The products mentioned in this article are selected or reviewed independently by our journalists. When you buy through links on our site we may earn an affiliate commission, but this never influences our opinion.

Light & Motion Urban 900 Commuter Combo lights review

Super-tough commuting combo designed and made in the US

Our rating

4

100.00
110.00

David Caudery / Immediate Media

Published: January 17, 2020 at 5:26 pm

Our review
Tough, solidly built, waterproof and good peripheral illumination

Pros:

Tough, waterproof and well-considered urban combo, ideal for commuting

Cons:

A bit expensive and a slightly awkward (though secure) mounting system

Light & Motion’s Urban set pairs its 900-lumen Longfin front light with its 60-lumen Vis Micro II rear, both of which have strong amber sidelights for the peripheral vision that’s so important for urban riding.

One major feature of Light & Motion’s lights is that they’re certified to US FL-1 standards, which guarantees the light's output is entirely as advertised.

The lights are also put through their paces for toughness and water-resistance. Each model is dropped from a metre onto concrete six times and then submerged in water for 30 minutes.

As a result, the combo has a very impressive IP67 rating, so it's sealed from dust and able to withstand immersion in a metre of water. "No other bike light delivers this level of robust performance," is Light & Motion's claim.

Longfin front light

On the Longfin front light I managed 95 minutes (five minutes longer than claimed) at the full 900-lumen output with a 20-degree lighting spread. This level of illumination was more than adequate for riding on unlit surfaced routes at a high pace, but you're more likely to use the second-highest 450-lumen setting in most circumstances.

There’s also a low 225-lumen output, which I found good enough for lit urban riding.

There’s no flashing mode, but it does have a 225-lumen ‘SafePulse’ setting, with a claimed 12-hour run-time.

With a six-hour charging time from flat, it’s not the fastest charging light out there, though.

The mounting system for the front light isn’t my favourite, with a rubber strap that’s quite fiddly to get on to the handlebar. Once mounted, the base of the light slots into it and it’s secured using a small diameter nut with a knurled head.

It’s effective and the light is secure in the mount, but you have to remove the mount and light to take it off – you can’t just remove the light.

Vis Micro II rear light

The rear light feels slightly ‘plasticky’ compared with the solid-feeling front, which is surprising given its impact resistance up to a metre.

The Vis Micro II puts out a maximum 60 lumens and it takes just two and a half hours to charge from flat.

In addition to the three steady settings (60, 30 and 25 lumens) with a 180-degree spread, there’s also a SafePulse and Paceline mode.

Light & Motion claims SafePulse helps motorists assess your speed, while the Paceline setting is designed for riding in a group and does away with the rear red light entirely while keeping the yellow-tinged sidelights running.

The rear's mount is similar to the front in that you have to remove the whole thing and not just the light, but I liked the ability to angle the light on the seatpost so that it's running vertically. You can also clip it onto saddle bags and backpacks.

Light & Motion Urban 900 Commuter Combo lights overall

Perhaps slightly expensive at the full £109.99 RRP (the US RRP of $99.99 is much more appealing), but there’s a lot to like about Light &Motion’s Urban 900 pairing.

There's a good choice of lighting power and modes, and they’re both tough with waterproof rated. Plus, in addition to the provided mounts, there are also GoPro and helmet mounts available.

Product

Brandlight_and_motion
Price110.00 GBP,100.00 USD

Features

br_lightTypefront_and_rear
br_integratedBatteryyes
FeaturesFront Weight: 116g
Front Output: 900, 450, 225 lumens steady, , 225l pulse
Front Light/Modes: 2
Rear Weight: 50g
Rear Output: 30, 25 lumens steady, 60l SafePulse
Rear Light/Modes: 2
This website is owned and published by Our Media Ltd. www.ourmedia.co.uk
© Our Media 2023