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In this article, we review and feature the best rear bike lights for night and evening cycling. We narrowed down this list of top 7 tail lights based on their features, overall quality, user feedback, and price.
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5 Best Front Bike Lights For Commuting
Introduction
If you plan to ride your bike in the evening or at night then you definitely need rear bike light. This is not just a safety precaution, but actually a legal requirement in many countries. For your safety and others’ please don’t ride your bike at night without proper bike lights.
In general, bike lights fall into two categories: “lights to be seen with” and “lights to see with”. In this article, we focus on the first one and review the best rear bike lights, which are perfect for night riding or commuting and also will not cost you all the money in the world.
When choosing the best tail light for your needs, keep in mind a few things.
First, the kind of cycling you plan to do. For example, if you are commuting on a rather well-lit road, then you will not need extremely bright lights. On the other hand, if you plan to ride on dark roads, then brightness is an important factor since you want the cars behind to spot you from a distance.
Second, battery life and charging option. We would advise going for a light that has a rechargeable battery and also a longer run time. These will save you money down the road and will require less frequent charging.
Third, you should also consider mounting options. For example, if you have a saddle bag or a mudguard, you should double-check if the light you are about to buy can be installed on your bike.
Happy reading and be safe.
1. Lezyne Strip Drive Pro Tail Light Black
- Charging Type (USB vs Battery): USB Rechargeable
- Lumens: up to 300
- Run time (max): 53 hours
- Charging time: 2-2.5 hours
Positives
- Very bright rear light
- Special 270 degrees side visibility
- Water-resistant
- Quick charging time
- Great battery life
Negatives
- A bit too many light modes
Lezyne Strip Drive Pro would be a perfect purchase for those riding in heavy traffic and would want to be extra visible. This light is capable of producing 300 lumens output and also offers a 270 degrees visibility so you will be noticed from both sides by upcoming vehicles, pedestrians, and other cyclists.
This light offers 11 different modes, which might be great for you, but it also could be a bit too much clicking through the options and trying to decide what would work best. This is not a major downside, but maybe a bit of simplicity would make things slightly easier.
It has a USB rechargeable battery (around 2 hours recharge time) and could run for up to 53 hours on the lowest output mode (5 lumens). The battery life is quite similar to Moon Nebula Rear Light.
The light could be easily mounted to most aero and round posts.
Another useful feature we wanted to highlight is water resistance. This light is totally capable of withstanding showers and sprays of water from any direction.
2. Moon Nebula Rear Light
- Charging Type (USB vs Battery): USB Rechargeable
- Lumens: up to 180
- Run time (max): 20.5 hours
- Charging time: 2.5 hours
Positives
- A light designed for extra side visibility
- Several mounting options to choose from
- Quick charging time
- Great battery life
- High water-resistance level (IP6)
Negatives
- Not much actually
Moon Nebula Rear Light has a lot to offer and would be a perfect option for most cyclists. This light has 8 different modes, which include the day flash one as well. A variety of light modes allow you to choose the perfect one at a given time and thus prolong battery life.
The battery can be easily recharged in just 2.5 hours with an included USB charger. This light also includes an “automatically fully charged cut-off system” and three battery life indicators: low battery, charging, and fully charged. Amazing features that extend battery life and indicate when charging is needed.
Water-resistance is another great feature of Moon Nebula. Always great to have a light that can withstand light showers and water splashes from the tires.
The last amazing feature we want to point out is mounting options. This light can be securely and easily installed on your helmet, any type of seat post (standard and aero), saddle, and even seatstay tubes.
3. Cateye Rapid X3 Rechargeable Rear Light
- Charging Type (USB vs Battery): USB Rechargeable
- Lumens: up to 150
- Run time (max): 30 hours
- Charging time: 3 hours
Positives
- Several mounting options to choose from
- Great battery life on most modes
- Very bright light
- Battery saving function
- Two independently operated LED modules
Negatives
- Battery life drains quickly on the brightest mode
Cateye Rapid X3 is perfect for evening riding. It will keep you visible and also offers some pretty amazing features. The light comes with 6 different modes to choose from. In addition, you get two separate LED modules and each is operated independently. Definitely gives you more flexibility. This light is also equipped with battery saving functions, which means the light will automatically switch to lower output mode when battery is low. Also you get a battery life indicator so you know when charging is needed.
We also would like to highlight mounting options. The light can be attached to round and aero seatposts, seatstays, handlebars, forks and even headtubes. You definitely get quite a lot of choices here.
It is water resistant, but not waterproof, so make sure not to soak it in water.
One thing to keep in mind, that the battery life on the highest output mode is only 1 hour. It increases to 5 hours on the low output and 30 hours on flashing. If you don’t plan to use the highest mode for long then this is a great light to consider.
