The joy of mountain biking at night — from the lack of other cyclists to the cool temperature — is offset by the necessity of safety precautions. Nightriders must be well prepared with the best lights for mountain biking at night so they can see where they are going. Because apart from visibility, cyclists also have to deal with elements and obstacles and even compete for space on the road or trails with motorists — who, unsurprisingly, don’t always make room.
A bike light’s primary function is to improve visibility and safety for cyclists. They are divided into three types: front lights, rear lights, and combination bike lights. Of course, some lights serve multiple functions — but these are features that will help you determine what you need.
To find a quality bike light for night riding, you must look at lumens. If you want a brighter light to safely ride in the dark or go off-road, you’ll need more lumens. For ultimate visibility and safety, a high output light can make all the difference. With brighter lights, however, comes greater power consumption. This means that you may find yourself recharging the light more frequently than a dimmer one.
Mountain bike lights aren’t an afterthought — they’re a necessity. If you’re looking for the best mountain bike lights, look no further than the ones listed and reviewed below. These innovative, ultra-powerful, and incredibly bright lights are everything that you could ever want.
1. VASTFIRE’s Best Lights for Mountain Biking at Night
Check the Latest Price on Amazon.
VASTFIRE’s Mountain Bike Lights are a game-changer for night riding. For mountain bikers like you, whose favorite time of day is riding at night because of the nill traffic, empty trails, and cooler temps, VASTFIRE’s Best Lights for Mountain Biking at Night is your best bet.
The lights ship with USB charging cords designed specifically for each one, and fully charge in around two and a half hours — from zero to full. While charging, the front light blinks green to green, while the rear stays lit. Use a multi-tool to tighten the bracket correctly if needed. The rear light is a rubber adjustable bracket that can also slide in and out with ease. There are easy-to-follow instructions to help you mount the light without any hassle.
For safety reasons, we don’t recommend that anyone who is not up to date with their trail knowledge go out at night. As a precaution, we recommend you bring your cycling multi-tool, wear proper attire, and employ all other personal safety features.
Bottom line, this is the most outstanding light set for your application/needs. These lights are perfect for those who need a light set to handle bumps, tight turns, and over 32 mph sprints and hills. And not to mention that the price is right too. Pick up a second one — you won’t regret it!
While front bike lights are primarily used to illuminate the road, rear lights are focused on making yourself visible. Bright red or yellow lights garner attention and make sure that motorists can see you from all angles.
Your safety is critical when you’re biking at night because, without a rear light, those behind you will have trouble seeing when a vehicle approaches. Fortunately, it’s easy to keep yourself visible with a really bright rear light, like the one we’ve listed below.
2. CAT EYE Rapid X3 USB Rechargeable LED Bike Safety Light
Check the Latest Price on Amazon.
Don’t underestimate this one as we also consider it one of the best lights for mountain biking at night. The Cateye Rapid X3 rear bike light brings power with 150-lumen output. That’s double the brightness of the company’s popular Rapid X2, which was rated at 50 lumens (maximum power mode).
At full brightness, the headlamp’s battery can last for close to one hour. However, there are other settings that you can choose from: a vibration, a rapid setting, a high setting, a pulse light, a low setting, and a flashing light setting. It simply looks the best using the pulse setting the most.
The X3 is an innovative iteration to the world of bicycle light attachments. Its low-profile design — featuring a rubber band-style mount — makes it compatible with most bike types, including those with thick or protruding frame parts.
What we really love about the Cateye Rapid X3 is: Whether it’s a sprinkle or a downpour, you can ride assured that it’s built to withstand the elements. CatEye lights are waterproof, so they won’t falter when the rain starts to fall.
Now, how about a set of lights for your bike’s rims that will allow you to become more visible on the road, whether you’re riding through rush-hour traffic or just commuting home from work? Wheels lights are lights built into bicycle wheels for optimum performance so that you’ll be seen no matter where you’re headed.
Like most cyclists, you probably want the best of the best when it comes to your wheel lights. After all, you need them to guide you through the darkest of night, which means nothing but the brightest of light will do. One such set of lights is the one below.
3. Wheelbrightz LED Bicycle Wheel Lights
Check the Latest Price on Amazon.
Do you want to go mountain biking at night in style? Try installing these Wheelbrightz LED Bicycle Wheel Lights! There’s a valid reason why included these bike lights as one of the best lights for mountain biking at night.
Brightz LED lights make you feel like you’re in a disco, with their seven feet of various colors and chromatic combinations: purple, gold, orange, red/white, pink, white, green, and blue. The multicolor option has only one color; to get the color morphing option, you’ll need to order the multicolor and color morphing sets separately.
