There’s a standard rubber bar mount with rubber stabiliser and adaptors for different diameter bars, too. Combining a spotlight and wider optic, the light provides a broad beam as well as a more focused reach. The latest Strada Mk11 SB AKTiv road light is now up to 1,600 lumens from 1,200 lumens a few years ago.

bike lights for winter and night riding 2023 | Cyclist Best bike lights for winter and night riding 2023 | Cyclist

But if you’re a bike commuter, with both front and rear lights also consider how effective the lamp is in terms of side lighting, as this will make you more visible from more angles and help avoid the "sorry, I didn't see you" excuse from a turning vehicle. Still, away from all the peripherals, fundamentally the Exposure Strada remains a really, really good light. Plus, if your commute is mainly street lit, there’s simply no need for a brighter light than this as it doesn’t make a significant difference to what you can see. CatEye has incorporated good lensing and a nice clear case allowing for viewing angles of 300 degrees - so no blind spots for tailing drivers.

Truly powerful front lights may even feature an external battery pack that will also need to be accommodated on the bike. The mounting system is also a tool-less split-clamp, just like Trek’s, so swapping between bikes isn’t too much of a faff - though it is more involved than Knog’s excellent system on the Blinder 900. The run time isn’t spectacular, but it’s easy to decrease light levels to save battery and the large LED run-time indicator also helps you see when it’s in need of a charge. The central part of the Magicshine’s beam does shine brighter, but the Exposure Strada casts much more light to the sides, lighting up a greater area in total - as it should, with a lumen count of 1,450. The light uses an adaptor that’s attached to its body with a 4mm Allen key bolt to work with the GoPro mount.

Bike Lights | Bike Accessories | Evans Cycles

A rear light’s main role is to help make you visible to other road users, so having decent brightness and battery life is essential because it needs to last the length of whatever ride you’re taking on while also being powerful enough for other road users to see it from a good distance.We’ll look at specialist lighting options in a moment, but for now, let’s assume you’re a road rider or commuter who wants to see and be seen when the sun sets. If you can find it on a discount, it’s a solid light for commuting, but at full RRP there are better options. None of our test results exactly matched the manufacturers’ claimed lumens, but most were within a reasonable 10 percent margin. Still, it doesn’t cause a strong contrast, making it more difficult to see what’s in the shadows on the trail. StVZO bike lights conform to German Road Traffic Licensing Regulations, with beam patterns shaped to avoid dazzling other road users.

bike lights reviewed | Cycling Weekly Best bike lights reviewed | Cycling Weekly

All lights will have multiple modes, so the range is from the most intense to the most economical option.Alex moved to Morzine in the French Alps at 19 to pursue a career as a bike bum and clocked up an enormous amount of riding. Dynamo-powered lights – which, most commonly, are powered by a generator hub built into a wheel – are a very popular option on touring and town bikes, and with good reason.

Lezyne Lite Drive 1000XL Lumen Front Bike Light | Halfords UK

Even when riding during daylight hours, a blinking rear light can help improve a rider’s visibility to approaching cars. They produce less heat, are brighter and can come in a variety of colours – but remember the law in most countries dictates a rear light must be red. These can be very effective and have the added benefit of directing the light wherever you are looking. As an experienced snapper with decades behind the lens, Russell has shot thousands of bike tests and features, but is an experienced rider and tester, too, putting gravel and MTB gear through its paces around Salisbury Plain and the Scottish Highlands.There is a downside in that the battery indicator is as basic as the Magicshine Allty1000, with it remaining green for the most part and then changing to red at lower power percentages. There’s no light lost upwards and although the spread is not wide, it illuminates enough on either side to still feel fully aware of your surroundings.