Best bike lights 2024 – Front and taillights to maintain you secure each day and night time

The greatest bike lights of at present are available in a great deal of totally different guises. If you desire a fast suggestion for one of the best entrance bike gentle, take a look at the Trek Commuter Pro RT, and for one of the best rear bike gentle, see the Bontrager Flare RT. For most individuals in most circumstances, each will carry out admirably, however learn on for a better understanding of how to decide on the fitting lights for you, and a few extra recommendations that may suit your private wants extra carefully. 

In this information there are alternatives for entrance and rear bike lights, with some designed to make you extra seen and others designed that can assist you see the place you are going at velocity on a completely unlit avenue. 

We even have a separate information to one of the best funds bike lights. There’s some overlap within the merchandise we advocate throughout the 2 lists, however whereas that information retains a more in-depth eye on value, the first focus right here is discovering one of the best for each potential consumer. 

There’s a number of issues to contemplate resembling battery life, brightness and tech options when selecting. I’ve taken the time and executed the legwork for you, however if you wish to perceive extra about that and learn the way we check all lights, then you definitely’ll discover a number of recommendation on the backside of this web page. 

We final revised this information in May 2024 to make sure that all of the lights featured had been nonetheless at present accessible and in the marketplace.

Quick checklist

Best entrance bike lights

Best entrance gentle for metropolis commuting

The Trek Commuter Pro LT is not the most cost effective gentle you’ll find. But Trek has centered on making a feature-rich gentle that can stand the check of time. The physique is stable steel and shouldn’t have any drawback dealing with a drop or two. It will not be due to the mount that you just discover that out although. The mount requires no instruments however it’s stable sufficient that there is not any likelihood of rotation. If you end up utilizing the sunshine solely often, it can even match excessive of your bar tape. When you lock up your bike there is a quick-release system that permits you to preserve the mount in place. 

Although the Trek Commuter Pro LT maxes out at 1000 lumens, it is bought loads of energy. Instead of a spherical bulb that has the potential to blind different street customers, but additionally wastes gentle, the Commuter Pro LT makes use of a sq. reflector with a pointy cutoff. Because there’s much less wasted gentle you possibly can run the system at half energy giving three hours of battery life. You may even end up utilizing the USB-C cost port to steal a little bit of energy for a telephone given you’ve got bought a lot. 

The one draw back to the entire thing is that you could’t mount the sunshine the other way up or use a GoPro-style mount. Trek did resolve this although. The mount conforms to the Blendr normal and there are numerous Blendr appropriate equipment. One of these is the Low Commuter Light Mount that wraps the sunshine, maintaining it upright and places a GoPro-style mount on the high. Unfortunately, that’s an additional buy. 

Read extra particulars in our full Trek Commuter Pro RT evaluation.  

Best funds commuter entrance gentle

The Trek Commuter Pro RT is a tremendous gentle however it’s extra highly effective, and dearer, than you may want, plus mounting may want some thought. If you might be in search of a less expensive possibility that mounts in a breeze then the Knog Blinder Road 600 is the ticket. The housing is tiny and all of the items make up a single built-in unit. Instead of a mounting bracket the strap stays hooked up and all you do is pull it and clip it. If you want a bigger measurement there’s a second strap included and you’ll swap out which one you want. 

When it is time to cost the Knog Blinder Road 600, no cable is required. Just just like the strap, the charger is an built-in unit. You should unclip the sunshine however then a full sized USB attachment unfolds and you’ll plug it in with no need any additional items. If you favor a bit of little bit of area out of your USB port, there may be an extension included although you’d want to hold it additional. 

As for the sunshine itself, there are 600 lumens on faucet from the 2 lenses at full energy. If utilized in that configuration you’d have a large angle and a slender beam on the identical time. If you do not want fairly that a lot energy it is attainable to both flip down the entire unit to low or you possibly can activate and off every bulb individually. All the choices imply you will have a number of choices to search out what works for you. Unfortunately it solely requires a protracted press of the mode button to show the sunshine on and it’s attainable to have that occur inadvertently in a bag. 

