Recommended
Exposure Sixpack
Light and Powerful

Exposure Six Pack MK9
Four times brighter than a car headlight and runs for almost three hours
$487 | Exposure Bike Lights

Buy Now

Trevor Raab
Editors’ Choice
Lupine Piko
Make Daylight at Night

Lupine Piko
An illuminating beam on a light that's easy to mount and doesn't slip when riding rough trails
$390 | Lupine

Buy Now

Trevor Raab
Recommended
Gloworm
Great Value

Gloworm XS
This little powerhouse has an excellent power-to-weight ratio.
$295 | Jenson USA

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Trevor Raab
Editors’ Choice
Niterider 4200
Easy to Use

Niterider Pro 4200 Enduro
The slender battery attaches easily to a toptube or downtube
$413 | Backcountry

Buy Now

Courtesy of Niterider
Recommended
Light and Motion Trail 1000 Fc
Small but Powerful

Light and Motion Trail 1000 FC Ranger
A simple mount with rubber strap makes switching location easy$130 | REI

Buy Now

courtesy



Just because the sun is setting earlier doesn’t mean your riding hours have to take a hit. Mountain bike lights have advanced considerably in recent years and now have otherworldly brightness (some are five times as bright as a car headlamp), last for hours, and have faster recharge times that make last-minute night rides a possibility. In addition to brightness, the latest lights have better lamps and lenses so you can see more details of the trail, even in the worst conditions.

High Tech Batteries Power It All

Nearly all mountain bike lights use a rechargeable lithium battery and the majority of the ones we tested use a battery pack separate from the light itself. That makes it easier to mount the lamp on a helmet and tuck the battery under a bar, or in a pack. Some companies like Lupine allow you to buy a larger battery so you can power an extended night ride. Just remember that a larger battery means more weight to carry. Look for batteries or headlamp units that offer a battery-warning indicator so you know how much time you have remaining. Some batteries also allow you to connect and power or recharge devices—doubling as a spare charger for your phone or GPS.

Advantages of LEDs

Nearly every light we tested uses LED lamps, which have become the overwhelming choice for bike lights. Here are the reasons why:

-They achieve full brightness immediately after turning on and can shut off instantly
-They use less energy so they have longer battery life
-LEDS produce little heat so can be used in small and light weight packages.
-They can be dimmed to max the battery.

Helmet or Bar Mount?

You can find lights that mount to your handlebar, on your helmet, or models that can go either place. The best setup puts a larger light on your handlebar and a smaller, lighter one on your helmet to help see around corners when you swivel your head and to aid in trailside repairs. Having two lights at different positions also helps fill in shadows so you can see more of the trail. But lights are powerful enough now that you can run one on just your helmet, or bar, and see well enough in most situations.

How Many Lumens Do You Need?

The total light output of the light is measured in lumens and although it’s not a perfect way to determine brightness, it’s pretty reliable for mountain bike lights. Some lights come with different lenses so you can choose whether you want a wider beam, or more focused one. Right now, most lights for trail riding have a minimum of 1,500 lumens. That works fine for most situations, but adding lumens gets helps you get better depth perception and typically allows you to see further down the trail.

If you’re going with a dual-light setup, you can get by with something closer to 1,000 lumens on your helmet to save weight. If you’re going helmet only, look for something closer to 2,000 lumens or more, like the Lupine Piko. If you’re going bar only, get the brightest one you can afford that has a run time that fits your needs.


Gloworm XS

An interchangeable lens turns the beam from a floodlight to a bright spotlight
Price: $295 Buy Now

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Trevor Raab

Lumens (claimed): 2,500 Run time: 2h 10m Charge time: 4h 40m Weight: 338 grams

The Gloworm XS affixes easily on your bar or helmet but its versatility doesn’t end there. You can also swap lenses to change the beam from one that’s wide like a floodlight to one that's more narrowly focused (and brighter), like a spotlight. The package is small and the lamp weighs just 110g, so it doesn’t weigh down your helmet. The 2,500-lumen beam is super bright considering the light’s and we got more than two hours at max beam per charge. It’s comparable to the Lupine system below but costs a lot less—making this an exceptional value.


