product review - L&M Urban 650

[AngryScientist]

i had been commuting with an older Lezyne headlight that tops out at 100 lumen in "blast mode". in reality it was adequate for the decently lit streets i ride to the train station, but found myself really having to squint to see the potholes in the road and the rough sections, debris, etc.

enter the Urban 650. really nice little light. being self contained was important to me since i lock the bike up at the train station and take the light with me during the day. here it is charging on my computer.

good beam pattern, definitely bright enough for riding unlit streets with reasonable speed. well made, easy to use bar strap.

overall, for just about $100, this is a good choice for a commuter. i'll report back with reliability after using it for some real miles, but so far, big upgrade from where i was and very satisfied.

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-UIjpgZbMO_w/Vgk794suYXI/AAAAAAAACNo/aZ66uFsBST4/s640/IMG_0041.JPG

[saab2000]

I'm a huge fan of L&M products. My only gripe is the strap.

I wish that in addition to the strap (which I know a lot of people like) they sold a more permanent fixture whereby the rider could still remove the light for charging and parking. A small bolt-on clip would be my preference.

Beyond that it's hard to find fault with L&M lights. I love my Urban 500 and the others I have, which total 4.

[chiasticon]

I wish that in addition to the strap (which I know a lot of people like) they sold a more permanent fixture whereby the rider could still remove the light for charging and parking. A small bolt-on clip would be my preference.
did you see that they make a mount now to use gopro style mounts? it will work with any of the urban lights. best part is you can get one of those k-edge or barfly "out front" style garmin mounts with the gopro mount on the underside and consolidate all the handlebar trinkets.

I have an urban 750 and love it. very good light. I love that I can take it off entirely on days when I'm fed up with winter dark/cold riding and feel like "finally I can ride during the day with no lights!" I usually keep mine on the medium or low setting (which would be between 200-400 lumens I believe) and it's plenty, plus I get more battery life that way. only time I'll really turn it on high is if I'm doing a descent in total darkness, otherwise high is overkill for me.

[sparky33]

These are great lights. Small, bright, reliable, fair pricing.
The strap is a bit fiddly though - a clip mount would be ideal.

I kind of wish they made one with an asymmetric beam that is cut off on the top. For now, I pivot the light to the side a bit to avoid blinding oncoming people on sidestreets and such.

I'm a huge fan of L&M products. My only gripe is the strap.

I wish that in addition to the strap (which I know a lot of people like) they sold a more permanent fixture whereby the rider could still remove the light for charging and parking. A small bolt-on clip would be my preference.

Beyond that it's hard to find fault with L&M lights. I love my Urban 500 and the others I have, which total 4.

[christian]

I have an Urban 300 that's been through heck and back on my commutes. Still works well.

[AJosiahK]

Its a double edged sword as I see it.

I too would like a swappable permanent clip type mount. But it Sure is easy to move them around from bike to bike, or off on for charging.

I had some issues with early models years ago, with them unable to hold a charge, or just shutting off.

They have seemed to fix it.

The positive for the mounting straps are the adjustability, Ive seen some folks use two of these, one or both mounted on the bottom of the drop bar. If you ride in the drops they might be in the way. but great for trail riding. One low, one helment mounted. etc

+1 for L&M

[saab2000]

did you see that they make a mount now to use gopro style mounts? it will work with any of the urban lights. best part is you can get one of those k-edge or barfly "out front" style garmin mounts with the gopro mount on the underside and consolidate all the handlebar trinkets.



I hadn't noticed that but yeah, you're right. The mounts are on their website. Pretty cool.

http://www.lightandmotion.com/media/catalog/product/cache/1/image/400x/0dc2d03fe217f8c83829496872af24a0/_/1/_10a1979.jpg


I kind of wish they made one with an asymmetric beam that is cut off on the top. For now, I pivot the light to the side a bit to avoid blinding oncoming people on sidestreets and such.

This would be another neat thing. I'm pretty sensitive to the blinding of oncoming riders and automotive traffic. These lights are REALLY bright and if not aimed properly down can be almost dangerously bright to oncoming traffic, especially for commuters on MUTs. I point mine down to the pavement in front of me rather than straight out or even upwards as many riders tend to do.


L&M products are made in the US, which is awesome. I'm not sure what that means of course, but at least they're trying.

[Pegoready]

Love L&M Lights. I have an Urban 300 that gets a ton of use because it is the easiest and most reliable of my lights. I was worried about the clamp at first but have grown to like it. The little plastic tab looks delicate but has been durable. My only worry is if the tab ever does break the light is basically useless until you get another.

