The kind of bike light most people tend to opt for is something around the £10 – £20 mark. This is where I say to you that its wrong and stupid to do that. But its not. Those lights are perfectly fine in most situations. Especially around central London where there is plenty of street lighting anyway and you just want to be seen.

However, if you have various particularly dark spots in your commute or you want to go on a few night rides, such as the Dunwich Dynamo, then you need to take things up to the next level. Now the next level doesn’t necessarily have to be £300 level such as the Light and Motion Seca. Those lights are extreme and only useful if you doing some crazy night mountain biking.

The right level is roundabout the £60 – £80 mark and the obvious light that falls into that category is the Busch and Muller Ixon IQ. This cheeky little number:

So when the guys over at Amba Marketing agreed to send one over to review I was pretty excited.

Luckily, it arrived in time for the Dunwich Dynamo. Installation was so easy even I could do it. My handlebars are fairly thin and I’ve had problems before with lights slipping around but this one accommodated just fine.

I happily rode off to the event with extra batteries in my bag just in case. Setting off at 9pm I used the low power setting. You have two choices. You can either put it on full power or low power. Of course with the latter you get more battery life.

The Ixon IQ light was quite incredible. It provided a decent beam that even as we cycled at high speeds down pitch black lanes I had no problem seeing around me and the road ahead. I found the high power mode largely unnecessary.

There were a couple of features I really liked about the B&M Ixon IQ. For one turning the light on involves holding down the button for a few seconds. This prevents it being accidentally pressed while it is in your bag. A problem that plagues a lot of rear bike lights. The other was the quick release mechanism and also the tool-less release of the bike mount. This is great for anyone who is alternating between two different bikes and doesn’t want their light to be stolen.

Upon arriving in Dunwich the light had coped the entire way. I used the B&M Ixon IQ for maybe around 6-7 hours and the beam was showing no signs of dying out and the unit hadn’t got hot to touch. Since then I’ve also used it a little when cycling around London. Despite not being entirely necessary for most London roads I did like having that extra light power and knowing that I would definitely be seen by pedestrians and drivers.

Here is a quick YouTube video someone else made showing the power of B&M Ixon IQ the beam. It doesn’t entirely do it justice but it is useful to watch:

What I liked

• Bright beam (40 LUX output)
• Good battery life (At lower power setting which was surprisingly bright you apparently get 20 hours)
• Good bicycle mount that doesn’t slip and quick to remove
• Doesn’t get hot

What I didn’t like

• Could have a slightly more compact design
• No blinking light mode

Overall review of the Ixon IQ

At £60 the Ixon IQ is the next step up from most low-priced bike lights. For that you get a very bright beam and well thought out design. A worthy upgrade if your commute involves a number of dark stretches.

Where you can buy one

The one place I managed to find the light at a decent price was Amazon.co.uk

See also:

• Guide to bike lights
• More Cycling Accessories
• Dunwich Dynamo Ride Report

I had a very scary experience recently. I was visiting my family and was cycling from Birmingham Airport. The problem was it was very late at night and the route involved tiny, pitch black country lanes. Cars tend to decide to speed around these lanes and to make matters worse visibility was even poorer as the heavy rain had just started.

With my bike light I could barely see much more than a few metres ahead of me. Whenever a car passed by my lights were completely drowned out. At some point during the journey, out of nowhere, I found myself pedal deep in water. Continuing to pedal, I soon realised I was pedalling through a ford. This is basically when a river flows over a part of the road.

Upon reaching home soaked, amazed I managed to avoid the open manhole cover and glad to have not been hit by passing cars I decided to re-evaluate my completely inadequate bike light.

So I had to think about how to choose a suitable bike light, how much to spend and which one is actually worth spending my money on.

Cheap bike lights (less than £20)

This is the most common type of bike light and is what I was riding with that night. If you are cycling somewhere such as central London then these bike lights are generally good enough to be seen but tend to do little to light up the road ahead.

At this low price point the Raleigh LED at £17.95 for both front and back bike light provides excellent value for money and just look at all of these positive reviews.

Mid range bike lights (~£30)

The bike lights in this category up the ante. They are good for those rides along routes with less light. Especially cycle paths and country lanes. They also provide better visibility for drivers to see you.

Currently I ride around London with a bike light from this category and I’ve been hugely impressed by it. It’s called the Knog Boomer and it is chargeable by USB. That means less money wasted on replacing batteries. I love this bike light because it provides plenty of light and it’s very easy to install and remove. The best price I’ve found for the Knog Boomer Rechargeable bike light is here for £23.39.

There is also a rear bike light version of the Knog Boomer. Although, personally for the rear I prefer the Blackburn Flea. Looking at the size of the Flea you’d never believe it could output so much light. At only £20 (available from here) and with the ability to recharge via USB it truly is an excellent package.

Higher end bike lights (~£55)

These bike lights provide a much stronger beam and are suitable in areas when there is no street lighting. One bike light that I tested recently was the B&M Ixon IQ. I was highly impressed with the light that combines a lot of brightness with low battery usage.

Stepping things up to this price point you also get better waterproofing, durability and a more sturdy stand for the bike. Checkout my full review of the Ixon IQ.

Alternatively, at this price point the CatEye HL-EL610 is a very popular bike light that comes highly recommended.

It provides plenty of light, has a solid mounting and uses NiMH batteries. Cycling Plus gave it 9/10 and commended its high visibility angle and solid mounting unit.

Best bike lights (~£250)

At the highest end of the scale you get the brightest bike lights. These are good for blinding people and night time mountain biking. The price tag is extreme but then so is the light output. At this price point the Exposure MaXx-D Mk3 is very highly regarded and all the positive reviews you can see here are a testament to its long standing respect in the cycling community.

Helmet Bike Light

Generally very useful for mountain biking as helps with avoiding obstacles such as overhanging branches.

A popular model that I’ve also tested out is the Exposure Joystick which you can also buy with a helmet mount. It provides a ton of light and is incredible useful for night time mountain biking.

Dynamo bike lights

These are lights that are powered through the pedalling motion. Unfortunately I have little experience in this area as I don’t have a Hub generator so I can’t recommend a good light. If you have suggestions then please leave them in the comments.

Innovative bike lights

Fibre Flare – An alternative way to be seen is to grab one of these Fibre Flare lights. They are very bright and are designed so you can be seen from all directions. Also they are flexible so can be placed anywhere.

Reflective Spokes – These reflective spokes that we’ve reviewed previously on London Cyclist provide an additional layer of side visibility and fit easily to your bike.

Conclusion – what did I go for?

I ended up with a BlackBurn Flea as my rear light of choice. For the front light I’m currently using a Knog Boomer which I’m more than happy with and would highly recommend.

See also:

1. How to choose a bike helmet
2. How to choose a waterproof cycling jacket
3. More bike accessory guides