Know your lights

BATTERY

All the batteries in this test are Li-ion and that means they don’t require a specific charging regime, you can just top them up when necessary. A fuel gauge on the battery is handy for calculating remaining ride time, but it can be hard to see this when the battery is strapped to a frame tube. We also think a number, or percentage figure, is better than a row of different coloured LEDS.

REMOTE SWITCHING

A bar-mounted remote allows you to toggle between the settings without having to remove a hand from the handlebar or reach up and fumble about. It can be wired like the Nightrider, or wireless like the Lupine.

BAR MOUNTING

The simplest way to mount a light to the bar is using a rubber

O-ring. It expands to accommodate different bar diameters but the light has to be mounted to the side of the stem, which might be tricky if you have a lot of other stuff there. Using a clamp-on mount adds weight but you can position the light in front of the stem and free up a bit of bar space.

BATTERY STRAPS

With every light that runs an addon mounted battery, we’d like to see different-length Velcro straps included in the box. Frame tubes come in lots of different sizes and e-bikes in particular have massive down tubes. To stop slipping, the strap should have a silicone back.

POWER

The measure of light power is expressed in lumens. Generally, the more lumens, the more expensive the light, but adding LED bulbs increases the size and weight of the lamp unit.

EXTENSION CABLES

If you have a bar-mounted light with a modular battery, you can often splice another cable between the two if you need to mount the battery further back on the frame. The best lights have different length cables included in the box.

CHARGING CABLE

Over the last few years we’ve seen a lot of lights switch to USB charging, which means you can use any compatible USB cable and even charge your light in the car on the way to a ride. However, it does mean you have to find a plug yourself.

HELMET MOUNTING

There are two types of helmet mount – one is held in place with Velcro straps that loop through the helmet vents while the other is an expandable wedge style that clamps into one of the vents. Both work but we like the simplicity of the wedge-style mounts and they’re also slightly lower profile.

BEAM PATTERN

Beam pattern is more important to performance on the trail than ultimate lumens, although the latter doesn’t hurt. Ideally you want a smooth transition between the areas of the beam because hot or dark spots can make it more difficult to see details, especially when riding technical trails.