The right accessories can make the difference between a good and great experience. Lights are an essential part of any EUC ride, especially at night, as they help you see your path ahead–it’s a matter of safety. With so many illumination options on the market today, it’s hard to know which is best. That’s why I’ve compiled this list of the top 10 lights for night riding your electric unicycle!
You can read more in this article about how I slammed my Veteran Sherman into a pothole while riding at night with my friends. Suffice it to say, there are many hazards at night when riding your EUC. Whether you’re going fast or slow, being able to see what’s ahead (and be seen) is the key to getting back home in one piece.
In this article, I cover my thoughts and experience riding at night and how I chose my lights for night rides with an EUC.
In a Hurry? Check Out the Editor’s Top 3 Picks! 💡
- Guardian Angel Elite Micro Personal Safety Light Bar (Most Visible, Hands Free)
- Sofirn SP36 BLF Anduril Rechargeable Flashlight (Popular, Brightest Light)
- Safety Light (2 Pack) (Best Budget)
For the 10 best lights for electric unicycles, read on below!
Do You Need Extra Lights for Riding at Night?
I’ve clocked thousand of miles on my EUC through all kinds of terrain and weather situations, e.g., off road, thunderstorms, heavy rain. But, the most uncomfortable kind of situation that I commonly ride is when I’m on the open road at night. A night ride in the dark is filled with unpredictable hazards.
The headlamps on most electric unicycles are decent. On most EUC models, the built-in lights provide enough brightness to be seen. But, let’s face it: We want to be really visible to cars and fast moving traffic.
Sure, you can ride slow and cautiously at night with just the headlamps on your electric unicycle. But if you’re riding anywhere near a 10-15 mph (16-24 km/h) top speed, I’m sure you’ll agree that it is dangerous to do so without seeing what’s in front of you.
At faster speeds, you have a lot less time to react to obstacles in the road ahead. A pot hole may suddenly appear in front of you without much room for you to maneuver. The purpose of adding more (and better) lights to your EUC riding sessions is to increase that safety margin when you’re traveling at the quicker cruising speeds (20mph or greater).
For those of you who are filming your rides with compact cameras, e.g., GoPro, Insta 360’s, the additional lights will also improve the quality of your footage. Read more about this below.
Finally, if you’re ever in a situation where you need to do a repair, check on your EUC, or help out a riding buddy, you’ll want to have spare lights you can move around. For example, those built-in lights on your EUC won’t help you adjust your tire pressure in the dark, or find that pesky rock stuck in your fender. It’s stuck on there!
Yes, you can use your smartphone flashlight in a pinch, but it’s not very bright is it?
Here are four reasons you need additional lights for riding an EUC at night:
- Help other people and cars see you while you’re riding your EUC at night
- Increase your ability to see and avoid obstacles, e.g., potholes, debris, in the road or path in front of you
- Improve your ride footage while filming with any camera
- Back up lighting for other tasks you may need to perform in the dark
Types of Lights for EUCs and Onewheels
There are two types of lights that can be used on an electric unicycle and other one wheel electric vehicles: headlights and auxiliary lights. Headlights are the main light source for your EUC. A decent headlight is included in the chassis or shell of most EUCs. They are as integral to safety as any other protective gear you wear, e.g., wrist guards.
Auxiliary lights are typically used to supplement the existing headlights on an electric unicycle. This is where third-party lighting systems come in handy. And, since EUCs are fairly new, we have to go to other sports or industries, e.g., motorcycles, bikes, running, construction, to find the proper lighting that will work for our night riding needs.
Depending on your riding style and model, you’ll need auxiliary light for the higher speeds and unpredictable surfaces of wherever you plan to ride when the sun goes down.
Must-Know Features in Good Night Riding Lights for Electric Unicycles
- Brightness
- Frontal beam pattern
- Color Rendering Index (CRI)
- Flashing vs. continuous modes
- Battery capacity
- Battery type
- Size and weight
- Price
Brightness (Lumens)
What is the maximum brightness your riding light? For lighting systems, such as modern LED flashlights or headlamps, the brightness of the light source is measured in lumens. Lumens is a measure of the total quantity of visible light over time.