Best bike gentle for being seen

If you need to keep seen when driving throughout the day, there’s merely nothing higher than the Bontrager Ion 200 RT. Trek, and Bontrager, are on the forefront of the science behind what it takes to make cyclists seen each day and night time and the Ion 200 RT is a part of that. There’s each a back and front, additionally featured on our checklist, and each are a couple of years previous now however proceed to be a pacesetter within the know-how. 

The trick is a mix of a intelligent lens design and a really particular flash sample. The lens focuses a minimal 200 lumens and makes it seen from as much as 2km away whereas the flash sample grabs consideration. It’s a mix that’s backed by analysis however I’ve additionally examined it extensively and may affirm simply how nicely it really works. 

The impact is most dramatic throughout the day. Despite a low lumen quantity, utilizing the Bontrager Ion 200 RT will imply you might be seen far out on the horizon earlier than a motorist is even in a position to perceive what’s making that flash up forward. A aspect impact is that maintaining the lumens low means Bontrager is ready to preserve the sunshine ultra-small whereas nonetheless offering as much as 30 hours of nigh ttime flashing (12 hours for daytime flash mode). That tiny packaging additionally makes it snug if you wish to utilise the Blendr mounting system to place the sunshine on a helmet just like the Bontrager Circuit Wavecel Helmet. Even in the event you determine to not go that route although, the silicone strap permits for tons of mounting choices. There is a steady gentle mode that will get you residence, within the metropolis, in a pinch however actually one of the best use is for making your self seen. 

Best entrance bike gentle for sudden night time driving

More and extra riders have discovered that including a daytime working gentle is useful. Other street customers appear to be a bit extra forgiving once they know you might be there and a daytime working gentle helps. With that in thoughts, I’ve included a few choices to fill that want. If you want daytime visibility alone, the Bontrager Ion 200 RT is your greatest wager. The Lezyne Mini Drive 400xl will fill that want as nicely however with the additional energy comes a bit of additional useability.  

It begins by being superbly made with a CNC-machined aluminium housing and 5 color choices. Then the sunshine provides simplicity with an built-in USB attachment which means no cable for charging. When it involves mounting, it is also useless easy with both a rubber strap or an motion digicam mount that is nice for utilizing below a motorcycle laptop. As a entrance daytime working gentle, you will have the choice of a full 400 lumens in flash mode for seven hours or 50 lumens for 15 hours. What’s actually helpful although is that 400 lumens is simply sufficient to get you residence in the dead of night. If you ever end up out a bit of later than you anticipated, the complete 400 lumens in stable mode is there as an emergency backup and it’s much more helpful than the 200 lumens within the Ion RT. Bottom line, the Lezyne Mini Drive 400XL is a mount-it-and-forget-it possibility that is there once you want it. 

You can learn extra concerning the particulars of this gentle in our Lezyne Mini Drive 400XL evaluation 

Best total entrance bike gentle

There are plenty of riders deeply involved with blinding different street customers. When adjusted accurately that should not be a difficulty for many lights however if you wish to ensure it is not a difficulty it is best to go in search of a StVZO compliant gentle. StVZO is a German certification and outdoors the German market it may be powerful to really buy a light-weight that meets it. Just as a result of a light-weight does not carry the certification doesn’t suggest it does not resolve the identical drawback although. The Outbound Lighting Detour is a entrance bike gentle with a pointy higher cutoff to the sunshine sample. You will not discover a StVZO certification however it does the job. 

If I’m being trustworthy although, that is not why I really like this gentle. While that sharp cutoff may shield different street customers, it additionally means no wasted gentle for you. When I initially reviewed the Outbound Lighting Detour I used to be a bit of delay by the truth that there’s not a setting round 800 lumens. That’s what I at all times choose when driving by means of the town on longer rides and it’s lacking. Despite that I continued to make use of it and I’ve come to like it increasingly.

