Magicshine

I’ve become a bit obsessed with lighting options for my bicycles. It makes sense, as most of my rides now take place in complete darkness. I leave for my morning ride at about 5:15 a.m., and in the dead of winter, the sun doesn’t come up over Los Angeles until almost 7 a.m. So, lights are an essential tool for me, and I’ve scoured the web looking for and trying different options.

One company’s products have stood out. The brand is Magicshine, and they make many different lights for different types of riders. I’m choosy, because I want a compact unit with plenty of power and battery life. I want the battery to be built in, not a separate unit, and I want ease of use. I also want super-simple charging and a secure mounting option.

In the end, I chose the Magicshine ALLTY 1200U under-mounted headlight paired with the SEEME 200 rear light. Odd naming conventions aside, these lights have many features that I value.

First off, let’s talk about the front light. The ALLTY comes with a small GoPro mount that easily attaches to my computer mount. Once in place, it can stay there—no need to remove it, as it’s a small unit and barely noticeable when the light isn’t attached. To install the light, it simply slides onto the mount with a solid click once it’s locked in position. Super simple and solid.

The light comes with a remote that is mounted to the handlebars using a simple rubber strap. The remote is used to turn the light on and off, as well as to adjust the brightness settings. The remote isn’t necessary, as the light can be turned on at the unit itself, but it’s incredibly handy while riding. I typically run the light at its lowest setting, but I like to switch it to its brightest setting when tackling a descent. The remote allows me to do that without removing my hands from the bars.

There are three constant brightness settings as well as two flash modes. I mostly run the constant low setting, which is perfect for navigating the small streets of the Hollywood Hills. The beam is solid and provides just the right amount of spread.

The rear light is a compact unit. It comes with a mount that uses a rubber strap to attach to the seatpost, as well as a small mount that zip-ties to the saddle rails. This is the option I chose to use. I never use saddle bags, so the under-saddle position is ideal. It’s high and very visible to cars coming from behind. The mount stays put even when hitting rough descents. The trick here is to cinch the provided zip ties as tightly as possible. Once installed, the light twists onto the mount, again with a solid click.

There are six modes for the SEEME, ranging from low to smart night. The different modes are explained on the Magicshine website, but the feature I like best is what they call the 360º OptiTracing Light. This feature projects an arc of red light onto the ground. I feel this makes me very visible to cars and other cyclists. The back of the bike is bathed in red light in addition to what’s projected onto the ground.

Both lights charge easily with the supplied USB-C cables, and charging times are quick. Both lights are waterproof—the ALLTY with an IPX7 rating and the SEEME with an IPX6 rating. I’ve been very pleased with the Magicshine lights and can wholeheartedly recommend them to anyone nutty enough to be riding the streets of Los Angeles in the pre-dawn darkness.

Velospeak readers can receive a 20% discount on either light by using the provided links. Follow the ALLTY link for the front light or the SEEME link for the rear light, and enter VELOSPEAK at checkout to apply the discount.