As the darker mornings and evenings of winter very much still with us, it’s still worth looking at getting you and your family ready for cycling in the dark. It’s really important that you’re all lit up and visible when you’re riding your bikes in low light and dark conditions. Most bike lights are designed for adults – in terms of price and usability – so we’ve been busy looking for the best child friendly bike lights that are suitable for kids of all ages.
In this article we’re looking at the best bike lights for kids of all ages, from small toddlers on balance bikes through to tech savvy teens. And if you’re looking for lights for your own bike you’ll probably find something to suit too!
The Best Kids Bikes Lights – for cycling safely during the winter months
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Knog Plus wearable light – Best bike light for very young children
It can be very difficult fixing a rear bike light to the seat post of a small pedal bike or a balance bike – especially if the seat post is in the lowest position. Then when you finally manage it, you realise the light is so low that no-one can see it, or else it’s obscured by a coat dangling down over the saddle!
The Knog + (pronounced Knog Plus) is a wearable bike light, meaning you can put it onto your child’s coat, hood or backpack. It can also attach to the handlebars, forks, seat posts, pannier racks and stays, in a vertical or horizontal position, meaning you should be able to find somewhere to mount it.
In wearable mode, the movement of your child will help catch the eye of passing motorists, as the light will be bobbing up and down. It’s also a good light to use whilst walking, scooting or running, as this photo shows. A great choice for active families, where mum or dad want to nip out for a jog once the Sprogs are in bed.
The Knog + claims to be 100% waterproof, is really lightweight (12 g) and is charged by plugging the light straight into a USB socket, so you don’t need any cables.
We reviewed an earlier model of Knog wearable lights which you can read about here.
Buy now: The Knog + Wearable Bike Lights
ETC Mini Bright Silicon Light Set – cheapest front and rear light set
If you’re looking for a cheap and cheerful set of bike lights to keep your child visible on their bike, but you don’t want to pay too much as you know they’re likely to go missing, get damaged etc, then the ETC front and rear light set could be what you’re looking for. At less than £4 for the set, they’re cheap enough to buy a couple of sets so you’re not panicking if you discover a little person has decided to remove them for a fun game just before you need to leave the house.
You’re not going to light up a mountain side with these lights, but you don’t usually need main beam lighting on a dreary afternoon on the ride back from school.
BUY NOW: ETC Mini Bright Lights
Cat Eye Sync – Best bike lights for older kids with a gadget obsession
If you’re struggling to get your growing Cycle Sprog to take their winter visibility seriously (we all know HiViz is not cool!) the Cat Eye Sync lights may be the answer. By using an App on their phone, they can control up to 7 bike lights, with features like low battery alerts, one-touch turning on of all lights and a kinetic feature that detects when they’re braking and increases the intensity of the light. They’re not the cheapest lights – prices start at just under £50. However, bike lights haven’t really been something to show off to your friends, until now…..
Buy now: The CatEye Sync range
Lezyne Femto Drive – best for cold little hands in gloves
In the depths of winter, your Cycle Sprog doesn’t want to have to take their gloves on and off to operate their bike lights. The Lezyne Femto Drive Light Set are super easy to use – you just touch the front screen of the light and it switches on, touch it again to switch through the different modes, and then again to turn off. No need to take any gloves off at all – as we all know how long it takes to get them back on again.
Buy now: Lezyne Femto Drive Light Set
Infini Wukong Silicone – most fun bike lights
If you want your child to be enthusiastic about using their bike lights, it helps if there’s a fun element to them. These cute little Frog shaped lights will bring a smile to a dark and dreary day.
The silicone strap is designed to fit smaller kid’s bike handlebars, the unit claims to be waterproof and you get about 100 hours of battery life on flashing mode and 50 hours on steady.
The best bit is there are so many colours available there should be one to match your bike.
Buy Now: Infini Wukong Lights
Knog Pop I Front Lights – most stylish bike lights
The picture says it all really, doesn’t it? Why look at a dreary plastic case when you could be admiring one of these beauties? The biggest problem is choosing which design!