Every wheel that’s larger than 20 inches should easily fit in the Brightz lights, as they’re compatible with tires of nearly all sizes. The only caveat is that the wheels must have an average number of spokes — not too many and not too few. If you’re looking for a lot of customizations, these lights don’t have them.
When you order the kit, you will receive 16 feet of micro LED string lights in waterproof tubing, including one battery pack to connect the lights. The tubes also have caps for both ends and mounting ties. With 3 AA batteries, you can get a full 48 hours of lighting time.
It’s a great product. But be sure to check the battery pack screws on both wheels every time you take it for a spin. They tend to get loose with use, so it’s important to continue tightening them or they’ll loosen and the device will stop working.
At night, the road can seem as treacherous and uncertain as a pitch-black ocean. The worse it gets, the more you want to ensure that you can see where you’re going. In any environment, having proper lighting is crucial to staying safe on the road.
Okay, so you already have headlamps. Why not get a helmet that has them built in? That way, you’ll never have to worry about bringing an extra item with you on your ride. Whether you’re cruising through the city or riding deep into the countryside, it’s easy to be seen when you have equipped yourself with a helmet with integrated LED lights.
4. LUMOS Kickstart Smart Helmet
Check the Latest Price on Amazon.
Traditional MTB helmets are simply not equipped to help cyclists survive on the road. With all of their outdated features, they are only useful if you get into a crash. Lumos helmets, on the other hand, feature the best lights for mountain biking at night. They make you visible to other vehicles and have a smart navigation system that helps drivers anticipate your every move.
While the front illumination isn’t exactly bright enough to light up your surroundings, it certainly puts out enough light to be seen. That’s a good thing because the last thing you want is for other drivers not to see you. Turn signals are super helpful in urban environments; they let drivers know when you’re turning without needing to rely on hand gestures or body language. Hmm…Wonder what they look like from the perspective of drivers behind.
We love how much care has gone into the design of this helmet. The magnetic charger works for both the turn signal controller (which you can mount to the handlebars) and the helmet. And it emits a beeping sound when turned on or off. A helmet can’t be priced: it’s either worth its weight in gold or a waste of time. But I think this helmet is the former.
5. Topside Bike Helmet Light
Check the Latest Price on Amazon.
To end our list of mini-reviews of the best lights for mountain biking at night, we’ve chosen the Topside model from Brightside Bike Lights. Its Lumen Cree LED will make sure you’re safe on the trails at night. It’s waterproof and has a long battery life, making it perfect for all your nighttime biking needs.
The dual LED headlights feature efficient lighting technology. It’s an excellent device to illuminate the road ahead of you while signaling other drivers about your presence on the side of the road. 3 hours is all it takes to fully charge the light, and you’ll receive up to 18 hours of brightness — more than enough to give you a safe and thrilling night ride. When the light needs charging, just use the USB port to keep yourself charged as well.
With different lighting modes, the Topside is versatile enough to suit any situation. A fast flash, constant, double flash, constant front flash rear, and constant rear flash front are available for your use. A battery indicator will tell you when you will need to charge again, so there will be no harsh surprises.
To mount it on your helmet, use the two available mounts. Strap it in place with the provided straps and ties. If you’re using a handlebar setup, simply push the light against the mount, which will eventually hold it in place.
You can also check out our full review of the Topside Bicycle Helmet Light in our separate post.
Conclusion
Cycling is a great way to enjoy the outdoors, stay in shape, and save money on transportation. And some of the best rides are taken in the dead of night. But cycling in the dark is a dangerous and often ill-conceived idea — for one, it doesn’t matter how good a cyclist you are if you can’t see where you’re going!
When you’re having a night ride across the neighborhood, over roots and rocks, past pedestrians, cars, and trees, visibility is key. Gearing up yourself with the best lights for mountain biking at night ensures that other users of the road or trails can see you from a distance. You as a night cyclist can then safely navigate even the darkest of nights.
When searching for MTB lights for a night ride, there are several factors to consider. Durability, ease of use, and waterproof capabilities should all be at the top of your list. If you’re shopping online, it’s important to pay attention to both the quality of the bicycle light and the seller’s terms and conditions.
When the sun sets, light-emitting bike accessories turn the evening commute into a rosy-hued experience, making it easier to spot obstacles. HOWEVER, if you’re on a busy road, it is vital to keep in mind that taking full advantage of your high beams during nighttime or bad weather conditions might blind other drivers and risk them to possible accidents and crashes. That is the reason why you should always choose a lighting mode that is appropriate for yourself and for others on the road.
We hope you’ve enjoyed this article. What are the best lights for mountain biking at night for you? We would love to hear your opinion, so please drop a comment below.
