Get lit up! A guide to lights for your Brompton

Get lit up! A guide to lights for your Brompton

A set of front and rear lights is essential for the safety of any cyclist. Lights ensure you can see the road and are seen by others! However accessories that work well with the Brompton folding bike can be tricky to find. We’ve written this guide to front lights, rear lights and hub dynamos to get you lit up and riding safely on your Brompton.

Front lights - light the road ahead of you!

Brompton x CatEye 500LM front light

This is the official Brompton front light and it is fantastic! Updated from the older 400LM Cateye, this option comes with better battery life and brighter output.

What’s special: This light comes with a specific bracket which sits just above the front fender. It’s installed in lieu of the reflector.

  • This bracket ensures that the light is always angled nicely to see the road
  • 500 lumens
  • It’s lower to the ground than handlebar-mounted options
  • Other features: flashing modes, USB rechargeable, easy to click on and off.
  • Benefit: by having the light sit above the wheel, it frees up precious handlebar space for mounting. Think QuadLock phone mounts, or stem bags.

Magicshine Allty 600LM front light

 

A great alternative to the previous light, which is compatible with any other bikes you might have. See the world ahead of you with this 600 lumen. The mount cinches onto the Brompton handlebar. 

What’s special: IPX7 waterproof. The Magicshine mount is very well designed and it’s super easy to take lights on and off. 

  • This light mounts onto the handlebar, and twists on and off with a quarter turn.
  • Other features: flashing modes, USB C rechargeable

Rear lights - help others see you!

Magicshine SeeMee 150 or 200 LM rear light

 

Our preferred rear light for the Brompton, the SeeMee, comes with a mount that securely sits in the saddle rail. As saddle rail width is standard across bikes, you use both the mount and light with your other bikes. We also love how easily this light twists on and off with a simple quarter turn. 

  • Rear light is 150 or 200 LM, which is crazy bright for a rear light!
  • Other features: flashing modes, IPX 6 waterproofness, USB rechargeable, brake and motion sensor
  • Benefit: easy to take off for safe keeping, super bright, can use the mount and light on other bikes

Brompton Be Seen Light Set

 

This set of front and rear lights is specifically designed to fit the Brompton. The front light fits onto the brake lever, and the rear light fits under the saddle.

The front light isn't bright enough to see the road, but if you're looking for visibility and convenience, these are hard to beat!

Compatible with all Brompton folding bikes fitted with post 2013 brake levers and fitted with a Brompton saddle with the mounting point under the saddle

Dynamo hubs - ride forever!

 

We often get asked, why go dynamo? Our answer is that dynamos just work and keep working. The mental overhead of remembering to charge your lights is gone! Also you can ride for longer and never worry about your lights running out during your adventures. On a Brompton the way the cabling is routed also looks really discrete and clean.

Installing a dynamo and lights does make your bike a bit heavier, but we argue that the convenience and ease is well worth it for most regular commuter rides.

There are two Brompton dynamo options.

 

Brompton x Shutter Precision SV-8 Hub Kit

SON Dynamo Wheel

Price

$449

$509-529

Colour

silver or black

silver or black

Comes with

Busch & Muller front light (25 lux) & Brompton rear light

doesn’t come with lights

With dynamo lighting, one can fine-tune how much light you’d like from your front light. Here are a few popular options

Busch and Muller IQ X - 100 LUX

Schmidt SON Edelux II - 100 LUX

For rear light there’s the Busch and Muller Toplight Line Plus Rear Light - similar in style to the reflector and sits nicely over the rear wheel. 

Our workshop can install dynamos and lights onto your Brompton. Drop by the shop to check out any of the lights mentioned above or buy them online. 

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