Lupine Piko R4

An editors' favorite thanks to it’s superb beam and reliable battery
Price: $390 Buy Now

Lupine Piko pinterest
Trevor Raab

Lumens (claimed): 1,800 Run time: 2h 30m Charge time: 2h 45 m Weight: 210g

To wield the Lupine Piko on your helmet is to make daylight in the night—wherever you’re pointing your head, at least. On the most-powerful 1800-lumen setting, the Piko throws a pointed beam that illuminates the forest with impressive depth. Even in a steady drizzle, the Piko helps you see the texture of the trail in front of you. Mounting is easy and secure with the included straps—we tried shaking the mount loose on long rock gardens (and head-banging to speed metal) but the lamp stayed at the same angle at which we set it. Despite it’s small size, and relative low-weight, the Piko can feel heavy when you mount the battery and lamp to your helmet. The solution: Pick up an optional extension cord ($16 from Lupine) so you can stash the battery in a jersey or pack.


Blackburn Countdown 1600

Light, cheap, and comes with a digital display that shows remaining battery time
Price: $160 Buy Now

Blackburn 1600pinterest
Courtesy of Blackburn

Lumens (claimed): 1,600 Run time: 1h 20m Charge time: 2h Weight: 282g

Without a separate battery pack, mounting this light on your handlebar is simple because you have one less cord to deal with. The digital display is backlit, so it’s easy to see which mode you’re in and how much battery life you have left. While it has just 1,600 lumens and one of the shortest run times in this group, it’s still plenty bright for most rides (especially if you pair with a helmet light). And if you do go that route, the Countdown’s mount allows you to adjust the beam, so you can point it wherever it’s needed most. It’s bright, simple to use, and one of the cheaper options on our list.


Exposure Six Pack MK9

A super powerful, lightweight bar-mounted spotlight.
Price: $497 Buy Now

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Courtesy of Exposure

Lumens (claimed): 4,750 Run time: 2h 40m Charge time: 13h Weight: 394g

When you mount the Exposure Six pack on your bar, the fat cylinder looks almost like a can of beer. And it’s just as satisfying on the trail, delivering 4,750 lumens of light on the highest setting—four times as much as a car’s halogen high beam. At 394 grams for the light and battery, it’s one of the lighter high-powered options you can buy. That’s more weight than most people will want to wear on their helmet, though, so you’re limited to mounting this to your handlebar. Even though the battery is smaller than some, you get two and a half hours of run time at full throttle (we got a little more testing in the office and about 2:20 on a sub-freezing night ride). That’s using Exposure’s Reflex+ setting, which adapts brightness based on your speed and terrain (it dims when you’re idling, for instance). Exposure gives you lots of other settings to choose from, though toggling through them is a little more clunky than on some other models. Another benefit: Because the battery is integrated into the body, you don’t have any cords to fuss with. If you’re looking for a powerful bar-mounted set up, the Six Pack delivers, without any hangovers.


Light and Motion Seca 2500 Enduro

Bright, light, easy to use, and a great run time
Price: $400 Buy Now

Light and Motion Seca 2500 Enduropinterest
Courtesy of Light and Motion

Lumens (claimed): 2,500 Run time: 2h 50m Charge time: 4h 15m Weight: 482g

Boasting 2,500 lumens, the four LED bulbs give off a very wide beam in a flood light pattern to illuminate a wide swath of trail in front of you, making it easy to see upcoming turns. It also has a focused beam aimed straight ahead so the nuances of the terrain you’re about to hit is plainly visible. The four modes (high, medium, low, and pulse) are easy to toggle through, even with gloves, and race mode lets you switch between the high and medium settings for quick changes on the fly. A rubber strap makes it very easy to mount this light on a helmet or handlebar, and you can use the adapter to fasten it to any GoPro mounts. Anyone who doesn’t let dark nights slow their roll should consider this light for their nighttime shred sessions.


