Just in time for the end of daylight savings and shorter trail days, we’ve put together a mountain bike light buyers guide. Mountain biking at night adds a new dimension to familiar trails and it’s a great way to extend your riding season; use this guide to find the best lights for you!

Trail speed and terrain considerations

Before you choose a light for mountain biking it’s important to consider the types of trails you’ll be riding at night and the speeds you expect to carry. For example, if the trails you’ll be riding are technical you’ll want a brighter light with better fill than if you’ll be riding wide dirt paths. And if you want to go fast you’ll need a light with more range (i.e. power) than if you expect to slow things down in the dark. Also keep in mind how often you’ll be night riding; if it’s only once or twice a month in the winter you may not want to sink a ton of money into a light system.

Where will you mount your light?

There are basically two choices here: bar mount and helmet mount.

A helmet mounted light tracks wherever you’re looking – around a switchback, at a rough patch of trail, etc. – which many riders prefer. The trade-off is that helmet lights generally aren’t as powerful as bar mounted lights due to weight considerations. Remember, with a helmet-mounted light you’ll need to strap the battery pack to the helmet itself or in a jersey pocket which can harsh your flow on the trail. Lights are typically mounted to a vented helmet using velcro or stretchy straps. Helmet mounted lights typically shine down on the trail more which is good at eliminating shadows but shortens the distance the light will carry forward.

Bar mounted lights are typically more powerful and tend to feature larger battery packs that are longer-lasting. Light mounting arrangements may vary and some are better than others at dealing with tapered bars and varied bar diameters (look for ones with rubber straps or a clamp with plenty of screw length). Batteries are usually mounted separately and most riders choose to place them under the stem or in the frame triangle below the top tube. Light at bar height will shine farther down the trail but will tend to produce more shadows in uneven terrain.

Many small- to medium-sized light kits include hardware for both helmet and bar mounting so you can see which one works best for you. Of course the best of both worlds is to ride with a combination of helmet and bar lights but for beginning night riders a medium-power helmet lamp is a good start.

Light emitters: LED or nuthin’

These days it’s hard to find major bike light manufacturers offering anything other than LED lamps and it’s no surprise: LED lights are reliable and super efficient. Stay away from lower priced halogen and HiD based systems – these lights suck battery life and produce a ton of excess heat.

To compare brightness between light systems, check the number of lumens (companies often claim competitors’ lumen counts are flawed but it’s still a good starting point). At a minimum you’ll want about 150 lumens to ride trails at night – and at that point you’ll be find yourself riding pretty slowly.

Beyond lumen counts, the actual beam pattern is important to consider. The simplest pattern is a round one (since LED bulbs are round) but much of that light is wasted on the edges of the trail. Some lights offer a round beam pattern with a center “hot spot” and a diffused outer halo that’s good at illuminating your peripheral vision while highlighting what’s ahead. A well thought out beam pattern on a bar mounted light system all but makes up for the fact that your light doesn’t follow your eyes like with a helmet-mounted system.

Most lights ship with multiple light modes (high, medium, low, strobe, etc.) and some even offer customizable light modes but in our experience there’s no need for more than one or two modes. High mode works best for most rides unless you need more run-time (more on that in the next section) while a strobe mode is mostly good for commuting and dusk rides where you’re more concerned about being seen than actually seeing the trail.

Batteries matter

The heart of any light system is the battery so it’s important to pay attention to quality and reliability. Most mid- to upper-level light systems include a rechargeable Li-ion battery while less expensive systems may ship with NiMh batteries. Charge times can vary widely (from as little as 2.5 hours to 10+ hours) so be sure to check – there’s nothing worse than forgetting to charge your light the day before a big ride. Be sure to follow the manufacturer’s charging instructions to maximize the life of your battery.

Longer battery life comes with a trade-off: batteries are heavier and more expensive. Look for run-times on high that are at least long enough for your typical ride (we look for 2 hours minimum). To compare systems it can be helpful to calculate a simple ratio of max lumens to run-time on high. For example, if a 300 lumen light gets 4 hours of run time (240 minutes), that’s 0.8 lumens per minute (this number doesn’t mean anything – it’s just for comparison). If another light’s ratio is 1 lumen per minute that means the second light is more efficent (holding other things like battery size/weight constant).