With extra use what I’ve discovered is that it is totally different when utilizing this gentle for really lengthy distance driving. In conditions the place the solar slowly units and I activate the sunshine, I’ve been very pleased with the sunshine output at low or roughly 400 lumens. That mode offers me 8.5 hours of runtime in a comparatively small unit.

Beyond that, the sunshine has a singular trick for anybody seeking to experience lengthy distances. Not solely does it use a USB-C charging port however the model features a wire with a weatherproof connection to the sunshine and it’ll run whereas charging. It permits you to plug in a USB battery pack of your personal selecting and experience whereas charging, even within the rain. Although it’s a bit overkill, and relatively massive, this gentle is cheap sufficient to work for commuting plus it’s additionally bought options that can allow you to experience so far as your legs can carry you.  

Read extra particulars in our full Outbound Lighting Detour evaluation.

Best money-no-object bike gentle

There are a few different choices for driving by means of the night time on this checklist. The Exposure Strada Mk12 SB AKTiv takes issues to a complete different stage on the subject of ultra-endurance endeavours. What that basically means is multi-day occasions. You may make the Outbound Lighting Detour work and you can even make the Magic RN3000 work in a pinch however each of these choices make extra sense for one thing that’s 24 hours or much less. If you might be overlaying greater than a single night time, there’s nothing that may contact the Exposure Strada Mk12 SB AKTiv.

That stated, there may be some studying you’ll want to do forward of time. Everything is proprietary and initially the best way all the pieces works is complicated. The benefit is that you could spend your time figuring issues out at residence then, when you find yourself within the warmth of the second, all the pieces is extremely easy. 

The gentle output is 1700 lumens max and the ten,200 mAh battery gives you a burn time of two hours at max energy. From there, drop the ability by half and also you get twice the battery energy. You can work out what energy and battery life you want, then on the street you activate the sunshine on the chosen program and you have excessive, medium, and low accessible inside that program. There is a show that claims precisely how a lot burn time you will have on the energy you will have chosen with no pondering required. If you want much more runtime there are weatherproof batteries you possibly can join and there is additionally an included distant swap. The AKTiv model even has an auto-dim function that briefly reduces the sunshine when an approaching car’s headlights are detected. This gentle is superbly made, strong, and easy once you want it to be. The solely draw back is that you just do pay for the standard. 

Exposure additionally sells a variety of mounts for various handlebar setups, in addition to a ‘Support Cell’ battery pack that can nearly double the runtimes. 

Read extra particulars in our Exposure Strada Mk11 SB AKTiv evaluation.
*The Mk11 has been superceded by the Mk12, which is the sunshine that is listed right here, however not an excessive amount of modified in any respect between the lights. 

Best funds excessive powered bike gentle

The MagicShine RN3000 is firmly divorced from the wants of the commuter. You may actually use it for getting by means of the town however calling it overkill can be an understatement. It’s an enormous gentle and it weighs fairly a bit. This is for individuals who want both massive energy or long term instances and are in search of a funds possibility in comparison with an Exposure gentle. 

The trick to this gentle is a ten,000 mAh battery that makes for unimaginable runtimes and even the choice to make use of a USB battery pack whereas it shines. Mounting is through a Garmin quarter flip mount so if you wish to go in search of some type of different mounting possibility, there are tons of decisions. Once mounted, you possibly can both energy all the best way up for a 3000-lumen possibility that can fortunately handle off-road use for a few hours or you possibly can energy it down. 

With the sunshine powered right down to 750 lumens, sufficient for visibility on the street with out avenue lights, you can also make it by means of the night time. The solely disadvantage is an unnecessarily difficult management scheme that enables for the usage of the left, or proper, or each of the LED lights. Just keep on with each LEDs lit up for one of the best lighting and longest runtime. This is a high quality gentle for every kind of adventures. 

