Previously, at The Mont 24…
In 2012, my then 3-year-old Ay Ups seemed perfectly adequate for the race ahead. They were great for night commuting and the occasional fire trail social night ride I’d been doing with mates. Indeed, the previous year at my first ever Mont, they really did seem fine. It was an unpleasant surprise to find then, come race day, when scooting through the twisty Kowen Forest singletrack, their weaknesses jumping out like a hungry drop bear.

Mounted on the handlebar, the bright Ay-Ups’ intense hotspot and rapid drop-off to the sides created a tunnel vision effect. This forces the rider to scan with the helmet light and fill in the gaps between the hotspots and front wheel from memory. I found this very tiring and difficult to maintain at race speed on twisty rerrain.

Sections like Kowalski’s Sideshow and Rolling Thunder became particularly difficult at night, with the bar light pointing out into the inky black off the side of the hill around the fast banked hairpins. This left no choice but to use the helmet light on the foreground instead of looking around the corner.

The Ay-Ups just weren’t doing it. It was an unpleasant slog. I wasn’t sure if I was up for putting myself through that again.

Jump forward 12 months: a new toy arrives
When the MyTinySun light arrived late last year, I felt like 007 getting his new toys from Q before a dangerous mission. My manic work schedule (yes, I have a real job) meant midweek practice trail rides with the new kit didn’t happen. Nevertheless, I was quietly confident I had a secret weapon in my hands. For the Mont 24 MTB race in Canberra, the Ay-Ups were relegated to helmet light duties where the hotspot would be handy.

Turning night into day
Come the first night lap, I knew early on I was going well when I noticed how far forward I could plan lines and how relaxed I felt. The full, even beam from the MyTinySun meant peripheral vision could handle the load as in daytime and I no longer had to ride by memory. This set in motion a virtuous cycle. Not being constantly surprised, and being able to stay off the brakes much more when setting up for corners, helps maintain momentum instead of wasting energy. The increased speed and lower effort means flowing lightly over obstacles, if not popping the bike over them altogether, instead of having to grind and bounce my way through every rock garden and mass of tree roots.

Sections like Kowalski’s Sideshow that were tricky to ride fast, still required full concentration but were a blast to ride. The Sport 2700x allowed you to see clearly the exit line you were aiming for while still giving you a great view of the foreground and everything to the side and in between. This freed up the helmet light to do its job of searching ahead for what was coming next.

The result was a first night lap that was my fastest of the event: 1 hour 8 minutes-odd, according to the Garmin, on a course two kilometres longer – a massive improvement of 26 minutes over the last year, in the same conditions. This compared well with the elite’s night laps at around the 53 minute mark. Not bad for an old fart.

On the second night lap I found myself struggling a little, until I figured out I’d been running the 2700x in half-power mode for the first half. Out of habit I’d dimmed the light to conserve battery on the first long slow climb. In the rush to hit the mode button before arriving at the next fast technical section I had somehow missed clicking it properly.

Back on full beam, confidence returned. Shape-making on the bike and line selection improved and speed through the winding singletrack just seemed to lift of its own accord without extra effort.

A check on the Garmin as I crossed transition showed 1 hour 14 minutes and some seconds. Not at all bad, considering the first half. My last lap, in mid-morning Sunday sunshine, would come in at 1 hour 12 and some cramps. Consistent!

MyTinySun Sport 2700x light beam (on high)

For comparison, Ay-Up V4 Adventure Helmet + Handlebar kit
(Photos: Canon EOS 600D, set at F9 and ISO400 with a 21mm focal length for 15 seconds)

Excellent battery life
Why I felt the need to dim the light on that climb I am not quite sure. My lap times were never going to threaten the 2 hour 47 minute run time on full beam specified on the light’s spec sheet. The battery status indicator only just tripped over to indicating 75%  capacity ten minutes or so before hitting the transition area on the first lap, so the spec sheet run time seems quite realistic.

The light head does get more than a little warm on full power when standing still, but even spinning up steep gradients at 6-7km/hr seems to provide enough airflow to keep it no more than warm to the touch.

Mounting hardware that works
Despite spending several weeks fixed 24×7 on my commuter bike, the O-ring light head mount was just as secure on the Easton carbon bars of my race bike on the rough stuff. I shifted the aim up and down slightly a couple of times during the lap to suit the terrain, but this was a plus not a minus.

The Velcro fasteners kept the battery securely nestled up front between down and top tubes, and the cable connectors behaved perfectly.

The connectors are difficult to pull apart, which is confidence inspiring as the last thing you want on a fast rough descent is for your light to suddenly wig out from a dodgy connector. Gripping each connector end firmly and flexing from side to side loosens the connection easily without stressing the wires. I managed to deduce this by studying the plug’s design, and this omission is probably the only complaint I would have about the instruction sheet.

With great power…
One consequence of having so much light at one’s fingertips is that it imposes a responsibility to be careful with its use. The instructions carry a warning against looking directly into the beam when handling the unit due to the risk of permanent damage to your vision, and they’re not kidding.