For example, the higher the lumens, the brighter your light. For those who are more familiar with regular bulbs, which use wattage as a measure of brightness, here is a conversion table (watts vs lumens). As a point of reference, a 60-100 watt light bulb is equivalent to about 800-1000 lumens (generally measured for LED lights).
For the best visibility at night, a higher lumen brightness is always helpful. A minimum for being seen by cars and other riders/traffic is at least 100-200 lumens.
For seeing the road in front of you, I suggest aiming for a front facing light that has at least 200 or more lumens. The headlamp in a car or motorcycle for reference is about 700 lumens.
It’s important to note that brighter lights use batteries faster and may need to be replaced more often.
Frontal Beam Pattern
Are brighter lights better? Not necessarily, because lights that are bright enough to be seen from a far distance will not help you see the hazards just a few yards ahead of your EUC. In another example, lights that have a wide-angle beam pattern won’t help much if the length of the beam is only a few meters or less in front of you.
Different riding surfaces require different types of beams depending on how fast you’re going and what type of terrain you’re riding on.
Lights with lenses or reflectors can project a long, focused beam. Lights with diffusers can also be used for this purpose but the quality of the light they produce is not as good as lenses or reflectors due to more light scattering off of the surface it’s projecting on.
Flashlights that are smaller and brighter (and may have a flashing mode) can be mounted on your wheels to create an illuminated border around your electric unicycle. Lights with a wide-angle beam may be useful when you’re cruising at lower speeds or if you don’t want to blind other people who might be riding in the opposite direction.
Color Rendering Index (CRI)
The color rendering index (CRI) of a light refers to the ability of the light source’s ability to reproduce accurate color of the environment. A higher CRI score (usually 90 or above) is better for illuminating objects with good color reproduction.
For those of us riding EUC casually at night, the color of what we see may not matter that much. But, for those who are filming, vlogging, or otherwise recording their rides for YouTube or for other social media, an auxiliary lighting system with a good CRI score will make a huge impact on the quality of your ride footage.
Remember that just because a light produces a lot of brightness doesn’t mean that the kind of light is pleasant to use or film with during your EUC ride.
Flashing vs. Continuous Modes
Lights that are blinking are flashing are easier to see because human eyes tend to ignore steady sources of light, e.g., street lights, or house porch lights. Lights that blink, however, capture people’s attention better.
Lights with a very fast blink rate, for example, give the illusion of movement which our brains are tuned to focus on. Flashing lights also signal a warning to traffic and other people. Combine a flashing mode with colors like red, green or blue and you’ll draw more attention than if you simply use a regular flashlight with a continuous beam.
Of course, the advantage of a steady stream of light is that it’ll help you see the road better. So, for most lighting systems, rear auxiliary lights tend to be colored red and have flashing modes built-in. Whereas frontal lighting systems tend to focus on illumination brightness and steady streams of white, cooler tones of light.
Battery Capacity
Battery life is usually directly correlated with the brightness of any light system, so it is important to choose a light system that has sufficient battery life. With a single full charge, lights that have rechargeable batteries usually last longer than lights that use disposable batteries. This is because rechargeable batteries tend to use higher density cells, i.e., lithium ion, than disposable batteries which are also cheaper.
You’ll find that lights with rechargeable lithium ion batteries built-into their chassis will be more expensive. But, this cost is made up in the longer service life of that system, as compared with the budget lights you may want. Given that these larger batteries also provide higher voltage (generally), you’ll discover that these lights are often brighter and more powerful.
Light Battery Type
Lights that are powered by AA or AAA batteries are typically smaller and have more frequent replacement needs. Lights that use more powerful rechargeable batteries, on the other hand, may be bigger in size but can last for several hours before they need to be recharged.
