After listening to customer’s feedback, Thousand has released their updated Traveler 2.0 magnetic bike lights. The Traveler lights utilize the same stylish yet functional design approach as Thousand helmets to create be-seen style lights that are easy to use and keep you safe on the road. With the 2.0 version we have in this review, Thousand has improved the mounts as well as simplified the user interface. Each light retails for $35 while a set costs $70 for both the headlight and taillight. The headlight is capable of 300 lumen while the taillight has a 105 lumen output which makes both light daytime bright. Each light features an internal 500 mAh Lithium polymer battery with USB-C charging ports.
The Thousand Traveler 2.0 lights feature convenient magnetic mounting and a streamlined user interface.
| Retail Price | $35 (each) / $70 (set) |
| Rating | 8.9 / 10 |
| Measured Weight (in g) | 56 (headlight), 59 (taillight) |
| Likes | + Dual lighting elements + Simple one level user interface + Versatile magnetic mounting with locking tab |
| Dislikes | – Bulky form factor – Lacks a multi-level battery status indicator |
| Where to Buy (US) | Thousand |
UNBOXING
The Thousand Traveler 2.0 lights come in eco-friendly cardboard boxes with blue and white graphics printed onto a sleeve. Inside the box you’ll find:
- Traveler 2.0 light
- Rubber mount attached
- Instruction guide
- USB-C charging cable
The headlight and taillight use nearly identical packaging aside from the exterior graphics.
MOUNTING
The Traveler lights use a two piece design with a separate light component that magnetically attaches to the mount. Both the front and rear lights use simple elastic rubber strap designs to accommodate a wide variety of bike setups. The headlight is compatible with 14-43 mm handlebars while the taillight works with 19.2-43mm seatposts. Each of the straps have multiple slots and feel well made with good thickness. The entire base is rubberized with extrusions along the inside to prevent any scratches to your bike and hold it in place. To offset seatpost angles, the taillight has a slight angle built into it to keep the taillight parallel to the ground. What’s clever about this mount design is that you can leave the main piece on your bike and then simply rotate the main light unit off. It uses a combination of a magnet and a tab so you have to rotate it slightly to remove it. Thousand has designed it to automatically rotate and lock in place when you put the lights on which is a nice touch.
FIT & FINISH
While Thousand is best known for their retro helmets, their goal has always been safety and creating products people want to use. The Traveler 2.0 lights are a natural extension to that philosophy and are designed for ease of use and convenience. Each of the lights have the same cylindrical form factor and 500 mAh Li-po internal batteries. The different lens colors are the main giveaway between the headlight and taillight. We have the stealth black versions of the lights which at the time of this review are the only available color option. It’s a safe bet that Thousand will add some fun color schemes in the near future to match their helmet designs as they did with the original Traveler lights. These are fairly big lights with a slightly tapered design that helps improve side visibility. The bodies of the lights are plastic with Thousand lettering next to the power button and grooves cut out on the side to make them easier to grip.
The lights both use a dual lighting element design with a focused center LED in the center and a hidden COB LED ring around it. If you own the Thousand magnetic helmet taillight then the lens design will also look familiar to you as it shares the same radial groove design over the outer portion with a clear center portion. Unlike higher output lights, the Traveler lights are be-seen style lights that create a cone beam to ensure you’re visible instead of focusing the light on the ground. The lenses are also slightly raised which means the lights are visible from side angles as well which is important if you ride in the city.
One of the notable improvements of these Traveler 2.0 lights is that simplified one button user interface. Thousand has ditched the cool looking but frustrating dial design of the original Traveler lights in favor of a conventional rubber button. A long hold turns the light on and off while a single press cycles through four available modes. There are two constant modes and two different flash modes to choose between. Built-in mode memory ensures the lights always turn back on in the same mode they were shut off in. The Traveler lights don’t have any of the brake sensors or smart modes with ambient light sensors other higher-priced smart lights feature such as the Magicshine Seemee 150 or Moon Sport Helix Sense.
While we don’t miss the smart features, we do wish Thousand had incorporated some sort of multi-level battery status indicators. The lights only have a low-battery mode which switches to an eco solid mode when the battery is below 20%. There is also a USB-C port under the light housing which has an LED indicator that tells you the charge state when it’s plugged in. You do have to remove the lights from the magnetic mount to access the USB-C port which helps protect them from the elements.
LIGHT OUTPUT
Thousand has incorporated four output modes into both the Traveler 2.0 headlight and taillights. All the modes use the focused center LED while only the daytime flash mode activates the COB LED surround elements in a randomized flash pattern. The headlight has higher output with 120-60 lumen constant modes and 6-13 hr runtimes. Daytime flash is rated for the full 300 lumen and 6 hours while the eco flash is 35 lumen and 36 hr runtime. The taillight’s constant modes are 20-40 lumen with 7.5-4 hr runtimes respectively. Daytime flash on the taillight is 105 lumen and 4 hr runtime while the eco flash is significantly lower at 12 lumen and 22 hr runtime.
With the simple lens design, both the headlight and taillight should be considered be-seen style lights. That means the headlight doesn’t illuminate the road and shouldn’t be used as your only headlight on dark trails, we’d recommend lights like the Magicshine Allty 800 or Trek Commuter Pro RT. Instead these lights are perfect for commuting or urban riding where you want to ensure other people see you. Both the daytime flash modes have eye catching patterns which combine the center LED with the outer COB LED. The large size and raised lens provide excellent visibility on the road even when viewed at different angles. We also found the magnetic design to be convenient as the lights can be quickly removed from a bike for recharging or parking a bike outdoors.
THE VERDICT
Overall, we found the Thousand Traveler 2.0 magnetic lights to be sleek and well designed. With this 2.0 version, Thousand has improved the mounts and incorporated a more conventional user interface. The lights have a tapered cylindrical design with a dual LED design that has a focused center LED and a COB LED ring around it. Available as both a headlight or taillight, the Traveler 2.0 lights have bright daytime flash modes and other be-seen modes. We found the two-piece magnetic mount design to be clever and robust with a combined magnetic and hook to hold the light in place. The main things we’d improve would be adding a multi-level battery status indicator and utilizing a slimmer form factor. That said, if you’re looking for sleek and bright be-seen lights we’d recommend trying out the Thousand Traveler 2.0 lights.
Disclaimer: The product for this review was provided by Thousand. The views expressed on this website are solely those of the authors and are here to help people make an informed choice before a purchase. The authors or the blog itself does not get any monetary compensation from the product manufacturer or third-party websites/vendor links that are posted here.