No matter what you do or how you do it, the most important thing you need to have at the forefront of your brain at all times is your safety, so while you are trying the enjoy your life to the fullest because ‘you only live once’, also remember that you have ‘only one life’.
As a bicycle lover and a cyclist, taking safety measures like helmet and getting the best bicycle lights for your visibility to other road users and safety is very important.
Sometimes you get so lost in your riding that you lose track of time and ride into the night. When this happens, you need to be prepared so that instead of finding your way home with your phone’s torchlight which is dangerous, you can get a solid bike light to help see you home safely.
For your safety, we have put together some of the best bicycle lights you can purchase to keep you safe and seen at all times.
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1. MagicShine RN3000
SPECIFICATIONS:
Lumens: 3000
Charging connection: USB-CIntended
Mounting: Standard Garmin mount with included strap mount and available out-front mount
Battery life: 13:30-hrs at 750 lumens
Battery size: 10000 mAh
The MagicShine RN3000 is an amazing torchlight you can use for getting through the city during dark hours. It is a 10,000 mAh battery that makes for incredible runtimes and it even has the option to use a battery pack. Mounting is via a Garmin quarter-turn mount so if you want to go looking for some kind of alternative mounting option, there are tons of choices.
Once mounted, you can either power it up for a 3000-lumen option that will manage off-road use for a couple of hours, or you can power it down for longer run times. With the light powered at 750 lumens, enough for visibility on the road without street lights, you can make it through the night to your destination.
2. Thousand Traveler front light
SPECIFICATIONS
Lumens: 250 in flash mode/100 lumens solid
Charging connection: USB-C
Mounting: rubber strap
Battery life: 6-hour flash at 250 lumens
Battery size: 500 mAh
This is a basic inexpensive small light that has a rubber strap that wraps around the handlebars then the actual light snaps in with a magnetic and a small turn to lock. It is an easy option you can leave on your bike and not think about much. Rotate it to turn it on and while it won’t be bright enough to light up the way, put it on daylight flash and you’ll stand out in traffic, day or night.
3. Garmin Varia RCT715
SPECIFICATIONS
Lumens: 65
Charging connection: USB-C
Mounting: Silicone straps
Battery life: Six hours with day flash and camera recording
Battery size: 2800 mAh
If you want a camera for incident detection on the rear of your bike then the Garmin Varia RCT715 is the best for you as it records all the time and loops when the memory card is full. In the event of an incident, the time around the incident gets locked so and won’t be overwritten. It also offers 1080p at 30fps video recording.
The Garmin RCT715 will come close to seven hours of recording time with a brighter flash at 65 lumens and a wider field of view. The Garmin also has a big ace up its sleeve in the form of Varia radar. Varia radar lets you know when cars are behind you.
4. Topeak Taillux 40 DF
SPECIFICATIONS
Lumens: 40
Charging connection: Direct USB
Mounting: Seat rail hard mount with a secondary accessory mount
Battery life: 20 hours with 40-lumen pulse
Battery size: 160 mAh
The Topeak Taillux 40 DF is the rear bike light with its mounting system that attaches to the saddle rails then the light slides into a slot above the mount. Below the mount is a secondary mount and there are options for bags and tool storage or mudguards. There’s a lot of utility and a well-thought-out system with three modes that each time you turn off the light, will start back at the beginning and require a press to get to your preferred mode.
Read also: 10 Best Bicycle Helmets You Need To Buy
5. Bontrager Ion Pro RT 1300
SPECIFICATIONS
Lumens: 1300
Charging connection: micro USB
Mounting: No tools are required for a hard mount with quick removal and Blendr
Battery life: 3 hours at 800 lumens
Battery size: 5000 mAh
This torch light can be used for fast road riding on dark roads and can cover three hours of runtime at a comfortable brightness. It changes colors to let you know the available battery life. It also benefits from an update to USB-C fast charging as the charge time is around seven hours long. Its mounting requires no tools and you can attach it right over the top of the bar tape. It is It’s a great backup option in adventure situations due to its easy mounting.
6. Bontrager Ion 200 RT
SPECIFICATIONS
Lumens: 200
Charging connection: Micro USB
Mounting: Silicone and Blendr
Battery life: Night Flash 30hrs / Day Flash 12hrs
Battery size: 420mAh
The Bontrager Ion 200 RT with its front and rear light is a combination of a clever lens design and a very specific flash pattern that focuses a minimal 200 lumens and makes it visible from up to 2km away while the flash pattern grabs attention.
This torchlight keeps you visible to every motorist despite having a low lumen count and can keep the light ultra-small while still providing up to 30 hours of nighttime flashing. Its small size also makes it comfortable if you want to utilize the Blendr mounting system to put the light on a helmet like the Bontrager Circuit Wavecel Helmet, and its silicone strap allows for tons of mounting options.
7. Garmin Varia RTL515
SPECIFICATIONS
Lumens: 65 lumens
Charging connection: Micro-USB
Mounting: Rubber strap and plastic bracket
Battery life: 16 hours day flash
Battery size: 1400 mAh
The RTL515 is brighter than most of its competition in the market as it has more battery life. Its only issue is that it still uses a micro-USB charging port. This is an amazing addition to this list when it comes to a light that tells when there is a car behind you.
8. Redshift Sports Arclight
SPECIFICATIONS
Lumens: 50 front / 20 rear
Charging connection: Direct USB
Mounting: Magnetic mounting inside the pedal body or rubber strap and plastic bracket
Battery life: 11+hrs for standard flash
Battery size: 530 mAh
This torchlight is a great way to add extra lighting through the pedals. It has four LED modules that slide into the steel pedal body – two per pedal – and stays attached magnetically. All of the modules will shine both red and white and switch depending on their orientation. Its battery lasts long and knows when to shut itself down if not in use.
There’s also an extra mount available for using the modules as a front or rear light as well. It’s a kind of torch light you can set and forget till you need to charge which is very easy with its four-port USB charger.
9. Portland Design Works City Rover Power 700
SPECIFICATIONS
Lumens: 700
Charging connection: micro USB
Battery life: 4 hours at 350 lumens
Battery size: 2,200 mAh
The Portland Design Works City Rover Power 700 at half power, gives you three hours of runtime to ride along. It is relatively easy to use with no need for code or battery gauge to know when it’s time to charge. With its micro USB charging port, you can practically charge anywhere you find yourself without facing any kind of difficulty.
10. Exposure Strada Mk11 SB AKTiv
SPECIFICATIONS
Lumens: 1600
Charging connection: Proprietary port
Mounting: Metal with a locking slide off
Battery life: 4-hrs at 800 lumens
Battery size: 10,200 mAh
The Exposure Strada Mk11 SB AKTiv can be described as the best when it comes to night rides. It can be tricky to use at first, but worth the fix. Its light output is 1600 lumens max and the 10,200 mAh battery will give you a burn time of two hours at max power. From there, drop the power by half and you get twice the battery power.
You can figure out what power and battery life you need, then on the road, you turn on the light at the selected program and you’ve got high, medium, and low available within that program. It has a display that says exactly how much burn time you have at power and has weatherproof batteries you can connect when there is a rundown. It has an auto-dim feature that temporarily reduces the light when an approaching vehicle’s headlights are detected.
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