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Buyer’s guide: front lights

Essential advice for buying bicycle lights

Battery/charging

Batteries have improved dramatically in recent times, too. After all, what’s the point in having a super-bright light if its limited run time leaves you stranded on a dark road with a battery that has run dry?

Almost all bike lights use lithium-ion batteries, which are far more efficient than the old lead acid or NiMH batteries.

Many lights are now charged via USB

Battery run times vary dramatically. Never judge a book by its cover. Treat the manufacturer’s claimed run times with a little caution – they represent the best possible scenario (a brand new light, with a fully charged battery and an LED which is right on spec, for example). Lithium-ion batteries will also deteriorate with age.

Run time is, of course, extended when less power is used and most lights offer a range of settings, either reducing the output or turning the beam from steady to flashing.

Some high-powered lights use an external battery pack

Use your light intelligently (reduce the power output on well-lit roads) to ensure you have enough light for your whole ride and to maximise the run time between charges.

USB charging is all the rage and offers a quick, easy and convenient way to top up the battery’s juice. Just plug in your lights when you get to work to top them up before the ride home.

The 850-lumen Exposure Strada is an example of a high-powered light with an internal battery

More powerful lights – for riding on unlit roads – will, naturally, require a bigger battery. This will either be integrated into the light’s housing, resulting in a bulky unit but one which is neatly packaged on your handlebar (like the Exposure Strada, for example), or it will come in a separate bag with a velcro strap, resulting in a small – in fact, often tiny – head unit, but with the bulky battery strapped to the toptube and a cable running between the two (the Hope R1, to name one example.

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