You can learn extra concerning the particulars of this gentle in our MagicShine RN3000 full evaluation 

Best entrance bike gentle with a digicam

The Cycliq Fly12 Sport is a entrance gentle with an built-in digicam. The mounting system is a customized 1/8 flip bracket that you could mount above, or beneath, your handlebars. Alternatively, you can also make use of a regular motion digicam mount and use no matter your favorite out-front bracket is. 

On the lighting aspect of the equation, you get a max 400 lumen gentle. The actual function right here although is not lighting and in the event you flip down the ability on the sunshine to the flash mode for visibility, you possibly can stretch as a lot as 6.5 hours of battery life out of the unit. 

There are actually higher lights in the marketplace if that’s the first focus, however consider this as a light-weight centered on recording your experience within the occasion of an incident. There is a 135-degree wide-angle digicam with high quality as excessive as 4k at 24fps and recording to an SD card. The video will loop file and mechanically lock a chunk of the recording overlaying earlier than and after an incident. Six-axis Electronic Image Stabilisation helps be certain that the video is usable and the sunshine does the identical when the solar goes down.

Read extra particulars in our full Cycliq Fly 12 Sport evaluation. 

Best rear bike lights

Best rear bike gentle total

It needs to be no shock to see the Bontrager Flare RT after we additionally included the Ion 200 RT above. The two lights got here out collectively, they’re accessible as a pair, and so they share lots of the identical strengths. The Flare RT is a no-fuss gentle you possibly can take with you on any experience, day or night time, and know you’ll be a magnet for different street customers. It’s inexpensive, simple to mount to most seat posts, and could be mounted to just about the rest with the suitable adaptor. It is greater than vivid sufficient, with nice run time, and whereas there are others right here with extra options resembling radar and cameras, this can be a nice gentle for most individuals in most conditions. 

When I headed out my door to cross the state of Oregon by myself, I took a Flare RT. The 16-hour battery life was sufficient to cowl all however essentially the most excessive conditions and the disruptive flash sample, together with the focusing lens, meant that even within the vivid noon solar of the Eastern Oregon desert, I used to be seen. In my expertise, the 2km estimate may even be underselling it. The tiny measurement of the Flare RT, together with the Ion 200 RT, additionally makes each lights splendid to be used on helmets. The solely draw back is that this is not a brand-new gentle and it is beginning to present its age with an outdated micro-USB charging port. But it is inexpensive, simple to make use of, and can mount to just about something with the suitable adaptor. 

Best rear bike gentle with a digicam

If you desire a digicam for incident detection on the rear of your bike then you definitely’ve bought two decisions, Cycliq and Garmin. They each work by recording on a regular basis and looping when the reminiscence card is full. In the occasion of an incident, the time frame across the incident will get locked so and will not be overwritten. They each provide the identical 1080p at 30fps video recording too. It’s from there that the choices differ and Garmin comes out on high. The Garmin RCT715 will come near seven hours of recording time with a brighter flash at 65 lumens and a wider area of view. The Garmin additionally has an enormous ace up its sleeve within the type of Varia radar.

Varia radar lets when automobiles are behind you and it is not hyperbole to say it can change the best way you experience. The RCT715 takes what’s already a tremendous gentle with a superb radar system then provides the digicam performance. You should put up with an occasional false optimistic the place the system thinks you had an incident once you did not however it can by no means miss a automobile. 

You can learn extra concerning the particulars of this gentle in our full evaluation of the Garmin Varia RCT715 rear gentle.

Best rear bike gentle with radar

I realise that is simply the older model of the RCT715 gentle above, however right here you are foregoing the digicam function and saving some cash. There are additionally some newly launched options however regardless of a very long time in the marketplace, and the competitors, the RTL515 continues to be the king on the subject of the core performance. 