[pff]

Light tech has improved so much in recent years. I credit the mobile phone industry for pushing rechargeable battery tech forward.

[dbh]

Curious how much slip if any you get when installed on your handlebars? Been looking for a replacement for my NiteRider.

[stephenmarklay]

Thanks for the review. I am looking a lights now and this is on my list. The cygolites are too.

[Dired]

If you need a combo, check out the morsa mount. Lets you run all sorts of configurations. Been using one over the summer, its great.

http://brimages.bikeboardmedia.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/Morsa-Multiple-thing-mount-600x589.jpg

http://www.morsadesigns.com/product/cycling-computer-and-light-mount/

I hadn't noticed that but yeah, you're right. The mounts are on their website. Pretty cool.

http://www.lightandmotion.com/media/catalog/product/cache/1/image/400x/0dc2d03fe217f8c83829496872af24a0/_/1/_10a1979.jpg



This would be another neat thing. I'm pretty sensitive to the blinding of oncoming riders and automotive traffic. These lights are REALLY bright and if not aimed properly down can be almost dangerously bright to oncoming traffic, especially for commuters on MUTs. I point mine down to the pavement in front of me rather than straight out or even upwards as many riders tend to do.


L&M products are made in the US, which is awesome. I'm not sure what that means of course, but at least they're trying.

[chiasticon]

slipping: none for me, but that's predominantly road use. MTB use may be different (though you'd prolly want something more hardcore for that anyway).

mounts: yeah the downside of the gopro style mount is that it's more of a pain to remove/replace the light, or you have to charge it while on the bike. plus it is nice while on a MUT to be able to just quickly swivel it to the side a bit to avoid blinding oncoming traffic. and you'd either lose the ability to do that (can't tell from the mount), or it would be more awkward and potentially dangerous.

[93legendti]

I do not like those type of strap mounts-one of the reasons I prefer Cygolite to Niterider.

[pdmtong]

There's a reason LM are a top forum recommendation (here and over there) Great product, Great price. Made down the coast from me. I have a 500
These are great lights. Small, bright, reliable, fair pricing. The strap is a bit fiddly though - a clip mount would be ideal.
I thought so too but the tab thing seems indestructo (which was an initial concern)
Curious how much slip if any you get when installed on your handlebars? Been looking for a replacement for my NiteRider.
no slip at all
slipping: none for me, but that's predominantly road use. MTB use may be different (though you'd prolly want something more hardcore for that anyway).mounts: yeah the downside of the gopro style mount is that it's more of a pain to remove/replace the light, or you have to charge it while on the bike. plus it is nice while on a MUT to be able to just quickly swivel it to the side a bit to avoid blinding oncoming traffic. and you'd either lose the ability to do that (can't tell from the mount), or it would be more awkward and potentially dangerous.
the GP mount idea is a nice space saver but dont ride in the rain...the charge port is now facing the sky

[Vinci]

Thanks for the tip on the GoPro mount! I have an Urban 550 and that will really clean up my mounting. I already use a K-Edge with the GoPro mount under it.

[Keith A]

Yep, the L&M Urbans are great lights. I have a 500 and 300, and they have been served me well. The only issue I had is my 300 and I got caught in some rain and this version of the light was only water resistant and not water proof and so my light has been flaky since then. They have resolved this issue and the new ones are water proof.

The other minor niggle is that this interferes with my wireless Shimano FlightDeck. When I turn on a certain mode, I completely loose the input from my wireless sensor. I hear that this is an issue with other lights too.

[darkmother]

I have an Urban 400 that is going into it's fourth year of use-5 months/year of 30 minute morning commutes. It has lost some battery capacity, but is otherwise going strong. I really like it.

The strap looks like a bit of an afterthought-but it continues to do it's job.

[marciero]

Have had four L and M units-two vis 180 and two Urban 500. I like the straps-very convenient on and off, also for mounting versatility. I often mount the Vis 180 on seat stay, for example. That said, one strap recently broke. While I have been happy with the vis 180 over two years of regular use, both U 500s I had failed within a month-would not take a charge. (Gotta love LL Bean's return policy)

[moose8]

I've used my urban light for awhile for commuting in Boston and it's been bright and reliable. I had a previous version that was box shaped and didn't work so great battery wise so L&m gave me newer version for free when I called to see what I could do to fix it. So I like them.