If you’ve never been mountain biking at night before, you’re missing out. It presents an awesome challenge; obstacles come at you faster, it feels like you’re riding at warp speed and there’s something majestic about the woods at night.
You’ll need a high-powered front light to illuminate the trail, though, and these are the best mountain bike lights as tried and tested by the BikeRadar team.
The brighter your lights are, the better your night riding experience is going to be. You’ll be able to see more of the trail, obstacles shrouded in the shadows pop out at you and speed comes naturally.
In this guide, we’ve focused on high-powered lights for mountain biking. Otherwise, check out our guide to the best bike lights for road cycling and commuting.
What to look for in a mountain bike light
When considering which mountain bike light to buy, there are four things worth bearing in mind:
- Lumens
- Run time
- Beam pattern
- Extras
A minimum of 1,500 lumens will provide enough light for well-lit riding. You can get away with less, but if you ride fast or on technical trails more lumens is better than less.
Run time can vary a great deal between lights and it is minimised the more power the LEDs are pumping out. We’ve listed the run time for each of the lights in this list at max power.
Beam pattern refers to how the lights disperse light across the trail, and it can be just as important as lumens when it comes to how well you can see.
Lights will often have either a spot or flood pattern. Spot patterns highlight details in front of you in great detail. Flood patterns disperse the light over a wider area and can give you a better sense of what’s around you. Some lights use a mixture of both.
Do you need an extra-long cable for a battery pack? Are you looking to mount a light on multiple bikes It’s worth paying attention to the extras that come with a light to make sure it is suitable for your specific needs.
We’ve made sure to refer to these four points in the reviews of all the lights listed here.
If you’re looking for more detail about what to look for when buying a mountain bike light you can skip to our buyer’s guide at the end of this article.
Beam comparison
Scroll through the gallery below to compare the beams of the top-rated lights (each in its most powerful setting) from our 2019 and 2020 tests.
While every effort has been made to provide fair comparison (our 2019 and 2020 images were shot using the same camera settings), these images should be viewed as illustrative of each light’s beam pattern.
!["Magicshine]("https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/21/2020/09/magicshine-f4921d2.jpg?quality=90&resize=160%2C208 "\"Magicshine's")
!["Gemini]("https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/21/2019/11/20191107_SB_5DSR_MG_8696-8e985c6.jpg?quality=90&resize=160%2C208 "\"Gemini")
!["Lifeline]("https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/21/2019/11/20191107_SB_5DSR_MG_8691-9dd6fc4.jpg?quality=90&resize=160%2C208 "\"Lifeline")
!["Magicshine]("https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/21/2019/11/20191107_SB_5DSR_MG_8707-99cc9b1.jpg?quality=90&resize=160%2C208 "\"Magicshine")
!["NiteRider]("https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/21/2019/11/20191107_SB_5DSR_MG_8702-c64f6ac.jpg?quality=90&resize=160%2C208 "\"NiteRider")
!["Halfords]("https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/21/2020/09/halfords-f10ff0e.jpg?quality=90&resize=160%2C208 "\"Halfords")
!["Hope]("https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/21/2020/09/hope-522a50d.jpg?quality=90&resize=160%2C208 "\"Hope")
!["Lumicycle]("https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/21/2020/09/lumicycle-f0b2a65.jpg?quality=90&resize=160%2C208 "\"Lumicycle")
!["Moon]("https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/21/2020/09/moon-2a969de.jpg?quality=90&resize=160%2C208 "\"Moon")
!["Exposure]("https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/21/2020/09/exposure-2493352.jpg?quality=90&resize=160%2C208 "\"Exposure")
!["Gloworm]("https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/21/2019/11/20191107_SB_5DSR_MG_8705-984e609.jpg?quality=90&resize=160%2C208 "\"Gloworm")
!["Hope]("https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/21/2019/11/20191107_SB_5DSR_MG_8689-13be899.jpg?quality=90&resize=160%2C208 "\"Hope")
