Ten battery-powered bicycle light sets tested – How To Cars

While e-bikes almost always have powerful lighting systems on board, there are still many cyclists with organic bikes who switch to so-called clip-on lights, colloquially often referred to as plug-in lights. The main advantages of battery-operated bicycle lamps include their uncomplicated handling, minimal maintenance and low weight. BIKE BILD tested ten battery light sets up to 100 euros.

Winner of the BIKE BILD battery light test: Busch + Müller IXON Core + IXXI/180L/383

Busch + Müller IXON Core + IXXI / 180L / 383

Busch + Mueller

IXON Core + IXXI / 180L / 383

• balanced, homogeneous illumination
• up to 19 hours running time (front light)
• up to 25 hours running time (rear radiator)

Price €99.90

The set from Busch + Müller got the test win mainly thanks to the very good front light. The lamp illuminates the lane harmoniously and brightly and offers good visibility. The headlight shows small weaknesses in the lateral direct area. The rear light ensures good lateral radiation and offers a top 25 hour burn time.

The headlight bracket is stuck; the lamp can be easily clamped at the side. The elastic band of the rear light has to be realigned every time and requires a bit of finesse. In the test, the Busch + Müller IXON Core + IXXI/180L/383 achieved a grade of 1.8 (good)

Price-performance winner Sigma Sigma Aura 60 USB + Nugget II Set

Sigma Aura 60 USB + Nugget II set

Sigma

Aura 60 USB + Nugget II set

• good illumination in the near and far range
• cheap price

• too dark in the direct area

Price €59.95

To mount the front light, strength and sensitivity are required – the lamp is attached to the handlebars with an elastic band and then has to be realigned each time. The headlight perfectly illuminates the road from close range to the transition to long range.

This is how BIKE BILD tested it

The experts from Lupine Lighting Systems measured the brightness of the tested front and rear lights under laboratory conditions with a so-called integrating sphere. We had the brightness values ​​determined for each brightness level. In the field test, we checked the illumination of the lamps at night.

This point is also included in the rating, as is the maximum battery life (mainly the runtime was rated at the highest light level), the charging time and the charge level after 15, 30 and 60 minutes. We also evaluate whether the tested models show the remaining light time for the front and rear lights.

Tester in front of the integrating sphere: The experts from the Lupine company determined the amount of light emitted here.

We also grade the weight of the lights including the bracket. After all, one of the common advantages of battery lights is their low weight. We weighted the front light much more heavily in relation to the rear light (61 to 24 percent). In addition to the aspect of being seen, the front light has the safety-relevant and complex task of illuminating the road.

We conducted drop and shake tests with each set to determine build quality and holding strength. In addition, we rated the mounts and the general suitability for everyday use from the point of view of practicability.

The test results at a glance

A white front light and a red rear light are mandatory in Germany. But not every clip-on light is allowed in Germany. In Germany, only headlights and taillights may be used that are permitted under Section 67 of the Road Traffic Licensing Regulations (StVZO). Such models can be recognized by the corresponding test mark on the lamp housing: a wavy line, followed by the capital letter K and a number.

If you read manufacturer descriptions, you will often come across the technical terms lumen and lux. The latter stands for the illuminance, which indicates how much light falls on a certain point. The higher the value, the lighter the stain. You see the problem: What is the point of a bright dot? It is therefore better to look at the lumen value, which describes the light output emitted by the light source in all directions. In practice, the light cone also plays an important role, i.e. the specific illumination. We therefore grade both: light output and light cone.

The strongest light is useless if it’s aimed at the sky or the ground. For the optimal beam angle, it certainly takes some practice with the fine adjustment, because the lamp (this applies above all to the headlight) should shine neither too low (no wide field of vision) nor too high (no field of vision at all). A beam angle that is too high could also dazzle oncoming traffic and endanger your safety and that of oncoming road users.

You can easily find out whether your headlight actually dazzles the person opposite you by trying it out yourself. To do this, take your bike about five meters away from a wall and measure the mounting height of your front light. Now turn on the headlight. The light cone should ideally hit the wall below the mounting height of the handlebar.