Lithium ion batteries are the modern standard for rechargeable batteries and are found in consumer electronics such as smartphones, tablets, laptops, electric unicycles, and e-scooters. In night riding lights suited for PEVs and electric unicycles, lithium batteries are usually used because of their higher voltage output and capacity to hold a longer-lasting charge.
Rechargeable lighting systems almost always use USB type charge ports, and can be used while charging if you have a portable power bank, which are quite affordable nowadays.
Size and Weight
The ideal size and weight of a light depends on how much battery capacity/power you want, as well as where you’ll be mounting the light. If you’re wearing the light, you may want something smaller and compact. While larger lights are better if you mount them on the EUC using clamps, straps, or other adhesives, e.g., Velcro, 3M tape.
With the more innovative lights out there, you can find a lot of illumination power in a compact size. The Guardian Angel light bar is a great example of a lightweight system with an incredibly powerful output in a small package. Check out the review of this light below.
Price
One aspect of choosing the best light for night riding an electric unicycle is how much money you’re willing to spend. Lights, as with most things, come at different prices and it’s important to note that more expensive lights may offer additional benefits such as higher brightness or longer battery life. Lights also vary in terms of weight and size so it’s important to take those factors into account as well. Lights that are too bulky or too heavy could cause your electric unicycle to be out of balance and that could lead to a really unsafe ride.
My Top 10 Recommended Lights for Riding an EUC at Night
Check out the useful lights for night riding your single electric wheeled device below! Note that this is not an all exhaustive list of lights you can use for night rides with your EUC. Obviously, that list would be endless! Rather, these are recommended lights that I’ve tried or caught my eye when I was shopping for lights for riding my EUC at night.
You can also use this list as a start for your search for the ideal light for riding your electric unicycle after dark. Suffice it to say, there is no best light for night riding EUCs, as it all depends on your needs, budget, etc.
1. Rechargeable Bicycle Helmet Lights for Night Riding
The rechargeable bicycle helmet lights comes with two mounts: one for regular bike helmets, and one for solid surface helmets, e.g., motorcycle or similar style full-face helmets. The mount for the smooth surface of full-face helmets has an adhesive patch to permanently attach it to the helmet.
For helmets with vents, e.g., like on normal bicycle helments, you can attach it with a rubber strap that is included with the light. A quick release lever allows you to remove the light from the mount for easy charging or portability.
The 100 lumen front light makes it easy for other drivers or pedestrians to see you coming from afar. The front white light has three modes: high beam, low beam, and flashing.
The rear red light illuminates in three modes: constant, slow flashing, and fast flashing. You’re visible from many angles from the rear and sides thanks to the extra-wide beam.
The headlamp is powered by a USB connection (included). The helmet light has a 500 mAh high-capacity lithium-ion battery pack that allows continuous light operation for up to 22 hours.
I recommend this lamp for night rides when you want a lighting system you wear high on your body. It allows others to see you, especially on those group rides or when there is car traffic nearby.
Key Features
- Popular light for night rides with an EUC
- Red flashing rear light
- 100 lumen front white light
- 22 hours of continuous use
- Helmet mount and adhesive patch for full-face helmets both included to suit different helmets
2. Motorcycle Helmet Light, Night Riding
This motorcycle LED light strip is awesome for those full-face helmets we use for riding our electric unicycles. No matter your top speed, these make you look fast and are great fun especially at night. These LEDs will light up total darkness and your silhouette will emerge from the night like a guy riding a Tron light cycle.
The LED lights are waterproof as well, so you can ride through all-weather conditions–though, I wouldn’t personally ride through any kind of rain at night on a single wheeled anything!
There are several colors of the lights for these helmet LED strips, though I know that green is the easist to see at night based on what I know about how our eyes work. The LEDs works with different flashing modes: steady-on, slow and quick flashing. The batteries are lithium rechargeable, which should provide long service life as long as you avoid full depletion.
Finally, these are one of the most affordable LED light strips for helmets you can find online. I’ve searched for a number of other brands with this style of LED strip lights for helmets, and these are the best value.