I’ve ridden 1000’s of miles with an RTL515 and I’ve by no means as soon as had it miss reporting a automobile. It’s additionally brighter than a number of the competitors and it has extra battery life. The draw back of the unit’s age is that it is nonetheless utilizing a micro-USB charging port. There’s additionally been a vocal request for a leash mount and whereas I’ve by no means misplaced my 515, it looks as if it could be a prudent addition. Those particulars do not have an effect on the core performance although, on the subject of a light-weight that tells when there’s a automobile behind you, that is the only option. 

Read extra particulars concerning the Garmin Varia Radar RTL515 in our shared protection with the Garmin Edge 1030 Plus evaluation 

Best rear bike gentle for lengthy distances

If rear radar sounds unnecessarily difficult, or if you would like extra battery life, then the Exposure Boost R is the best way to go. Like the entrance Exposure gentle we included, the construct high quality is second to none and the mounting items are equally spectacular. Although there is a rubber strap concerned within the mounting, it is about twice as thick as you’d anticipate and it’ll deal with even a large aero submit. 

Aside from the main points, the massive trick is a large battery in comparison with most taillights. For years I’ve felt secure with round 40 lumens and the Boost R will get as excessive as 80. Knock it right down to 40 although and you will get 24 hours on pulse mode. There’s even an choice to halve the output once more for 48 hours of lighting. 

N/B: Since testing, Exposure has added ReAKT and Peloton modes to the Boost R, in addition to USB-C. ReAKT successfully transforms the rear gentle right into a brake gentle, whereas Peloton dims the sunshine when shone with a motorcycle gentle. Having examined each of those new options they’re actually helpful additions, notably in group experience situations. 

Best rear bike gentle for metropolis visibility

The spec for the Thousand Traveler places the one daylight mode at 105-lumens however it’s so much totally different than the Bontrager, or Exposure, lights even with these powered down. For one factor the max battery life in that mode is lower than 4 hours however it additionally has a special type of reflector. The gentle is broader and unlikely to have the identical visibility at distance. Instead, the broader beam is nice at placing out plenty of gentle and attracting consideration on the nearer distances wanted within the metropolis. The Thousand Traveler is not a experience all day, visibility in any state of affairs, type of gentle. Not everybody wants that although and it does an ideal job for brief rides within the metropolis. If you simply want a cheap, fashionable, rear gentle that can assist be sure you are seen then the Thousand is a superb alternative. 

Mountin, there’s a rubberized strap that wraps round a spherical bar then the precise gentle mounts magnetically and the two.0 model will typically twist barely to centre itself mechanically. There is an possibility for flashing with a disruptive sample, or stable, and charging is courtesy of a USB-C port. The magnetic connection between the mount and the sunshine is precisely the identical because the entrance, so the criticism stays the identical. I’ve not had a difficulty however there’s no catch to lock the sunshine in. It’s not not possible that the fitting bump would trigger the small quantity of rotation attainable to permit the sunshine to fall out. 

Best rear bike gentle for optimum brightness

I’ve been engaged on this checklist for numerous years now and all through that point, Lezyne has at all times been a gradual possibility for high-powered taillights. The Lezyne Strip Drive Pro 400+ is the newest model in the identical lineup. This time although, it’s so good it’s thrown the entire part of taillights into query. 

This newest gentle from Lezyne has a large 1900 mAh battery and runs as much as an eye fixed watering 400 lumens for 18 hours. Those numbers don’t actually exist from anybody else so once I first checked out it I needed to determine if the Exposure gentle nonetheless had a spot on this checklist. If you want to experience ultra-distances, you’ll should determine in the event you choose having a pulsing gentle that by no means absolutely turns off or a flashing gentle that’s brighter however doesn’t final as lengthy. The Exposure possibility gives the previous whereas the Lezyne has the latter. Given the battery measurement, I’d say that’s extra of a alternative than a {hardware} difficulty. 

