Now’s the time for night rides, it’s too hot to ride in the heat of the day, the evenings are cool and besides the trails come alive when the sun goes down with owls, genets and porcupines all coming out. So we decided to put a bunch of cycle lights to the test, here’s what we found.
Note: All Lumens and run times are as claimed by the manufacturer.
Lezyne Mega Drive LED
Stated Lumens: 1 200 Bright & 600 Economy
Battery Life: 1 200 Lumens – 01:30
RRP: R2 500
Look and Feel: My experience with anything from Lezyne is that it is normally top quality, design is sexy and durable. The Mega is no different. It looks a little like something Captain Spock (the new guy…) would carry around. With twin LED’s and black fins it is a lovely looking piece of gear.
Tester’s Report: Performance was just as good as it looks. A great beam that allowed excellent depth of field with enough light spread to keep the entire singletrack in good soaking light, while the peripheral beam allows enough light to make every move a confident one. My only gripe, and it’s a small one, is that the light is a solid unit, and you need to ensure that once you are happy with the light angle off the bars you tighten the bracket sufficiently or there is lateral play (left to right) and you have to keep moving it back to centre – not really that big a deal as you just need to stop and tighten the bracket screw.It’s not something you can fiddle with on the fly. Of the lights tested this was my favourite as it was easy to use, no wires and I loved having the spare battery pack for “justins”!
The Mega is pricey. If budget is not an issue then I would highly recommend the Lezyne. In the upper price range – similar to the Specialized in the lights tested – it is a light you will keep forever and looks damn cool on your second-bond baby!
Sportsmans Warehouse Ultrabeam 1 000
Stated Lumens: 1 000 High
Battery life: 1 000 Lumens – 02:30
RRP: R850
Look and Feel: The SW Ultrabeam is similar in design and look to the Extreme Lights. It is a standard that most riders will know – the small, in this case anodized alloy body, that attaches via a plug-in cord to a Li-ion battery pack. The Ultrabeam is black and has a 4 stage indicator light. It mounts via a rubberized mounting foot that is attached to the bar via a rubber ring. Simple and yet very effective. It also keeps the costs down.
Tester’s Report: The battery pack is small and light. It is in a light and strong synthetic/canvas bag that attaches to your top tube with Velcro straps. The light is surprisingly good from this unit. It is clear, bright and has a long compact beam. The beam width is not huge but this does not detract from the efficacy of the light. The rubber O-ring mounting system can be tricky with tapered bars but it is also something that is easy to fix on the fly. Changing the angle of the beam is quick and easy. There is very little lateral movement in this system, which is great. The only concern would be the battery running time; it’s great for a two hour ride but starts getting a little worrying for anything longer.
For me this was the surprise light of the batch. R850 is still a lot of cash to spend on a light but it certainly gives great value for money and a very capable light. Look after the battery and this light will be good for years.
Sportsmans Warehouse 800 Lumen
Stated Lumens: 800 High
Battery life: 800 Lumen – 03:00
RRP: R1 200
Look and Feel: “Tiny!” Was the first comment from everyone. A small barrel, anodised black alloy, the 800 is the smallest cable attached light we have seen. The battery pack is also tiny. Although we ran it on bars we all agreed that this was a perfect helmet light. (The pack does come with a helmet filling.) The light attaches to the bars with an O-ring mount.
Tester’s Report: The 800 (Tiny to his mates) packs quite a punch but I am not confident that it is the only light you can have on your fave night ride. It’s definitely great for running and the perfect second light – easily worn on your helmet. Both Rich and Rudy felt it punched way above its weight with Rudy saying it was the one he would go for.
