13 best mountain bike lights in 2024 for night riding, tried and tested

If you’ve never been mountain biking at night before, you’re missing out. It presents an awesome challenge; obstacles come at you faster, it feels like you’re riding at warp speed and there’s something majestic about being in the woods at night.

A high-powered front light is essential to illuminate the trail ahead and the brighter your lights are, the better your night-riding experience is going to be.

You’ll be able to see more of the trail, obstacles shrouded in the shadows pop out at you and speed comes naturally.

We've tested more than 500 lights in the past 17 years, illuminating forests with a variety of options and always considering brightness, battery life, beam pattern, practicality and value for money.

Following our latest group test, we've compiled this list of our favourite high-powered mountain bike lights.

Below that, we've detailed what you should look for when buying a mountain bike light in our buyer's guide, which you can skip to.

If you're looking for front and rear lights for road cycling and commuting, check out our guide to the best bike lights.

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Editor's note: We updated our best mountain bike lights list on 22 October, 2024, with our latest mountain bike light reviews. We added an 'also consider' section for lights that didn't score 4 stars or above.

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Class-leading illumination, top-quality construction and clever tech make this all-in-one light well worth its high price tag.

The Reflex++ mode senses movement, adjusting power output to the difficulty of the trail. Stop riding, or cruise along a smooth section of trail, and the light dims slowly so your eyes can adjust.

Wiggle the bar or hit a bump and it switches to full power instantly. This works so well, it renders manual modes pointless, so you can have an entirely hands-off experience.

There’s more than enough power to light up the most technical trails and it’s evenly spread with a gradual fade that provides incredible context. Plenty of light is projected downwards, with a beautiful hue.

In 2,700-lumen Reflex++ mode, the runtime is a generous three hours. The aluminium unit is IP65-rated and has a two-year warranty; the LEDs are guaranteed for life.

Max lumens: 4,600 | Runtime (max power): 2 hours | Modes: 10 | Weight: 353g

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Boasting a brain-bending 8,000 lumens, the Galaxy’s immense brightness is second to none. It lights up the trail and its surroundings with fantastic competence, making it a one-stop-shop for gnarly trail riding.

Magicshine has updated this light over the original with the addition of software and hardware needed for the Bluetooth wireless remote control.

There are 30 modes, with claimed runtimes starting at 32 hours for the 400-lumen setting and dropping to one hour 30 minutes for the 8,000-lumen max-power mode, although it ran for slightly longer in testing.

There are no bleached spots of light on the trails and the impressive beam pattern is broad and well-controlled.

The addition of a mode or battery indicator would be an area for the brand to explore in a future iteration, otherwise it's top marks.

The V2.0's predecessor, the MagicShine Monteer 8000S Galaxy, also scored a full five stars last year and is worth consideration.

Max lumens: 8,000 | Runtime (max power): 1 hour 38 minutes | Modes: 30 | Weight: 623g

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With unrivalled power and a massive beam spread, the Monteer 12000 has the ability to turn night into day.

It lives up to Magicshine’s claims, pumping out an incredible amount of well-distributed light for brilliant trail context that boosts rider confidence sky-high.

Its throw is immense, and in Flood mode it illuminates the sides of the trail and around corners, too, in a soft hue that’s easy on the eyes.

Over two hours is a superb runtime for 12,000 lumens and lower modes extend battery life considerably while still projecting ample light.

The head unit and hefty 900g battery are impact-resistant and IPX6-rated, while the sturdy twin-clamp mount offers tool-free angle adjustment. A lid mount is included, too. There are charge indicators on the light, battery and Bluetooth remote.

Max lumens: 12,000 | Runtime (max power): 2 hours 30 minutes | Modes: 10 | Weight: 1258g

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Although its power comes at a price, the Lupine Alpha seriously impressed. Its maximum 7,200-lumen output is as powerful as it sounds, and it has a super-focused centralised spot, meaning no obstacle goes unseen.

It's an easy light to use, with five default modes and an additional three that can be accessed. Our only gripe is the unit tended to shift closer to the ground on rougher terrain.

Max lumens: 7,200 | Runtime (max power): 1 hour 20 minutes | Modes: 5 | Weight: 753g

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The Monteer 6500S Galaxy V2.0 uses five LEDs to cast an impressive 6,500 lumens on the trails.

