Light colour balance is good, with the green and yellow hues avoiding dazzle. We found the mount didn’t hold the light quite securely enough though, so there was a tendency for the beam to drop down. There’s a GoPro-style mount included that should eliminate this. It’s very easy to use and the battery life is solid, if not exceptional, at 1 hour 25 minutes on full power. The low-power mode caught us by surprise on occasion, though – once the battery goes under 30 per cent charge it’s no longer possible to select a higher-power mode from a lower one. The amount of lumens needed for a bike light will depend on several factors, including the type of riding you plan to do and the conditions you’ll be riding in. For general commuting, a light with around 100-200 lumens should be sufficient to provide visibility to other road users. For off-road riding or in very dark conditions, a light with 500-700 lumens or more may be necessary to provide adequate visibility. It’s important to choose a light that is bright enough to keep you safe, but not so bright that it will blind other road users. A smaller, lighter unit than many, the Light & Motion Seca Comp 2000 is controlled by two buttons, with the main one illuminated and the second operating orange sidelights for on-road use.

Moon Meteor Storm Pro light review - MBR - mountain bike rider Moon Meteor Storm Pro light review - MBR - mountain bike rider

Beam pattern refers to how the lights disperse light across the trail, and it can be just as important as lumens when it comes to how well you can see. For example, a more powerful light, with a longer battery life will require a physically larger battery and will therefore increase the overall size of the unit. Having said that, you may prefer a light for your gravel bike with a wider beam than a road bike light, because you’ll still likely be coming across more obstacles than you would on a road ride.

Magicshine Ray 1600

The matrix display shows battery life, which mode the light is in and how charged it is when plugged in. Alex Evans

Bike Light Brightness – How Many Lumens Is Enough? Bike Light Brightness – How Many Lumens Is Enough?

Lumicycle drafted in an ex-Formula 1 thermal and aerodynamic engineer to work on the 2021 Apogee, with a focus on improving efficiency and reducing weight.

All Gloworm lights ship with four specific levels of brightness, but thanks to Intelligent Mode Technology (IMT) these settings are completely customizable using these steps. The XS and XS also include a 2-button wireless remote. Assuming you have two lights, you can control both of them simultaneously with the same button or operate them independently using both buttons on a single remote. There’s an ambient light sensor that puts the light in standby mode during the day so you don’t burn through the battery while it’s still light, and you can choose to vary output continuously rather than via the eight set modes. With 350 lumens, it puts out an enormous amount of light. The payoff for this is a short run time in static mode, lasting only a few hours.