LED systems are natural choice for mountain bikers given their efficient power consumption, durable construction and distinctive white light. As LED technology has advanced, the LED mountain bike light market has exploded and there are many systems available today. Unfortunately, mountain bike light systems are notoriously expensive and LED systems haven’t been an exception. Finding quality light systems under $300 isn’t easy, so we’ve scoured the net and studied dozens of reviews from Amazon, MTBR.com and retailers to find the LED systems that stand out as performance-meets-affordable. Here’s some top picks:
Niterider MiNewt.X2 LED Mountain Bike Light
The Niterider Minewt.X2 excels in terms of lightweight aluminum construction, with the lamp weighing just 82 grams and the complete package weighing 232 grams. At this weight, the Minewt.X2 could be a very comfortable helmet-mounted light as well as a handlebar LED system. Despite the small package, the light puts out a strong beam with a total output of 150 lumens on high and 90 on low. Flash setting ensures that you’re visible when dirt turns to street. Four and a half hours of charge time will buy up to seven hours of burn time on low and three and a half on high. Battery life indicators on both the headlamp and battery let you know when it’s time to head home. The compact battery pack comes with a Velcro mount designed to be strapped right on the stem and the light mounts via a simple rubber gasket; set-up will take minutes, if not seconds.
The MiNewt.X2 is available from Amazon starting at $162. For an additional $30 or so, you can get a MiNewt.X2 Dual, which uses two identical headlamps to double your light output.
Princeton Tec Switchback Mountain Bike Light
The Princeton Tec Switchback, the smallest light in the Switchback series (1,2 and 3) uses one MaxBright LED to provide up to 10 hours of burn time when used on the lowest setting. It is rated at 6 hours and 4.5 hours on medium and high, respectively. The light isn’t the brightest single-LED on the market, putting out about 85 lumens on high. It is ample as a handlebar lamp for light trail and commuting use and can easily be helmet-mounted for use as a secondary light. The Switchback throws out a long, narrow beam. The Switchback lights all come complete with everything that you’ll need, including both wall and car chargers, handlebar mounting hardware and helmet mounting hardware.
The Princeton Tec Switchback is available at Amazon starting at $140.
Exposure Joystick MaXx 2 Mountain Bike Light
The Exposure Joystick MaXx 2 is one of the most compact LED bike lamps available. Instead of the ubiquitous rechargeable battery pack, the Joystick MaXx 2 uses an integrated lithium ion battery. The light weighs a tiny 98 grams with helmet mount. Despite the compact battery, the Joystick MaXx 2 gets up to 24 hours of burn time on low, 10 on medium and three on high. The light also puts out an impressive 240 lumens on its highest setting, though tests have questioned this rating, claiming that it’s not as bright as advertised. The beam is straight and fluid without creating distracting hot spots. While the Joystick’s small size, narrow beam and low weight make it a great helmet light, it also mounts easily to the handlebars. With a simple dismount, the Joystick doubles as a handy flashlight.
The Joystick MaXx 2 retails for $199.
Cygolite Rover II Extra Mountain Bike Light
The Cygolite Rover II Extra is a rugged, weatherproof lamp that uses two high-brightness LEDs. The lamp uses six separate beam settings, four standard and two special, to allow the user total control over light output. On the highest setting the Rover will output 255 lumens and run for three and a half hours. On the lowest setting, it will provide 10 hours of run time. The Crossfire™ design spreads the beam wider so that the entire trail is lit up from side to side. For an even wider beam, a diffuser set is available for separate purchase. The smart rapid charger recharges the frame-mount NiMH battery pack in just two and a half hours. The light mounts to the handlebars with a heavy-duty bracket that fits both standard and oversized handlebars.
The Cygolite Rover II Extra can be found at Amazon starting at $120.
Dinotte 400L LED Mountain Bike Light
The Dinotte 400L is a highly durable, versatile light. The light is powered by two LEDs housed in strong, light aluminum. Three separate brightness levels deliver up to 400 lumens. Two pulse speeds and a strobe setting allow the light to be used as an effective tail light as well as a headlight. Light set-up is highly user-customizable and the 400L comes standard with handlebar mount and choice of headband or helmet mount as well as two batteries. The consumer can select from either two cell or four cell batteries. The four cell battery offers five hours of run time on high, 10 hours on medium and 48 hours on low, while the two cell cuts those times in half. Charging time is two hours for the two-cell and four for the four-cell. The savvy worldwide smart charger allows you to swap out plugs to adapt the charger to the native power supply. Included lens kit comes with wide and medium lenses. The compact battery packs mount to the stem or frame via a simple Velcro strap.
Retail price for the Dinotte 400L is $269.
Read more! Here are some related posts:
- Brightest LED Bike Lights
- Knog Frog – Ingeniously Simple LED Bike Light
- Animated LEDs For Bikes: Monkey Electric Lights
- Top LED Keychain Micro Lights
- Top Compact LED Dive Lights
{ 2 trackbacks }
{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
I wonder how you find the Ixon and Ixon Speed lights compare.
I use a pair of 180-lumen Fenix Q5 flashlights ($63 each) and TwoFish LockBlocks ($7.50 each) to mount them to my bike. That’s 360 lumens for $141. The downsides are that they last only a couple of hours on NiMH AAs (so bring along some extra batteries) and they are brighter in the center than dedicated headlamps, so I point one at the road and the other straight ahead to spread out the beam.