The Brightest LED Bike Lights
Cycling doesn’t need to be limited to daytime hours – especially if riders can bring their own daylight with them when darkness falls. These LED bike lights pack more power than a casual cyclist might need for bicycle commuting, and there other more affordable LED bike lights available. But for applications like technical mountain biking or adventure racing, these lights are perfect thanks to their sheer power. Here are four of the brightest LED bike lights currently on the market.
NiteRider Pro 1200 LED Bike Light
NiteRider Pro 1200 LED Bike Light
The NiteRider Pro 1200 is actually a pair of LED lights – one provides a focused spot beam, while the other casts a wide flood, and they combine for up to 1200 lumens of light. Included software lets users customize light output and flash modes for any conditions. An 8-step “fuel gauge” tracks consumption from the rechargeable Li-ion battery, and run time ranges from 2 ½ to 64 hours. The NiteRider Pro 1200 weighs 812g including the battery, and comes with mounting hardware for a helmet or handlebars, a three-foot extension cable, and charger.
The NiteRider Pro 1200 LED Bike Light is available from Amazon for $569.62.
Lupine Betty 14 LED Bike Light
Lupine Betty 14 LED Bike Light
The Lupine Betty is, quite simply, a beast of a light. Seven Cree XP-G diodes handle power ranging from ¼ watt up to 23 watts, to provide illumination up to a whopping maximum of 1750 lumens. The 810g light is powered by a bottle-style 14.5 Ah Li-Ion battery, and light output is maximized by Lupine’s custom lens optics. Battery life ranges from six hours at maximum output up to 336 hours at the lowest setting. The Lupine Betty can be mounted on bicycle handlebars or a helmet, or it can be worn as a headlamp.
The Lupine Betty 14 LED Bike Light is available directly from GretnaBikes, Lupine’s US distributor, for $1,199.
Light & Motion Seca 900 Ultra LED Bike Light
Light & Motion Seca 900 Ultra LED Bike Light
The Seca 900 Ultra packs six Cree R2 LEDs into a compact housing, and provides up to 900 lumens of illumination. The lithium-ion battery provides up to 3.5 hours of maximum output, or 14 hours of low-level lighting. The 686-gram light is helmet- or handlebar-mountable, and its relatively light weight makes it a great choice for nighttime trail riding.
You can find the Light & Motion Seca 900 Ultra LED Bike Light at Amazon for $639.99.
BR Lights C2-K LED Bike Light
BR Lights C2-K LED Bike Light
The BR Lights C2-K delivers serious power in a lightweight, all-inclusive package. The Cree LEDs are capable of 1000 lumens, and despite its chunky appearance, the unit weighs just 415g including the battery – that’s less than a pound. Burn time from the Li-polymer battery is on the short side though (2.25 hours at high output, or 5.5 hours on low), and the C2-K can only be mounted on your handlebars.
The BR Lights C2-K LED Bike Light is available directly from the manufacturer’s website for around $400.
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{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }
How do these compare to the Ixon series? http://www.peterwhitecycles.com/b&m.asp
It’s too bad you don’t see kits that have LED bike lights with the old-fashioned (though you can easily buy them new) dynamo chargers that fit either as the rear wheel hub or as an attachment that has contact with the sidewall of the tire. That way you’d be using zero electricity instead of the small amount LEDs require, and you wouldn’t have to deal with a rechargeable battery eventually wearing out.
I’ve used the 1500 lumen Betty for several years and am completely impressed with the light. Nothing even comes close. The other light worth mentioning is the Exposure MaXx D which is rated at 960 lumens. It’s a broad beam and isn’t bad but nothing begins to approach the quality and capability of the entire Lumen light set.