A Quick & Dirty Guide to Bike Lights

With the time change throwing everyone off, now seems like a perfect time to address the commonly asked question: How do I pick a bike light?

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At the risk of sounding obvious: The goal of bike lights is to see and be seen. Quality gear will check those boxes. There are three primary considerations when selecting bike lights: How they are charged, prioritized, and mounted. Based on those considerations, here's what I personally choose to ride with:

Front light: Cygolite Metro 950 (the 650 is a bit cheaper)

Rear light: Cateye Viz 150 (I swear this battery will outlast humanity)

Considerations:

#1: USB rechargeable

There's a reason why devices like phones, smartwatches, action cameras, earbuds, and head units lack replaceable batteries. Nothing's worse than discovering your AAs are depleted, forcing you to run to CVS for replacements. Naturally, that errand gets kicked down the road and your lights inevitably get banished to the bottom of some drawer. USB lights for the win!

#2: Prioritize rear lights

Get both front and rear if you can. However, I know it's hard to fork it all over at once since we're investing in quality gear here. If there's only room for one in the budget right now: get a rear light.

#3: Separate mounting bracket (or at least easily swappable)

You want to have the option to swap one light from bike to bike. I use this $8 mount and this out-front mount to mount on my road bike, but you can really choose your own adventure here. The Viz 150 comes with a rubber thingamajig that easily detaches and reattaches to different seatposts.

Bonus: When attaching your rear light, make sure it's always pointing straight back! The asphalt behind you poses no danger. The car that can't see you – different story.

That's all. Happy Tuesday!