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Every rider knows the importance of being seen on the roads and for most people that means bright clothing and front and rear bike lights.
Something that few riders consider is wheel lights.
They are not just for kids’ bikes, although they do love them, they make a genuine difference to the visibility of any commuting bike.
In this article, we take a look at the best bike wheel lights and how to choose the right set for your bike.
Top 7 Best Bike Wheel Lights Reviewed
1. MapleSeeker Bike Wheel Spoke Lights
- Battery: 1 x CR927 button battery
- Multicolor: Yes
Ride your bike and create cool circles of light with MapleSeeker Bike Wheel Spoke Lights.
These LED lights fit onto your spokes and are a great safety feature as well as adding some eye-catching style.
The MapleSeeker lights have an IP67 rating, which means they’re dust-tight and hold out in any kind of wet weather.
LEDs are also naturally shock-proof, and these lights have a 10m height falling resistance.
Better still, the energy efficiency of LED lights means that battery power lasts for ages.
With the MapleSeeker lights, the batteries last for up to 80 hours and automatically switch off when the wheel is not moving.
Why we like these: These bright little LEDs are brilliant for 90° visibility and can be seen up to 320 ft (97m) away.
They’re also loads of fun, and the faster you ride, the cooler they look!
2. Sumree LED Bike Wheel Lights (best rechargeable)
- Battery: USB Rechargeable Li-ion
- Multicolor: Yes
If you want lights that don’t need battery replacement, consider the Sumree LED Bike Wheel Lights.
These lights are made up of a string of 20 LEDs per wheel, and you get two sets in the pack.
The Sumree lights have 16 modes in all and include red, green, blue, light blue, purple, yellow, and white colors.
You can cycle through these colors so they’re constantly changing or pick a single favorite color.
These rainproof lights are ideal for any bike wheels between 12” and 29” and fix to the wheels using supplied cable ties.
Why we like these: These Sumree LEDs are a fun way to light up your bike wheels just the way you want them.
They add loads of style to your bike rides, and you don’t need to buy new batteries down the road.
3. TAGVO Cycling Hub Lights (best hub lights)
- Battery: USB Rechargeable Li-ion
- Multicolor: Yes
If you want a splash of nighttime color without lighting up your whole wheel, the TAGVO Cycling Hub Lights are ideal.
You can configure the lights in various ways.
There are 7 different colors, which you can have on constantly or flashing (slow/quick).
The TAGVO Cycling Hub Lights have an IP55 rating, so they can withstand any downpour of rain.
They’ll cheer up your bike rides in all types of weather.
You can put these lights on all types of bikes, including children’s bikes, BMX bikes, MTBs, and road bikes.
As long as the wheel hubs are between 19mm and 36mm in diameter, they’ll fit.
Why we like these: The TAGVO hub lights brighten up bike rides and are a good safety feature at the same time.
They charge easily via a USB cable and give you up to 12 hours of use per charge.
4. Activ Life LED Bike Wheel Lights (Best Budget Wheel Lights)
- Battery: 3 x AAA Batteries
- Multicolor: Yes
For a budget option, these Active Life LEDs are great value and would be a great option for a town bike.
The battery pack and lights are easy to install and don’t require any tools, you simply wind the strong silicon loop through your spokes.
The unit runs on three AAA batteries that are included in the purchase, further highlighting the great value of these lights.
These lights come in a variety of colors (the multicolor option costs a little more) so you can mix and match between your front and back wheel to get the right design for you.
Why we like these: great value without compromising on safety and fun.
5. Tinana Bike Wheel Lights
- Battery: 3 x AAA Batteries
- Multicolor: Yes
If fun, colorful patterns are your thing, then the Tinana Bike Wheel Lights are for you.
The unit that attaches to the spokes is fairly large but at night it transforms into stunning patterns on both sides of the wheel.
These are a great option for kids’ bikes.
They will find them fun and you will have peace of mind knowing they are more visible out on their bikes.
They also have an automatic lighting mode that detects movement to switch the unit on and then turns it off again when the bike comes to a stop.
