Cheap AliExpress Bike Lights Vs $375 MTB Lights

This week, we've taken the opportunity to do more of one of our favourite pastimes... browsing the internet for bargains! We're night riding in the UK as the evenings draw in, so it's time to find an appropriate set of lights. We've got some awesome lights from the established brand Outbound Lighting, which kept Rich powered for many hours as he raced the Old El Pueblo in the American desert. But, there are certainly some tempting deals (with some incredible boasted performance) on Ali-Express... how will they stack up? Let's find out.

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⏱️ Timestamps ⏱️
00:00 - Intro
01:15 - Our Cheap Lights From AliExpress
03:38 - Example Established Lights From Outbound Lighting
05:42 - Setting Up The Lights
09:13 - Branded Vs Non-Branded Lights
11:37 - Trail Comparison
15:16 - Conclusions

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[cup_and_cone]

Lights are one of those things that modern riders have no idea how good they have it. It was only 25 years ago that premium lights from NiteRider or Light&Motion were just 10 watt halogen bulbs with NiCad batteries the size of a water bottle...that took half a day to charge.

[cusuk]

I have "Ali" bought bar lights and a helmet light and they work great!
Absolutely solid mounting, never ran out of battery on a ride even at full power.
Cost less than £40 for both. I'd love the "Premium" lights, but I really cannot see a £200+ ADVANTAGE in them.

I guess it comes down to riding style.
If you're throwing yourself down mountains at warp factor 100 in the pitch black, then absolutely every photon of light helps.
Riding up & down trails...not so much.

[TheJoblesMagnificent]

My Ali bar light is a absolute monster and I love it, paired with a cheap multi led head torch the woods look like day light, no chance I'd spend anything close to what MTB company's are charging they must be mad!

[paradox]

I've been running the Outbound Lights for years now, and they have been fantastic, the beam pattern is so much better than any other light I've used. I love not having any wires for normal riding and if I want to do some epic ride you can plug any battery pack into them. I also like supporting what really is a small company, and it's a testament to how good they are that they have become so well known. Also because they are both engineered and built at the company in Michigan they can fix them should anything happen to one of your lights.

[knhcarpentryhomeimprovemen]

Been using the outbound lights for 3 years and they are great. I actually left the hangover light in a coat pocket 2 weeks ago that was socked over night. I took it appart dried it out and then just used on a 30 hour race with no problems.

[Timthecommenter]

My cheap amazon light bar had a kinda lumpy beam pattern, but I sanded the front lens with 200 grit and now it’s perfect.

[rustychain]

I ride at night all winter long, my Outbound lights are absolutely stellar(as they should be for the money.

[TheBrokenMountainBiker]

I used to use a couple of £30 Amazon LED lights and to b fair they worked great. Then I decided to splash out on a Magicshine 3500 and the difference was incredible! Not just the light output, but the colour temperature was just much more warm and natural. I don't even bother with a helmet light anymore.

[ChrisWilmshurst]

I almost purchased those lights from outbound riding, but the shipping + tax they applied was astronomical (which I can understand) I really hope they can get a UK distributor as I can't justify almost £400 for lights with battery life thats only a couple of hours.

I used to run a cheap £20 amazon special on my bars and a chilli-technology helmet light. It was a great combo or £80 all in with mounts and a spare battery for the helmet one. And more recently I ended up picking up the 4000 Lumen Chilli-Technology light with a new head lamp, a battery pack that lasts 5 1/2 hours on full power and all the mounting gear I could need for under £200. Then I donated the old lights to a friend and now I've got more powerful lights + someone else to ride with at night.

[daxolivares]

My outbound lights are 5 yrs old, so you get what you pay for. Also outbound just release the portal, bigger and denser capcity bat than the hangover

[letsgoletsgoletsgoletsgoletsgo]

I have the outbound downhill set .

Its enough light, the bar light is smooth and wide .
The helmet one is narrower and punchy , the lumen power isnt fantastic.

But i feel what sets it apart is the lack of a battery pack and the simple operation

[SixGunTodd]

The difference in lighting really effects exactly how you ride....good lights permit you to ride at or near a normal pace where poor lights force you to ride slower. Night riding is awesome...but only if you aren`t riding beyond your lighting limits.

[ctquadracing]

Been using CatEye 800 on helmet and 1700 on the bars for 2 winter seasons night rides and can’t fault them, Batteries normally last 2hrs or so but I will put them on low settings while climbing fire roads to top of the trails and put them on full beam on trails.
Cost me about £120 for the set

[teemu]

This could have quite easily been a more comprehensive guide and comparison of multiple price categories of lights. And if published earlier given people time to purchase and wait for delivery of the lights.

Too bad there was no section on rear lighting, ever only considered for commuting, since this gives better heads-up for someone coming up behind that there is someone and where the rider actually is. Even in the daylight

[richardchwazik]

Maybe you can do a rating of lights at different price points. there has to be a sweet spot for performance vs cost

[Natuh]

Sily video, of course its gonna be crap if you buy the cheapest ones! But if u get the branded ones like rockbross its gonna smash other brands when its about cost per performance

[SteveKimbo]

As I was getting back on my MTB journey, I bought cheap lights. They were ok but barely. Then I upgraded to some Magicshine lights, they were a leap forward but I was out-riding them pretty quickly and they failed completely on the edge of Dartmoor. I stepped up to a Gemini set, massive improvement and then I finally took the plunge and bought an Exposure Six-Pack and Diablo. I will never, ever go back to a cheaper set of lights. The power, colour, spread, throw and the general ease of use are off the charts. Reflex mode is all I ever use. The build quality is such that they'll probably be passed down to my children. Plus they're made here, in the UK. Not in some Chinese tat-factory and bound for landfill.

[ReneNieuwenhuis]

I use the Magicshine 6500 on the bike and a Ali lamp on my helmet. The Magicshine is overkill on the highest setting, more than powerful enough with a external batterypack.

[TiagoMorbusSa]

10 thousand lumens is equivalent to 5 roadside floodlights.
Those are absolute lies in the marketing of those lights.
The briefest of glances at the footage shows they're at MOST one thousand lumens. Likely around 600 to 800.

[Looking__downhill]

This is very biased.

You can't be disappointed when you don't pay much, but it works great for the majority of riders.

On the other hand the high end is more of a status symbol look at how much I spend on my lights.

I'm pretty sure there's something in the middle without having to go to both extremes of the spectrum.