What Outbound Lighting does

Outbound Lighting is a privately held, Chicago-based bicycle light manufacturer founded in 2017 that designs, engineers, and assembles premium wireless LED bike lights and accessories. Its core product portfolio comprises two flagship handlebar lights (Trail Evo at ~2,200 lumens and Detour at ~1,200 lumens), two helmet-mounted lights (Portal at 1,650 lumens and Hangover at ~1,000 lumens), the Blade rear taillight, and a comprehensive accessory ecosystem of mounts, shims, cables, and storage bags, sold individually or in bundled downhill packages priced $375-$425. The company's technical differentiation rests on custom-engineered Total Internal Reflection (TIR) optics designed in-house using LucidShape simulation software, an industry-first air-scoop thermal cooling system, USB-C pass-through charging, and adaptive-mode dimming logic, with battery cells sourced from Samsung and LG Energy Solution.

The business operates as a direct-to-consumer e-commerce brand through outboundlighting.com, supplemented by a local bike shop locator for in-person purchase assistance. Revenue is generated entirely through one-time hardware purchases at premium price points ($125-$425 per light), with all products backed by a 3-year warranty and lifetime customer service support. The customer base is composed of individual mountain bikers, road cyclists, gravel riders, commuters, and endurance event participants across the USA, with over 7,031 customer reviews and 4.8-4.9 star average ratings indicating strong product-market fit in the premium bike light niche. Distribution is domestic only, with no retail, dealer, or international sales channels disclosed, and there is no public evidence of external institutional investment.

Name

Outbound Lighting

Legal name

Outbound Lighting

Website

https://outboundlighting.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2017

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Bicycle Lighting Equipment

NAICS

Motorcycle, Bicycle, and Parts Manufacturing (336991), Electric Lighting Equipment Manufacturing (3351), Electric Lighting Equipment Manufacturing (33513)

SIC

Motorcycles, Bicycles & Parts (3751), Electric Lighting & Wiring Equipment (3640)

akta.pro primary industry

Safety, Lighting & Security Hardware Manufacturing (Helmets/Lights/Locks) (IMACAOAJ)

akta.pro secondary industries

Bike Accessories Retail (Lights, Locks, Racks, Bags) (CRAMAHAD), Cycling & Bike Retail (Sales, Service & Accessories) (CRAMABAH)

Keywords

• LED bike lights
• Mountain bike lights
• Helmet bike lights
• Road gravel lights
• Bicycle taillights

Headquarters

HQ city

Lincolnwood

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Technology or R&D, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Hardware Sales: Primary revenue stream from selling premium wireless bike lights (headlights and taillights) and accessories (mounts, cables, storage bags). Products sold as one-time purchases with 3-year warranty.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Outbound Lighting designs, engineers, and assembles premium wireless LED bicycle lights for mountain biking, road/gravel riding, commuting, and endurance cycling, sold directly to consumers from its Chicago, IL facility. The product portfolio includes handlebar lights (Trail Evo, Detour), helmet lights (Portal, Hangover), a rear taillight (Blade), combo packages, plus compatible mounts, cables, shims, storage bags, and gift cards. All lights feature custom TIR optics, USB-C pass-through charging, and are backed by a 3-year warranty with lifetime customer service.