Because batteries will degrade over time and technology is changing rapidly we don’t recommend purchasing used bike lights unless you’re able to test and verify actual run-time yourself.

Tail lights

It’s always a good idea to bring along a blinking red tail light on any night ride, even if you don’t expect to encounter any cars. Choose a bright, inexpensive light that can be easily strapped onto a hydration pack or attached to your seatpost.

Recommendations (Updated November 2, 2011)

At this point we’ll offer some specific mountain bike light recommendations but remember to consider your budget and how you’ll be using the light to make the best choice. Products listed below are ordered by lumen count.

NiteRider MiNewt.600: This 600 lumen light is USB rechargeable and is a one-piece unit meaning there are no cords to get tangled on the trail. The smart charger juices the MiNewt in about 5.5 hours for 1.5 hours of run-time on high. Handlebar and helmet mounts are included and at $149 MSRP this simple little light is a great value.

Magicshine GMG Special 900: This simple light system pumps up the volume with 900 lumens of light and a battery that offers about 3 hours of run-time on high. At just $89 MSRP this is one of the best dollars-per-lumen values but because this system is fairly new to the market, the jury is still out on reliability. So far so good!

Light & Motion Seca 1400: The mack daddy of our recommendations, this light produces an astonishing 1400 lumens of light and weighs just 500 grams. You’ll get about 2.5 hours of battery life on high and you can mount this portable torch on your helmet or handlebars. The side-beam pattern is second to none but all this performance comes at a price ($699 MSRP). In our tests the Seca 800 works very well too and can be used comfortably as a bar-mounted light.

You can read in-depth reviews of even more bike light systems or read and compare mountain bike light reviews for these and dozens of other light systems on the market. See you on the trail!

As the days get shorter and daylight savings comes to an end we’ve been finding ourselves doing more and more night riding. Not that we ever took a break – nighttime is our favorite time to mountain bike here in the south during the hot summer months. We recently got a chance to test out the new Push bike light from Princeton Tec and it’s quickly becoming our go-to light as a backup and secondary fill light.

The Push features a single LED capable of shining 100 lumens on the trail and comes in a svelte quarter-pound package including the mount (115 grams to be exact). The light uses 3 AAA batteries and sports pulsing red lights on the sides to improve visibility to other vehicles (you can turn this feature off on the trail if you find it distracting). With three light modes (high, low, and flash) you’ll get about 4 hours of run time on high from a fresh set of AAA’s.

Ok, so at first glance these specs may not seem all that impressive for mountain biking and admittedly we didn’t get it at first either. Then we realized the Push would be a good light to throw in the hydration pack for emergencies because it’s lightweight and will stay juiced for years unlike a rechargeable system – perfect for those epic rides that accidentally spill over into darkness.

We could also see ourselves using this as a bikepacking light since it can be infinitely powered via a stream of AAA batteries (no charger necessary). Bikepacking is all about minimizing weight, where again, the Push really shines (no pun intended).

Admittedly 100 lumens isn’t a ton of light (see element22′s recent review of the Seca 1400 which pumps out 14-times as much brightness!) but we found the circular beam pattern provides just enough illumination to fill in the gaps left dark by our helmet-mounted lights. In fact we recently replaced our 2-pound bar-mounted light system with the Push on regular night rides and shaved 1.75 pounds off our load!

Beyond mountain biking applications the Push works great for bike commuting. The bar mount is simple to attach and held the light solidly in all our tests – both on and off road. There’s even a quick release on the light so you can pop it off when you lock your bike outside the office.

For an inexpensive secondary or emergency trail light that’s always ready to go, check out the new Push from Princeton Tec. At just $50 MSRP this versatile light is a great value!

Thanks to the folks at Princeton Tec for providing the Push bike light for review. Check out princetontec.com to see additional color options available on the Push.

Every now and then consumers like us luck out and get a really well thought out product. Case in point: the Princeton Tec Switchback 3 light system (MSRP $349.00). This system comes with everything you need to produce reliable, bright, and long lasting illumination both on and off the trail.

