Life In The Saddle

This autumn, I have been testing out three of the latest lights from Lezyne – a brand that I have relied upon heavily in the past to provide reliable, long-lasting and high-powered illumination of my rides. The trio of lights that I have on test from Lezyne is comprised of the Lezyne Micro Helmet Drive Pro 800XL, the Lezyne Lite Drive 1000XL headlight and the new Lezyne Strip Pro Alert Drive rear light. I have been consistently impressed by the individual performance of all three lights, as well as how well they work together in tandem to increase your visibility and provide superb illumination of the trail or road ahead. Review – Lezyne Micro Helmet Drive Pro 800XL First up is the lightweight but powerful helmet mounting Lezyne Micro Helmet Drive Pro 800XL. The Helmet Drive has that distinctive Lezyne CNC-machined shell, with built in cooling fins for heat management and optimal performance; it mounts to your helmet using a versatile Velcro mounting strap with a plastic composi...

See.Sense is a cycling technology and data company from Northern Ireland; since 2015 I have tested three different versions of their award-winning bike lights , and the new ICON3 is their latest and most developed bike light set. The brand has used their eight years of experience to produce what is undeniably one of the smartest and technically developed bike lights available. As with previous See.Sense models , the ICON3 was released after a successful campaign of crowdfunding on Indiegogo; the campaign smashed the original funding targets – testament to the number of bike riders and investors that believe in the See.Sense product. As the new flagship model within the See.Sense range, the ICON3 is crammed with even more tech than the preceding models. It comes equipped with increased brightness and smarter features, as well as USB-C charging and a new 'twist and lock' mount system. The ICON3 is 20 percent brighter than its predecessor: pumping out 350 lumens from the re...

The second review of a Moon bike light in as many weeks... they must impress me. This review is of the sleek and slimline Moon Helix and Moon Helix W lights; a red and white (rear and front) light that pack a powerful and intelligent punch out on the road, in both daytime and night-time running modes. The Moon Sport Helix Max is a powerful 250-lumen rear bike light. In the box you receive the light unit, a smart quarter-turn mount that fits to a seatpost or aero seatpost with a flexible rubber strap, two lengths of strap, a saddle-rail mount, and a USB-C charging cable. The Moon Sport Helix Max W is a 350-lumen front bike light. In the box you receive the light unit, a similar quarter-turn mount that fits to a handlebar with a flexible rubber strap, and a USB-C charging cable. Both lights function very similarly; so, from here on when discussing the functions, I will refer to both lights as the Helix Max. Lighting Modes The Helix Max has two static modes: pre-set to 80 lume...

Moon Sport Lights produce some of the best bicycle lights on the market—over the last five years I have intensively used many of their LED front and rear lights, and have been consistently impressed with their quality, performance and design. The Moon Rigel Max front bike light is a compact white LED light, with some intelligent design features and functions. In the box you receive a Rigel Max light, helmet mount, Go-Pro mount adapter, handlebar bracket mount, and a USB-C charging cable. It is worth noting that the Rigel Max quarter turn mount is identical to a Garmin mount—offering you a plethora of further mounting options. Lighting Modes The Rigel Max has two static modes: pre-set to 1500 lumens and 500 lumens (main and dipped beams). However, thanks to Moon's VLS (Variable Lumen System) you can fully customise the set-up to reduce or increase the power of either of the two modes. The VLS system allows you to extend battery life considerably, by reducing the Max output to ...

There are some bicycle components that impress me straight out of the box—the Moon Nebula Rear Light is one such product. Beautifully made, with an impressive 200 lumen output, and an outstanding battery life; this is one of the best rear bicycle lights I have had on review to date. The Moon Nebula has a sleek aluminium body and a featherweight profile of just 44 grams. The slimline casing holds one 50 chip LED—that has an impressive lumen output and offers particularly good side visibility. The Nebula comes with a plethora of attachment options. First there is the Universal Strap Mount, which allows you to securely attach the rear light to any shape or diameter seat-post or seat-stay—whether oval or round. You then also get a belt clip and saddle rail mount—to supply even greater versatility. The Nebula has four steady modes and four flashing modes—toggled between using the mode/power button. The 'memory mode' function means the light stays in your last used mode when it is po...

The Nite Ize Radiant 750 Front Bike Light is a compact but powerful rechargeable LED bicycle light; ideal for frequent commuting, or as an auxiliary light for longer rides on unlit roads. Its highlights include the simple and universal tool-free mount, and the superb build quality. The Nite Ize Radiant 750 puts out 750 lumens on maximum power and will last for two hours run time in that high output mode. On low power mode it lasts 17 hours, at 75 lumens brightness — this lower power output is not enough to light up an unlit road, but it is certainly enough to 'be seen'. The front bike light mounts using a universal tool-free wristwatch-style strap handlebar mount, which the light then slides into. The box also includes a helmet mount — providing plenty of versatile mounting options. It also works great as a torch off the bike. The build quality of the Nite Ize Radiant 750 is high, and the unit is weather resistant and robust in feel. The internal lithium ion battery rec...