Product overview

Outbound Lighting is a premier bicycle light manufacturer in Chicago, IL offering a portfolio of wireless LED bike lights for mountain biking, road/gravel riding, and commuting. The product lineup centers on two flagship handlebar lights (Trail Evo and Detour) and two helmet-mounted lights (Portal and Hangover), available individually or in value packages (Portal Downhill Package and Evo Downhill Package). The company also offers a rear taillight (Blade), complementary mounts, charging cables, shims, storage bags, and accessories. All products feature USB-C charging with pass-through capability, proprietary beam pattern engineering using LucidShape software, and are backed by a 3-year warranty with lifetime customer support. The company positions itself on automotive-grade optical engineering brought to cycling, with a focus on panoramic/cutoff beam patterns, extended battery life, and no-external-wires design.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Portal Downhill Package Premium mountain biking light bundle pairing the Trail Evo wireless handlebar light with the Portal wireless helmet light for 3,800 combined lumens of wireless illumination aimed at hardcore trail, enduro, and downhill riders.
• Evo Downhill Package Mountain biking light combo pairing the Trail Evo handlebar light with the lightweight Hangover helmet light, producing 3,200 combined lumens for trail riders who want a complete handlebar-plus-helmet system.
• Trail Evo Handlebar Light Flagship wireless handlebar-mounted mountain bike light with approximately 2,200 lumens, 10,000 mAH internal battery, panoramic beam pattern, air-scoop thermal cooling, and USB-C pass-through charging for singletrack and technical trail riding.
• Portal Helmet Light High-performance wireless helmet-mounted light with 1,650 lumens peak output, genuine Samsung 50E 21700 5,000 mAH battery, adaptive mode, and USB-C pass-through charging for mountain bikers who want a premium helmet-mounted companion to a handlebar light.
• Hangover Bike Helmet Light Lightweight wireless helmet light at approximately 1,000 lumens with 3,500 mAH LG MJ1 18650 battery, thermally conductive nylon construction, QC3.0 fast charging (0-80% in ~1 hour), and GoPro-style action camera mount compatibility for value-oriented mountain bikers, gravel riders, and longboarders.
• Detour Road Bike Light Wireless road and gravel bike light featuring automotive-style cutoff beam pattern at approximately 1,100-1,200 lumens, integrated 5,000 mAH battery, side-marker lights for enhanced visibility, and USB-C pass-through charging for road cyclists, gravel riders, and commuters who need a beam that does not blind oncoming traffic.
• Blade Rear Tail Light Automotive-inspired rear taillight with amber side visibility, downward-facing red light for leg illumination, replaceable 18650 battery, and up to 300 lumen peak output across 8-120 hours of runtime depending on mode for road and gravel cyclists needing to be seen from behind and the side.
• Quick Release Handlebar Mount Bolt-on quick-release handlebar mount for Trail Evo and Detour lights, compatible with 35mm and 31.8mm handlebars, with separate 22.2mm and 25.4mm shims available for accessory/bikepacking bars.
• Action Camera Helmet Mount Set Replacement GoPro-style helmet mount set compatible with Hangover and Portal helmet lights, including a curved base mount and 3M VHB adhesive pad for secure helmet attachment.
• Action Camera Quick Release Mount Handlebar mount adapter enabling attachment of Outbound lights to standard GoPro-style action camera mounting systems, usable in both upside-down and right-side-up orientations.
• Wide Helmet Mount Base Flexible helmet mount base designed for helmets with center vents, compatible with Bell, Bontrager, Giro, Kali, POC, Smith, Specialized, and other major helmet brands.
• Notched Helmet Mount Base Specialized helmet mount base for helmets with center peak/notch design, compatible with Fox Dropframe, Fox Proframe, Fox Rampage, Kali, Kask, Lazer, Leatt, Specialized Chamonix, and Troy Lee Designs helmets.
• Curved Helmet Mount Base Standard curved helmet mount base compatible with most helmets including Bell, Bontrager, Fly, Fox, Giro, iXS, Kali, Kask, Lazer, Leatt, POC, Smith, Specialized, and Troy Lee Designs.
• Portal Quick Release Mount Adapter Adapter enabling the Portal helmet light to mount on handlebars using the Quick Release Handlebar Mount, swappable between helmet and bar configurations with an M2 hex key.
• Tail Light Seat Post Mount Seat post mount for the Blade Tail Light with quarter-turn mounting system, including 30.9mm and 27.2mm seat post shims for broad bike compatibility.
• USB-A to USB-C Cable 36-inch right-angle charging cable with USB-A to USB-C connectors, designed for vibration-resistant and waterproof seal with Outbound lights' charging ports.
• USB-C to USB-C Cable USB-C to USB-C charging cable for modern chargers, maintaining the weatherproof seal with Outbound light charging ports.
• 25.4mm Handlebar Shim Handlebar shim for adapting the Quick Release Handlebar Mount to 25.4mm diameter bars.
• 22.2mm Handlebar Shim Handlebar shim for adapting the Quick Release Handlebar Mount to 22.2mm diameter bars, commonly used for accessory and bikepacking bars.
• Evo Cable Manager Cable management clip for the Trail Evo that routes brake cables and prevents distracting shadows on the trail from cabling hanging in the beam path.
• Outbound Storage Bag Soft-lined storage bag designed to hold two lights along with cables and mounts, usable as a frame bag or compressible for backpack storage.
• Outbound Lighting Gift Card Digital gift card available in $50, $100, $150, and $250 denominations for purchasing Outbound Lighting products.