!["Ravemen]("https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/21/2019/11/20191107_SB_5DSR_MG_8692-be183fe.jpg?quality=90&resize=160%2C208 "\"Ravemen")
!["Light]("https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/21/2019/11/20191107_SB_5DSR_MG_8706-1b4bcbe.jpg?quality=90&resize=160%2C208 "\"Light")
The best mountain bike lights 2021, as rated by our expert testers
- Magicshine Monteer 8000S Galaxy: $400 / AU$650 – approx £310
- Exposure Six Pack MK11: £435 / $596 / AU$699 / €522
- Gemini Titan 4000: £350 / $350 / AU$450
- Gloworm XS Adventure Lightset (2.0): £245/ $309 / AU$410
- Lifeline Pavo Motion 2400: £150 / $170 / AU$265
- Magicshine Monteer 6500: £226 / $350
- Niterider Lumina Dual 1800: £160 / $149
- Exposure MaXx D MK13: £385 / $473 / AU$619
- Gloworm XSV: £289 / $320 / AU$389
- Halfords Advanced 1600 Lumen: £50
- Hope R4+ LED Std: £230 / €285
- Hope R8+: £295
- Light and Motion Seca Comp 2000: £255 / $225
- Light and Motion Seca Enduro: £350
- Lumicycle Apogee Carbon Extender Pack: £366 / €400 / $395 / AU$550
- Magicshine MJ-906S: £140 / $200
- Moon Rigel Enduro: £190 / $261 / AU$342
- Moon X-Power 1800: £220 / $270
- Ravemen PR1600: £130
- Ravemen PR2400: £255
Magicshine Monteer 8000S Galaxy
- Buy direct from Magicshine
!["Best]("https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/21/2020/09/Magicshine-Monteer-8000S-01-7ae3e99.jpg?quality=90&resize=619%2C413" "\"Best")
- RRP: $400 / AU$650 / approx. £310 as tested
- Claimed max output: 8,000 lumens
- Run time (max power): 1 hour 15 minutes
- Huge power for technical trail riding
- Great focused beam and peripheral lighting
Boasting a brain-bending 8,000 lumens, the Galaxy’s immense brightness is second to none. It lights up the trail and its surroundings with fantastic competence, making it a one-stop-shop for gnarly trail riding.
The beam is super-broad with a virtually imperceptible cut-off point to the sides and front. As well as this impressive spread, there’s a bright spotlit area directly in front of the bike that lets you pick out details such as rocks and roots as if it were daytime, further aided by the beam’s white hue.
There are three programs, each with four constant modes and one flashing setting, selected via the power button on the tough alloy head unit.
The 10,000mAh battery pack straps securely to the frame and, because it’s quite thin at 34mm, can squeeze into small gaps.
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Exposure Six Pack MK11
!["Exposure]("https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/21/2021/10/Exposure-Six-Pack-MK11-01-16b6b79.jpg?quality=90&resize=620%2C413" "\"Exposure")
- RRP: £435 / $596 / AU$699 / €522 as tested
- Claimed max output: 3,600 lumens
- Run time (max power): 2 hours
- Good forward illumination
- Clever automatic Reflex mode
With six LEDs and 10 operating modes, the Exposure Six Pack is an impressive beast, reflected in its 424g weight and chunky dimensions, which house a 15,500mAh battery. Exposure’s clamp screws to the bars to keep it stable though.
The in-built Reflex tech uses accelerometers to calculate how fast you’re travelling and how rough the terrain is, and increases or decreases brightness to match, up to 5,000 lumens so you don’t need to fiddle with the controls as you ride. You’re limited to 3,600 lumens in the highest constant mode though.
The beam pattern gives a good spread to make the most of this output, although we found peripheral spread a bit limiting when picking lines through tight turns. Another feature we liked was the different colours for distant and near lighting so that you get high definition further down the trail without being dazzled by the foreground.
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Gemini Titan 4000
!["Best]("https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/21/2019/10/Gemini-Titan-4000-OLED-01-4c53402.jpg?quality=90&resize=619%2C413" "\"Best")
- RRP: £350 / $350 / AU$450 as tested
- Claimed max output: 4,000 lumens
- Run time (max power): 2 hours 25 minutes
- Very impressive brightness
- Long run time
The Gemini Titan claims to output a very respectable 4,000 lumens, and while we didn’t specifically confirm the claim, we can confirm that its output in the real world is enormous – with our tester finding it could “turn night into day”.
