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The Light & Motion Urban Bike Lights are excellent examples of bike lights that don’t look lame. They are sleek, powerful, and extremely bright. I’ve been using the Urban lights for about 6 months and here’s what I thought.
Light & Motion Urban Bike Lights Features
- Bulb: LED
- Lumens: 550, 400, 200
- Modes: High, Medium, Low
- Battery indicator light
- Single-cell Li-Ion Battery
- USB Rechargeable (cord included)
- Side safety lights
- Handlebar mount included
- Prices: $159.99, $129.99, $99.99
Light & Motion Urban Bike Lights Review
There are three options in the Light & Motion Urban Bike Lights line-up: the Urban 550, the Urban 400, and the Urban 200. They all sport similar feature sets, the biggest (only) differences are the number of lumens and battery life.
The Urban line is sleek, extremely durable, and very powerful. The metal case can handle bumps, dings, and drops. Commuter lights need to be durable to get the full value and life out of them and the Urban lights are super durable. A lot of other bike lights look clunky, but not the Urban lights.
With three lumen options you can choose the level of light you need. All three models boast 4 settings: high, medium, low, and flash. They are controlled with an easy-to-push button on the top of the case (operable even with gloves on). On the higher powered models you can feel confident riding at higher speeds with the amount of light given. I didn’t feel like I was “outriding the light”. The case features two yellow “side lights” to give 180 degree visibility. They are nice to have but they are only eye-catching at close distances.
I am a big fan of the handlebar attachment. It is a rubber strap and hook closure. It’s highly adjustable and easy to swap to other bikes. My biggest grip with other lights is use them on multiple bikes you have to track down other mounts, which can be a pain. The rubber strap pulls double duty keeping the light on the bar and holding it in place. Not once did I experience the light shifting while riding. If the strap breaks you can pick up extras from Light & Motion. After months of use mine is still going strong.
Second favorite feature is the rechargeable battery. Light and Motion had the forethought to use the mini-USB for charging. I no longer have to carry a special cord to charge my light. The mini-USB is the same size as many cellphone and other chargers. From dead to full expect charge time to range 5-6 hours depending on your model.
Battery life is decent, depending on the model and mode being used. Below is a chart of battery life, by model. An indicator light on the back alerts you to when battery life is getting short.
| Urban 550 | Urban 400 | Urban 200 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| High | 1:30 | 1:30 | 2:30 |
| Medium | 3:00 | 3:00 | 4:00 |
| Low | 6:00 | 6:00 | 8:00 |
| Flash | 18:00 | 18:00 | 24:00 |
The Urban line is fully waterproof. This is a base to even get into the game. I’m happy to say that after a winter and a spring I had zero issues.
The Good
- Bright
- Durable
- Sleek
- Rechargeable
The Bad
- There wasn’t anything bad that stood out for me
Bottom Line:
The Light and Motion Urban line of bike lights is well worth the money.
Buy Now: Pick up the Light & Motion Urban Bike Lights
;)
