Bike Light
The construction of the Team Obsidian bike light is impressive and has a solid feel that costs little. The aluminum case is waterproof and mounting it is a breeze. All you need to do is wrap the strap around the handlebars and tighten the nut. Once mounted it locks in place.
6. NiteRider Pro 1800
For the best mountain bike light, the NiteRider Pro is ready to serve you and keep you safe on trails. The 1800 lumens are bright and even brighter than a motorcycle headlight. The beams wide and lights up trails as if you are cycling in daylight. Furthermore, it is lightweight and compact with a handlebar mount. On the other hand, you can track the battery use with the easy to read fuel gauge.
5. Cygolite Metro Pro
For a bright bike light, the Cygolite Metro Pro stands above the rest. The brightness is 1100 lumens when set at full power. The bike light has Cree XM-LED giving a wide spread with peripheral vision compared to other bicycle light brands. There is nine light modes with steady pulse alerts with USB fast charging.
4. Nitecore BR35
The bike light offers a solid feel with the anodized finish to prevent corrosion. The fantastic thing is the Nitecore BR35 is the best MTB bike headlights you can buy. The Cree XM-L2 US offers you bright LEDs with 1800 lumens on the highest setting. Furthermore, you can charge it anywhere with built-in micro USB charging. Included you get a remote switch, handlebar mount; mount pads, and USB charging cable.
3. Cygolite Hotshot
The following bike light from Cygolite offers you 50 lumens and is rechargeable with loads of features. You can toggle between a blinking and strobe mode with two different buttons. Furthermore, it has six programmable daytime and nighttime modes. There is a steady pulse to inform oncoming motorists at night as well. You can use it for commuting and road use and works well on a mountain bike as well.
2. Blackburn Luminate Light Set
For the best bike light full system, you will find the Blackburn Luminate brand tops. Included in the package are the popular DAYBLAZER 400 and 65 head with taillights and two sidelights. Therefore, for crossing an intersection the complete bike light sets useful to have. You get an hour and a half of run time with 85 lumens while the low strobe setting is up to six hours.
1. NiteRider Lumina Combo Set
The bike light combo set from NiteRider provides you with enough light to brighten up the road when cycling. You can use it for mountain bike trailing, road cycling, to walk mode. The headlight works with two powerful LEDs offering you 150 lumens of light. Furthermore, it has four modes and the battery is rechargeable.
Bike Light Comparison Table
| BIKE LIGHT | MAX BRIGHTNESS LUMENS | BEST FOR | MOUNT |
| BRIGHT EYES | 1600 | URBAN/OFF-ROAD | HANDLEBARS |
| CYCLE TORCH | 500 | URBAN | HANDLEBARS |
| TE-RICH SUPER BRIGHT | 1600 | URBAN/OFF-ROAD | HANDLEBARS/HELMET |
| TEAM OBSIDIAN | 200 | URBAN | HANDLEBARS |
| NITERIDER PRO | 1800 | OFF-ROAD | HANDLEBAR/HELMET |
| CYGOLITE METRO PRO | 1100 | OFF-ROAD/URBAN | HANDLEBAR/HELMET |
| NITECORE BR35 DUAL BEAM | 1800 | URBAN/OFF-ROAD | HANDLEBARS |
| CYGOLITE HOTSHOT | 1800 | URBAN/OFF-ROAD | HANDLEBARS |
| BLACKBURN | 85 | URBAN/OFF-ROAD | COMPLETE SET |
| NITERIDER LUMINA | 150 | URBAN | HANDLEBARS/REAR |
Bike Light Buyers Guide
When selecting the best bike lights you can find two types available. You get the headlight that mounts on the handlebars or helmet and the second is for offroad riders. Furthermore, the lumens vary and depend on what you plan to use it for. For offroad, biking, you will need more light than urban riders will.
Then you have the rear light that is red to make you visible to oncoming motorists. You mount it to the seat post and come with different modes to make you more visible on the road. Lastly, you can mount it on your helmet or backpack as well. Alternatively, you can buy the bike light in a combo set as well with the headlight and taillight sold together. The combo sets great for urban cycling.
So what features should you look for? Here we have all the information needed to purchase the best bike lights to suit your needs.
Features:
- Brightness – For urban riding, you need at least 300 to 500 lumens. However, for offroad riding, you will need a brightness of up to 1000 lumens providing you with enough light on the trail. When looking for a rear light we recommend one with 50 to 100 lumens to make you visible especially in flashing mode. Also, look for one with a wide beam to make the road more visible for you to see.
- Multiple Beam Patterns – with the feature you can set the brightness level to give you safe riding on the streets. Alternatively, the flashing beam is great for oncoming traffic to see you.
- Mounting style – you have the choice of mounting the light on your helmet and a great option for mountain biking. The handlebar mounts more ideal for commuting and urban riding but also great for trail riding as well.
- Portability – In urban conditions, the light needs to be compact to fit in your pocket without adding bulk when removed. This type of bike light works with AAA or AA batteries and mounts to the handlebar.
- The Beam Angle – depending on where you ride the functions critical to have to make the path more visible for you to see. Therefore, choose one that you can adjust the angle to suit urban and offroad riding.
- Water Resistance – As you will be using your bicycles outdoors, we recommend one that is waterproof to prevent it from failing if ever you are caught in the rain.
Battery:
- Battery Types – the majority of the bike lights come with a rechargeable battery that works with USB charging. However, you can buy ones with disposable batteries as well but they do provide you with a lower energy density. Furthermore, you can also find a light equipped with an internal or external battery. For added power and run time, we recommend the external one but they are on the bulky side.
- Battery Life – the majority of bike lights reviewed here offer you up to an hour of light. With the brightness setting, you can adjust the power to last longer.
We hope that the bike light buyer’s guide helps you to find the best light to use on your bicycle. The biggest tip we can help you with is to use reflective material with your bike light. By doing this, it helps increase visibility for people to see you on the road. If you plan on riding in areas without streetlights pick a bike light that is strong enough to light up your path.
Always make sure the batteries you choose provides enough life for riding long hours especially in emergencies you may find yourself. Where you can, carry extra small lights and batteries with you that do not need recharging. Now that you know the basics we hope you find the best bike light here with us. Safe cycling on the road.