Key Features
- Lights up total darkness with waterproof LED lights
- Lights come in green, red, and blue with different flashing modes: steady-on, slow and quick flashing
- Best value helmet LED strips
- Looks great at night!
- Rechargeable lithium batteries with long lasting charge
3. Powerful LED Bike Tail Light
These powerful LED lights have a beam visibility distance of 150 meters (or approximately 500 feet) with an actual output of 110 lumens. The wide beam angle (150 degrees) and long-distance visibility make for a safer electric unicycle-riding experience at night.
This waterproof light has the typical steady/flash settings in red, as well as blue. Specifically, you can set these LEDs to have other settings, such as constant-on lights in blue, flash in blue, strobe in red and blue. The latter flashing red-blue is particularly attention-getting.
For those riding a Veteran Sherman, the strap mounting system is ideal for the roll cage bars. For those EUCs without roll cages, you can use Velcro or other adhesives to mount these lights. I use these lights attached to my backpack when I’m on my KS16x, and plan to wear them somewhere on my body when on my other e-vehicles, e.g., e-scooter, OW, ebike.
The lights charge quickly within 2 hours and hold a steady output for up to 10 hours, which is plenty for the longest rides from dusk to dawn.
Key Features
- Visible to 500 Feet (110 Lumens)
- Wide angle rear beam (visible from sides)
- Quick 2h charge time for 10h runtime
- Multiple lighting modes and colors (red/blue)
- Waterproof
4. Safety Light (2 Pack)
Don’t underestimate the small size of these safety LED lights. They pack a punch! I recommend these light because they are super affordable and lightweight, so you won’t even know you have them on your person. Each light has 3 incredibly bright LEDs build in that have 3 modes: flashing slow or fast, and continuous on.
The batteries in these lights are expected to last up to 100 hours. I’ve had my lights for more than a year and they are still going strong! You can clip these lights onto your backpack, your jacket or other riding gear, or attach them directly to your electric unicycle using adhesives (not included). I really like these lights for increasing my presence at night with car traffic around.
Key Features
- 3 high-powered LEDs built-in to each light pack
- Lights last 100 hours in total (disposable system)
- Lights are weatherproof (personally tested)
- Clip to backpack, jacket or other riding gear
- Lights are very affordable, compact, and lightweight
5. Neck Light for Hands-Free Lighting
This neck wearable LED light is my favorite for hands-free lighting at night when I’m on the EUC. These lights use lithium batteries for a powerful 300 lumens illumination for what’s in front of me. Yes, they aren’t the brightest, but along with the built in lights on my EUC, these give me that extra visibility I need to ride more confidently after dark.
This adjustable neck light has four brightness settings, ranging from 15 to 300 lumens. You can read a book with these in a blackout at home, or use them for various other household tasks, too. In other words, riding your EUC isn’t all these lights are great for.
For a wider pattern, the two dual articulating beam heads may be adjusted up and down independently up to 90 degrees. A dual USB wire charger is included to get these back up to full charge after a full night of use.
Remember that when you’re wearing your full face helmet, you can’t wear a headband type headlight. These neck lights are comfortable and work well even when you’re full geared up for that epic night solo or group ride.
Key Features
- Great for night riding with a full face helmet
- Adjustable angle on each neck light
- Comfortable and lightweight
- 4 brightness settings for different tasks
- Bright lithium powered LEDs (up to 300 lumens)
6. Sofirn SP36 BLF Anduril Rechargeable Flashlight
Want the brightest light you can take with you on a night time ride on your EUC? The Sofirn SP36 BLF Anduril Rechargeable Flashlight comes highly recommended by many professional electric unicycle riders and enthusiasts. This light is so powerful that it will heat up enough for you to feel the warmth of the flashlight through your riding gloves.
This is flashlight uses 4x LH351D LEDs, which has a maximum output of 5000 lumens and throws 400 meters (1312.5 feet)! That’s incredible and as powerful or more as a motorcycle headlamp and head lights of a small car.
