Lots of different (conflicting) reviews out there, but we’ve never gone wrong with ST recommendations.
Looking for a powerful rechargeable front light for handlebar mount for road and gravel (the light would stay on the bike 95% of the time, and we would turn it on when the sun goes down). It would help if the light has various power levels, from pretty low to ‘light up the night,’ and maybe 1-2 flashing modes. We don’t need any wireless or ‘smart’ capabilities (I can press a button manually with ease), but if its integrated in the light anyway, its not a problem. Reliability and spare parts support would be super helpful as well, and if its from a smaller company that makes 'em local, that is a HUGE plus.
I bought the Garmin UT800 light for nighttime riding. I love it, and highly recommend it.
Stuff I like & learned about the UT800
I chose it because I have other Garmin stuff and it connects to my Garmin stuff - I like integrated technology.800 lumens is plenty for night riding-- I had more than enough visibility to see way up the road and avoid any dangers.The light will change its intensity and flashing based on ambient light and speed-- very cool.Mounting is so-so. Ideally the mount would be center of gravity so bumps do not affect aiming of the light much. Its quick-release mount is excellent.Battery life is more than enough for any dim or dark ride (If you do 3 hours in the dark, you started way earlier or later than I ever would)
There are many cheaper or brighter options (and maybe some cheaper and brighter). The Garmin check a lot of coolness boxes while scoring many of the must-haves.
Rechargeable, multiple brightness levels, can be controlled with a Garmin/Wahoo to form a light network, and the included mount is stout.
I have this headlight and the Flare RT and they auto start and stop with my Garmin and I can also get battery percentages through the head unit.
I got a GoPro mount adapter for it and a 2-in-1 computer mount with Wahoo mount on top and GoPro under. Easy to take off for charging and adjusting with GoPro mount.
It’s bright as hell and works great day or night. I’ve done plenty of 6 hour rides with it on the flash mode during the day and still has battery charge left.
We use the 1800 lumen ones primarily. Smaller 900 ones go on helmet (mount link at bottom). The 1800 has an ultra-dim setting, and a dim with strobe setting which is great for dusk when you don’t need the light to see yet, but want to be seen better. We never use full boost 1800 mode. I use 1500 lumen when descending. I descended Mt. Lemmon at 2am at 40+mph through the bends at the bottom with that headlight. It’s bright. The only time I’ve longed for even brighter is when I’m using it to spot night wildlife from my RV parking in the middle of nowhere
Most of the time I use it for the lower lumen settings and longer battery life.
Plus this mount system for under my Wahoo Bolt (or Garmin):
Pro-tip: if you purchase plastic or thinner aluminum out front mounts, they’ll break, and your light will break when it hits the ground. Your Wahoo Bolt may not. If you send the broken light it to NiteRider they’ll replace it. Can’t remember if I told them I dropped it at 20+mph or not. I’m sure they didn’t ask. Just asked for symptoms, and then I sent it to them and they shipped me a new one for free.
I know you asked for handlebar mounted lights, but I recently tried a head mounted lamp meant for hiking (Black Diamond Icon) and really liked it. Maybe you could store it with your bike tools, or choose to mount it in some clever way with velcro to the bike at times.
I find the shadows cast by bike-mounted lights can add to confusion sometimes (from foliage in narrow MTB trails), but having the light source right near your eyes essentially casts no shadows you can see. The only issue sometimes is contrast or reach, but I think that only matters when trail running at night, to gauge uneven ground that may not have much texture, and not so much for cycling.
Not cheap. That’s the price of paying decent wages to adults in a 1st world country rather than kids or the oppressed in China.
But fabulous. And have customer support if there is a problem. Not just throw it away in the land fill.
Several models to go at.
The MaxxD is amazing. The 6-pack is like having your own portable sun on your handlebars. (I’m familiar with them via mountain biking, and also I use one of their ‘joystick’ lights on my helmet too for both mountain biking and commuting.
Not cheap. That’s the price of paying decent wages to adults in a 1st world country rather than kids or the oppressed in China.
But fabulous. And have customer support if there is a problem. Not just throw it away in the land fill.
Several models to go at.
