LED Lights Review
Lighting technology continues to march forward with new brands, models and features hitting the market—here’s a selection of the latest MTB lights for you to peruse.
These photos were taken using the same camera settings as the bike lights and should help to put everything in context. First up we have a $20 Dolphin torch, as purchased from the local hardware store (yes, that’s the dim one). Then we have some halogen car headlights on highbeam—that’s two 130-watt H4 globes with aftermarket IPF reflectors and upgraded wiring looms. Now check out how the tiny little LED bike lights compare...
Gloworm XS $399
Bicycle Peddler (03) 9763 1007 / www.bicyclepeddler.com.au
It may be comparatively small but the new XS is the biggest and most powerful light to date from New Zealand designed brand Gloworm. At $399 it’s also their most expensive model but that still makes it relatively affordable compared to most ‘big-gun’ light sets.
First up we were impressed by the nicely machined alloy hardware. It’s all very slim and svelte with a tool-free handlebar bracket and an alloy helmet mount included. The handlebar clamp is very slim, which helps with bars that taper down in size rapidly upon leaving the stem. It also has some nice rubber padding permanently mounted inside the clamp to prevent slipping and protect the handlebar. The only glitch was the threaded cam-lever, which tended to rattle loose and fall off in storage—something to watch out for as you wouldn’t want to lose the small parts. There’s no side-to-side adjustment on the light but this didn’t seem to pose any problems, as the slim bracket could be fitted right in close to the stem.
Gloworm supplies the light with two spare lenses. These allow you to customise the beam patterns to suit your trails. In stock form it runs two narrow and one wide beam but you can replace the middle spread beam with a narrow one if you ride lots of high-speed fire trail. Alternately you can opt for two spread beams and one narrow if your trails are twisty or if you’ll be running the XS as a dedicated handlebar-only light. The beam photo was taken with the stock set-up but we also tried the other options; they made a subtle but noticeable difference to the beam spread. You can also customise the power output of the beams with the Gloworm lights—this process isn’t the most intuitive, so take your time and have the manual handy.
We didn’t quite get the full two-hour claimed high-beam burntime from our sample. Still, the battery is quite compact and the beam quality is very good. It’s a smooth and even beam that tapers off smoothly around the edge. The various power options allow the burntime to be extended to around two-to-three hours without skimping, and that should be plenty for most. A wired remote switch should make the lower power settings easy to access, but the wire won’t quite reach the grips if you like to run wider handlebars.
Overall the XS packs plenty of punch for what is a fairly diminutive and well-priced light set.
Exposure Equinox $399
Bike Box (03) 9555 5800 / www.bikebox.com.au
For some years now Exposure has offered the 1,100 lumen Diablo as their go-to helmet light. Now they’ve upped their game with the new Equinox—it’s like the Diablo on steroids.
The light output has almost doubled, pumping out a claimed 2,000 lumens on high-beam. While the physical dimensions haven’t changed much, it is 36g heavier than the Diablo; you’ll probably notice the weight on your helmet but it’s still impressively light for an all-in-one battery and light unit.
With such a compact unit producing so many lumens, you’ll only get a touch over 30 minutes at full power. That may be a shortcoming but the new wireless remote switch makes the short burntime quite manageable. Mount it to the bars and you can toggle through the power settings without taking a hand off the bars. The stock mid-power setting extends the burntime to 1:30 and was roughly as bright as the Diablo running at full power. Low beam goes for over three hours and still offers plenty of light for climbing and low speed trails.
The Equinox has seven different beam sequences; you can have two or three light modes and extend the burntime up to 12 hours if required. It’s easy to do and the mode options are etched into the light, so you don’t need the instructions on hand to customise the output. If you really need maximum power for a sustained period, you can fit a piggy back battery but then you’ve no longer got a fully-wireless light.
On the trail the Equinox is similar in brightness to the Exposure Reflex handlebar light and it throws a much wider beam than the comparably sized Diablo. It’s a very smooth beam that’s easy on the eyes—I’d rate it as a clear improvement over previous generation Exposure lights. The wireless remote is easy to mount (via sticky rubber O-rings) with a backlit button that changes colour to inform you of the beam selected and the battery condition. Toggling between modes was sometimes a little hit and miss, so I chose to run the optional wireless aerial on the light head to improve the signal pickup. In reality I think the issue was more to do with me missing the button when riding over bumpy ground. I never had any issues with pairing the remote—it just worked.
The wire-free all-in-one design makes the Equinox a very appealing helmet light, and it can really pump out the lumens when required—just use full-power sparingly or it’ll run out of juice quick smart.
Cygolite Centauri $449
Bikecorp www.bicorp.com.au
With a claimed output of 1,700 lumens, the Centauri is the most powerful light that Cygolite has produced. These days 1,700 lumens mightn’t sound too impressive but Cygolite appears to be pretty honest with their lumen output claims. As a result the beam produced by the Centauri compares well with many lights that claim to produce in excess of 2,000 lumens.
