Tips & resources
Light up and be seen
All bike riders must be legally carrying and using front and rear lights at night or in low light conditions.
Effective bike lights are essential to help other road users see you while you are riding in dark conditions.
It’s also law – Australian road rules require you to have a front white and rear red light visible from at least 200 metres.
Our recommendation…
To maximise your visibility while riding, studies show that a flashing light when mounted at handlebar and seat post height is the most visible to other road users.
It’s important to fix your front and rear lights to your bike—those attached to clothing and bags often end up facing the wrong direction. Lights on helmets are less visible to drivers, and can also be a menace to other bike riders.
What makes a good light?
When it comes to bike lights, we score them on seven different categories:
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High visible output (head-on and angled)
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Excellent water resistance
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Durability
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Ease of use
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Easy to fit to a bike
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Easy to charge of change batteries
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Secure attach/detach
Lights test
Which lights are best?
We’ve ranked, rated and tested the best bike lights for value, durability, ease of use, and of course, visibility.
While riders only need to be seen at 200m to comply with the road rules, some choose a light that can light up the way ahead. So we’ve divided our test into lights to ‘be seen’ and those that are ‘to see’.
Top 40 bike lights
Be seen
Moon mask
Best light
Knog pop 1
Best value
Moon mask
Best light
Knog pop 1
Best value
To see
Moon LX360
Best light
Giant Numen Plus HL1
Best value
Rear lights
Knog Blinder MOB V Kid Grid
Best light
Knog blinder 1 rear
Best value
Remember when using lights to see, overly bright lights are a challenge for other path or road users. Be considerate and keep your lights pointed down when other rides or path users are coming your way.
Visibility
It's all in the legs
Reflective material
It’s not just lights that can improve your visibility – research shows that reflective full-length leggings and ankle bands can greatly improve visibility.
We’ve long recommended reflective ankle bands as a powerful visibility enhancement at night, and now there is convincing evidence that they are also effective during daylight.
Read more