The MaxxD is amazing. The 6-pack is like having your own portable sun on your handlebars. (I’m familiar with them via mountain biking, and also I use one of their ‘joystick’ lights on my helmet too for both mountain biking and commuting.
This.
Some might think $400+ for a headlight is overkill, but this light is awesome. I do most of my riding before the sun comes up, and this light can light up the darkest of roads. Lots of different modes/programs to make sure the battery lasts for your ride. Great customer support the one time I needed a new part. Far and away the best light I’ve used.
For the road, absolutely use something with a proper beam pattern. Nothing worse than high power dazzling bike lights shining in your face.
I just got a Ravemen CR500 which has a decent beam though the cutoff isn’t as good as my older Philips Saferide (which is a tank with excellent optics)
If I could afford half of it a Lupine SL AF7 would be up front…
800 lumens is plenty for night riding-- I had more than enough visibility to see way up the road and avoid any dangers
Depends on the use. That’s fine for commuting. But for something like a 24-hour MTB race you typically want way more than that.
Depends on the use. That’s fine for commuting. But for something like a 24-hour MTB race you typically want way more than that.Fair enough. You probably want a different beam pattern too-- one much wider than further out. My use case was a dark rails-to-trails road with a dense canopy and no moon. Utterly pitch black. 800 lumens gave me clear definition up the road for 23 MPH riding in a mostly straight line.
NiteRider has been my staple for a few years. I have the 1200 and the 1800. If you want to lights up the trail like a helicopter, Gloworm XS. 2500 lumens, mounts either helmet or bar and light can be modified to either broad beam or more focused ray. Only 2 hour run time on full 2500.
We use the 1800 lumen ones primarily. Smaller 900 ones go on helmet (mount link at bottom). The 1800 has an ultra-dim setting, and a dim with strobe setting which is great for dusk when you don’t need the light to see yet, but want to be seen better. We never use full boost 1800 mode. I use 1500 lumen when descending. I descended Mt. Lemmon at 2am at 40+mph through the bends at the bottom with that headlight. It’s bright. The only time I’ve longed for even brighter is when I’m using it to spot night wildlife from my RV parking in the middle of nowhere
Most of the time I use it for the lower lumen settings and longer battery life.
Plus this mount system for under my Wahoo Bolt (or Garmin):
Pro-tip: if you purchase plastic or thinner aluminum out front mounts, they’ll break, and your light will break when it hits the ground. Your Wahoo Bolt may not. If you send the broken light it to NiteRider they’ll replace it. Can’t remember if I told them I dropped it at 20+mph or not. I’m sure they didn’t ask. Just asked for symptoms, and then I sent it to them and they shipped me a new one for free.
I’ll second the recommendation of the 1800. It really is a great light. I use it on the middle setting (of three brightnesses), and it provides plenty of light for my 4:30AM rides on country roads. And I’ll typically get 3 - 4 hours of burn time on the middle setting.
The good news is that really good, really bright headlights are super cheap these days. You can get a really good one with 750-1000 lumens for $65-$100. My favorite headlight I own is the Giant Recon 1100, which is a bit more expensive. That light has a great beam pattern and beam color as well as tons of power and a great build quality. I also like the similar power Bontrager Ion, the Cateye Ampp and Cygolite Metro. Friends of mine swear by Light and Motion. You can’t really go wrong.
I use GoPro mounts under my computer mounts for lights. If you’re not using that setup, one of the more important factors is the mount of the light. I think Cateye and Cygolite make the best bar mounts as they’re very secure and easy to use.
Also, I tend to run all headlights on medium to get better battery life. As a result, I buy an overpowered light. I don’t think you need more than 500-600 lumens on the road, but I typically get 1,000-1,500 lumen lights.
Any StVZO approved light. Germany has bike lights regulation, the lights should be designed not to blind / dazzle traffic in the opposite direction. This means the lights usually have better designed lens, resulting in less lumens needed in general.
I use Lezyne LITE DRIVE STVZO PRO 80, I see they no longer make it but have more powerful version. Can be easily mounted to garmin gopro mount or use the mount supplied by them. Wired remote is nice bonus.