We found the light to be more than effective at lighting up even the most technical trails under nightfall, with the yellow hue reducing strain on longer rides.

The construction of the Monteer impressed us, with its rugged design feeling dependable even on remote missions.

Its Garmin-style mount makes it quick and easy to fit, although it's still more laborious than lights with integrated batteries.

Max lumens: 6,500 | Runtime (max power): 2 hours 18 minutes | Modes: 3 | Weight: 554g

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Feeling much brighter than its claimed 1,600 lumens in Blitz mode and boasting an excellent IP67 rating, this is a great little all-in-one light.

It’s powerful enough for most black-graded trail-centre runs and the beam’s white hue with brown/red highlights illuminates trail surfaces while adding good depth.

The light has a long throw, making it easy to reach high speeds on straighter trails. Introduce tight switchbacks, however, and the lack of spread and stark peripheral cut-off limit speed and confidence.

While the interface between light and mount is good, the plastic clamp is hard to tighten, although its narrow width leaves space on the bar.

Max lumens: 1,600 | Runtime (max power): 1 hour 43 minutes | Modes: 5 | Weight: 554g

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The latest Six Pack punches out 5,450 lumens and features the brand’s Reflex technology that automatically adjusts the light's brightness depending on your speed.

Its integrated 17,000mAh battery inside the head unit makes for a cable-free design that's easy to attach and detach from your bike.

We found the beam to be a little more compact than others in this list, with the transition from light to darkness more apparent, although this didn’t hinder our ability out on the trails too much.

Max lumens: 5,450 | Runtime (max power): 2 hours 15 minutes | Modes: 10 | Weight: 427g

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Another well-made light, the IP67-rated X2 comes with three spare lenses to tune the beam pattern, plus you can customise its modes via an app.

Despite the head unit’s diminutive size, the beam’s gentle green hue is well-balanced between spot and flood, giving a long throw down the trail.

It punches above its 2,000-lumen output, too, with ample power to tackle technical terrain. Although the peripheral beam cut-off is gradual, the spread could be wider for spotting lines in tight turns.

Swapping in the alternative lenses resulted in a dimmer beam, so we stuck with the stock setup.

The limited spread makes the X2 better suited to helmet use (Velcro and GoPro-style mounts are included).

Operation is simple using the wireless remote, and its three-hour burn time on maximum power is impressive. The out-front clamp frees up bar space.

Max lumens: 2,000 | Runtime (max power): 4 hours | Modes: 3 | Weight: 533g

With features similar to far pricier competitors, the Pavo is a great all-in-one light, without the inconvenience of an external battery or cables.

The twist-lock mount is stable and the beam lights up obstacles and lines way ahead, but the peripheral fade is gradual, which helps provide context on the trail.

While power feels lower than claimed, it’s ample to ride gnarly trails with confidence, although a better beam spread would be helpful in tight turns.

The yellow/brown hue highlights earthy tones well. LifeLine’s Motion technology adapts the light’s output depending on movement, halving it when you’re stationary.

This works well and is refined enough to negate switching modes on the fly. The on-off/mode button doubles as a low-battery indicator by switching colours. While mode selection is intuitive, the colour system can be confusing.

Max lumens: 3,500 | Runtime (max power): 2 hours 30 minutes | Modes: 4 | Weight: 380g

A smaller, lighter unit than many, the Light & Motion Seca Comp 2000 is controlled by two buttons, with the main one illuminated and the second operating orange sidelights for on-road use.

Light colour balance is good, with the green and yellow hues avoiding dazzle. We found the mount didn’t hold the light quite securely enough though, so there was a tendency for the beam to drop down. There’s a GoPro-style mount included that should eliminate this.

We reckoned the Seca Comp gave more light than its stated output, although there wasn’t quite enough to cope with all the trail features we encountered, due to the broad beam spread. It’s a good option for less technical routes and casual night riding though.

Max lumens: 2,000 | Runtime (max power): 1 hour 20 minutes | Modes: 4 | Weight: 224g

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With a 2,600-lumen peak output, a 9,000mAh battery and a wired remote, along with an LED display of mode and battery life, the Moon Rigel provides plenty of illumination from its six LEDs. It has an out-front mount to push it ahead of the bars.

There’s an ambient light sensor that puts the light in standby mode during the day so you don’t burn through the battery while it’s still light, and you can choose to vary output continuously rather than via the eight set modes.

