A reliable, easy-to-use, high-powered light is the key to unlocking the thrill of night riding at high speeds, but it can be difficult to find one with the right blend of brightness, battery life and reliability. Especially when brands’ claimed lumen counts sometimes have to be taken with a pinch of salt and run times are often calculated on the lowest power setting, in optimum lab-based conditions. And that’s before we even get into the complexities of beam patterns and thermal throttling. It’s a good thing, then, that we’re here to help, with some proper real-world testing in UK conditions.
Only a few years ago, a 4,000-lumen bike light would have been considered mind-blowingly powerful, but nowadays the highest claimed outputs have shot up to well over 10,000 lumens, offering true night-to-day illumination. But just how much power do you really need? That depends on the terrain you’re riding. For blue-graded trail centre runs and undulating singletrack, we recommend buying lights with at least a 1,500-lumen output, so you can see the trail features safely. Increase that to 2,000 lumens or more for red-graded runs, and consider doubling it to 3,000 lumens, at a minimum, if you’re regularly hitting black lines or gnarly off-piste trails.
While manufacturers can over-egg their lumen claims, it’s a good metric