Another great feature for kids who, even at the best of times, can be forgetful.
Why we like these: fun, funky patterns that kids will love and a motion sensor to switch the unit on.
6. Daway A08 Bike Tire Valve Stem Light
- Battery: 3 x LR44 Batteries
- Multicolor: Yes
The discrete size and unique attachment of the Daway A08 bike wheel lights might even be enough to tempt committed road cyclists into lighting up their wheels when the nights draw in.
They attach to the valve of the tire and are compatible with either Presta or Schrader valves.
To keep the electronics as small as possible, the unit is controlled by motion and light levels.
The patterns become more impressive the faster you travel and at 15mph, a very achievable speed for road cyclists, the patterns change every four seconds.
Why we like these: unique attachment to the tire valve and the simple electronics make them discrete and, dare we say it, even suitable for road bikes.
7. QANGEL Bicycle Spoke Lights (1-Wheel Pack)
- Battery: 3 x AAA (not included)
- Multicolor: Yes (flower patterns)
If your bike has 24” diameter wheels or above, QANGEL Bicycle Spoke Lights will imbue them with 32 spectacular flower patterns.
Each 36-LED light fits across the span of your wheel and is simple to install.
For best results with these lights, you need to ride at about 9.3 mph (15 km/h) or above, which many riders will manage with ease.
Some patterns need a faster speed to show the complete pattern.
One great thing about the QANGEL lights is that they’re equally visible from both sides.
This is not true of many spoke lights. Battery life is around 25 hours.
Why we like these: These lights are more spectacular than most, so they’re ideal if you’re going for the wow effect.
They are also easy to install as you don’t need to weave them around the whole wheel.
Types Of Wheels Lights
Spoke Lights
Spoke lights, such as the ever-popular Monkey Light, attach to the spokes of the wheel close to the tire and create the illusion of full circumferential coverage thanks to something known as the persistence of vision.
Here the eye and the brain fill in the gaps as the light spins around to make it appear that the entire wheel is covered by individual lights.
They are easy to attach and usually come with either a standard battery pack or a detachable rechargeable battery.
They look great at night but some cyclists feel that they can look bulky and unsightly in the full glare of daytime.
Hub Lights
Hub lights clamp securely around the hub of the wheel and project colorful light out towards the rim of the spinning wheel.
The light reflects off the rim to give a halo of light around the entire wheel.
As long as you have the right size of hub, they offer a more discrete way to light up your wheel and are barely noticeable during the day.
Keeping the weight at the center of the wheel also has the advantage of reducing rotational weight which can slow you down.
The drawback is that the overall lighting effect tends to be diluted compared to standard wheel lights that fit the spokes.
Rim Lights
Rim wheel lights are almost like Christmas fairy lights that weave through the spokes of the wheel around the entire circumference.
They are easy to install but perhaps don’t look the best during the day.
Read more: Guide to commuter bike wheels
Features Of Cycle Wheel Lights To Consider
Attachment
The clamping system varies across different types of wheel light, but common to all of them is an easy installation with no tools required.
Some attach across one or two spokes using clips whilst others are interwoven between the spokes around the circumference of the wheel.
It is safe to say that most children could install wheel bike lights with ease.
The attachment methods tend to be secure in themselves but for a belt and braces approach, there is no harm in using small cable ties where appropriate.
The battery packs are either integrated into the lights themselves or have a separate attachment.
Where possible you should try to mount this as close to the hub and the center of the wheel as you can.
This will help reduce the rotational mass of the wheel and stop it from feeling wobbly when turning.
Lumens
Lumens is a measure of how much light the bike wheel lights give out or at least how much of the light is visible to the human naked eye.
In simple terms the higher the lumen number, the brighter the bike wheel light will appear.
If being seen on the road is your priority then opt for bike wheel lights that use a high lumen number.
Colors and Patterns
Some bike wheel lights are multicolored where the colors can be changed manually or automatically.
Being able to choose the color is a fun feature, especially for kids as they will want the lights to match their bike perfectly.