Furthermore, it has a phenomenal run time at around two and a half hours for such a powerful light.
It misses out on a five-star rating because it’s pretty expensive and the beam spread isn’t quite perfect, but if you need this sort of power you’ll be very impressed.
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Gloworm XS Adventure Lightset (2.0)
!["Gloworm]("https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/21/2021/10/Gloworm-XS-Adventure-Lightset-01-d153c87.jpg?quality=90&resize=620%2C413" "\"Gloworm")
- RRP: £245/ $309 / AU$410 as tested
- Claimed max output: 2,800 lumens
- Run time (max power): 1 hour 50 minutes
- Customisable optics and output
- Remote makes for easy mode changes
You can customise the optics of the Gloworm’s three LEDs by replacing the lenses, with spot, honeycomb and wide angle options and there’s a smartphone app, so you can fine-tune the light to match your riding. Two different battery cable lengths cater for bar or helmet mounting of the light unit. You get a wireless remote too and you can buy yet more lens options.
The bar mount provides a stable beam and is easy to hook up to the bars, while the battery pack secures firmly to the frame with two velcro straps. The remote makes changing modes simple, although its two buttons aren’t illuminated.
With the optics swapped out, there was a good spread of light to help pick out turns and a good throw of light down the trail with plenty of illumination, so you shouldn’t need a second light source.
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Lifeline Pavo Motion 2400
!["Best]("https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/21/2019/10/LifeLine-Pavo-Motion-2400-01-16e9f57.jpg?quality=90&resize=619%2C413" "\"Best")
- RRP: £150 / $170 / AU$265 as tested
- Claimed max output: 2,400 lumens
- Run time (max power): 3 hours
- Excellent beam spread
- Great battery life
If you’re on a tight budget, but still need a top performing light, then this is the light for you.
Putting out a claimed 2,400 lumens – a relatively modest headline figure – we were impressed by how bright it was. This is undoubtedly helped by its excellent beam spread, which floods into the distance ahead but also illuminates a wide area.
If you’re riding the most technical of trails, you’ll probably want something with more lumens, but for most people this light will more than suffice.
Our only qualms are lack of a battery level indicator and that the bluish hue of the LEDs can be harsh at times, casting quite hard shadows on the trail. But these are minor issues that we’re more than willing to overlook at this price point.
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Magicshine Monteer 6500
!["Best]("https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/21/2019/10/Magicshine-Monteer-6500-01-f2fe704.jpg?quality=90&resize=619%2C413" "\"Best")
- RRP: £226 / $350 as tested
- Claimed max output: 6,500 lumens
- Run time (max power): 2 hours 20 minutes
- Exceptional spread of light
- Illuminating LED colour
With five LED lights and a whopping 6,500 lumens total claimed output, the Magicshine Monteer 6500 is a seriously capable unit.
At maximum 5,000 and 4,000 lumens modes it’s an astonishingly powerful light, but we were also impressed by how this power is put to use. The two spot LEDs illuminate the trail ahead brilliantly, while the three flood LEDs provide unrivalled side-to-side and forward visibility.
Battery life is also excellent; 2 hours 20 minutes run time at full whack is amazing, and this exceeds the claimed life by over an hour, which we really appreciate.
Its downsides include its relatively high price and a lack of a battery life display or mode indicator – problematic when there are 15 modes – but these issues fade away very quickly when in use.
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Niterider Lumina Dual 1800
!["Best]("https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/21/2019/10/NiteRider-Lumina-Dual-1800-01-120d3fa.jpg?quality=90&resize=619%2C413" "\"Best")
- RRP: £160 / $149 as tested
- Claimed max output: 1,800 lumens
- Run time (max power): 1 hour
- Great beam spread
- Impressive power
The Niterider Lumina Dual 1800 is a top-performing light that took us a bit by surprise. Despite its relatively low claimed max lumens, it has great power and beam spread, and it’s also relatively cheap, so ticks a lot of boxes.
The internal battery is quite small, so you only get an hour’s run time at full power. It’s not the most sophisticated looking light we’ve tested either, but it easily outperforms its price tag and competes with many of the more expensive lights we’ve tested.