All of this light power in the palm of your hand means that this is a hefty flashlight. You’ll notice the weight in your hand. The flashlight uses a huge charge capacity for its size, with a three 18650 button top lithium batteries that give you up to 45 days of runtime in eco mode.
The flashlight is made of hard anodized aviation-grade aluminum alloy and can withstand falls from up to 1 meter. It’s also weatherproof, down to a depth of 2 meters of water. If there was only one drawback is that you need to hold it in your hand or find a independent way to mount it on your body or electric unicycle. Duct tape, anyone?
Key Features
- Motorcycle/car headlamp equivalent or superior brightness (Super bright 5000 lumens)
- Long 45 day runtime in eco mode
- Rugged hard anodized aviation grade aluminum alloy construction
- Drop proof and weatherproof
- Rechargeable and replaceable lithium batteries (included USB-c cable for charging)
7. Pocket LED Flashlight High 90CRI Ultra Bright Max 1300 Lumen
This is a compact, high-powered flashlight with a 1300 lumen output with a maximum beam distance of 157 yards (or 143 meters). The cool part about this flashlight is the multiple modes you can use. There is a strobe or turbo flashing mode, which emit the full 1300 lumens of light. A high, medium, and low setting that let you adjust the brightness accordingly.
There is a different purpose you would find useful for each light mode. For example, you may want the flashing strobe to be more visible to traffic, or use lower settings to find your way to the kitchen without waking up your roommates. The flashlight has an easy-to-charge, 18650 lithium ion battery that will serve you well for years.
For convenience, the light has a strong metal clip for mounting anywhere on your clothing or bag, as well as a powerful magnet for placing it on a conductive metal surface, e.g., the hood of a car or anything steel. This frees both your hands to do whatever you need to do while providing light for that working surface.
Finally, the flashlight is durable with a water resistant enclosure (IP67) for those times you’re caught out in bad weather. Check it out!
Key Features
- Compact handheld design
- Very bright 1300 lumen output with a maximum beam distance of 150+ yards (or more than 140 meters)
- Multiple modes: strobe/turbo flashing, high, medium low settings
- Lithium ion battery charges quickly and lasts for years
- Has metal clip to wear on clothing and powerful magnet for attaching the light to any conductive metal surface
8. LED Chest and Back Light with Rechargeable Battery
The benefit of wearing any light for riding your electric unicycle at night is the ability to keep both your hands free. Additionally, by having lights on your body, it makes your silhouette more visible to traffic and other people nearby.
The headlamps and rear lights of an EUC are low to the ground (by your feet) and may not be easy to spot. With lights on your head, you also don’t appear “complete” in the darkness as a person. But, with wearable lights across your torso, you fill out your presence.
These night running lights are highly recommended by reviewers, including myself who formerly rode regular bicycles at night when I was younger and more fit. These lights go across your chest and back (with front and rear lights).
The cool white light in front is adjustable for a vertical angle for when you’re in different kinds of terrain, e.g., hilly off road, or flat pavement. The front light has a respectable 250 lumen beam with a 20 meter visibility. This is bright enough to be seen, of course, but may be insufficient for you to use as a light to ride with at speeds greater than 10-12mph.
You’ll want a much brighter and wider light beam than this wearable light for seeing obstacles, e.g., potholes, when you’re speeding along on your EUC.
Nonetheless, the front light has 3 modes for flashing, slow or fast, or a continuous-on mode. Use the flashing modes to be more visible (but this will use up more battery charge). The rear light is dimmer, but helps keep you visible from the back.
The included 1200mah battery is easily charged via USB cable or portable power bank. The IP44 water-resistant design ideal will let you ride with this light outdoors in light rain or moderately wet weather.
Overall, this is a good accessory to go along with a reflective vest or other lighting system to help other people see you when you’re EUC riding in the dark. Take a closer look for more details.
