For me, handlebar mount creep is real. Despite running 800mm-wide bars, I still struggle to find room to mount everything I need, from grips and controls to lights, GPS, and whatever other thing I’m using. The new 1000-lumen KOM Cycling Quick Release Light promises to clean things up, with a quarter-turn mount built right into the top of the light. It offers decent battery life, too, and the beam angle is easily adjustable.
Key specs
- Weight: 165g (light), 42g (mount)
- 1000 lumens max brightness, six light modes
- 2-hour runtime at max brightness
- Price: $119.99 (light), $29.99 (mount)
- Buy from KOM Cycling and Amazon
Installing the KOM Quick Release bike light
The KOM Cycling Quick Release Light features a quarter-turn mount on the bottom that works with both Garmin and Wahoo mounts. If you already have a mount for your GPS, the KOM light will fit. However, a basic GPS mount attached to the bars with stretchy silicon bands likely isn’t stable enough to keep the light in place. A quarter-turn stem mount might work, as long as your stem is very short and/or provides a flat surface like the new Race Face Turbine SL stem.
In reality, an extended mount like this one from KOM is going to work best. This is what I used, and it works great. The mount fits 25.4mm, 31.8mm, and 35mm diameter bars and comes with various adapters to fit multiple device types.
The light
The built-in mount may seem a little gimmicky, and even if it is, the KOM light still stands on its own. This compact light features a USB-C rechargeable battery capable of powering the light at full blast for about two hours. On medium, the runtime goes up to three and a half hours. That’s been more than enough time for my regular night rides.
A single LED shines up to 1000 lumens with a fairly basic, though usable, beam pattern. It’s reasonably diffused for trail riding without a harsh hot spot in the center. I’ve found this simple style of light is even better suited to mounting on a helmet than on the bars. If you want to mount the light on your helmet, you can use a quarter-turn helmet mount like this one from Magicshine.
The KOM light features a unique pivoting head that’s adjustable up and down by about 30°. Sometimes, you need to lower your light to avoid blinding drivers on the road. Other times, you may want to adjust your beam upward to throw it farther down the trail. This design also ensures that whatever angle you need to set the mount at so that your GPS computer or smartphone is readable, you can still get the light pointing correctly.
The KOM bike light has proven to remain stable when riding on rough terrain using the KOM computer mount.
You can go nuts with the mounts, if you like
Together, the KOM light and computer mount offer a ton of mounting options. For starters, you can mount the light above or below the computer mount. For most of my test rides, I mounted the light up top, but now I like the lower mount position for a more streamlined look. Either way, there’s still a quarter-turn mount accessible for your GPS unit.
Using the GoPro-style, quarter-turn adapter included in the computer mount kit, you can also hang a camera below the light or directly on the mount. Madness!
Bottom line
Based on the form factor, brightness, and battery life, the KOM Cycling Quarter Turn Bike Light has become my go-to for night riding.
Pros: saves precious bar space; quality and stable mount; decent light spec for the price
Cons: could be a good helmet light, but no mount included; single LED beam is pretty basic
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