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Exposure MaXx D MK13
!["Best]("https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/21/2020/09/Exposure-MaXx-D-MK13-01-b6780ef.jpg?quality=90&resize=619%2C413" "\"Best")
- RRP: £385 / $473 / AU$619 as tested
- Claimed max output: 2,500 lumens (Constant mode)
- Run time (max power): 2hrs 18mins
- Automatic adjustment of output
- Long range and good spread
Exposure’s latest MaXx D MK13 all-in-one unit boasts a form of artificial intelligence; in Reflex mode it boosts or dims the light output according to the trail conditions, by using in-built 3D accelerometers to measure speed and bumps.
The brightness increases quickly when hitting technical sections after cruising along smooth trails. It helps save battery and means you don’t have to fiddle with a mode button.
The four XP-L2 LEDs produce a maximum 4,000 lumens in Reflex mode and 2,500 lumens in Constant mode, and are powered by a 11,600mAh lithium-ion battery. They throw plenty of light way out in front, although we’d like to see a bit more close-range power. Beam spread is equally impressive, encompassing ample peripheral vision to attack the trail.
An OLED screen displays current mode, battery charge and run time, and is complemented by coloured LEDs that indicate mode and battery charge.
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Gloworm XSV
!["Best]("https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/21/2019/10/Gloworm-XSV-01-d3aef91.jpg?quality=90&resize=619%2C413" "\"Best")
- RRP: £289 / $320 / AU$389 as tested
- Claimed max output: 3,400 lumens
- Run time (max power): 1 hour 50 minutes
- Long battery life
- Good mix of flood and spot lighting
With a great amount of power and plenty of range, the Gloworm XSV impressed us with its ability to highlight the trails as if it were daytime.
The spot is fairly focused on the front of the bike, but its good power output means beam spread is okay (though not amazing) with the standard lenses installed. Run time is also good at 1 hour 50 minutes on full power.
Unlike a lot of other lights, it comes with a range of accessories, making the hefty price tag a bit more palatable. The fact that it can also be linked into a system with other Gloworm lights makes it a very attractive option for anyone interested in the ecosystem as a whole.
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Halfords Advanced 1600 Lumen
!["Best]("https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/21/2020/09/Halfords-Advanced-1600-Lumen-01-e8b8043.jpg?quality=90&resize=619%2C413" "\"Best")
- RRP: £50 as tested
- Claimed max output: 1,600 lumens
- Run time (max power): 2 hours 10 minutes
- Intelligent power bar tells you remaining run time
- Impressive for its budget price
This is a fairly basic all-in-one light aimed more at road riders, but at this price, weight and output, it’s hard to beat and would make a good option to complement a helmet light or to keep in your pack as an emergency back-up.
The battery has a decent 6,400mAh capacity and powers three LEDs that throw out a fairly strong beam. It’s sufficient to comfortably ride less technical trails flat-out or more technical ones slowly.
More power would be nice, but the beam pattern has a broad enough spread with a gradual fade, so that you can still pick out obstacles around turns.
A clever feature is the ‘intelligent power bar’ that tells you how much run time you’ve got left in the mode you’re in. The rubber strap mount did the job fine, but the supplied out-front mount didn’t hold the light steady.
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Hope R4+ LED Std
!["Best]("https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/21/2020/09/Hope-R4-LED-01-1fefe75.jpg?quality=90&resize=619%2C413" "\"Best")
- RRP: £230 / €285 as tested
- Claimed max output: 2,000 lumens
- Run time (max power): 2 hours 30 minutes
- Long-range illumination
- Sensitive heat management
Hope’s R4+ uses four LEDs that form a cross pattern. Power is impressive and it feels as though you’re getting the full claimed 2,000 lumens.
It’s bright enough to highlight rocks and roots far off into the distance in front of you. However, although the fade-off is very gradual, there isn’t quite enough spread and power to illuminate the margins of the trail as much as we’d like.
The head unit has a single power button/mode selector that changes colour to indicate which of its six settings it’s in. The separate 6,200mAh, four-cell battery pack – the larger of two options available with the R4+ – has a traffic light battery indicator.
Our test unit’s thermal throttling was quite sensitive, and after two minutes of being stationary with the light on max power in 14°C temperatures, it reduced output to the middle setting.
