Can Am X3 Roll Bar Camera Mount for Gopro

Just because the days are short and the nights are long doesn't mean that mountain bike season needs to end - there are more light options on the market than ever, many of them with impressive run times and low overall weights.

Choices in how to illuminate the trail range from bare-bones, minimalist set-ups to over-the-top light packs that mimic train lights in brightness. There are helmet mounts, handlebar mounts, and while a lot of lights do double duty, some are better suited for one or the other. I selected seven different set-ups that are versatile, and which cover a wide range of quality levels that are available. There are a range of pricepoints and styles of lights. Each light in this review has something that makes it stand out from the rest, whether it's versatility, power, size, or ease of use.

About This Review

Because lights function differently in varying conditions and a good looking light doesn't always mean it functions well long term, I consulted and collaborated with my friend Tom 'Danger' Place, who has years of light and LED experience. Specifically, for seven years, he ran an R+D department at Cree - the manufacturer of LEDs used for nearly every bike light on the market, including all of the ones in this test. He has multiple LED chip design patents to his name, is also a mountain biker, and rides at night as much as in the day. He has torn apart and analyzed nearly every bike light available so there's no better person to help pick apart a few lights than him.

We did our best to make this easy to understand, but I'm going to guess that a number of people don't know what "Thermal Rollback" is. Thermal Rollback is when a device, in this case, lights, gets hot and then lowers its output in order to decrease the operating temperature, thus preventing damage to the light, causing burns or worse.

The lights are reviewed together for each brand, when applicable. There's a Gloworm option that couples the helmet with the bar mounted unit, one with Niterider, and so-on. By no means do you need to stick with the same brand on the helmet and bars, that's just how I grouped things together.

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Gloworm X2 Adventure and XS

The X2 Adventure mounts nicely on the helmet

Gloworm are known among many riders as "the light people." Their X2 Adventure is a smaller battery version of their X2. Both the X2A and the XS lights tested here have interchangeable lenses making the set-up options incredibly versatile. The lenses are a spot, wide, and flood. Both lights feature a wireless remote that straps right on the handlebar with no adapters. For testing purposes, I used the XS on the handlebars and the X2A on the helmet.

The X2A is light enough, battery included, to run the entire system on the helmet. The XS is minimalistic in and of itself and takes up a negligible amount of space on the bars and produces a ton of light. The ergonomics are solid and the design is robust. The lights both come with everything you could possibly need. There are multiple mounts for bars (sans 35mm) and helmet, extension cables for putting the battery in a pack, spare parts, and even zip ties. You can swap the batteries between the two and they feature a semi-standard 5mm barrel plug that other 7.4V battery packs laying around can work with.

X2 Adventure
• Lumens: 1700
• Runtime: 1:30
• Mount: Helmet and Bar, Multiple Options
• Modes: Low/Med/High/Super Dim plus Commute modes
• Charger: Proprietary
• Weight: 262g as tested
• MSRP: $225 USD

XS
• Lumens: 2500
• Runtime: 2:00
• Mount: Helmet and Bar, Multiple Options
• Modes: Low/Med/High/Super Dim plus Commute modes
• Charger: Proprietary
• Weight: 364g as tested
• MSRP: $300 USD
• glowormlites.co.nz

An excellent choice for a versatile light set-up that works on both handlebars and the helmet.

Pros

+ Multiple beam options
+ Multiple mount options
+ Lightweight and good ergonomics

Cons

- Remote connectivity can be spotty
- Velcro on straps is frustrating to use
- Programming the light for custom modes is a very tedious process

The X2 Adventure and the XS at full power

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Niterider Pro 2200 Race and Lumina 1200 Boost

Niterider Lumina 1200 Boost

Niterider have been in the game of night riding as long as just about anyone. They essentially paved the way in the industry with a great product that was the best out there two decades ago. Their lights have stood the test of time and remain a 'go-to' for a lot of riders. Their beam patterns are good and their batteries work with other Niterider lights from generations past.

The Lumina should be a good light, and it is alright, but its functionality falls short. The programming isn't intuitive, and the OLED screen is a complicated interface to work with until you're used to it. The mount is bulky and would be better served with a quick release rather than a bolt that gets jammed up by the stem when you try to tighten it down. When it is tight, it does a good job of keeping the light in place. The Lumina would be better as a more helmet specific light, but that renders the the OLED screen useless unless you take your helmet off to adjust your light. For a good general use light, the Lumina is solid but may be more complicated than some people are interested in and has a few flaws that would have me looking at other simpler options.

