2014 Lights Shootout, Bike Light, Light & Motion, Lights, Lights Shootout, Urban 700 - November 2, 2013

Review: Light & Motion Urban 700

The Urban was one of our favorite lights last year as it delivered an honest 550 Lumens in a very compact unit. This year, claimed output is bumped up to 700 Lumens and we measured their output at 708 Lumens.

The mountain biker still cannot turn the side lights off, but that’s not a big concern when using this as a helmet light (since it won’t bother the rider). Check the photo below to see if the ‘always on’ side lighting will bother you in a dark trail. But it remains as one of the lightest units at 113 grams that can pack a 700 Lumen punch. We keep asking Light & Motion to allow the rider to turn off the side lights, but they won’t heed our requests. We’ve come to realize that they really can’t, since the side lights are made possible by little holes in the reflector of the main light. The light is allowed to leak out and is covered with a yellow lens for the side color.

This is a good commuter light, but there really are better options for mountain biking these days, both from Light & Motion with the Taz 1000 and from other companies with an array of 700 Lumen lights for less money. But if you have mixed uses for this light and can put it on your helmet for trail riding, it’s a good option since it’s so light and has a nice beam pattern.

Specifications

Price: $160
Claimed Lumens: 700 Lumens
Measured Lumens: 708 Lumens
Measured MTBR Lux: 71 Lux
Lumens per $: 4.43 Lumens
Lumens per gram: 6.32 Lumens
Time on High: 1:30 Hours
Charge Time: 4:00 Hours
Mounted Weight: 112 grams
Category: Commuter

Strengths

Excellent light output and beam pattern
Good switch action and logic
Excellent flashlight
Good value at $160
Bar and helmet mount are included
Different price points are available
Side lights are great for commuting safety.

Weaknesses

It can get hot since there’s not a lot of heat sink area
The yellow side lights can get annoying for mountain biking applications and they can’t be turned off.
Mount can not be taken off easily to use this as a handy flashlight
There’s very stiff pricing competition in this category

Mounting

Handlebar mounting is done with very slick strap that can be tightened based on the rider’s preference. The same strap is used for standard and oversized handlebars. At first we found the strap too long and found the excess bothersome but we realized we can loop the strap back in the pin and tuck it neatly. It can be aimed left to right. There is an included helmet mount and it works very well. The light can be aimed up/down and left/right. The light is 110 grams so it’s hardly noticeable on the helmet.

Mtbr Light Meter Measurements

This light measured 71 Lux on our ambient light measurement facility. The light output measurement is performed by placing a Lux light meter beside the light. Both are pointed at the ceiling (five feet above) of a dark room. This measurement uses the ambient light produced by the bike light.

Integrating Sphere Measured Lumens

This light measured 708 Lumens in an integrating sphere. Claimed Lumens by the manufacturer is 700 Lumens. The Lumen-hour graph below shows how the light performs over the first three minutes of its battery cycle.

Compare all Lumen Tests here »

Tunnel Beam Pattern Photo

The location is useful since it has walls and a ceiling that can display a bike light beam pattern. The walls have a lot of graffiti on them and actually show detail when they are lit up by a light with a wide angle. Cones and targets are set up with the far target set up at 120 feet.