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Hope R8+
!["Best]("https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/21/2019/10/Hope-R8-LED-01-ab21499.jpg?quality=90&resize=619%2C413" "\"Best")
- RRP: £289 as tested
- Claimed max output: 4,000 lumens
- Run time (max power): 1 hour 25 minutes
- Exceptional illumination
- Easy to use
It’s not the most powerful light we’ve ever tested, but the Hope R8+ puts out enough light to illuminate everything in front of you and then some. Side-to-side flooding is very good too, and is in fact wide enough to spot lines even when it’s not pointing directly where you want to go.
It’s very easy to use and the battery life is solid, if not exceptional, at 1 hour 25 minutes on full power. The low-power mode caught us by surprise on occasion, though – once the battery goes under 30 per cent charge it’s no longer possible to select a higher-power mode from a lower one.
We also had concerns about the long-term durability of the mount, but Hope’s after-sales support is generally very well regarded.
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Light & Motion Seca Comp 2000
!["Light]("https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/21/2021/10/Light-and-Motion-Seca-Comp-2000-01-c2c5617.jpg?quality=90&resize=619%2C413" "\"Light")
- RRP: £255 / $225 as tested
- Claimed max output: 2,000 lumens
- Run time (max power): 1 hour 20 minutes
- Good colour balance to avoid dazzle
- Great for non-technical riding
A smaller, lighter unit than many, the Light & Motion Seca Comp 2000 is controlled by two buttons, with the main one illuminated and the second operating orange sidelights for on-road use.
Light colour balance is good, with the green and yellow hues avoiding dazzle. We found the mount didn’t hold the light quite securely enough though, so there was a tendency for the beam to drop down. There’s a GoPro-style mount included that should eliminate this.
We reckoned that the Seca Comp gave more light than its stated output, although there wasn’t quite enough to cope with all the trail features we encountered, due to the broad beam spread. It’s a good option for less technical routes and casual night riding though.
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Light & Motion Seca Enduro
!["Best]("https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/21/2019/10/Light-and-Motion-Seca-Enduro-with-6-cell-battery-01-4110f56.jpg?quality=90&resize=619%2C413" "\"Best")
- RRP: £350 / $400 as tested
- Claimed max output: 2,500 lumens
- Run time (max power): 2 hour 40 minutes
- Well-managed light output with good beam spread
- Long run times on max power
Out on the trail, the Light & Motion Seca Enduro feels like it puts out a lot more than its claimed 2,500 lumens max power, showing that raw power numbers don’t always tell the whole story with lights.
Much of this is down to how the power is used. The optics create a fantastic mix of flood and spot lighting, and side-to-side lighting is also great. The only drawback from its lack of pure horsepower is that the range isn’t amazing, but this is only a real problem when you’re going at top speed on fast fireroad descents.
Battery life is impressive and although the mode and battery indicators are a bit vague it’s an easy-to-use unit overall. The big problem, however, is the price. It’s an expensive light and at this price point you might fancy a little more power.
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Lumicycle Apogee Carbon Extender Pack
!["Best]("https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/21/2020/09/Lumicycle-Apogee-Carbon-Extender-Pack-01-45d3984.jpg?quality=90&resize=619%2C413" "\"Best")
- RRP: £366 / €400 / $395 / AU$550 as tested
- Claimed max output: 4,500 lumens
- Run time (max power): 1 hour 50 minutes
- Impressive beam spread
- Good colour balance
Lumicycle drafted in an ex-Formula 1 thermal and aerodynamic engineer to work on the 2021 Apogee, with a focus on improving efficiency and reducing weight.
It still has the optics from last year, for a seriously impressive beam spread, even with the standard 19-degree beam pattern. If you want an even wider spread, you can order a 26-degree flood optic.
There are four LEDs that deliver a fantastic mix of white and green light, making everything stand out, helped by its massive 4,500-lumen output. But we feel the Apogee could still do with a bit of an illumination boost outside the spotlight’s strong focal point.
The 6,800mAh, Panasonic-celled battery pack boasts a carbon fibre shell with rubber ends. It’s fixed with the Velcro straps but sits quite proud of the frame, reducing potential mounting points.