4. Nite Rider Omega 300 Rear Light
- Charging Type (USB vs Battery): USB Rechargeable
- Lumens: up to 300
- Run time (max): 30 hours
- Charging time: 2 hours and 15 minutes
Positives
- Very bright light (you will be noticed for sure)
- Special group ride mode
- Great price value ratio
- Water resistance
Negatives
- Fits only to standard seat posts
Nite Rider Omega 300 has a lot to offer for the price. The light is capable of producing 300 lumens output with 5 different modes to choose from. The battery life and recharge time are extremely good for this price. It also includes a low battery indicator, which is always a great feature to have.
The light would be ideal for those riding in groups due its Group Ride and Daylight Visible Flash modes. With these modes you get great visibility, but at the same time you will not blind the people around you.
Overall, this is a great quality light that is also water resistant. The one thing to be mindful of is mounting option. It is slightly unusual and would fit only to standard seat posts. Also it includes a quick release and mounting rail to put the light in, which could be quite tricky to get. This is nothing major, but just something to be mindful of.
5. Specialized Flux 250L Taillight
- Charging Type (USB vs Battery): USB Rechargeable
- Lumens: up to 250
- Run time (max): 60 hours
- Charging time: 2 hours
Positives
- Battery life is great
- Very bright light (you will be noticed for sure)
- Fully waterproof light
Negatives
- Quite expensive in comparison to other similar lights
Specialized Flux 250L is perfect for long distance riders who are looking for a very bright and durable light. It is one of the most expensive lights in our review, but you get what you pay for. This light is able to produce 250 lumens output and includes 3 bright LED lights.
In addition to amazing brightness, the battery is another positive factor. On a steady high mode you get 3 hours of run time and 8 hours on a maxim power flash. This means that you can easily ride 6-8 hours on maximum flashing mode without worrying about your light going off. There are a total of 5 modes, which simplifies usability quite a lot.
This light is fully waterproof so can be easily used in any weather conditions. Definitely a light to choose if your budget allows it.
6. Knog Blinder X Rear Light
- Charging Type (USB vs Battery): USB Rechargeable
- Lumens: up to 100
- Run time (max): 60 hours
- Charging time: 4 hours
Positives
- Great battery life
- Integrated USB plug
- Fully waterproof
- Special noticeable graphic flash patterns
Negatives
- Long charging time
Knog Blinder X is one of the most unique lights in our review. It offers a lot of features that other lights do not.
The light comes with an integrated USB plug, which means you don’t have to deal with USB cables. The battery life is outstanding and lasts 2.5 hours on the highest output mode and up to 60 hours on eco-friendly one. It also includes a low battery life indicator so you know when it is time charge.
There are 8 different modes operated with only 1 button and you also get 4 special graphic flash patterns. A pretty cool feature to make you stand out.
The light is fully waterproof so you can use it in any kind of weather.
The mounting is completely tool-free and easy to remove and clip back on. Included silicone strap can be used for bars and seat posts 22 – 32mm in diameter.
7. Exposure TraceR Rear Light with DayBright
- Charging Type (USB vs Battery): USB Rechargeable
- Lumens: up to 75
- Run time (max): 24 hours
- Charging time: 4 hours
Positives
- Daylight visibility
- Intelligent thermal management
- Fully Waterproof
- Long battery life
- Very small light / compact
Negatives
- A bit expensive for only 75 lumens
Exposure TraceR stands out with its DayBright technology, which is designed to improve your visibility during the day. This is especially handy on foggy, rainy, and misty days. The battery light is also great and you get 7 different light modes to choose from depending on your needs.
One of the cool features of this light is the thermal management system, which ensures the light does not overheat and helps to extend the battery life. Another amazing feature that this light has is a fuel gauge, which is a color-coded system for the remaining runtime screening. For example, you will see red flashing if the battery is low and needs charging.
The light is waterproof and its compact sizes make it a great light to place under a seat post. This is especially useful if you already have a seat post bag or a mudguard that occupies valuable seatpost space.
CONCLUSION
Each of the lights above has some pretty amazing features and offers a great deal of functionality. We highly encourage you to analyze your needs and price range to choose the best option for you. For example, if you plan to ride on rainy days then the waterproof feature is really important. If brightness is your primary factor then lumen output would determine your choice.
We hope you found this article helpful.
Why should you trust us?
In order to feature and review any products on our website we do extensive research, read user feedback, carefully review forum threads, look at search trends, brand popularity, try to actually use and test as many products as possible ourselves, and evaluate other factors depending on the product category. By doing extensive research and incorporating it with our own experience we are able to shortlist only a handful of products out of thousands of options.
We want to bring value to our readers and help them find answers to questions and buy the most appropriate cycling products. Brands and cycling professionals always try to innovate and improve to get the best possible outcome. Unfortunately, innovations and product improvements these days result only in marginal gains, but the price increase for these gains is not equally proportional. In economics, this behavior is defined as “diminishing returns”. Knowing this we focus on featuring the best value for the money products that are affordable, but at the same time have a lot to offer. We don’t want our visitors to overspend on something they will not benefit from.
