Magicshine Ray 2600B Smart Remote Bike Light review

The Magicshine Ray 2600B Smart Remote Bike Light is an extremely powerful road cycling front light with a respectable run time.

Its claimed, 2,600-lumen maximum output is suitable for brief nocturnal gravel rides too.

A glitchy app, which is required to enable the light’s smart features, is one of few downsides.

Currently, the Ray 2600B Smart Remote Bike Light is only available on Magicshine's US website.

Magicshine Ray 2600B Smart Remote Bike Light specifications and details

The Magicshine 2600B Smart Remote Bike Light has two LEDs: one throws a piercing spotlight; the other projects a floodlight more diffusely.

A button on top of the light’s aluminium body controls the brightness and modes. It doubles as a battery life indicator.

Via the Magicshine app, you can set up the wireless handlebar remote and activate or deactivate the vibration and light sensors.

The Ray 2600B Smart Remote Bike Light attaches to your handlebars with a Garmin-style mount. Different-length straps enable it to fit 28mm to 35mm-diameter handlebars, according to Magicshine.

The brand includes a GoPro adaptor to enable you to attach the light to your helmet, but not a helmet mount itself.

The Magicshine Ray 2600B Smart Remote Bike Light charges from flat to full in three hours via a USB-C cable.

Made from aluminium, the Magicshine Ray 2600B Smart Remote Bike Light weighs 192g without mounts or straps.

Magicshine Ray 2600B Smart Remote Bike Light performance

Although the light works without pairing it with the Magicshine app, you can only enable the ambient light and vibration sensors, and pair the remote control, in the app.

For some reason, the app requires access to your smartphone’s media and contacts to work.

Then, it took about five minutes to pair with the light. On every occasion I reopened the app, it had forgotten the light and I had to re-pair them.

Setting up the smart remote over Bluetooth went more smoothly.

The Magicshine 2600B Smart Remote Bike Light comes with three default modes. Each of these has a low, medium and high setting.

You can customise these three modes in Magicshine’s proprietary app and create more of your own. Magicshine claims the app can support 20 customised modes.

Because the controls are on top of the light, they are easy enough to use, but you do have to lift a hand from the handlebars.

The remote control enables you to change modes, adjust brightness and turn up the light to full-power more safely.

I installed it towards the end of my handlebar tape, so I could press the buttons with my thumb, keeping my hand on the hood.

The maximum claimed 2,600-lumen output is matched by only the best road bike lights. It’s even bright enough to follow along dingy gravel tracks after dark.

This level is unnecessarily bright for most road riding, such as commuting in urban areas.

To preserve battery, it’s best saved for exceptional circumstances, such as a technical descent in the pitch black.

The 1,250-lumen level hit the sweet spot in terms of illumination and battery life.

Particularly in Hybrid, which uses both spotlight and floodlight beams, the light projects far enough down dark lanes even when travelling in excess of 35km/h.

The Floodlight mode disperses light more thinly over a wider area, but still covers the edge and gutter of an unlit road.

To see in greater detail off-road, I felt more comfortable using the more comprehensive coverage of the Hybrid mode.

The effective light sensor detected when I rode through an unlit tunnel or under a dark tree canopy and increased the brightness.

In the opposite situation, the sensor dims the light when it detects a car headlight or street lights.

The vibration sensor turns the light off to save battery when you come to a prolonged stop (not at traffic lights). When you restart riding, it switches the light back on in case you’ve forgotten to do so yourself.

Its performance during and after a multiple-hour downpour was unaffected. So, it seems to live up to its IPX6 waterproof rating.

As with most high-powered lights, the Magicshine Ray 2600B Smart Remote Bike Light doesn’t last long at its highest output. It ran for 1 hour 15 minutes at 2,600 lumens.

I found the 1,250-lumen output more than adequate for pitch-black road riding. The light ran at this power for at least twice as long.

The Magicshine Ray 2600B Smart Remote Bike Light has a battery indicator, but nothing to show which mode it’s in.

This could become confusing if you add to the three standard modes by creating your own.

Magicshine Ray 2600B Smart Remote Bike Light bottom line

The Magicshine Ray 2600B Smart Remote Bike Light is a great choice if you alternate between murky lanes and better-lit environments on the same night road ride.

Although its off-road performance is not intended to rival the best mountain bike lights, it eliminates shadows from inky-black gravel tracks too.

The lo-fi Magicshine app lets the Ray 2600B Smart Remote Bike Light down a bit. Still, the price is competitive with similarly powerful and smart road bike lights.

• Buy the Ray 2600B Smart Remote Bike Light direct from Magicshine