Specialized Flux Expert
Stated Lumens: 1 200 High
Battery life: 1 200 Lumens – 01:45
RRP: R3 399
Look and Feel: Not the most compact light unit due to the internal lithium-ion battery housed in the unit, but what this does mean is that you do not require an external battery pack, an absolute winner in my view. The light unit itself is well constructed and looks solid. As for the mounting bracket, this is provided by a fairly simple aluminium clamp mechanism but unlike other lights the Flux Expert offers a unique mounting system that enables you to centre the light in front of the stem where most other systems are located on the left or right of the stem producing an off-set beam. Complementing this further is the clever quick release mounting system that allows you to remove the light unit easily, while providing perfect alignment every time when remounting the unit. The mounting bracket allows for a wide variety of mounting options for both flat and drop bars through the standard moulded rubber shims.
Although the most pricey of our test lights, the Flux is completely serviceable with all the parts, inside and out being able to either be serviced or replaced.
Tester’s Report: Another area that stood out for me is coverage and light output of the unit. At both Battery Saver (Low Beam) and Full Power (High-beam) the beam provided great coverage due to the reflector design providing a constant full beam of light where you need it. The unit uses 3 LED’s (cool white) that provide a bright clean white light.
It also includes a remote that mounts on your bars and allows you to control operating the modes: high/low beam, flash. For me the jury is still out on this one, as although it does provide a ‘no-fuss’ control of the light in close proximity to your hand, I am just not convinced about the additional clutter on my bars and durability of the remote.
As for the battery life, we operated the light in a combination of both the Battery Saver (Low Beam) and Full Power (High-beam) and all in all it met the specified run-time and a bit more.
Extreme Lights 1 200 MKII Cycle Light
Stated Lumens: 950 High
Battery life: 950 Lumens – 04:00
RRP: R975 (including compact red tail light)
Look and Feel: The handsome anodized aluminium body with curved foot attaches to the handlebars by the simple but effective O-ring system. It has a battery indication light on the back of the unit that doubles as the control switch for the one LED light’s three modes: high, low and strobe. The light attaches to the battery pack via a sturdy cable using a universal male/female plug-in system. The battery is lithium with a rubber casing that is housed inside a neoprene pouch that is attached to the bike via a Velcro strap. It’s easy to use, will fit any bike and is extremely hardy.
Tester’s Report: Extreme Lights have been around for a number of years now and they have improved immensely. The most noticeable difference is the battery pack – it’s a lot more durable, has got smaller and has a more reliable strap system to attach to the bike. The light body also seems to be a better quality and the LED is certainly better. I think that the Extreme 1200 is the benchmark for most lights – it’s reliable, easy to use, durable and most of all it gives off a great light. The 1200 is broad enough to give you good all-round vision and penetrating enough to ensure a good depth of field. You can’t go wrong with this light and as an all-rounder and value for money it would be my go to light.
Extreme Lights 2K Cycle Light
Stated Lumens: 1 800 High
Battery life: 1 800 Lumens – 05:00
RRP: R1 795
Look and Feel: The 2K is remarkably small considering it houses 3 of the latest technology LED’s. The anodized aluminium body is handsome in black with silver trim and has a rear battery indicator/mode switch on the back of the light. The light has both an O-ring and a swivelling, quick-release mount. The battery pack is the same as the 1200, rubberized lithium batteries in a rugged Neoprene pouch – why reinvent the wheel?
Tester’s Report: It was with trepidation that I placed the 2K on my bike – simply because the first 3 LED light from Extreme Lights I tested (2 years ago) was terrible. The footpad never connected properly to the light and the body was so heavy that it kept sliding down and ended up pointing at the ground – the O-ring just couldn’t hold it. Well guess what? The guys at Extreme Lights have learnt their lesson and have produced a hugely superior product. The body is light and small, the O-ring has no problem keeping it in place and in case you have tapered bars or really want to make sure there is no movement, they have supplied a quick release clamp – no more fiddling. The beam is definitely broader than the 1200 and brighter in closer vicinity – it doesn’t seem to have the penetration of the single beam though. This is not a negative just a difference. It depends on your riding style, what you want to see and how far, and the terrain you normally ride in etc. Overall the 2K is a massive improvement and definitely a light you should consider at this price point.