The LEDs give a mix of spotlight and wide-angle side illumination that’s good for a wide variety of trails. Using the light isn’t intuitive though and we had to study the manual before we could get riding.

Max lumens: 2,600 | Runtime (max power): 2 hour 3 minutes | Modes: X | Weight: X

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Powered by six LEDs, Moon's Rigel Power features three different programs, each with eight modes. The light has an intelligent function, where the unit can change its brightness, depending on the ambient light.

The Rigel Power's lighting is well distributed and its 3,600-lumen maximum output provides enough light for high levels of detail without bleaching the trail's colours. This is particularly impressive, given the unit's small size.

A more intuitive method of selecting modes and the addition of a battery life display are the only factors that prevent this light scoring higher.

Max lumens: 3,600 | Runtime (max power): 1 hour 56 minutes | Modes: 8 | Weight: 372g

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The Ravemen comes with a wireless remote and an external power pack, so you can boost its 1.5-hour runtime. The light includes a display of which of the eight modes is in operation and the remaining runtime, as well as whether a high or low beam is in use.

High and low beams have different patterns, with the high beam focusing light in the distance and the low beam flooding the closer area. We were impressed with the ability to highlight trail features, while the yellow/green hue avoids the harshness of blue or white LEDs.

Although lower-powered than many of the alternatives, there’s a good beam spread and gradual fade that helps on switchbacks. But higher speeds on tight trails tested the illumination on offer.

Max lumens: 2,400 | Runtime (max power): 1 hour 30 minutes | Modes: 9 | Weight: 321g

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The following products scored below four out of five in our test, but are still worth considering.

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The Free 3000 L offers great versatility, with the light also being marketed to runners, skiers, campers and mountaineers.

We found the light to offer a practical amount of illumination, though we felt we couldn’t hit the trail with the same speed as with the more powerful lights in this list.

The beam is made up of a spotlight and a floodlight, providing plenty of scope for spotting trail features.

Max lumens: 3,000 | Runtime (max power): 2 hours 47 minutes | Modes: 3 | Weight: 482g

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The Mega Drive 2400+ offers great value for money, with the compact light offering 2,400 lumens via five LEDs and weighing in at 330g.

We found the light to offer good illumination on flowy, non-technical trails, although it wasn’t bright enough to tackle super-technical trails under the stars.

The mount also struggled with bumpy trails, though Lezyne offers a more robust mount for £8.

Despite this, we were impressed by this little light, with the beam being more than enough for trail-centre blues.

Max lumens: 2,400 | Runtime (max power): 2 hours 17 minutes | Modes: 8 | Weight: 330g

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The Blinder X2300 beams 2,300 lumens to the trail below using 12 LEDs that give a warm hue that's easy on the eyes.

The light connects to Knog’s Modemaker app, which enables you to adjust brightness and beam width – among other features.

While at this price we’d expect high output, the Blinder X2300 is a quality product, with the aluminium finish feeling durable and dependable.

Max lumens: 2,300 | Runtime (max power): 2 hours 7 minutes | Modes: Custom | Weight: 460g

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As you’d expect considering the price, the XR6000 is made using high-quality materials that give it a premium feel.

The bright 6,000-lumen beam lights up the trail effectively, enabling you to ride seriously technical trails in the moonlight.

Unfortunately, the XR6000 suffered from overheating, which caused the light to have a maximum power of 3,000 lumens.

This may be less of a problem in colder environments, although this thermal throttling is a big drawback.

Max lumens: 6,000 | Runtime (max power): 2 hours 1 minute | Modes: 9 | Weight: 590g

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We turn nocturnal when testing mountain bike lights, spending hours in the woods at night testing their real-world performance.

Beam power, distribution and hue are all assessed, along with the light's battery life, mounting and general usability.

We also consider value for money, with the most expensive or powerful light possibly not being the best overall and the cheapest not being the best bang for your buck.

Every light in this list is at least worth considering, with our top recommendations usually decided by overall performance, functionality, usability and value for money.

Our pros and cons section enables you to identify specific needs you may desire that might not apply to an overall score, such as versatility between sports.

This list is updated every time we review a mountain bike light with a worthy score and old lights are removed when they become unavailable from retailers.