Pro 2200 Race
• Lumens: 2200
• Runtime: 1:30
• Mount: Helmet and Bar
• Modes: Low/Med/High/Dim
• Charger: Proprietary
• Weight: 482g as tested
• MSRP: $350 USD

Lumina 1200 Boost
• Lumens: 1200
• Runtime: 1:00 (claimed)
• Mount: Helmet and Bar
• Modes: Low/Med/High/Walk/Boost, additional flash modes
• Charger: Micro USB
• Weight: 175g as tested
• MSRP: $150 USD
• niterider.com

The Pro 2200 Race has a good beam pattern and uses the same design Nightrider have used for years. The size of the light itself and the button on the light is very easy to push when it's on your helmet, even with winter gloves on. The plastic on the light doesn't get too hot to hold either, even at full power. 2,200 lumens seems like a lot, but these days, you can get that from much nicer, sleeker, and more user-friendly lights. The battery pack for the Pro 2200 is bulky, and you're relegated to wearing a pack or putting it on your handlebars as strapping it to your helmet puts far too much weight on your head.

Niterider have been in the game of night riding as long as just about anyone. They essentially paved the way in the industry with a great product that was the best out there two decades ago. Unfortunately, aside from the inclusion of LEDs and lithium batteries, they have not advanced their technology or altered their aesthetic enough to really keep up with the new players in the game.

Niterider Lumina 1200 Boost

Pros

+ OLED screen on the Lumina is great for monitoring run time and mode selection - all lights should have this
+ Lumina is a good value
+ Good beam pattern on both lights

Cons

- Programming and interfaces on the Lumina is not intuitive
- Mounting system is antiquated and difficult to use on both lights
- Bulky battery on the Pro 2200, needs to be updated

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Light & Motion Trail 1000 FC and SECA 2000 Race

Light & Motion Trail 1000 FC

Light & Motion SECA 2000 Race

Light & Motion is another well-known player in the business of bicycle lights. They make a variety of commuter and trail lights. The Trail 1000FC is a good 'get out of the woods in a bad situation' light because it weighs next to nothing and puts out a decent amount of light. There is a short runtime on high - only 1:30 because it has a lot of thermal rollback, so after about 20 minutes the light is operating at a lower output due to the smooth case and poor cooling. That said, I've been using versions of this light for several years and have been very happy with the results for the money.

The SECA 2000 Race has the best beam pattern of all the lights tested and probably one of the best in the industry. The front face is angled to prevent blinding the rider when standing and although the silicone strap is a little unwieldy, it's effective. The light has a good amount of battery life and works well on the handlebars or helmet - all mounts included. The button on the helmet is easy to use

Trail 1000 FC
• Lumens: 1000
• Runtime: 1:30
• Mount: Helmet and Bar, Multiple Options
• Modes: Low/Med/High/Pulse
• Charger: Micro USB
• Weight: 148g as tested
• MSRP: $130 USD

SECA 2000 Race
• Lumens: 2000
• Runtime: 1:30
• Mount: Helmet and Bar, Multiple Options
• Modes: Low/Med/High/Pulse
• Charger: Proprietary
• Weight: 340g as tested
• MSRP: $280 USD
• lightandmotion.com

and toggle between modes. Like the Trail 1000, the construction is on the cheap side of things so it's not overly robust, but I'll take that since it's easy to use and has a good beam spread.

If you want a simple light set-up that works with no frills, Light & Motion is hard to beat.

Light & Motion Trail 1000 FC

Light & Motion SECA 2000 Race

Pros

+ SECA 2000 beam pattern
+ Multiple mount options - included
+ Decent battery life on both lights

Cons

- Minimalist construction - cheap
- Proprietary charger on the SECA 2000
- Battery indicator on the SECA 2000 only has three levels, "Good, Meh, and Screwed."

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Lupine Wilma R14 and Alpha

Lupine make a number of practical lights such as their Piko, Neo, and Blika series but the Alpha and Wilma aren't practical, they're some of the brightest and nicest you can buy. These lights are neither cheap, nor weak, and are pretty much more than almost anyone, except the rider who does DH laps at night, or someone on an extreme expedition of sorts would ever need. The Alpha puts out a whopping 7,200 lumens - plenty to piss off all of your riding buddies and offset the sleep cycle of wildlife, or in the case of the Alpha, start a fire if you leave it on high in dry leaves. The Wilma R14 is a bit more conservative at 3,200 lumens, but has a long run time and is an excellent choice for someone looking for something versatile and well made.

