Bike Headlights
Every front bike light we make, in one place. Handlebar lights for the trail and for the road, helmet lights that point where you look, and packages that pair the two. All of them are self contained, charge over USB-C, and are designed the way a car headlight is: put the light where it's needed and don't waste the rest.
Looking for the other end of the bike? That's our rear bike light. Not sure what you need? The finder on the bike lights page sorts it out in two questions.
Bike Headlight Specs, Side by Side
Two handlebar lights and two helmet lights. Pick by where you ride first, then by where it mounts.
| Light | Mounts On | Output | Runtime (Adaptive Mode) | Weight | Built For |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Trail Evo | Handlebar | ~2,200 lumens | 2.6 hours | 275 g | Mountain bike trails: a wide, even beam with no cutoff |
| Detour | Handlebar | ~1,200 lumens | 2.6 hours | 150 g | Road, gravel and commuting: a cutoff beam that won't blind traffic |
| Portal | Helmet | 1,600 lumens | 2.5 hours | 170 g | Helmet light with the most power, our first pick for trail |
| Hangover | Helmet | 900 lumens | 1.6 hours | 105 g | Helmet light with the least weight, and our pick for road helmets |
What Makes a Good Bike Headlight
Beam pattern, not the number on the box. Lumens tell you how much light comes out of a bicycle headlight, not where it goes. A light that throws half its output into the trees, the sky or one hot spot needs a huge number to feel bright.
We come from automotive lighting, so every front bike light here starts with the beam. On the trail that means a wide, even wall of light with real depth. On the road it means a cutoff, like the low beam on a car, so you light the road and not the eyes of the driver coming the other way. The longer version is in this post.
Bike Headlight Questions
What's the best bike headlight?
It depends where you ride. On mountain bike trails it's Trail Evo, a wide, even beam with nothing cut off. On the road, gravel or a commute it's Detour, which has a cutoff so you don't blind drivers and other riders. Either way, a helmet light on top is the biggest upgrade you can make after that.
What's the difference between a road and a mountain bike headlight?
The cutoff. A trail light sends light everywhere, including up, because on singletrack you want to see the branch at head height and nobody is coming the other way. Put that on the road and you're the one blinding oncoming traffic. A road headlight like Detour shapes the beam with a sharp top edge, the same idea as a car's low beam. More on each: mountain bike lights and road bike lights.
How many lumens does a bike headlight need?
Fewer than the box wars would have you believe. About 1,200 well placed lumens is a full speed road setup, and ~2,200 on the bars with 1,600 on the helmet is a full speed trail setup. Where the light goes matters more than how much of it there is.
What's the brightest bike light you make?
Trail Evo, at about 2,200 lumens. Pair it with Portal on your helmet, which is the Portal Downhill Package, and you have around 3,800 lumens between the two. We'd still tell you not to shop on that number alone.
Should a front bike light go on the handlebar or the helmet?
Handlebar first. It sits low, so bumps and edges throw shadows and you can read the surface. A helmet light on its own works, but everything looks flat because the light is coming from right next to your eyes. The best setup is both: the handlebar light shows you the ground, the helmet light follows your eyes into the corner. See our bike helmet lights.
Are these rechargeable bike lights?
Yes, all of them. Every light charges over USB-C from the same charger as your phone, with no separate battery pack and no wires on the bike. They also support pass-through charging, so you can plug in a USB power bank and keep riding in any mode.
Will it fit my handlebar?
Trail Evo and Detour use the same bolt-on quick release clamp, not a rubber strap, so the beam stays where you aimed it. It fits 31.8mm and 35mm bars out of the box. Running smaller bars? Add the 25.4mm shim or the 22.2mm shim. For aero bars or a spot under your bike computer, use the Action Camera Quick Release Mount.
What's the warranty?
Three years, plus our Don't Be A Dick lifetime extension. Two rules: be kind, and be honest about what happened, even if it was your fault. Details are on the warranty page.
Who Makes These
We do. Outbound Lighting is a small, independent company based out of Chicago, with an office in Bellingham, Washington as well. No private equity, not publicly traded. The lights are designed, engineered and assembled by our own team, and they ship straight from our production floor.
We started in 2017, out of automotive lighting engineering and a lot of frustration with riding behind glorified flashlights. Every beam pattern here is designed the way a car headlight is: put the light exactly where it's needed and don't waste the rest. Power is nothing without control.