The Best Bike Lights

Cateye Single Shot

Cateye's Single Shot headlight, for road cycling, features a rechargeable lithium-ion battery for people who ride often. It offers three modes (high, low and flashing) for its single ultra-bright LED light. BikeRadar called the Single Shot a "fantastic light," noting its design, which gets the most out of the one LED light by focusing all the LED's light into the rider's path. Smith also mentioned the light as "a superbly well-made unit," with good seals to withstand inclement weather and an easy and secure mounting system.

Light & Motion Seca 700

Light & Motion's Seca 700 headlight, for mountain biking, has a fast-charging lithium-ion battery that fully charges in 2.5 hours and powers the 700-lumen light for 3.5 hours on its highest setting. The light clips easily to handlebars or a helmet, and the battery securely velcros to the bike's frame. A Gear of the Day review on Bicycling.com praised the light, noting its ease of setup as well as its brightness, saying it "eliminates unfortunate surprises on trails" and "can make a familiar daylight loop nearly as easy at night."

Princeton Tech Swerve

High visibility is at a premium when road cycling in low light, and Princeton's Tech Swerve taillight takes an innovative approach to drawing a motorist's eye. In addition to the light's steady illumination option, the Swerve also features a dual-action blink setting that alternates between a wide diffused light and a focused collimated beam to catch a driver's attention. The Swerve runs for up to 70 hours on two AAA batteries and features a simple, versatile clip mounting system, which Bicycling.com called "very straightforward and tool-free," noting that it could be mounted on the bike, a jersey pocket or a messenger bag.