Best Bike Lights, Tested and Reviewed (2025)

1 month ago

The champion bike lights are a cycling essential, whether you're commuting done metropolis streets aliases blazing trails aft dark. While nan rule varies by state, astir states require cyclists to usage immoderate benignant of lights successful debased visibility. There's a wide array of lights to take from, pinch options ranging from budget-friendly municipality blinkers to car-headlight-style agleam beasts. We tested dozens to thief you take nan champion lights for visibility, artillery life, and budget, immoderate your riding style.

Bike lights service 2 purposes: to spot and to be seen by different vehicles. Whether you're looking for a disruptive flash shape to beryllium seen connected a engaged road, a focused beam to spot a acheronian trail, aliases a ray mini capable to fresh successful your pocket, we person a prime for you. Our apical prime is nan Knog Blinder 1300 ($99), but nan Unit 1 Smart Pro Dual ($150) besides has its ain convenient charging case.

After this, cheque retired nan remainder of our guides to nan Best Electric Bicycles, nan Best Bike Helmets, and nan Best Bike Locks.

How to Choose Bike Lights

Size: If you're a commuter, you'll want to region lights for safekeeping. Look for nan astir compact designs that fresh easy successful a pouch aliases bag. Thanks to LED bulb technology, you tin find impressively bright, pocketable lights. Sizes and weights present are listed without nan mounting brackets (unless they’re integral) because their size and weight successful your container is arguably much important than adding a mates of ounces to your motorcycle (unless you're a pro circuit rider).

Mounting style: Where and really you connect your motorcycle lights matters. Handlebar mounts are awesome for lighting nan roadworthy ahead, and look for downward-angled designs that will illuminate nan roadworthy for enhanced visibility. Helmet-mounted lights move pinch your statement of sight, which is perfect for way riding. Rear lights should equine securely to your spot station aliases bag. and Look for tool-free, quick-release mounts for easy on/off, and rubber straps for easy swapping to different motorcycle frame. Some models besides connection clip-on versatility for backpacks aliases clothing, giving you much ways to enactment visible.

Charging: Unless you’re readying epic, all-night rides, brightness is much important than artillery life. Everything tested present is charged either via USB-A aliases USB-C. We steered clear of inexpensive designs that require disposable batteries, since those dice quickly.

Battery life: How agelong a artillery lasts depends connected nan mode you choose. Battery life tin scope from 2 to 30-plus hours. The brighter your light, nan faster nan artillery will drain, and having a coagulated beam besides uses much juice than a flashing light. On nan roadworthy aliases trail, nan brighter nan better, but if your artillery is moving debased past you tin typically dial it down to eke retired nan artillery life.

Check your section legislation: While astir states require immoderate benignant of lights successful debased visibility, nan laws connected which type of lights are legal—the range, lumens, whether it tin flash aliases not—will alteration depending connected nan state. If you're nervous, cheque your section state authorities here.

How Many Lumens Do I Need?

Brightness is measured successful lumens, and successful almost each circumstances, nan brighter nan better. On metropolis roads pinch streetlights, however, you usage lights to beryllium seen by drivers, truthful a disruptive flash shape is much important than lumen power. But a operation of some is simply a win-win. If you’re riding backmost roads aliases trails, past you request superior brightness to illuminate nan measurement ahead. And nan faster you ride, nan further up you’ll want lighting. For compact urban-riding lights, 100 to 200 lumens is capable to thief you beryllium seen, time and night. Bright lights that illuminate your measurement for illustration a car headlight are upwards of 1,000 lumens.

A coagulated fixed beam mounted to nan beforehand of your motorcycle illuminates what’s up of you, but a flashing ray gets you seen. So you astir apt want a flashing rear light. In an perfect world, you'd person 2 achromatic lights connected nan front, 1 flashing and 1 fixed-beam. A varied aliases disruptive flash shape is much noticeable than a accordant pulse, too.