How to Choose the Best Bike Light for You

My first experience with bike lights was back in the day of Eco-Challenge. We would ride through the night on our mountain bikes, through all types of terrain, and would need strong, reliable lighting. Back then, the choice of our team was NiteRider. The very strong light was connected by a cord to a battery pack, which held (I believe) four or six D-cell batteries! It weighed a ton, and it was placed in your water bottle holder.

Talk about progress! Today, there is a great variety of highly efficient, cost-effective, and super easy-to-use lights for your bike. As many of us are riding early and late in the day, we have come to appreciate the need for a front light that can help us see what's ahead ... as well as be seen by cars approaching, cars coming in from the side and cross streets, as well as driveways and such.

In this regard, we are only looking at front lights for this review; but, obviously, one must also have a bright rear light to be highly visible by cars traveling in your direction.

What to Look For

From Mark LaLonde of Planet Bike: "Choosing the right head light for your bike can be a daunting task. There are a lot of different lights out there, for a bunch of different purposes. The first question you'll need to ask yourself when choosing a light is what do you want the light to do? Are you looking for a light to see with, or to be seen by motorists and other cyclists? How much do you want to spend? Do you want to use rechargeable batteries?"

I would add run time and ease of attachment (and detachment).

How Do You Measure Brightness?

The standard measure of brightness is "lumens." For example, the very simple, straight-forward NiteRider "Mako 1 Watt" is rated at "100 Lumens;" while, their higher end "MiNewt.600 Cordless" is rated at "600 Lumens." The latter would be significantly brighter.

However, when considering the light emitted from a bike lights, one should also consider the "distribution" of the light.

"A very powerful light that shines directly in the horizontal plane acts a spotlight, but does not actually illuminate any of the terrain surrounding you," says Torsten Abel, professional triathlete and fan of the "Nova Star" (which can emit up to 540 Lumens). Liz Weiss, marketing manager at Cateye, adds: "The 'beam pattern' and different modes will help ensure a cyclist is seen in the dark, fog, etc."

How Long Can the Light Hold a Charge?

Along with brightness, one should consider a light's power source. Some are powered by standard batteries, while some by USB rechargeable batteries. The ones we looked at ranged from a single charge life of a low 1.5 hours (with supreme brightness) to an amazing 320 hours for a flashing Cateye HL-EL 135 (a low-cost commuter light).

Of the lights we reviewed, here are our favorites, ranging from the high end, to the most affordable lights:

NiteRider MiNewt 600 Cordless

Warning: do not stare directly at this light in its high beam setting! At 600 lumens, this is the brightest light we tested; however, it pays for that brightness with only a 1.5 hour charge at that level. If your bike commute is less than 1.5 hours, though, it is easily USB rechargeable while at work; or, with its "low" setting of 275 lumens, you can squeeze out 4.5 hours. At $150, you get a ton of illumination for the dollar! (niterider.com)

Nova Star

Like the NiteRider, this light is crazily bright, when on its full high beam—540 lumens—and gets 4 hours of battery life at that level (10 hours at 180 lumens). With a unique mounting strap, this light can also go on your helmet nicely. This is the newest bike light just now coming onto the market; so it has not been fully vetted by the public, in general; but, our test was quite positive, and those we know who have been using the Nova are very happy with it. At $135, it boasts of its value of "dollar per lumen." (ibikesafe.com)

Cateye Nano Shot

It was tough to choose between this excellent mid-range light, or Cateye's entry level HL-El 135. We chose the Nano, though, due to its combination of being quite lightweight, USB rechargeable, a very powerful beam of 250 lumens—all at a cost of $100. With Cateye's unique "opticube lens technology," also, the light seems even brighter. Quickie on the HL-EL 135: basic, easy commuter light—super long battery life (80-320 hours) ...just 20 bucks! (cateye.com)

Planet Bike Blaze

My son has been both a pedicab operator and bike messenger, and was quick to point me to Planet Bike's products. I can see why. As a company, Planet Bike is a strong supporter of bicycle advocacy, and their products are simple, straight-forward, and cost-effective. We tested the Blaze 1W which, at $46, up to 76 lumens, a battery life of 7-20 hours, and a super simple attachment/detachment mechanism makes it a nice, dependable, modest choice for the everyday commuter. (planetbike.com)

So, from $20 to $150 (and more), there are some terrific lights out there, to help you see and be seen in the early mornings and evenings.