Quantifiable outcome

• 7,031+ customer reviews across product line with 4.8-4.9 average rating
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• SamsungcoreTechnology or IntegrationProvides Samsung 50E 21700 battery cells used in Portal helmet light. Portal features 'genuine Samsung 50E 21700' battery with 5,000 mAH capacity.
• LG Energy SolutioncoreTechnology or IntegrationProvides LG 21700 M50LT cells (Trail Evo) and LG MJ1 18650 cells (Hangover) for battery packs. Outbound specifies genuine LG cells in their products.
• 3McoreTechnology or IntegrationProvides VHB (Very High Bond) adhesive tape used in helmet mounts. Outbound uses 'tried and tested action camera mounts with 3M VHB tape' for secure helmet attachment.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• NiteRider: Long-established US bike light manufacturer offering headlights, taillights, and helmet/setup kits for mountain, road, and commuter cyclists. Most directly comparable to Outbound on product category and channels (US-centric, DTC + bike shop distribution).
• Light & Motion: Premium US-based bike light specialist selling high-lumen, rechargeable headlights and taillights for road, mountain, and commuter use. Directly comparable on premium positioning, optical engineering focus, and US-based manufacturing.
• Lezyne: Premium bicycle accessories (lights, pumps, tools) brand with broad global distribution. Comparable on premium DTC-led positioning and on product breadth around bike lights and accessories, though Lezyne is broader than bike lights only.
• Cygolite: US-based bike light brand offering headlights, taillights, and combo kits across mountain, road, and commuter segments. Directly comparable product mix and channel overlap (DTC + bike shop).
• Lupine Lighting: German premium bike light maker known for high-lumen, engineered optics and made-in-Germany manufacturing. Comparable on premium engineering positioning and head/helmet/handlebar light mix, though serving primarily European markets.
• MagicShine: Bike light brand offering high-lumen, wireless, USB-C rechargeable headlights and taillights across MTB, road, and commuter segments. Comparable product line and pricing tier, with broader global distribution.
• Knog: Australian design-led bike accessories brand with strong cyclist-light and taillight portfolio. Comparable on DTC-led, design-forward brand positioning and broad accessory ecosystem.
• Exposure Lights: UK-based premium bike light maker with engineered wireless, high-output headlights and a strong road/MTB reputation. Comparable on premium positioning, optical engineering, and made-in-country assembly.

Broad incumbents

• Garmin (Varia): Garmin's Varia line of bike radar and taillights competes with the Blade and Detour. Garmin is a broad incumbent in cycling electronics (bike computers, radar, lights) with much larger R&D and global retail distribution.
• Bontrager (Trek): Trek-owned Bontrager offers a broad portfolio of bike lights at multiple price tiers, distributed globally through Trek dealers. Comparable product category but much broader portfolio and deeper retail reach than Outbound.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCUgx5JyKRWCpNv8ja2q1Tng
• Facebookfacebook.com/OutboundLighting
• Instagraminstagram.com/outboundlighting
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/outbound-lighting

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Outbound Lighting