In this article I’m going to give you the very best 800 lumen bike lights.
800 lumens won’t quite cut it on the trail, but they can still be used as such when mounted on your helmet. Almost all brands offer optional helmet mounts to do such a thing.
The lights on this list are best-in-class when it comes to the beam quality. The single LED they offer brings excellent spotlight properties as well as good side-to-side floodlight characteristics.
800 lumens means they’re all lights with integrated batteries. They can be dismounted and stored easily for bikepacking and touring purposes. The waterproof aluminum housing of these lights mean they’re sturdy and can take a beating.
So whether it’s your daily commute, or your night time road cycling ride, they will provide safety with well lit roads.
Let’s see what’s made it on my list of the best 800 lumen bike lights.
Exposure Sirius Mk9 DayBright
The Exposure Sirius Mk9 DayBright is one of the best-looking sub-1000 lumen front bike lights you can find.
An excellent waterproof aluminum housing holds a large 2900 mAh battery powering this 800 lumen light. Considering the fact the light weighs only 82 grams, it gives you up to 30 hours of battery life.
A handlebar mount is provided but a GoPro adapter is available for other mounting options, as well as an optional helmet mount.
The single LED throws a very bright spotlight with a decent enough spread, making this one of the best options for road cycling and daily commuting, or for trail riding when mounted on a helmet.
- Very lightweight, superb build quality, fantastic helmet option
- None
Cateye AMPP800
The Cateye AMPP800 is an excellent and relatively affordable road- and commuting option.
The design of the aluminum light wraps the lens around the side, making it very easy for traffic approaching from the side to see you.
The light is attached to the handlebars with a proprietary mount. An optional helmet mount and GoPro is available, extending its mounting flexibility.
The build quality is high with a waterproof IPX4 rating and a micro USB port well-placed at the bottom of the light.
The beam, powered by a 2500 mAh battery, will last you longer than 2 hours on the medium setting. The soft round beam provides a large area which is sufficiently lit for road cycling and commuting.
The power button serves as a three-stage battery indicator.
Besides the flash mode you get your low (200), medium (400), and high (800 lumen) settings.
- Soft round beam
- None
Garmin Varia UT800 Smart Headlight
You should only buy this light if you have a Garmin Edge. That’s because when used in combination with that GPS, you can use the smart options to the fullest.
It means the light automatically adjusts its brightness based on how it evaluates your GPS data in terms of speed and ride profile. This option works like a charm and can at any time be overridden manually. The Garmin also displays battery status and can turn the light on only when the Garmin itself is being used.
The light does what it sets out to do very well, given it has only one LED to do so. It has the standard low (200), medium (400), high (800) output as well as a flash and daylight mode. It has sidelights as well.
The mounting option is probably the best out-of-the-box. The dual mount with a Garmin on top and the light in a three-prong at the bottom is a thing of beauty. And considering the light itself is a great piece of engineering, this total setup looks absolutely fantastic on your bike.
And it doesn’t cost you an arm and a leg.
- Garmin compatible smart options, auto-adjusting brightness, gorgeous
- Only buy when you ride with a Garmin
Kryptonite Alley F-800
In an ocean awash with similar products, I’m always looking for those that offer a high-value package, and the Kryptonite Alley F-800 does that.
With a single LED outputting a high-quality beam in a sturdy aluminum round housing, with side-illumination, it delivers in the most important area. It has excellent floodlight properties, with above average spread.
Furthermore it covers the basics in the settings department, with 3 standard settings, and 3 flash modes. As well as a power button / battery indicator, with 3 different colors.
The port is sensibly located underneath the light to prevent water damage.
The light offers a ratchet strap, and an optional helmet mount is available. I would have loved to see a GoPro or Garmin mount as well.
When the battery life drops below 10 percent it auto-adjusts itself to the low steady mode to lower the risk of riding unlit.
- Great allrounder, solid beam quality
- None
Lezyne MICRO DRIVE PRO 800XL
The Lezyne MICRO DRIVE PRO 800XL offers a combination of many settings you can scroll through with a remote. That’s pretty unique for a 800 lumen bike light and immediately distinguishes itself from the competition.
Those modes are either the 800 and 150, or everything else, meaning 250, 400, and flash modes. The highest setting will offer you 1.45 hours of burn time, and with the remote you can easily extend that period well over 2 hours or more.
A remote is a very welcome addition to a light, especially one you use in less than ideal road circumstances, where removing your hand to operate a rather small power button is a hassle at best.
There’s an optional helmet and GoPro mount, which I would almost argue, is a must for such a bike light.
I would give this light a definite plus one in the bikepacking and gravel riding category, or when your daily commute is on roads less traveled, because of its remote.
- Remote included, great option for gravel riders and commuters
- None
Magicshine ALLTY800 Rechargeable USB-C Road Bike Light
The Magicshine ALLTY800 Rechargeable USB-C Road Bike Light offers a Garmin compatible mount out-of-the-box.
That’s a big plus besides the perfect beam quality it offers as well. So if you already own a Garmin you can go for an out front mount with an inverted light mount. There’s an optional helmet mount available as well.
The light is fast-charged using the latest USB-C standard instead of the more traditional micro-USB.
Just as with the Lezyne it has a setting which switches between the highest and an economy setting, if you like riding at full output, but still want to be able to easily extend battery life.
The single LED offers a bright spotlight and the top half of the lens offers floodlight characteristics for improved visibility side to side.
It’s one of the most affordable high-quality options within its category.
- Fantastic light, USB-C port, easy-to-use, affordable, one of the best in the sub-1000 lumens category
- None
Specifications 800 lumen bike lights
Name | Price | Max lumen | Battery type | Battery capacity (mAh) | Battery life (Hrs) | Mount type | Rating | Light control | Weight | Body | Helmet mount | Buy at Amazon |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Exposure Sirius Mk9 DayBright | 85 pounds | 850 | internal | 2900 | 1.5 – 36 | bracket | IPX6 | light | 84 | aluminium | optional | |
Cateye AMPP800 | 70 USD | 800 | internal | 2500 | 1.5 – 30 | bracket | IPX4 | light | 136 | aluminium | optional | |
Garmin Varia UT800 Smart Headlight | 100 USD | 800 | internal | 1.5 – 25 | Garmin mount | IPX7 | light / garmin | 130 | aluminium | optional | ||
Kryptonite Alley F-800 | 75 USD | 800 | internal | 1.5 – 24 | strap | IP64 | light | 162 | aluminium | no | ||
Lezyne MICRO DRIVE PRO 800XL | 75 USD | 800 | internal | 1.5 – 19 | strap | IPX7 | remote | 114 | aluminium | optional | ||
Magicshine ALLTY800 Rechargeable USB-C Road Bike Light | 60 USD | 800 | internal | 4000 | 1.5 – 11 | strap | IPX7 | light | 172 | aluminium | optional |
Johan van Seijen
FoundeR Restoration.bike
Johan van Seijen is the founder of restoration.bike. His passion for cycling in general, and restoring older bikes turned into a website to share his knowledge with a broader audience. Starting out on his father’s road bike and riding classics as the Amstel Gold Race and Liege Bastogne Liege he has shifted his attention to trail, XC, and gravel riding since. No matter how much he loves writing about everything related to cycling, nothing beats actually using his ever-expanding bicycle collection.
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