Let's be honest, you don't need the 7,200 lumens that the Alpha puts off, and there's just about no one that would know what to do with that much light on a bicycle, especially combined with the 3,200 lumens of the Wilma. That said, they're a blast to ride with

Wilma R14
• Lumens: 3200
• Runtime: 3:10
• Mount: Helmet and Bar
• Modes: Fully programmable via Bluetooth
• Charger: Proprietary
• Weight: 664g as tested
• MSRP: $775 USD

Alpha
• Lumens: 7200
• Runtime: 1:20
• Mount: Helmet and Bar
• Modes: Fully programmable via Bluetooth
• Charger: Proprietary
• Weight: 683g as tested
• MSRP: $1,285 USD
• lupinenorthamerica.com

and put out so much light that you may need to wear sunglasses at night while looking down the trail.

The built-in heat management system will reduce the output of the light when it gets too hot. The head size of the Alpha means that it can't dump that much heat, so unless you're averaging a high speed in cool temperatures, the output is going to drop quickly. On a ride in Western NC, with temperatures well below freezing, the light was still unable to push full power except towards the end of sustained descents after a half hour climb.

The Wilma is the more practical but still costly of the two. It's well-made and the head is lightweight for the power it puts off. The large 8-cell battery we tested with is a little much for head use, but the four or two cell batteries would be a good way to make it a bit more functional unless you needed an ultra-long run time. Both the Alpha and Wilma are programmable via a Bluetooth app on the phone and there are included remotes that easily attach to the handlebars for turning the lights off and on and controlling modes.

There's little practicality in these lights but if you want to race DH at night, go on an expedition, piss off your riding buddies, or just have the best lights money can buy, the combination of these two should do the trick.

Pros

+ So many lumens
+ Incredibly well built, robust housing
+ Bluetooth app is functional and practical for lights of this caliber

Cons

- You can buy bikes that are less expensive than the two combined
- Massive thermal rollback on the Alpha
- Button on the Alpha is difficult to reach, especially when the light is hot. Using the remote is almost required

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Specialized Flux

Flux 1200
• Lumens: 1200
• Runtime: 1:15
• Mount: Helmet and Bar - proprietary mounts for each
• Modes: Low/Med/High
• Charger: Micro USB
• Weight: 184 as tested
• MSRP: $150 USD
• specialized.com

Lights are a tricky category, and Specialized have done a few things differently than a lot of their competitors. The Flux is targeted more towards a commuter or road rider, but it does work well in the woods too. It has an even beam spread but the pattern is a little narrow for really aggressive trail riding.

There's a low, "get out of the woods" output mode which is a cool concept in that you can't fully drain the battery and it not work at all - there should be a little bit of low power left even if you burn up all of the high. The output, at 1200 watts is also reasonable for a self-contained light. The mount that the light fits into is a little finicky to use at first, but once the light is in it is secure. There's a small bolt on the side of the light that does take an allen key to crank down, otherwise, you'll have a loose light bouncing down the trail.

The Flux 1200 is more road worthy than anything else but it's equally at home on the trail when your short ride turns long and you find yourself benighted.

Pros

+ Easy to use
+ Indicator light on side tells charge
+ Good size and weight for 1000 lumen self-contained light

Cons

- More geared towards road riding than trail
- Can come loose if not set up properly
- Mounts are proprietary and it takes a different one for each bar, helmet mounts are sold separately

Specialized Flux

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Lezyne Superdrive 1500 XXL

Lezyne Superdrive 1500 XXL

Superdrive 1500 XXL
• Lumens: 1500
• Runtime: 1:40
• Mount: Helmet and Bar, Multiple Options
• Modes: Low/Med/High/Extra High/FEMTO plus two flash
• Charger: Micro USB
• Weight: 266 as tested
• MSRP: $120 USD
• lezyne.com

Lezyne make a variety of products from multi-tools, pumps, and plug kits to lights. All of their lights are self-contained, meaning there's no extra battery and cable, it's all in one unit. The Superdrive 1500 XXL is their most powerful model. It's a fairly simple light with one button operation. The light does have some heft to it, largely due to the size of the unit and the batteries in it coupled with the surface of the unit which helps with heat dissipation.