However, these lights from bike light specialists Knog don’t just look good – they have side illumination, are waterproof, have low battery indicators (these take normal batteries rather than needing USB charging) and a variety of modes so you can get a really bright light (for 4.5 hours) or a flashing strobe that goes on for 100 hours.
They also do a set of matching rear lights but of course, you can’t see the patterns quite so well.
B’Twin VIOO 100 lights – cheapest single kids bike lights
At just £2.99 per light, the SL 100 are a good choice for kids who aren’t riding on the road, and just want a bit of illumination. They’re easy to fit onto the bike and are cheap enough not to get stressed about if your Cycle Sprog manages to lose or break them.
Buy now: SL 100 bike lights from Decathlon
Cateye Volt 400 XC Front Light – Best for winter cycling adventures
Cycle Sprog Eva spent her birthday money on some bike lights so she could go nighttime off-road cycling with her family.
For the front light, she treated herself to the Cat Eye Volt 400 XC and now when the family goes on their off-road adventures she rides at the front and illuminates the path for everyone else to follow. On the road, she uses the low power setting so as to not dazzle drivers and finds that setting more than adequate when in town.
Buy now: Cat Eye Volt bike lights
For the backlight, Eva went for a Bikehut 50 Lumens light, which also has a ‘road’ setting which was useful again to be seen without being a nuisance.
Buy now: Bikehut 50 Lumens light
Alpkit Tau Front Bike light – best for all types of use
The Alpkit Tau comes recommended by several of the mums over on the Family Cycling UK Facebook Group. Beatrice told us “These are fab. They’re very easy to use with a flexible rubber attachment which fits to kids bikes/ cargo bikes/adult bikes. Very bright!”
Buy now: Alpkit Tau front light from Alpkit
This is our pick of some of the best bike lights for kids – there are obviously lots of others out there, so if you’re using another make or model please drop me a comment in the box below as I’d love to know what you recommend.
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Other articles you might be interested in:
- The best children’s winter cycling gloves
- How to keep your child’s head warm under their cycle helmet
- Keeping warm on a bike seat – great ideas to keep the cold at bay
- Be bright on your bike now winter is here
- The Polaris Fang Kids Winter Cycling Jersey
- The best kids bikes
- The best balance bikes as recommended by parents
Comments
One problem this article doesn’t tackle is a child bike is much lower to the ground meaning the rear light is difficult to attach while being visible. I believe legally the lights need to be attached to the bike and not the rider which limits the fixing points on a child bike. My son is 6 but I am struggling to find a suitable light and the mudguard further blocks the view of rear light. One option could be the cats eye saddle mount. Any other ideas?
Hi Daniel. Many thanks for your comment.
Yes, this is a problem. We have included the first suggestion, the Knog, which is a wearable solution and you could also fix one to the frame which would cover you on the legal side. We hope this helps. Kind regards, Penny
Many thanks Penny. Didn’t realise I would end up buying lights for my kids when they are still this young; seems they like more serious rides than when I was their age!
Ah, great to hear they are serious little riders! Happy and safe cycling to you all. Penny
I have been giving away bike lights to local teenagers for a while now, they really appreciate this and even the tough guys among them gratefully receive them.
The lights I favour are the rechargeable units from Wilko or Uni-Com (they are identical). Rechargeable is a must, teenagers who can’t be bothered to buy lights aren’t going to be bothered to buy batteries either! They work for several hours between charges, are bright enough for urban use and are small and discreet, so not too untrendy. A charger is not supplied (although a USB cable is), but most teenagers will have an appropriate phone charger anyway.
That’s a generous and important initiative you’ve got Andrew – and some good advice about making sure they’re rechargeable and discrete. Thanks for sharing. Karen
Thanks Karen, I’m still at it and Wilko has them on a 3 for 2 offer at the moment, so I’m stocking up for a local charity bmx skatepark event at June; there are giveaways and auctions as part of the event and companies often donate items like helmets and pads which get made up into packs, so I’m going to donate some lights for them to add in as well.