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Magicshine MJ-906S
!["Magicshine]("https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/21/2021/10/Magicshine-MJ-906S-01-9a235dc.jpg?quality=90&resize=620%2C413" "\"Magicshine")
- RRP: £140 / $200 as tested
- Claimed max output: 4,500 lumens
- Run time (max power): 3 hours 26 minute
- Long run time and plenty of power
- A good option for a helmet light
A separate battery pack, paired with a small head unit, gives the Magicshine a small profile on the bars, while the quarter-turn mount keeps lighting stable over rough ground. There’s also a cable to hook up to an electric bike and skip the light’s battery.
There’s plenty of power on offer from the two LEDs (plus a daytime running light strip), which can be operated independently. We were impressed with the run time, although switching between modes was a bit tricky, as the top button isn’t illuminated.
There’s a good spread to the beam pattern and different coloured near and far illumination to help pick out obstacles, although we found the central spot a bit too bright relative to the periphery. We reckon it would make a great helmet light though.
Moon Rigel Enduro
!["Moon]("https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/21/2021/10/Moon-Rigel-Enduro-01-3a87eb7.jpg?quality=90&resize=620%2C413" "\"Moon")
- RRP: £190 / $261 / AU$342 as tested
- Claimed max output: 2,600 lumens
- Run time (max power): 2 hours 3 minutes
- Eight modes plus variable output and boost
- Unintuitive mode selection
With 2,600 lumens peak output, a 9,000mAh battery and a wired remote, along with an LED display of mode and battery life, the Moon Rigel provides plenty of illumination from its six LEDs. It has an out-front mount to push it ahead of the bars.
There’s an ambient light sensor that puts the light in standby mode during the day so you don’t burn through the battery while it’s still light, and you can choose to vary output continuously rather than via the eight set modes.
The LEDs give a mix of spotlight and wide-angle side illumination that’s good for a wide variety of trails. Using the light isn’t intuitive though and we had to study the manual before we could get riding.
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Moon X-Power 1800
!["Best]("https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/21/2020/09/Moon-X-Power-1800-01-a5b3945.jpg?quality=90&resize=619%2C413" "\"Best")
- RRP: £220 / $270 as tested
- Claimed max output: 1,800 lumens
- Run time (max power): 1 hour 50 minutes
- Good mix of focused and side illumination
- Works well as a helmet light
The X-Power 1800’s CNC-machined, black-anodised and polished head unit houses four LEDs that look like they put out more light than Moon’s quoted 1,800 lumens. This makes it suitable for riding pretty much all trail centre-type routes and gentler singletrack too.
The beam pattern gives a bright and fairly round focal point, and some side and front flood tapering that helps generate context on the trail. However, the reach of the light is lacking a little.
Included in the box is a helmet mount, and we think the X-Power works best as a lid light. It has four steady and two flashing modes, plus an SOS mode.
The 5,200mAh battery pack is quite long at 17cm, so can be tricky to mount on bikes with curvy tubes. Also, the battery indicator is bright to the point of being distracting when the battery is mounted on the top tube.
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Ravemen PR1600
!["Best]("https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/21/2019/10/Ravemen-PR1600-01-9168257.jpg?quality=90&resize=619%2C413" "\"Best")
- RRP: £130 as tested
- Claimed max output: 1,600 lumens
- Run time (max power): 1 hour 35 minutes
- Enough power to get you out on the trails
- Great price
For the price, the Ravemen PR1600 is an incredible light. At a claimed 1,600 lumens, it’s far from the brightest light we’ve tested, but it will get you out on the trails with no fuss at all and at a very decent price.
The compromise is that while the PR1600 has good range, and the flood illuminates the distance ahead well, it can’t match its pricier, multi-LED competitors for beam spread.
It’s certainly good enough as a starting point, just perhaps not for properly technical and fast downhill tracks. It would also make a great option for people who do a mix of off-road and on-road riding.
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Ravemen PR2400
!["Ravemen]("https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/21/2021/10/Ravemen-PR2400-01-4cea5d9.jpg?quality=90&resize=620%2C413" "\"Ravemen")
- RRP: £255 as tested
- Claimed max output: 2,400
- Run time (max power): 1 hour 30 minutes
- Different high and low beam patterns
- Gentle beam pattern
The Ravemen comes with a wireless remote and an external power pack, so you can boost its 1.5-hour run time. The light includes a display of which of the eight modes is in operation and the remaining run time, as well as whether a high or low beam is in use.
