MTB forlygter

Guide to the market’s best MTB headlights in 2023

Dark riding on a mountain bike is a sport that is becoming more and more popular. Are you wondering why? So jump on the bike and try it, then you will no longer have any doubts. Dark riding on MTB is a fun and demanding sport that gives you some really cool experiences. If you already ride MTB, you will find that riding in the dark will make you a much better cyclist. In order to get started with dark riding, in addition to your top-tuned mountain bike, you must have the equipment in order, and by equipment we mean light. Lots of light. Ordinary powerful bike lights are not enough at all, you need some good bike light sets made for the purpose, but what should you choose and how do you find out just the best. You can read more about this in the article, and here at Easy-light.dk you will find some of the market’s best lights for mounting on handlebars, headlamps, batteries, etc. If you are in doubt about what to choose, then you too You are always welcome to contact us and we will be happy to help you.

Which MTB headlight is best

The best MTB headlight is, like the best mountain bike, a very individual choice.

Of course, there are some lights that you can quickly rule out, as they are not really powerful enough or last long enough for you to benefit from them, but basically the best light for driving in the dark is the one that meets your individual needs need. In the end, it also often depends on price, i.e. how much you want to sacrifice on lights for your MTB, because there is a really large selection of MTB lights on the market, and there are both “need-to-have” functions and ” Nice-to-have” functions, such as a remote control to set the brightness with, so you don’t have to let go of the steering wheel while driving. And the more features, the higher the price.

You find the best lamp by looking at several different factors.

Brightness – How much power should there be in your lamp? In other words, how many LEDs and thus how many lumens should your lamp have. Of course, much of the fun of driving in the dark comes from… you guessed it, the dark! So if you light up the entire forest with 3 lights of 5000 lumens, you kill the idea a bit. But whether your light should have 800, 2000, 6000 or 12000 lumens is actually a matter of taste, because the most important thing is that you feel safe when you drive. If you are a beginner, it may be that you can settle for a little less light, but if you are experienced and drive on very small paths, steps and take jumps, then it may well be that you want more light. It may also be that you drive to sharpen your senses, and then you may have to start with a lot of light and later step down to a lamp with a lower lumen.

Driving time – A powerful MTB light naturally requires a lot of power, and even if several lights can be set to light with 100% power or 50% power, you will be tired of being interrupted, or having to stop your ride altogether because you no more power. Therefore, look at how long the operating time is on the lamp. If you have found the perfect lamp for all parameters, but you are not completely satisfied with the operating time, consider an extra battery. If you drive in the dark often, you will be happy about it. You can also look with great advantage for lights that have some kind of indicator of how much power is left, because it is not cool to be halfway on the route and then lack light.

Two-part light/battery or not – The vast majority of lights for MTB are two-part today, and it is definitely recommended. Your light must sit very well on the handlebars to cope with the many vibrations, and a light that is not two-part can often be difficult to mount, as it will be quite large. Another advantage of the two-part light is that with the right battery you often get longer driving time than you have with the light with a fixed battery + that you can change the battery on the way – there is more to it with an MTB light with a fixed battery – if the light comes on and it gets pretty dark!

Therefore, MTB headlights with a cable will always be preferable, in our opinion of course. Because remember it’s your completely individual decision in the end.

Scattering- Your bike light is going to be pretty tight and only shine in one direction, so scattering is a pretty important factor that many people forget. If you need to be able to see the track, whether it’s wide or narrow, go for a wide light cone. If you know that you only drive on very narrow paths, then you might be able to live with a smaller spread and need more of a light that shines further forward. Of course, you also have your helmet light to supplement, but that doesn’t mean you don’t have to think about the spread from your headlight.

The best brands in MTB headlights

In recent years, there has been a rapid development within MTB lights. Before, it was expensive if you had to choose between the lights that were on the market, but within the last few years there has really been an exponential growth in the market, and you can get quite a lot of good lights. Here at Easy-light.dk we only sell lights from the brands we believe are among the very best, namely our own brand UltraLed and one of the well-known brands Magicshine.

We have therefore found a selection of lights that meet all the criteria to be what we think are good lights at a matching price.

How high should the lumen be on a good MTB headlight?

Lumen, as previously mentioned, is very individual. The most important thing is that you obviously feel safe when you drive in the forest after dark. If you are a complete beginner and you mostly only ride on wide trails, you may not need as much light as if you ride on more advanced trails. You can get lights with lumens ranging from 500 up to 9000, but a good place to start, and what we would argue is the minimum for a good experience, is 800 lumens.

Lumen is of course important, but it is absolutely not the all-important factor. There are many other factors that influence whether it is a good lamp. Of other factors can be mentioned

• that there is a good battery
• how does the light spread out of the lamp
• how good a quality are the LEDs in the lamp
• and to get a good experience you should choose a headlight of at least 800 lumens.

You can find an example of an MTB light here:

A lamp with 10 LEDs which lights up the track quite well – click here and evaluate each part for yourself is illuminated by the factory to emit approx. 1000 lumens, but there will always be a light loss due to the glass in the lamp and the way the light is spread, so by measurements it will not measure up to 10 x 1000 lumens, but less can also do it.

Tips for riding in the dark on the mountain bike

When can you drive – Before you plunge into driving in the dark, it is a good idea to research when you can drive in the forest. In private forests, traffic is prohibited after sunset.

In suburban areas, there may also be special rules that make driving after dark difficult. Driving after dark does not always have to take place at night, as it is already dark at 6pm in the winter months. Find the right light – Driving in the dark without the right light will be a very bad experience, so find a good light before you start, and remember it can always be replaced at a later time. Never ride alone – If you’re riding at night, you’re unlikely to meet other people for many hours, and since mountain biking is a sport where you can easily get hurt, it’s far too risky to be alone in the forest at night. Therefore, find others to ride with. Try it – Our final tip is to simply get started. Try dark driving. If you are sitting behind the screen and are a little skeptical, make sure to go, it is an experience that will bite you.