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When considering which mountain bike light to buy, there are four things worth bearing in mind:

A minimum of 1,500 lumens will provide enough light for well-lit riding. You can get away with less, but if you ride fast or on technical trails, more lumens is better than less.

Runtime can vary a great deal between lights and it's minimised the more power the LEDs are pumping out. We've listed the runtime for each of the lights in this list at maximum power.

Beam pattern refers to how light is dispersed across the trail, and it can be just as important as lumens when it comes to how well you can see.

Lights will often have either a spot or flood pattern. Spot patterns highlight details in front of you in great detail. Flood patterns disperse the light over a wider area and can give you a better sense of what's around you. Some lights use a mixture of both.

Do you need an extra-long cable for a battery pack? Are you looking to mount a light on multiple bikes? It's worth paying attention to the extras that come with a light to make sure it's suitable for your specific needs.

We've made sure to refer to these four points in the reviews of all the lights listed here.

We set a lower limit of 1,500 claimed lumens when testing mountain bike lights, which is more than ample to provide safe and well-lit shredding. You could get away with less, but how suitable that is will depend entirely on how fast you want to go and how technical the trails are.

In the same way that claimed battery life, weight and a host of other things vary from their real-life measures, the number of lumens a manufacturer claims their light has, compared to how many it actually has, can vary significantly.

Don’t fret, though. While claimed lumens is a relatively important figure, what really matters is how that light is projected, not necessarily how bright it is.

The same goes for runtimes. In our tests, we timed each of the lights on their maximum setting to find out just how long the juice will last.

If the LEDs push out lots of light, more battery power is required. All of our lights have at least one-hour of runtime at the 1,500-lumen minimum requirement, but most offer considerably more burn time at their maximum output, so it’s unlikely you’ll get caught short.

Battery and LED tech is improving all the time, and although lights with dedicated, separate battery packs will last longer than combined all-in-one units, the gap between the two is narrowing.

Light output isn’t the only factor to consider – beam patterns are just as important. Some lights project their output into one specific area, illuminating everything within that space with exceptional detail, but that’s frequently at the expense of broader coverage.

Lights that flood their output illuminate more of the trail’s surroundings, giving a better sense of where you are and highlighting details easily missed with a more focused beam. This wider beam spread means it’s easier to see around turns, too – something that needs to be considered if you’re not running a dual-bar and lid-mounted setup.

Lights with multiple lenses or beam reflectors can combine spot and flood outputs, with the further option to toggle between them. In theory, lights with both beam patterns are the best of both worlds.

It’s also important to check out what extras are included with the light, such as remotes, extra-long cables to connect the battery and head unit, multiple mounting brackets, and whether they’ve got a certified waterproof rating, are shock-resistant and have battery or mode indicators.

The lights on test range widely in budget, from around £130 to north of £350. Although it’s possible to spend even more or a bit less, with a 1,500-lumen lower limit, this is the sort of price bracket you’re looking at unless you’re considering buying an eBay special.

On more powerful or longer-lasting lights, the battery pack is frequently separate from the LED section. They’re connected using a cable and the battery can be mounted to your frame or stem with Velcro straps or similar.

All of our lights on test are bar-mounted. Usually, the mount is tightened to the bar using an Allen key because head units can be quite heavy. Some lighter options use a rubber O-ring, while other systems have a bespoke ratchet strap system.

As the light from the LED and reflector shines through the lens, it’s either focused or spread depending on the characteristics of the lens. Lights with multiple lenses will give a greater range of beam patterns, illuminating the trail more.

It’s a fact – electronics and water aren’t best friends. While most light manufacturers have worked hard to avoid short circuits by waterproofing their lights, some have gone the extra mile and have been awarded an official IPXX (International Protection) rating.

The first number ranges from 0 to 6 (0 lowest, 6 highest) and denotes how dust-proof it is, the second is the waterproof rating ranging from 0 to 9 (0 lowest, 9 highest). If you’re being picky and are worried about the sorts of conditions you’re going to be riding in, pick a light with the highest rating. It's possible to have a dust rating and no waterproof rating – and vice versa.

With great power comes more weight. Generally speaking, if your light is putting out enough lumens to cast shadows during the day then it’s going to require more power to generate that brightness and last for any significant amount of time.

Bigger lithium-ion batteries are heavier and if the light is bar-mounted then this is something you’ll need to consider.