Best Bike Lights, Tested and Reviewed (2025)

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Honorable Mentions

Ravemen FR300 for $50: This bargain front light fits on your bike computer handlebar mount; just put it in the mount and put your bike computer on top. It's brightness isn’t powerful enough for lighting your way in the dark, but it's good for getting you seen, and the side visibility is impressive.

Ravemen NT201 for $100: This affordable taillight is simply great value if you want a rear light that adds radar. It sends real-time alerts to Garmin, Wahoo, and Hammerhead bike computers. Not only did it connect the radar to the bike computer, but it also added to a light network, so that it and other lights could be controlled by tapping on the Garmin’s screen.

How to Choose Bike Lights

Size: If you're a commuter, you'll want to remove lights for safekeeping. Look for the most compact designs that fit easily in a pocket or bag. Thanks to LED bulb technology, you can find impressively bright, pocketable lights. Sizes and weights here are listed without the mounting brackets (unless they’re integral) because their size and weight in your bag is arguably more important than adding a couple of ounces to your bike (unless you're a pro tour rider).

Mounting style: Where and how you attach your bike lights matters. Handlebar mounts are great for lighting the road ahead, and look for downward-angled designs that will illuminate the road for enhanced visibility. Helmet-mounted lights move with your line of sight, which is ideal for trail riding. Rear lights should mount securely to your seat post or bag. and Look for tool-free, quick-release mounts for easy on/off, and rubber straps for easy swapping to another bike frame. Some models also offer clip-on versatility for backpacks or clothing, giving you more ways to stay visible.

Charging: Unless you’re planning epic, all-night rides, brightness is more important than battery life. Everything tested here is charged either via USB-A or USB-C. We steered clear of cheap designs that require disposable batteries, since those die quickly.

Battery life: How long a battery lasts depends on the mode you choose. Battery life can range from 2 to 30-plus hours. The brighter your light, the faster the battery will drain, and having a solid beam also uses more juice than a flashing light. On the road or trail, the brighter the better, but if your battery is running low then you can typically dial it down to eke out the battery life.

Check your local legislation: While most states require some sort of lights in low visibility, the laws on which type of lights are legal—the range, lumens, whether it can flash or not—will vary depending on the state. If you're nervous, check your local state legislation here.

How Many Lumens Do I Need?

Brightness is measured in lumens, and in almost all circumstances, the brighter the better. On city roads with streetlights, however, you use lights to be seen by drivers, so a disruptive flash pattern is more important than lumen power. But a combination of both is a win-win. If you’re riding back roads or trails, then you need serious brightness to illuminate the way ahead. And the faster you ride, the further ahead you’ll want lighting. For compact urban-riding lights, 100 to 200 lumens is enough to help you be seen, day and night. Bright lights that illuminate your way like a car headlight are upwards of 1,000 lumens.

A solid fixed beam mounted to the front of your bike illuminates what’s ahead of you, but a flashing light gets you seen. So you probably want a flashing rear light. In an ideal world, you'd have two white lights on the front, one flashing and one fixed-beam. A varied or disruptive flash pattern is more noticeable than a consistent pulse, too.

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