Niterider 4200

Super bright and easy to use with great battery life
Price
: $550 (on sale for $413) Buy Now

Niterider 4200pinterest
Courtesy of Niterider


Lumens (claimed):
4,200 Run time: 1h 50m Charge time: 4h 45m Weight: 816g

One of the brightest bar-mounted lights is also one of the easiest to use. The Enduro’s two lights (with a combined 6 LEDs) send out a wide blast of light that send squirrels scurrying and shows every tire-grabbing rock in full resolution. But the real brilliance is how easy this setup is to use. The light attaches to most bars with a simple connection without any special hardware, and the slender-for-its size battery tucks above or beneath most top tubes and downtubes. The remote, while not wireless, goes on fast and makes it a snap to toggle between the 4200s 4 primary settings (there’s also three flashing modes). You get an hour fifty of run time at full blast, which is pretty good, and three and a half hours at 2,000 lumens, which will get you through most rides in most conditions.


Serfas TSL LT1000 Headlight

Light and affordable—perfect for a two-light setup, or to use alone
Price: $220 Buy Now

Serfas T 1000pinterest
Courtesy of Serfas

Lumens (claimed): 1,000 Run Time: 1h 45m Charge time: 2h 10m Weight: 226g

It’s not only incredibly light, but the LT1000 has a wide and bright beam pattern that you can use in tandem with a bar-mounted option, or run it alone. It gives wide coverage of the trail and the battery life is excellent. The battery is small enough to fit in a pocket or pack and the extension cord makes stashing it there a snap. It also comes with a useful carry case so you keep everything tidy and together. When the battery does run low, the LED on top of the unit flashes to let you know it’s time to charge.


Light and Motion Trail 100 Ranger Fast Charge

Bright enough for the trail and fits in your pocket
Price: $130 Buy Now

Light and Motion Rangerpinterest
Courtesy of Light and Motion

Lumens (claimed): 1,000 Run Time: 1h 20m Charge time: 3h Weight: 123g

Another lightweight option, the Trail 100 Ranger is compact and easy to mount to a helmet or handlebar using a simple rubber strap or equally easy-to-use helmet mount. Charging is simple too: Just attach it to a power source via the USB port and it’s ready to go in a few hours. The beam is focused but projects far enough down the trail that you can see what’s coming in plenty of time. It’s light enough to carry on a helmet and the shape makes it ideal to use as a flashlight if you drop something on the trail. At just 1,000 lumens, you’ll probably want to add a higher-powered bar-mounted light, or save this for less technical trails or use as an emergency light to stash in a pack or pocket for those dawn or dusk rides that might start or finish in the dark.


Cateye Volt 6000

The brightest light on our list
Price: $800 Buy Now

Cateye Volt 6000pinterest
Courtesy of Cateye

Lumens (claimed): 6,000 Run Time: 1h Charge Time: 5h Weight: 709 grams

When the Cateye’s Volt 6000 is at full 6000-lumen power, it’s like riding in a bubble of intense white light. “Bubble” is the correct term here, because the light defies the typical flood/spot constructs. Light is thrown everywhere, and with such intensity, it reflects and illuminates the area behind the rider. But while it is undoubtedly bright, we'd like it to be harnessed into a more focused beam so there’s more light thrown down trail instead of just… everywhere. All those lumens is why the Volt 6000 has a very unique feature: a cooling fan. You’ll get used to its high-pitched whirr, but it does detract from a soulful night-ride experience. It’s also a potential source of problems other lights don’t have. Doubly so when the fan’s shroud disappears mid-ride as it did on our sample light. The helmet and bar mounts are not great, but they do the job. The wireless remote was glitchy, and the battery is large enough that it can be tough to find a place to anchor it elegantly. But if you like riding with a lot of light, this Cateye is one of the brightest.


Lettermark
Matt Jacobs
Test Editor, Bicycling

Matt grew up riding BMX in the UK and has ridden across Europe and the US, and now he’s putting those miles to use testing road, mountain, and city bikes for Bicycling. His ideal ride includes includes steep rock gardens, sweeping berms, and fast descents followed by a cold beer.