I am a strong advocate of daytime running lights on bicycles all year round; but with the darkness drawing in, it is even more important to invest in good bike lights. The NiteRider Sentinel 250 is an innovative and powerful rear bike light that combines lasers with LED technology to create your own 'bike lane' on the road, as well as give brilliant rear visibility. I have been using NiteRider bike lights for a number of years, and the NiteRider Solas 150 Rear Light that I reviewed back in 2017 is still a popular choice in my arsenal. The brand produces well-made, long-lasting, and reliable lights; which is why when I saw the innovative new Sentinel 250 released, I could see it could well become a new go-to option. The NiteRider Sentinel 250 adopts a unique dual lighting approach: first, a set of high power LEDs pump out a fierce 250 lumens (maximum) to give you great rear visibility; then, on the base of the light two lasers create an illuminated 'bike lane' on ...

A good quality high-power compact front bike light is a real asset — it can stay on your handlebars throughout the year; providing 'Be Seen' visibility as a running light, as well as helping light the way when the visibility falls. The NiteRider Lumina Micro 850 bike light is a superb example of a miniature front light that packs an impressive punch. The Lumina Micro 850 weighs only 130 grams, yet it will put out 850 lumens on maximum output for 1.5 hours. On the most economical fixed light mode it will deliver 200 lumens for 9 hours. I am a great fan of the simplicity of the NiteRider lights . The mount for example is just one single clamp design, which fits all sizes of handlebars and is fast and secure to attach. The light unit itself is robust, weatherproof, and has just one button that also doubles as a charge level indicator. Bike lights do not need to be super stylish — they need to work; that is the focus that NiteRider has maintained with their mount and unit des...

Crazy light. Crazy compact. Crazy bright. The new Knog Plus bike lights are pretty revolutionary. I have been testing them out to see if the super minimalist design from the Australian brand can deal with the dark onslaught of British winter. Knog have long pushed the boundaries in terms of how bicycle lights mount to your bike, and also how they perform. I have used their Blinder series of lights for a long time and continue to be impressed by their beautiful simplicity and high level of performance both in terms of battery life and brightness. The new Knog Plus Light Set is a complete redevelopment of Knog's light design. I was worried that this might mean a loss of some of the great performance, but luckily that doesn't seem to be the case... Let us start with the fitment system… Knog have created a clever all-in-one combination of a secure bag clip and a secure on-the-bike bracket. A small plastic bracket mounts to the seat post or handlebars using a simple rubber ...

I reviewed the original SeeSense 2.0 Light Set in 2015 here on lifeinthesaddle.cc; those lights are still in almost daily use. Then I reviewed the See.Sense Icon Light Set in 2016; those too do almost daily duty. The new release from the Irish Kick-Starter funded brand is the See.Sense ACE Light Set, which shows even more incremental design improvements over its predecessors. The original See.Sense 2.0 Lights were a bit clunky, and the power ports were a bit exposed; yet they were incredibly intelligent; responding to changes in road surface, ambient lighting, and movement, in order to regulate light output and improve both visibility and battery life over traditional blinkers. My three year old set are still in use on my winter cyclocross bike (they take a battering). When See.Sense released the ICON lights in 2016 they had taken on board user feedback; the power ports were more concealed and waterproof, and the design came with a multitude of mounting options. The ICON was al...

Rear lights for long distance cycling are tricky: you want power to provide visibility on unfamiliar roads; a long durable battery life; but also something that won't add too much bulk to your ride. The Blaze Burner was my rear light of choice for the #BlackForest400 . The Black Forest 400 was 400 miles, non-stop and unsupported. 32 hours from start to finish. Finding a rear light that will give a decent output for that time is really pushing it, but the Blaze Burner did seriously well at trying. Using a clever mix of sensors and back-up power, it ran for almost the entire journey. Not everyone is going to ride 32 hours non-stop, but considering I am also a strong advocate of ' daytime running lights ', it makes a lot of sense to have a light that is bright enough to be seen in bright daylight, and that will also last a good few hours of riding. The Blaze Burner does both, very well. The Blaze Burner rear light is instantly different from other lights: it mounts up...

A good rear bike light is a huge asset, in terms of visibility and road presence. Even in the daytime, a rear light will help to alert other traffic to your position on the road. The latest Knog Blinder rear light - the Knog Blinder MOB V Four Eyes, is a great all-weather option. I have tested Knog lights for many years, and they always perform in terms of functionality, and simplicity of use. The new Knog Blinder follows suit. The light mounts up easily to any size of seat post (including aero seat posts) using a variety of rubber straps. Once on the bike, it is easy to turn on, and then to toggle through the five different light modes. On maximum FLASH, the Knog Blinder V4 will output 44 lumens of light, and last for 4.5 hours. On Eco mode, the light will last for a whopping 55 hours of burn time. When it comes to charging, it couldn't be easier; you simply remove the unit from the bike, and plug it straight into a USB drive on a computer, or a USB mains plug. Charging ta...

Earlier this year I tested the LedLenser MT10 Handheld Torch , and I was extremely impressed by the quality and design of the unit. More recently, I have been trying out another product from the Outdoor range in the German brand's line-up - the MH10 Headtorch. The LedLenser MH10 is designed to be a versatile and lightweight headtorch; ideal for walking, running and many other outdoor pursuits. Unlike a lot of headtorches that integrate the battery into the lamp unit itself, the MH10 has a separate battery pack on the rear; this has a number of advantages... Firstly, it means the battery pack can be larger; facilitating a massive run time of 120 hours on low power mode, and six hours on high power. Second, it makes the headtorch a lot more balanced on your head; providing greater comfort and reducing the need to over-tighten the strap to avoid bounce. Thirdly, it has allowed LedLenser to put a small red light on the battery pack, to give a surprisingly effective aid to rear vi...