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Light and Motion Urban 550 Review

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Light and Motion Urban 550 Review (Light And Motion Urban 650)
Light And Motion Urban 650
Credit: Light And Motion
Price:  $139 List
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Manufacturer:   Light and Motion
By Chris McNamara ⋅ Founder and Editor-in-Chief  ⋅  Nov 15, 2016
56
OVERALL
SCORE
  • Brightness - 40% 6.0
  • Beam Quality - 25% 8.0
  • Battery Life - 20% 2.0
  • Portability - 15% 5.0

Our Verdict

The Light and Motion Urban is a quality all-purpose handlebar light. It has a very wide, even beam pattern, is bright enough to light up streets and trails, and is the most compact and lightest high-powered handlebar light we've tested. The Urban's main competitors are the NiteRider Lumina 550 and the Cygolite Expilion 850, which performed even better in our tests and is generally available for less. In addition, both the Lumina 550 and the Expilion 800 scored higher for brightness.
REASONS TO BUY
Wide
Even beam
Quick installation/removal
Tool-less attached mount
2 amber sidelights
REASONS TO AVOID
Expensive
Short battery life
Not as bright as competition

Our Analysis and Test Results

Hands-On Review


Beam Quality


We give the light a score of 8 out of 10 in this category because it has an even and bright beam. The quality is great, but still behind our Editors' Choice, the Expilion 800, which has a broader and brighter beam.

Beam Diameter and Pattern

Light and Motion Urban 550
Cygolite Expilion 800

Brightness


The Urban 550 has a maximum beam distance of 116 meters compared to the Expilion 800 that shined 160 meters. More importantly, as you can see in the comparison below, it didn't throw nearly as powerful and broad of a beam as the 800. The 550 scored a 6 out of 10 for brightness, which held it back from winning an award.

Beam Distance Photos

Cygolite Expilion 800
Light and Motion Urban 550

The photo shows how the NiteRider Lumina has a slightly narrower beam but is much brighter as you can see by the distant sign and fence posts.

Beam Distance Photos

NiteRider Lumina 550
Light and Motion Urban 550

Below you can see how the Urban 550 compares to a real powerhouse bike light.
Beam Distance Photos

NiteRider Pro 1800
Light and Motion Urban 550

Additionally, the Urban 550 has amber sidelights. Some people enjoy this feature and others found it distracting. How much safety do the sidelights provide? This is debatable, as most accidents occur from not being visible head on, which the amber lights help little with. The photos below show these lights when off, on, and on the street.

Light and Motion Urban 550
Light and Motion Urban 550


light and motion urban 550 - 72% of bike accidents occur at intersections. front, side, and rear...
72% of bike accidents occur at intersections. Front, side, and rear lights make it easier for cars to see you from the side and rear (left graphic). A helmet mounted spotlight allows you to signal your presence to oncoming and turning vehicles (right graphic).
Credit: NYC traffic data, National Highway Institute, Light and Motion

Portability


The Urban 550 is one of the lightest lights with high beam quality and brightness score. It's not burdensome to carry around when not in use. For example, if you go out at night without a bag, the Urban 550 is small enough to fit in a jacket pocket.

The Urban 550 along with the Light and Motion Taz 1500 and Urban 800 are the fastest lights to install and the easiest to move between different bikes. That said, the 550 is not as easy to get on and off the handlebar as lights with fixed mounts like the NiteRider Lumina series. Once installed, the Lumina series offers easy one-handed operation, whereas the Light and Motion requires two hands and a little more time to adjust just right. If like most commuters, you generally use one bike, lights that slide on and off with one hand are preferable.

The light swivels 360 degrees to allow mounting in atypical positions and, while riding, can help you shine the light at objects (e.g. street signs, house numbers) without turning your handlebar. It's easiest to rotate the light 90 degrees on the mount before installation and removal.

light and motion urban 550 - the niterider lumina 650 and 500 (left) are 22% larger and 23%...
The NiteRider Lumina 650 and 500 (left) are 22% larger and 23% heavier (35% heavier including the mount) than the Light and Motion Urban 550 (right), which has a built in mount. The smaller and lighter the better.

Battery Life


We measured 1.1 hours of battery life on high mode, which is below average for lights in its category and earns it a 2/10 score. The Lumina 550 lasted 1.8 hours on high beam mode and the Expilion 800 lasted 1.4 hours.

light and motion urban 550 - the blinder has an impressive run time for its size and price, but...
The Blinder has an impressive run time for its size and price, but other larger lights (light the Light and Motion Urban 550) have longer run times.

Value


This is a premium priced light and its score was not high enough to land it a very high position in our Price vs. Value comparison chart. Its closest competition scored higher and was less expensive.

Conclusion


This is a great light with a high-quality beam. It's brightness and battery scores compared to the Lumina 550 and the Expilion 800 held it back from winning an award. That said, it has some unique features such as a great swivel, very fast mounting and transfer time between bikes, and side lights. If these features are important and you are willing to pay a premium, then this is a light to consider.

Chris McNamara