The beam pattern has a distinct circular edge where the light just stops. Rings and cut-offs are generally considered as undesirable, however the main circle of light is broad enough to get the job done. Within the lit area, the Centauri produces a bright and even beam that maintains its intensity right out to the periphery. While it is not perfect, it’s quite effective on the trail and works for both helmet and handlebar mounted applications.
A full charge will deliver two hours at full power and there are a total of four regular beams that can be used to extend the burntime. Each of the lower output levels can be customised to suit your needs; this is done via a secondary button and it’s a very simple procedure. There’s also an LED display on the top of the light head that indicates the power level selected and doubles as a power gauge. Using the Centauri was easy and the operation is quite self-explanatory. The only issue I encountered came when the light was helmet mounted; having three raised and rubberised bumps clustered on top of the light made it harder to locate the mode button—especially with full-fingered gloves.
Cygolite provides both helmet and handlebar mounts in the package—the light head simply clips from one to the other. While the handlebar mount is quick and easy to attach, the adhesive backed rubber pad that helps it grip the bars tends to fall off—either glue it back on or replace it with a different rubber shim. On the positive side, the mount allows easy side-to-side adjustment to suit various handlebars and it always held the light securely.
Don’t dismiss the Centauri because of its claimed output—it puts out a decent amount of light in an easy to use package.
Full-Beam Fusion $599
Full-Beam Lights Australia 0402 046 422 / www.fullbeam.com.au
Scottish company Full-Beam may be relatively unknown but they make some of the most powerful MTB lights around—the X12 for example is said to pump out a whopping 4,500 lumens! The model on test here has a claimed output of 3,000 lumens, making it the most powerful self-contained light that we’ve reviewed.
Their lumen claims certainly appear well founded, as our sample was brighter than any other ‘all-in-one’ light that we’ve tested, in fact it’s amongst the brightest lights we’ve had full-stop. It’s not just the power output that’s impressive; the Fusion also produces a really effective beam for off-road riding. It’s broader than average and spills nicely out towards the sides—no tunnel vision with this light.
Aside from having a massive light output, the Fusion also features an optional ‘Speed LED’ function that automatically varies the power output to match your speed. It’s regulated by a fork-mounted speed sensor that’s linked by a wire—like an old digital speedo sensor. It was very effective and the faster you go the brighter it gets. As you slow the light dims gradually; this gives your eyes time to adjust and ensures that you aren’t left short of light when slowing for a technical section. It was only foiled when dropping into a low-speed technical section immediately after a climb; the light would remain on lower power mode if your speed didn’t increase but overall the Speed LED function was very responsive and intuitive.
As good as the performance was, we didn’t like the wired speed sensor. One of the best things about self-contained lights is their easy fitment but the zip-tie mounted sensor and wire compromises this appeal. The Fusion has a wide range of custom options, allowing you to tune the responsiveness of the Speed LED function and vary the manually selectable power settings—be warned however, the setup process requires real patience.
Our final nit-pick lies with the aluminium handlebar bracket. It’s solidly built and allows tool free mounting but it’s also quite wide with a sharp protrusion that can dig into your handlebar stem.
It’s worth noting that the local distributor allows you to return the light for a refund after four days if you’re not happy with it (although you’ll forfeit a $40 freight fee). We’d be inclined to run the Fusion wire-free most of the time, as the manually operated mid-beam settings provide long burntimes and plenty of light. Sure it’s a little agricultural, but the Fusion also has some real strong points.
Exposure Reflex $630
Bike Box (03) 9555 5800 / www.bikebox.com.au
With no wires or external battery packs to mount, self-contained lights are really easy to live with—on certain restrictive frame designs they’ll be the only type of handlebar light that’ll work. The Reflex takes this ‘ease of use’ even further with its refined mounting system and easy to operate functions.
The cleverest feature is the self-adjusting ‘Reflex’ beam output; a built-in accelerometer senses when you are climbing and dials back the power. Tilt yourself downhill and it automatically brightens. At full power it’s said to produce 2,200 lumens but this dims to around 250 lumens on an extended climb or somewhere in between on flatter faster ground.
With the changing output, the burntime will also vary and the LED screen on the back keeps you updated with an estimate of the ride time remaining. There are three auto modes with burntime estimates of three, six and 12 hours, plus eight manually selectable beam sequences too. Like most Exposure lights, selecting your preferred setting is easy and the options are etched into the alloy body so you won’t need the instruction manual on hand.
