February Gear Review: Light & Motion Urban 300

Each month, our friends at Hawley share a review on the latest gear that is passing through their warehouse on its way to your local bike shop. As always, thanks to Ken Klatte, Production Artist with Hawley, for this sneak-preview and words of wisdom. For more from Hawley on the latest and greatest in bike gear, check out their blog or YouTube channel. 

We review a lot of lights because there are so many on the market nowadays that finding the “right” light can be daunting if not downright discouraging. Coupled with the importance of a light in general for riding safety, a considerable amount of time should be appropriated to separating the wheat from the chaff, the barely illuminating from the airport searchlight strength lights.

Every year, light technology advances by leaps and bounds. Batteries have become smaller with many lights eschewing a separate battery and using a completely integrated set-up. Add to that the convenience of rechargeable batteries and bicycle commuters have some great options for riding at night.

One of these options for the truly discerning rider is the Light & Motion Urban 300. The 300 is a mixture of superior performance and convenience at a reasonable price. Adapting technology from their lightweight “race” lights, the Urban 300 uses a compact Li-Ion battery to pump out an astonishing 300 lumens of light (hence the name, clever huh?). Unlike most commuter lights, the beam pattern produces a wide swath of visibility for several meters with gentle gradation. Small side lights provide some amount of safety but visibility is only for a 10 to 15 feet.

Light & Motion Urban 300

Run time for the 300 on the “high” setting is 2 hours and 20 minutes. The medium and low settings run for double the previous setting duration. Although the recharge time isn’t the fastest on the market (5 hours), if you can remember to plug it in when you arrive at work, it should be fully charged by the time you clock out to face the rigors of traffic.

With an MSRP of $129.00, the Urban 300 won’t be for the cyclist pinching pennies, but as an investment, you’ll reap the rewards of safe nighttime riding and the peace of mind that comes with an optimally manufactured product made in the USA.