The light has a number of modes accessed from one button on the top of the unit. The button also indicates the level of battery life via a red, yellow, or green light. The high output modes provide more than ample light for trail riding and the FEMTO mode is enough to walk out of the woods, or look at a map, but not nearly enough power to safely ride trails. The interface on the buttons can be tricky and it's easy to get lost in a flashing mode which, when you're just trying to up the power for your descent, but you can switch to the overdrive race mode that toggles directly between high and low power.

The light is ideally placed on the bars due to its weight but does work on the helmet as well, and is easy to manage in that situation since there are no wires to fuss with. For a little more money, there's a loaded version of the light that includes Lezyne's Direct-X lock mount and a wireless remote for the light that goes on the handlebars.

The Superdrive 1500 XXL is a good option for tossing in the pack if you're fairly certain there's a chance of finishing your ride in the dark and you need an ample amount of power.

Pros

+ Good option for a self-contained light
+ Lots of power for a self-contained light
+ Good cooling

Cons

- Too heavy for helmet use
- Modes could be simplified, most people don't need multiple flash settings
- Strap/mount is a bit bulky to work with

Lezyne Superdrive 1500 XXL

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Bontrager Pro RT

X2 Adventure
• Lumens: 1300
• Runtime: 1:30
• Mount: Helmet and Bar, Bontrager magnetic helmet
• Modes: Low/Med/High/Night Flash/Day Flash
• Charger: Micro USB
• Weight: 173g as tested
• MSRP: $100 USD
• trekbikes.com

Bontrager is the other big brand with an excellent and comprehensive product line. The Pro RT is a 1300 lumen light and important for a few reasons, the biggest one being its battery. The battery it uses is the 21700 series lithium-ion cell that's going to become more standard in lights in the next few years. It will enable over an hour and a half run time and an output of 1,500 lumens from a single-cell, self-contained light - ideal for helmets.

The Pro RT is simple, clean, and just simply works. It seems that Bontrager tried to make something basic and functional... and they succeeded. The light is also only $100, and functions better than many that cost twice that. It's also one of the only lights on test that exceeded its advertised run time. That being said, there are some places it could be improved. The interface can be annoying in cycling from low to high power. You have to go past the strobe settings which is unacceptable, especially when you're in the woods at night. It also doesn't cool incredibly well, but we're splitting hairs here. The handlebar mount is a little bulky, but it adjusts to fit any size handlebars and the helmet mount, when used with Bontrager's "Blendr" interface, is functional and rad. There's nothing easier than dropping it in and riding.

This is the light I bring along on daytime rides that even have a slight chance of going into the night. The light is small, works well, and is reliable. It's a lot of light for the price.

Pros

+ Small for over 1,000 lumens
+ Multiple mount options that work well
+ Basic and no frills, it just works

Cons

- Doesn't dump heat that well
- Having to cycle past strobe settings in interface
- Battery indicator is a low resolution

Bontrager Pro RT

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What's the best light set-up for you?

If you're on an expedition, racing DH at night, or you're simply trying to prove a point and blind your friends, maybe you should roll with two Lupine Alphas. If you're a bit more conservative and are looking for something functional, durable, and somewhat more affordable, the Light & Motion SECA 2000 or Gloworm lights could fit the bill.

If you don't do a lot of night riding but your rides end at dusk and getting back from the trail safely is important, the Specialized, Bontrager, or Niterider Lumina could be more what you need. Quick and easy, simple to charge, and small enough to toss in your pocket.

Personally, for the trail riding I've been doing that involves longer climbs and fast descents, I have really been liking the Gloworm set-up just as is above. The X2 Adventure is a small enough set-up to put the light and battery both on my helmet and the XS is an ample amount of light thrown from the bars. I have also swapped the X2 for the Lupine Wilma when I'm wearing a pack - if I had the smaller battery pack and could make it self-contained, I would run the Wilma on my helmet more often but as is, with the 8-cell battery, it's too heavy to use without a backpack but for longer rides where the backpack is warranted, it's dialed.

For rides where I'm not sure if I'll make it out in time or if I'm just way out to where a mechanical or other issue could warrant an unplanned night under the stars, I've been bringing along the Bontrager Pro RT. It's small, lightweight, and puts out enough light to ride out at a good tempo.

Can Am X3 Roll Bar Camera Mount for Gopro

Source: https://www.pinkbike.com/news/ridden-and-rated-seven-best-mountain-bike-lights.html

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