It clearly doesn’t pack the same power and beam spread as the similarly featured Full-Beam Fusion but it is a much tidier unit overall; there are no wires required for the auto power adjustment and it’s far easier to tweak the custom settings. Compared to the wheel sensor activated Fusion, the accelerometer driven Reflex seems slow to react—in most cases the change in output is quite subtle. Drop into something that’s really steep and you will see the Reflex jump to full power in a hurry, and it’ll do this whether the speed increases or not (a situation that can catch the Fusion out). Overall I think the Reflex function does the job; most of the time you won’t notice it but it’s always there and you’ll never need to reach for the mode button whilst on the trail.
The Reflex isn’t the absolute brightest handlebar mounted light but the beam is even and moderately wide. There is plenty of light on offer when the Reflex function jumps to full power and you’ll comfortably get through a three hour ride without running out of light. Best of all it’s a super convenient and easy to use light that you can just grab and go—hitting the trail after dark doesn’t get much easier.
Lupine Wilma 7 $695
Virtuascape www.virtuascape.com.au
German made Lupine lights have a reputation for quality and power, and they are priced to match too. Their range-topping Betty for example belches out a staggering 4,500 lumens and hovers around the $1,000 mark depending on the battery option selected. The Wilma is the next step down; a 2,800 lumen light that’s a little smaller and a tad more affordable. With the compact 6,600mAh battery (the Wilma 7) it sells for $695 and still manages to run on full power for an hour and a half. You can also opt for a bigger 13,200mAh battery that takes the burntime to well over three hours (the $895 Wilma 14).
With a head unit that weighs 145g (30g less than the Betty), the Wilma is a good candidate for helmet mounting. The kit is supplied both mounting types and easily converts between the two. Everything is tool-free and Lupine has one of the most effective O-ring handlebar mounts that I’ve used; it’s easy to fit yet very secure with enough side-to-side adjustment to cater for different handlebar sweeps. The small details are neat too; like the tacky silicone backing on the velcro battery strap that keeps the system slip and rattle free. The kit comes in a padded storage case, but in this instance it’s actually big enough to hold all of the contents when you put them back in—nice!
While there’s no fancy remote switches but the main mode button is large and easy to locate when wearing full-finger gloves. The LEDs on the light head inform you of the power output and battery status. Even the battery has a built in fuel gauge so you can quickly check the charge level before heading out. Like many high-end lights, you can customise the output levels. In this case you can also select anywhere from a single power mode through to four beam levels to suit your preferences. You’ll need the manual on hand for this initial setup but the instructions aren’t too hard to follow.
Crank up the lumens and there’s no denying that the Wilma is a powerful light. The central area is very intense and reasonably wide. Unfortunately the beam pattern has a few ‘onion rings’ and darker patches that surround the main fill of light—it’s not terrible but not optimal either and this is a super high-end light. The brightness of the central area contrasts with the patchy surrounds and makes the beam a bit harder on your eyes at lower speeds when mounted to the bars. It fares much better when helmet mounted as you’re more likely to be looking towards the main throw of light, which really does cut a swathe through the night.
Niterider Pro 3600 $889
JetBlack Products (02) 4560 1200 / www.jetblackproducts.com
LED lights keep getting smaller and lighter but the range topping Pro 3600 remains as a relative tank. Weighing well over 800g for the kit, it’s twice as heavy as the other LED lights featured in these pages. It’s also boxy like an old Volvo and far from discreet when mounted to your bike. The payback for its girth comes when it makes the night evaporate in front of you—it sounds a little cliché but this light comes pretty darn close to turning night into day.
The beam pattern can be criticised for having a distinct cut-off around the outside where the light just stops, but this circle of light is so broad that it really doesn’t matter—compared to most other high-powered LED the Pro 3600 spreads a good deal further across the trail. Wide beam lights usually lack brightness but in this case the massive 3,600 lumen output ensures that there’s plenty of intensity and distance throw. This is one light where you can slap it on the handlebar and hit the singletrack at full-tilt without needing a supplementary helmet light. While the kit does come with a helmet mount, the 239g weight of the light head will make handlebar mounting a more attractive prospect for most.
Running the Pro 3600 at full power will suck the chunky 570g battery dry in an hour and a half, so you’ll certainly need to dial the power back on the climbs. Thankfully this light is one of the most tuneable on the market. Rather than dealing with confusing mode sequences, you just plug the light into a PC and use the ‘DIY’ program to tailor everything from the number of beam options to the intensity of each beam (unfortunately there’s no Mac compatible option).
Everything about the NiteRider is solid, chunky and durable—we’ve actually had our test sample in use for over a year and it’s shrugged of a veritable beating of mud and crashes. It’s also easy to use and set up, although the bulky battery may make fitting awkward with some frames.
The NightRider Pro 3600 isn’t for weight weenies, and in our opinion it’s too heavy for helmet mounting, but if you’re chasing maximum all-out power and beam spread, then look no further. You’ll also need to swallow the hefty price tag but this light is built to last.