Saying the Switchback 3 comes with everything you need is an understatement: it comes with more accessories than you could possibly use, unless you plan on racing on multiple continents.  The small packaging may fool you until you open it up and find levels of components. Not only do you get the light unit with 3 powerful Maxbright LEDs, 2 mounting options (helmet and handlebar), and a large capacity Li-Ion battery, but you also get a car charger adapter and a home charger. The home charger even has its own options with North American and European plugs. To top it off you also get an extension cable for mounting the battery behind your seatpost or in a hydration pack. Like I said, Princeton Tec has thought of everything.

Follow the directions when setting this system up for the first time. Be especially mindful when mounting the lights and pay attention to the straightforward charging instructions.

My original MTB light system configuration used two clamps and two separate light assemblies, occupying a lot of bar space. In contrast the Switchback 3 took up very little space and installation was a snap. If you choose to mount the unit to your helmet you’ll need to use the extension and carry the battery in your hydration pack or jersey pocket. The battery weighs 626g and the actual light and head lamp bracket weighs about 175g with cable so keep that in mind when choosing where to mount the Switchback 3.

Mounting the battery to my top tube took very little effort and made for a clean installation. Since my cables run underneath my bike’s top tube I added some vinyl tubing to each side of the brake and shifter cables to give a bit more support to the battery (probably unnecessary but it was a slight improvement). Total time setting this up was less that 5 minutes – I was off and running shortly after that!

Now for those of you who are planning on using the Switchback 3 for 24 Hour competitions, this set works well and will go the distance. The first battery charge will take 3-4 hours but subsequent charges will take just 2 hours to full power. Under full load the Switchback 3 will run for 6 hours (12h in medium load and 50h in low). Unless you’re Tinker Juarez or Chris Eatough you’ll probably run out of juice out before the Switchback 3 does!

Great battery life usually comes with a trade-off in terms of illumination but somehow the Switchback 3 seems to avoid this pitfall. The Switchback 3 produces focused illumination far into the distance and at the perfect width for singletrack riding. The beam pattern is rectangular (length wise) and is not adjustable but for me that’s fine – like I said, the distance and width is just right for singletrack.

In the image to the right you can see how the Switchback 3 lights up the entire width of the trail and then some. This system provides good illumination from about 4 feet in front all the way out to about 120 feet down the trail (90 feet in med 70 feet in low). In my tests the light allowed me to see great details – everything I would see during a day run but with shadows. The width of the light pattern is about 12 feet across which is adequate for riding on pitch black trails. The photo on the right was taken at midnight with overcast skies (with lots of fiddling with my camera settings so the shot came out without a flash).

The Switchback 3 is dead simple to operate in the field. The yellow button on the top can be used with or without gloves and it’s easy to find even in pitch black darkness (the button has a different texture from the rest of the unit). The button itself is a soft touch button which requires very little force – simply keep pressing the button until you get your desired light level (high, medium, or low).

The Switchback 3 is designed to to be water resistant to rain and splashes, just don’t submerse the unit in water for any length of time (guess that means no nighttime bog snorkelling). Because this unit uses LED lights you won’t have to worry about blowing a bulb due to excessive trail shock. One word of caution: keep your hand off the light body during use – the body doubles as a heat sink so it will get hot!

Even if you don’t plan on racing, the Switchback 3 will enhance any night ride, giving you a good field of vision with a deep, even column of light. If your night ride includes lots of sharp turns, you may want to get a supplementary light source such as the Switchback 1 or 2 mounted to your helmet for added vision – but that would simply be icing on the cake. If you just plan on riding on the streets, this unit will surely keep you safe and noticed. You may even want to turn it down a level or two on the road – no sense in blinding oncoming traffic

Overall I would have to say this is a great choice for anyone who wants a complete, high performance lighting system that is easy to install and rugged enough to take the abuse of the trails. Get one of these and you’ll eliminate one more excuse (darkness) for not riding more! Cheers folks and safe riding.

We found one of these systems at BackcountryOutlet.com for just $227 earlier today. Better snap yours up while they last!

Specifications from Princeton Tec for the Switchback 3:

LAMP: 3 Maxbright LEDs
BURN TIME: 50 Hours (low), 12 Hours (med), 6 Hours (high), 6.5 Hours (flash)
BATTERIES: Li-Ion Rechargeable – 10 Cell
WEIGHT: 826g total weight (Light, bracket, battery)
Designed for water resistance to splashing and quick dunkings.