Magnic Light bicycle head and tail lights

[Kim H.]

I found something that is very interesting and intriguing to me,  regarding some innovative bicycle head and tail lights of which illuminate with no contact with the rims.

Has anyone else seen or purchased these lights yet?

I would delight in hearing your opinions and feedback from this unique lights. 

Are they worth the money  ?

https://www.magniclight.com/index.php/en/technology/light-distribution?fbclid=IwY2xjawPmU75leHRuA2FlbQIxMQBzcnRjBmFwcF9pZAwzNTA2ODU1MzE3MjgAAR6RPMey7W9iahWGd8LF5Xcg85sHsfLFxfG4NkMf590Fj16pUvwLl4-uYe47bw_aem_AK8RafKMZrRo4wfk_M2XBQ

https://www.magniclight.com/index.php/en/

Kim Hetzel.

[nlerner]

Kim, I very recently went for the rear Magniclight and installed it on my Black Mountain Road. Installation was a snap; it substitutes for a non-drive side brake pad and did not require any fiddling. I've only been on one ride a week or so ago with it and, truthfully, I couldn't tell it was there (i.e., imperceptible drag), but hopefully drivers could! On my commuter, I'm running a dynamo and lamps front and rear, but I wanted something that would substitute for the battery-powered rear lights I use for 30-60 mile weekend rides on a road bike. 

Neal Lerner

Brookline MA (digging out from nearly 2' of snow on Sunday/Monday!)

[Benz Ouyang, Sunnyvale, CA]

On Tuesday, January 27, 2026 at 7:01:49 PM UTC-8 Kim H. wrote:

…

Has anyone else seen or purchased these lights yet?

I got a set of 1st gen Magnic lights that look like this: https://newatlas.com/review-magnic-light-ic/39851/

They are used on my Atlantis that is an all-weather, all-year commuter. Remember: these are 1st gen lights and may not be reflective of current gen lights. Observations:

1. I have a single rear light and it is more than bright enough. I like that it does not flash even though they're more than bright enough.
2. I have a single front light and it is not that bright. As a be-seen light, it's more than adequate; but it is not at all in the same category as a B&M IQ-X powered by a Schmidt dynamo hub. In the end, I installed the front light onto my son's bike as a daytime running light, because he rarely if ever rides in the dark.
3. Having a Magnic rear light eliminates the need for an ugly cable run from the front dynamo hub. IMO, Front dynamo + B&M light + Magnic rear light = Best dynamo lighting setup ever!
4. I've been using the lights for years, both in the dry and in the wet (disclaimer: it isn't that wet here in California) so their reliability is proven.
5. The drag is imperceptible. With Schmidt dynamo hubs, one can sometimes feel a vibration at a certain speed, but these are "quiet" at any speed.
6. The Magnic lights are supposedly programmable by spinning and stopping the wheel in a particular sequence and timing, but I've never been successful doing so. The "stock mode" works fine though.
   
7. Installation is slightly a chore because I insisted on using the theft-proofing fasteners. I imagine it'll be more straightforward if one isn't concerned with that. 
8. The Magnic lights need to be fairly close to the rim (~2-3mm clearance) so your rims need to be straight. Because it runs so close to the rim, if you have bulbous tires, the tires may knock into the Magnic lights when removing/installing the wheel. It's not a big deal except you can't run twin fronts or rears if your tire is much wider than the rim width.

If I have to do it again, I would skip the front lights (again, mine are 1st gen versions) but I would instead buy a few more of the rear lights instead of rear blinkers. The prices of decent quality rear blinkers are not that different from Magnic Light singles.

TLDR: They're good. Buy the rears.

[Kim H.]

@Neal and Benz,

I thank you for making the time to write up an honest and excellent reviews of these Magnic Lights. I appreciate it very much. The rear light would be a great consideration to my Lezyne 1300 XXL headlight. 

Kim Hetzel, who once lived in three different locations in Sunnyvale as a child when there were fruit and nut orchards. No snow here in western Washington state. With the rains, it has become a lot warmer. 

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[Patrick Moore]

Benz: If you want the Magnic tail lights for cantilever brakes, are you locked in to their proprietary brake pads? IOW, is there a way to use the Magnic tail lights with Kool Stop salmon canti pads?

Also, do you know, or does anyone else know, if you can rig up the tail lights without using the rim brake pads, this for disk-braked wheels?

I have wired-in tail lights on my 2 dynamo-powered bikes, but a pair of bright and steady failsafe rear lights as a backup to my dynamo tail lights instead of a battery powered backup is intriguing.

Thanks, Patrick

On Wed, Jan 28, 2026 at 8:55 PM Benz Ouyang, Sunnyvale, CA <benzo...@gmail.com> wrote:

…. If I have to do it again, I would skip the front lights (again, mine are 1st gen versions) but I would instead buy a few more of the rear lights instead of rear blinkers. The prices of decent quality rear blinkers are not that different from Magnic Light singles.

[Robert Blunt]

Partrick, 

I just checked the website, and it looks like there are a number of brake options for the lights. You have options for caliper, v-brake, disc, or even "without a brake system."

Best,

Rob

Pennington, NJ

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[Benz Ouyang, Sunnyvale, CA]

Patrick, unfortunately I am not the right person to answer your question. The 1st gen Magnic Lights I have are more similar to the current "Wega" line than "Micro" line, in that it is not associated with the brakes at all, except to use the cantilever brake stud as a mounting point. You can see that from this pic from the review I've cited; the light attaches to a bracket that's bolted to the cantilever boss/stud.

If you're adding a Magnic Light to a disc brake bike, you should more properly select the "Wega" line. Those clamp onto seat stays or fork blades, and are completely independent of any brake type.

Finally, I would be surprised if the rim brake pads are proprietary. It appears that the proprietary part is the brake pad holder. Even if the holders are a bit odd shaped, I'm sure one can modify generic brake pads to fit, because cutting/trimming pads shouldn't be difficult, especially if one has a Dremel tool.

Good luck! 

[Patrick Moore]

Robert and Benz: thanks; good to know that they can be used with disk brakes as well as calipers.

[Franklyn Wu]

I am also curious to know how the current tariff situation impacts purchasing this from Europe. I also had the first-gen magnic light and would buy some current devices!

Franklyn