Best rear bike lights for winter

When it comes to bike lights and safety, having a good rear light is probably more important than having a good front one. So when buying a bike light, its worth shopping around both for a good light and a good deal. We’ve compiled our list of the best rear lights around for a range of prices.

Blackburn Mars 4.0 - £20

The Blackburn Mars is the manufacturers most powerful rear light, featuring a 1 Watt ultra-bright red LED. The light also features 2 amber side lights for added visibility. It is powered by 2 AAA batteries, lasting 50 hours on full and 150 hours on flashing. As you would expect with Blackburn products, it’s really well made and will most likely stand up to a fair amount of abuse and poor weather. Blackburn are obviously confident in this, as its covered with a lifetime warranty.

Overall, there are obviously many more expensive lights on the market which will offer you more. However when you consider the build quality and features this light has to offer, plus the excellent value for money, you can’t go far wrong – 4/5.

Lezyne Strip Drive Pro - £35

The Lezyne Strip Drive Pro features a sleek and slim design and boasts a massive 100 lumen maximum output. It has a co-moulded construction that is built to stand up to the most gruelling of weather conditions. The light features a USB rechargeable battery which will last between 1.5 – 11 hours, depending on which of the 6 settings is in use. The LEDs are angled down towards the road surface, illuminating the road behind you whilst still making you visible to road users behind without blinding them

This light is a good all round package, its easy to use, has a decent battery and comes with a 2 year warranty – 4/5.

MagicShine MJ-818 - £50

The MagicShine MJ-818 features a powerful and bright 85 lumen light, able to irradiate light for 100m behind the user. The design is simple and small, featuring a dome of plastic with a silver control ring surrounding it. In the centre of the unit is a single 3 watt red LED, which is surrounded by 9 smaller red LED’s. The three output options are: constant and two blink modes, these are controlled by the fiddly silver rotating ring. The light is an addition to an existing lighting set up, so includes a Y-splitter and extender cable in order to connect the light to a front battery pack. The alternative blinking settings are very effective, with the main LED featuring a strong and narrow ‘throw’ making it similar to a torch beam improving visibility in mist and fog.

Although slightly let down by the control ring and cables this is a really good light with excellent visibility – 4.5/5.

Bontrager Flare R - £40

The Bontrager Flare R is designed to be used both during the day and at night, with a 65 lumen bulb bright enough to be seen in all conditions, and good side on visibility too. It features 4 different modes: bright flashing and constant for daylight riding, and slightly dimmer flashing and constant for riding after dark. These are operated by a button on top of the light, so its easily operated even when riding. The battery can last up to 23 hours on nighttime flashing mode, and up to 4 hours on the most energy sapping daytime constant. One other nice feature is the battery save mode which kicks in at 5% battery life. This turns the bike onto flash mode so you can get home safely.

This really is a top quality rear light. Super bright light, good battery life and easy to mount – 5/5.

Cycliq Fly6 - £99

The Cycliq Fly6 is a rear light, however it has the added feature of doubling as a safety camera. Since its original conception launched on Kickstarter, the model has been adapted and improved. It now features a 40 lumen light with 4 settings, 2 flashing modes and one solid output. The camera features 720p crisp video and audio recording, and the unit also comes with an 8GB MicroSD. The battery for light and camera can last up to 6 hours, with a warning beep at 5%. After this point the light can continue to operate for around 90 minutes.

The Fly6 is a great little gadget. Provides all the rear light power you need, with the added benefit of a camera watching your back – 4.5/5.

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