On the whole, the advent of LEDs and smaller, more powerful rechargeable batteries has shrunk the size of bike lights. Unfortunately the IXON IQ bucks this trend and is a whopper. Much of its size is down to the IQ-Reflector system that uses a large reflector to cast its beam rather than relying on direct […]
This light from Topeak is a chunky unit. In its defence, it’s undeniably a light for seeing with as well as being seen; is by far the brightest in this price bracket; and rather than just coping with unlit roads, provides enough light on its full well-flooded beam to ride confidently. Its size is largely […]
Cycle into work on a winter’s morning, unhook your Boomer in one easy flick of a rubber strap, plug it into the USB port on your computer to charge it, then ride home confident your light won’t die. With its simplicity of design and commuter-oriented functionality, the Boomer ticks plenty of boxes. For such a […]
Another front and rear package that includes a neat-looking single LED front light and a three LED rear. The rear runs off a single AA battery, delivers 80hrs of burn flashing and is extremely visible. The front isn’t much bigger than the AA battery that powers it but although giving 60hrs of burn flashing – […]
Small but perfectly formed, this neat light set from Blackburn would be ideal to stow in your bike jersey in case you get caught out at dusk or dull and foggy days. For such small units, both the front and rear chuck out a decent amount of light. On flashing mode you can see the […]
£250 may seem like a shed load of cash but this is one hell of a bike light. Even its lowest setting, which pumps out 300 lumens and has a burn time of 13 hours, is sufficient for most road cycling situations. The 850 lumens boost setting delivers a credible three hours of burn and […]
?Silva has a fantastic headlamp pedigree, and there’s no doubt that the X-Trail is a top-performing and versatile product. The beam it produces strikes a perfect balance between flood and spot, is the best on test and easily copes with full-on, off-road adventures. The massive rubberised button makes operation easy, even with gloves on. At […]
With 850 lumens of power coming from three LEDs, this is a super little light in more ways than one. We tested the flood version but it comes in a spotlight version, too. An off-road night rider might benefit from both, but the flood version was spot-on for road riding, though we did try it […]
Two LEDs powered by a single Li-ION gives this light plenty of punch with a long, penetrating beam. It also has a good light spread that shows plenty of immediate detail. It’s certainly good enough for hammering the trails off-road and down dark country lanes. Mounting is simplicity itself, and while Cat-Eye’s single-shot model has […]
This handlebar-mounted integral light and battery unit is easy to fit and straightforward to use. It has two power settings that are adequate for street use, plus occasional unlit road riding. A single button – mounted centre at the top of the unit – flips through low and high power, and also boasts a flash […]
Basically, for another £75 this doubles up the light power of the Light and Motion Stella 150 by having two light units instead of one. The lights can be placed together on your handlebars or placed up to 15 centimetres apart. The result is a penetrating beam of light that’s good enough for safe road […]
A robust single light with a two watt LED and a Lithium Ion battery that fits neatly on top of a bike stem. It was powerful, gave a surprisingly wide beam and was suitable for countryside use. The battery pack and light unit both have solid, easy to assemble mounts, onto which the light and […]
A hugely powerful four LED lamp unit with five light modes, ranging from dipped light for urban areas up to the ultra-bright level four, which would work beautifully on a gnarly off-road track. All of these modes (including the handy flash) are operated by a single on/off button, which is ideally positioned for gloved thumbs. […]
This well-made light is intended for road use. It’s easy to mount on a very solid metal bracket and boasts some nice features, including a separate switch that can be placed anywhere on your handlebars and operated while wearing gloves. Its two LEDs give a wide, penetrating beam and, despite the battery pack being part […]
With a combined weight of 174g for unit and battery pack, this is extremely light for its power. It’s so light, in fact, that if you put the light and battery pack on your helmet you won’t notice it. Yet despite this, the MiNewt Mini knocks out a hefty beam, claimed to be 110 lumens […]
Two powerful LEDs are mounted facing a reflector, which then casts forward a wide beam of penetrating light. The handlebar-mounted unit is bulky because it includes the NIMH battery pack, and although fitting is easy, we felt the bracket was a bit weedy for what is a relatively heavy unit. This is a bike-only light, […]
The NiMH battery makes this small light a little heavier than the MiNewt Mini, but it packs in 40 more lumens in a slightly wider beam. Critically, there’s also more control. A push button on the light unit switches first to full power, then lower power and flash mode. This is good because it gets […]
This was the mighty atom of the test, giving out a huge amount of light from a tiny source – an incredible 220 lumens at full power. Amazingly,all this power comes from two lithium batteries. Fitting the ExposureSpark to your bike is as simple as pulling two tie wraps in place; it really is that […]
The most powerful rear view light here, but let down by sideways visibility and switch issues. The 0.5 watt red LED sitting at the top of the keyhole-shaped unit is certainly an attention grabber. Not only will cars clock you from miles away, it’s also enough of a mind melter in random flash mode to […]
Costing a mere tenner, Niterider’s little safety scarab is a decent if delicate basic unit. We say delicate because it exploded first drop during our simulated, off-bike fall phase of testing. The good news is that once we’d found and re-assembled all the bits and batteries, it still worked fine and didn’t spill its guts […]
Cateye was the first company to build a rear LED and reflector that met British Safety standards and effectively made bulbed rear lights extinct overnight. Their latest multi-LED grenade blows the opposition away. While each LED might not be the brightest, the effect of all eight rear diodes going off in sequence is hypnotically noticeable. […]
Sanyo’s Eaglefly matched its name with a soaring performance to start with… but it didn’t take long to admit that we’d been a tad too hasty with our initial praise. The semi-reflector design looks basic but the LEDs are seriously bright. They even eclipsed the mighty Cateye in the Space Invader/flapping wings flashing mode that […]
Twenty pounds for this tiny dot of a light seems a lot, but then it’s got some typically cunning Blackburn features. While it’s not big or dazzling enough to be a main light, it’s small and light enough to sit on the back of your helmet, bag loop or even overshoe top without wobbling. This […]