What it comes right down to is that the Lezyne Strip Drive Pro 400+ is specializing in staying seen throughout the day. The 400 lumen mode is a part of an irregular flash sample that can be sure you stand out from the background irrespective of how vivid the solar is. 

As lengthy as that’s your want, it’s arduous to fault this gentle. There’s USB-C for charging, and mounting consists of a robust and straightforward to drag rubber ladder strap. Instead of needing to swap out items for various seatpost shapes, the again of the sunshine works for each D -shaped and spherical. The solely factor I’d wish to see modified is that there’s no angle within the mount. Given that seatposts are angled which means this gentle will at all times be going through down a bit. 

Best bike lights for additional visibility

Ideas for added lighting past the standard entrance and rear positions.

One of one of the best methods so as to add additional lighting is thru the pedals. Pedals, clearly, transfer when you experience so having them gentle up undoubtedly catches the attention. If that feels like an ideal concept then the Redshift Arclight pedals are a system that make it simple. There are 4 LED modules that slide into the metal pedal physique – two per pedal – and keep put magnetically. All of the modules will shine each pink and white and swap relying on their orientation.

There’s additionally an additional mount accessible for utilizing the modules as a entrance or rear gentle as nicely. In that configuration, the lights are pink if mounted vertically or white if horizontal. Even on the brighter flashing mode, the battery will final a very long time and so they know to close themselves off when not in use. It’s actually a set it and overlook it type of system and once you do have to cost them, there’s an ingeniously easy four-port USB charger included. The entire set will match and, in the event you lose it, replacements are low-cost and straightforward to search out. The solely draw back is that there’s some query of legality relying on location. Make certain you examine in case you are outdoors the US.

Helmets are one other wonderful means so as to add lighting in an natural means that simply is sensible. Mountain bikers will usually add lighting to helmets as a result of it tracks together with your imaginative and prescient and though the Giro Escape MIPS is not for seeing, you do get a few of that very same impact. When you might be turning, your head will swivel to examine what’s coming and, with the lights on the helmet, the lights will swivel in the direction of drivers as nicely. Of course, there are plenty of choices on the market for city helmets with lights however what I like concerning the Giro Escape MIPS, specifically, is that the model actually hits the mark for city type.

It’s an ideal helmet that is snug to put on and it is bought MIPS. The lights are an extra security function that take nothing away and are simple to make use of if you wish to. The solely draw back is that Giro stays behind the instances with micro-USB charging. Read extra in our full evaluation of the Giro Escape MIPS

If you need to study extra about MIPS know-how itself you possibly can head to our what’s a  MIPS helmet web page. 

How to decide on one of the best bike lights for you

Like most purchases, shopping for one of the best bike lights in your wants requires an understanding of what these wants are, what options can be found to fulfill these wants, and the way a lot you need to spend.

First and foremost, you in all probability need lights in order that these round you possibly can see you when the solar goes down. Any good bike gentle will do that, however as you begin spending extra, the checklist of added options grows. Some will add big energy in an effort to additionally see the place you are happening pitch-dark nation lanes. Others will add big batteries to last more between expenses, and others will add additional wide-angle visibility in order that it is not solely the visitors immediately in entrance and behind you that may see you. When you get to the higher echelons, you will begin to see the addition of inbuilt cameras and radar. 

Balancing these options in opposition to your wants, you will have to know what kind of driving you will be doing, whether or not it may be daylight, street-lit, or completely off-grid in the dead of night. The latter would require extra brightness up entrance so you possibly can see the place you are going. You’ll additionally know the way lengthy you are driving for – it is no use having a two-hour battery life in case your experience lasts three. 

Then start to ask your self what’s vital: do you assume an inbuilt digicam is well worth the added expense? Do you desire a radar machine to inform you when automobiles are arising from behind? Or do you merely need most brightness and most battery energy? Your reply to these questions will have an effect on your choice. Once you’ve got bought an concept of what you need out of your gentle, the checklist of merchandise above will show you how to to decide on an excellent possibility from inside these parameters.