Key Features
- Accessory lights increase your visibility for EUC night riding
- Lights are seen from the front and back
- Wearable on your torso with adjustable straps
- Rechargeable batteries using USB cable
- Decent IP44 water resistant rating
9. Rechargeable LED Bike Tail Light, Laser Rear Bicycle Light
This is a unique, innovative lighting system for electric unicyclists who ride at night. Originally designed for bicycles, this red rear light produces two kinds of lights to make you and your EUC more visible at night.
The first is the regular rear LED lighting system which has three modes we are familiar with: the continuous on, slow flashing, or fast flashing. Clicking the on button on the right labeled LED turns on this light.
The second light is a laser that projects a diamond shaped beam downward at the road, producing a boundary around you and your bike/EUC. At night this laser is incredibly bright and easy to see. I’ll note that the laser has two modes, a flashing and continuous mode.
In each case, the laser draws more battery power than the LED. So, I will charge these lights up after every ride in preparation for the next outing. These are a more expensive system than other rear lights you may find for biking or night time riding. But, they do give you even more of a visibility advantage with the laser system.
These lights work well, charge up easy, and you have multiple ways of attaching them to your EUC, your backpack, or other place on your person. There is even a hidden key chain slot on the back if you want to carry this with your other doodads.
I highly recommend these lights for night riding EUCs, especially those of you who have a roll cage (i.e., Veteran Sherman, etc). This make a great addition to the built-in back lights on your EUC and provide you with that extra confidence that you’re visible to vehicular traffic.
Key Features
- LED light and laser beam features provide additional visibility for safer EUC riding at night
- The LED light is very bright with 3 lighting modes
- The laser beam produces a boundary around your EUC, which is easily visible on the ground
- Rechargeable lithium batteries charge quickly and works with a portable power bank
- Silicone mounting strap works well for attaching this light to your EUC, backpack, or clothing straps
10. Guardian Angel Elite Micro Personal Safety Light Bar
The Guardian Angel Elite Micro is a tiny, 360-degree lighting device in a convenient size. You may use the back strobes to signal passers-by while keeping constant visibility in front with strobe or continuous on functions that are independently switched on from the front and rear lights.
With ten high-output LEDs rated up to 500 lumens, the Elite Micro provides up to 3+ miles of visibility in all directions. That’s amazing!
The Guardian Angel ensures that you are completely visible to everyone around you and far beyond with four light settings. The easy one button press feature allows you to turn on the lights you need with just one press. The emergency light button may be used to turn on both front, rear, and emergency lighting at the same time.
The Guardian Angel Elite Micro’s polycarbonate and ABS shell is IP67 certified for water and dust resistance, weighing only 2 ounces. The Guardian Angel will continue to safely light your area rain, snow, or shine. The Micro is compatible with USB-C charging, allowing it to be fully charged in as little as 2 hours.
The Micro features a standard neodymium rare earth magnet mount. The micro series’ decreased weight allows for more adaptability in placement, and it’s compatible with the Guardian Angel series of mounting options (also available separately).
The Guardian Angel Light bar comes highly recommended by many EUC riders, and you may want to take a closer look to see why!
Key Features
- Best in weight/size class night time visibility lighting system
- 360 degree visibility with 10 high output LED lights rated up to 500 lumens
- Four light settings: strobe, continuous on, and more
- Water and dust resistant for all weather conditions
- Uses powerful magnet mount system for versatile attachment to any surface, e.g., EUC, clothing and more
Conclusion
Lights for night riding an electric unicycle is a matter of safety. Lights are essential to help you see the path ahead. When choosing lights, it’s important to make sure they can be seen at a fair distance, especially when cars and other vehicles are traveling at speed.
The most comprehensive lighting systems will provide enough light in all directions around you, front, rear and sides. Of course, choosing the best light for your night rides depends on where you ride, when and how often you go out after dark. For those who live in an urban environment, for example, lights are essential for safer EUC night rides.
I hope this article gave you some good ideas about what kind of lighting systems are out there to enhance your night time EUC riding. Being safe and having fun go hand-in-hand.
Do you have a favorite light(s) that you use exclusively for riding your EUC at night? I’d love to know more about what works (and what doesn’t). Leave me a comment!