Light & Motion Urban 900 Commuter Combo lights review

Light & Motion’s Urban set pairs its 900-lumen Longfin front light with its 60-lumen Vis Micro II rear, both of which have strong amber sidelights for the peripheral vision that’s so important for urban riding.

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One major feature of Light & Motion’s lights is that they’re certified to US FL-1 standards, which guarantees the light's output is entirely as advertised.

The lights are also put through their paces for toughness and water-resistance. Each model is dropped from a metre onto concrete six times and then submerged in water for 30 minutes.

As a result, the combo has a very impressive IP67 rating, so it's sealed from dust and able to withstand immersion in a metre of water. "No other bike light delivers this level of robust performance," is Light & Motion's claim.

Longfin front light

On the Longfin front light I managed 95 minutes (five minutes longer than claimed) at the full 900-lumen output with a 20-degree lighting spread. This level of illumination was more than adequate for riding on unlit surfaced routes at a high pace, but you're more likely to use the second-highest 450-lumen setting in most circumstances.

There’s also a low 225-lumen output, which I found good enough for lit urban riding.

There’s no flashing mode, but it does have a 225-lumen ‘SafePulse’ setting, with a claimed 12-hour run-time.

With a six-hour charging time from flat, it’s not the fastest charging light out there, though.

The mounting system for the front light isn’t my favourite, with a rubber strap that’s quite fiddly to get on to the handlebar. Once mounted, the base of the light slots into it and it’s secured using a small diameter nut with a knurled head.

It’s effective and the light is secure in the mount, but you have to remove the mount and light to take it off – you can’t just remove the light.

Vis Micro II rear light

The rear light feels slightly ‘plasticky’ compared with the solid-feeling front, which is surprising given its impact resistance up to a metre.

The Vis Micro II puts out a maximum 60 lumens and it takes just two and a half hours to charge from flat.

In addition to the three steady settings (60, 30 and 25 lumens) with a 180-degree spread, there’s also a SafePulse and Paceline mode.

Light & Motion claims SafePulse helps motorists assess your speed, while the Paceline setting is designed for riding in a group and does away with the rear red light entirely while keeping the yellow-tinged sidelights running.

The rear's mount is similar to the front in that you have to remove the whole thing and not just the light, but I liked the ability to angle the light on the seatpost so that it's running vertically. You can also clip it onto saddle bags and backpacks.

Light & Motion Urban 900 Commuter Combo lights overall

Perhaps slightly expensive at the full £109.99 RRP (the US RRP of $99.99 is much more appealing), but there’s a lot to like about Light &Motion’s Urban 900 pairing.

There's a good choice of lighting power and modes, and they’re both tough with waterproof rated. Plus, in addition to the provided mounts, there are also GoPro and helmet mounts available.