Some of the bike wheel lights that attach to one of the wheel spokes can also create unique patterns as the wheel turns, again thanks to the persistence of vision phenomenon.
Again these patterns are a great feature for kids’ bikes and one that is sure to turn a lot of heads.
The patterns are designed to be at their most eye-popping when cycling at a certain speed so you need to check that this is achievable for young riders.
Watch this video and prepare to be impressed.
Video: Monkey Light Pro Kickstarter
Battery vs Rechargeable
More and more wheel lights are available with a rechargeable battery pack that can be removed from the unit and topped-up using a USB port.
Rechargeable lights are more cost-effective and tend to smaller and lighter on the wheel but typically offer less running time between charges than standard battery packs.
This shouldn’t be an issue as long as you remember to charge them regularly.
Standard battery packs using AA or AAA batteries usually give between 10 and 50 hours of life.
In terms of battery life, bike wheel lights tend to be made up of LED’s for the most part thanks to their awesome power-saving qualities that don’t compromise on brightness.
Waterproof Rating
Bike wheel lights have to withstand a lot of abuse, so it stands to reason that they should also be waterproof if you want them to survive the winter commutes.
Most lights will have an IP rating (which stands for Ingress Protection) that describes just how waterproof they are.
Get familiar with these before you purchase so you can have confidence in the lights.
How To Install Bike Wheel Lights
Different bike wheel lights will have their own unique installation instructions and most are relatively straightforward.
Here we will take a look at the steps to install LED lights around the wheel, which are perhaps the most time-consuming.
- Unscrew the top of the battery holder and insert the right batteries, the right way in the battery insert. Screw on the lid firmly to keep water out.
- Use the rubber gaskets supplied to attach the battery holder to the hub.
- Run the LED wire to the valve of the tire. Wrap it around one of the spokes as you go.
- Loop the strip around the spoke at the top a couple of times.
- From here go around the wheel, winding through the spokes as you go.
- Depending on the length and the wheel circumference you may have some excess wire. You can keep going or if permitted, simply cut off any excess.
- Tie the ends securely and test before hitting the road for real.
Video: How To Install Bike Wheel Lights
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a Monkey Light for Bike Wheels?
Monkey Lights fit the spokes of the wheel and create unique, colorful patterns as the wheels spin thanks to the phenomenon known as the persistence of vision.
Are bike wheel lights worth it? Should I Use Normal Lights Instead?
It is not a case of should you use normal lights at the front and rear of the bike but you must use them in low visibility conditions in most states.
Wheel lights compliment standard front and rear bike lights and help to improve visibility from the side.
They are also a lot of fun and something different.
They are a great addition to kids’ bikes; they love showing them off to friends and you can feel safer knowing they are more visible.
Are Bike Wheel Lights Legal?
Wheel lights are legal but they are not legally required in most states for riding at night.
Most states require a front white light and a red reflector at the rear.
Wheel lights simply add to the visibility and that is never a bad thing on a bike.
C’mon Baby, Light My Bike Wheels: Conclusion
Bike wheel lights add a dose of extra safety and a heap of extra fun on the bike.
What is not to like?
Ok, they are not for everyone and we will have to wait a long time to see them light up the Tour de France but for kids, commuters, and riders who like to cruise the streets, they are definitely something to consider.
The MapleSeeker Bike Wheel Spoke Lights are a fun, safe and durable option, with a bright and efficient LED light that can be seen from far away, and an IP67 rating for dust and water resistance, also with automatic switch off feature, making it a smart choice for any rider.
Sumree LED Bike Wheel Lights add some fun, color and convenience to your bike rides with 16 modes, no battery replacement needed and rainproof.
Because of this, they win the runner’s up award.
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Monkey lights (monkeyletric) apparently went out of business in August 2020.
Thanks for commenting. We have updated the article 🙂
In addition to monkey lights, Sarissa looks to be out of business as well. Not sure what was actually updated on this list on June 10 but it wasn’t anything on the actual list
It’s up to date now. Thanks for letting us know.