High and low beams have different patterns, with the high beam focusing light in the distance and the low beam flooding the closer area. We were impressed with the ability to highlight trail features, while the yellow/green hue avoids the harshness of blue or white LEDs.
Although lower powered than many of the alternatives, there’s a good beam spread and gradual fade that help on switchbacks. But higher speeds on tight trails did test the illumination on offer.
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Mountain bike lights buyer’s guide
What do you need to look out for when buying a mountain bike light? Here are four key things to consider.
Lumens
We set a lower limit of 1,500 claimed lumens when testing mountain bike lights, which is more than ample to provide safe and well-lit shredding. You could get away with less, but how suitable that is will depend entirely on how fast you want to go and how technical the trails are.
In the same way that claimed battery life, weight and a host of other things vary from their real-life measures, the number of lumens a manufacturer claims their light has, compared to how many it actually has, can vary significantly.
Don’t fret, though. While claimed lumens is relatively important, what really matters is how that light is projected, not necessarily how bright it is.
Run times
The same goes for run times. In our tests, we timed each of the lights on their max setting to find out just how long the juice will last.
Obviously, if the LEDs push out lots of light, more battery power is required. All of our lights have at least one-hour of run time at the 1,500-lumen minimum requirement, but most offer considerably more burn time at their max output, so it’s unlikely you’ll get caught short.
Battery and LED tech is improving all the time, and although lights with dedicated, separate battery packs will last longer than combined all-in-one units, the gap between the two is narrowing.
Beam pattern
Light output isn’t the only factor to consider, beam patterns are just as important. Some lights project their output into one specific area, illuminating everything within that space with exceptional detail, but that’s frequently at the expense of broader coverage.
Lights that flood their output illuminate more of the trail’s surroundings, giving a better sense of where you are and highlight details easily missed with a more focused beam. This wider beam spread means it’s easier to see around turns, too – something that needs to be considered if you’re not running a dual-bar and lid-mounted setup.
Lights with multiple lenses or beam reflectors can combine spot and flood outputs, with the further option to toggle between them. In theory, lights with both beam patterns are the best of both worlds.
Extras
It’s also important to check out what extras are included with the light such as remotes, extra-long cables to connect battery and head unit, multiple mounting brackets, and whether they’ve got a certified waterproof rating, are shock-resistant and have battery or mode indicators.
The lights on test range widely in budget, from around £130 to north of £350. Although it’s possible to spend even more or a bit less, with a 1,500-lumen lower limit this is the sort of price bracket you’re looking at unless you’re considering buying an eBay special.
Battery pack
On more powerful or longer-lasting lights, the battery pack is frequently separate from the LED section. They’re connected using a cable and the battery can be mounted to your frame or stem with Velcro straps or similar.
Bar mount
All of our lights on test are bar-mounted. Usually, the mount is tightened to the bars using an Allen key because head units can be quite heavy. Some lighter options use a rubber O-ring, while other systems have a bespoke ratchet strap system.
Lens
As the light from the LED and reflector shines through the lens it’s either focused or spread depending on the characteristics of the lens. Lights with multiple lenses will give a greater range of beam patterns, illuminating the trail more.
Waterproof rating
It’s a fact, electronics and water aren’t best friends. While most light manufacturers have worked hard to avoid short circuits by waterproofing their lights, some have gone the extra mile and have been awarded an official IPXX (International Protection) rating.
The first number ranges from 0 to 6 (0 lowest, 6 highest) and denotes how dust-proof it is, the second is the waterproof rating ranging from 0 to 9 (0 lowest, 9 highest). If you’re being picky and are worried about the sorts of conditions you’re going to be riding in, pick a light with the highest rating. It is possible to have a dust rating and no waterproof rating and vice versa.
Weight
With great power comes more weight. Generally speaking, if your light is putting out enough lumens to cast shadows during the day then it’s going to require more power to generate that brightness and last for any significant amount of time. Bigger lithium-ion batteries are heavier and if the light is bar-mounted then this is something you’ll need to consider.