On one occasion commuting home, after hitting full beam on a fast descent that is periodically prone to having oil sprayed across the kerbside lane by government buses, I came to a sudden stop behind a small hatchback at the red traffic light at the bottom of the hill. The full 2700 lumens fired straight in the back window. An almost instant  ”What the hell is that?!” exploded from the driver (I’ve cleaned up the language) followed by a sheepish mumbled apology from me and my hand quickly covering the light while I bumped the intensity down.

Light Modes
As noted in the race report above, it is still possible to get confused about which light mode you’re in. In a race situation stopping to check is not something you prefer to do, and taking one’s hands off the bar to dab the button carries some obvious risks! This is no different to any other competitor’s light and so can’t be highlighted as a disadvantage, rather it’s something I would like to see addressed in any MTB light set up.

My other suggestion about the modes involves the flashing mode, or rather the lack of a regular one. The only flashing mode available gives you an SOS morse code signal that cannot be disengaged without unplugging the light. It is obvious that MyTinySun are not aiming this light at the city commuting market, rather it is intended to attract the serious mountain biker or back-country rider. Having a light that can be more useful on commutes, however, would help to justify its price.

Conclusion
My experience at the Mont speaks for itself. For their intended use as off-road trail lights, the Sport 2700x really hits the mark. The remarkable light output with a wide and even beam spread changed my riding from grinding and picking my way carefully around barely-seen obstacles, to flowing my way to bettering my night time lap speeds. Even with a whopping 2700 lumens, these still work best in combination with helmet mountain light which can be a lower powered light with a hotspot.

I’m really grateful to the importers for the opportunity to test this light, as I had almost given up on night mountain bike riding. It transformed a challenging, unpleasant and tense experience into the brilliant fun it always should have been, and has restored my appetite for night racing. I can’t wait for the next event!

MyTinySun also have handlebar remote versions: Pro 2800x (also with 3 Cree LEDs) and a dual lamp (6 Cree LEDs) called the PRO 3600X. Yes, that’s right, 3600 lumens of light. That will burn holes into the landscape!

Great:
• Wide, even beam spread.
• Awesome total light output and punch
• Outstanding run time
• Easy to use
• No “off” phase when switching between intensity modes.

Not so great:
• No flash mode for commuter use
• Easy to dazzle other road users if you’re careless

MyTinySun lights are available directly from the Australian MyTinySun website, the Sport 2700x as review retails for $629 the 5.8Ah battery pack.

Photos 1 & 4 expertly taken by, and used with kind permission of, Aurora Images www.auroraimages.com.au, official event photographers for the Mont 24 Hour Race.

After a bit of casual chitchat about whether I was going for a ride later, they seemed satisfied and turned back the way they came. “We look forward to seeing the review” the constable intoned ominously on leaving.

I had to laugh. The powerful high-beam of the MyTinySun Sport 2700x’s spilled into the National Park and completely illuminated an unlit road late on a Sunday night; this had obviously piqued their professional curiosity. The constable is right: this light is very powerful. The 2700 in the light’s name refers to 2700 measured lumens, and not the inflated theoretical lumens of the emitter that other manufacturers use to boost the marketing value of their lights.

MyTinySun Sport 2700x light beam (on high)

For comparison, Ay-Up V4 Adventure Helmet + Handlebar kit
(Photos: Canon EOS 600D, set at F9 and ISO400 with a 21mm focal length for 15 seconds)

MyTinySun in the spotlight
The MyTinySun 2700x offers a very satisfying throw and, while the beam is slightly centre weighted, it offers a very even spread across a wide angle. This resolves the majority of the issues I’ve previously encountered with other brands of lights, such as losing the foreground when the bar-mounted lights point out into empty space on fast descending switchbacks, as well as fatiguing tunnel vision during technical trail sections.

The MyTinySun’s head is equipped with 3 Cree XM-L U2 LEDs in a finned black anodised alloy housing which also incorporates the main power and mode selection switch. The tempered glass lenses provide a wide 19 degree beam angle. It does get hot, but it is also German made, so it has to pass strict German safety regulations. The light head circuitry includes temperature overload protection to ensure the emitters stay within safe operating temperatures, automatically reducing power output to prevent damage to componentry in hot conditions. This unit comes in at a satisfyingly light 110 grams (excl. battery pack).

The Sport 2700x head uses the common ‘tool-free’ o-ring style of mount, but incorporates a nice toggle lever to enable easy release when required. While convenient, I did find the head moved around a little on my smooth carbon bars when trying to operate the switch with my thumb. Due to the heat generated on high beam after standing stationary for 10 minutes, bracing against the front of the head unit with bare forefingers to press the button was uncomfortably hot. However, I suspect this will be much less of an issue while riding as the motion of the bike provides cooling airflow, and most mountain bikers use full-finger gloves anyway.

An easy fix that improves mounting stability and reduces the risk of trail vibration (causing the light head to shift) is to use Velcro, 3M Dual Lock or the self-adhesive rubber strip that is provided with the MyTinySun unit.

The head unit is IP 67 waterproof, and the connector plugs are shielded by rubber covers to protect water from entering. It means you don’t have to worry about the light even if you hit a tropical storm. I personally would have preferred the leads on the battery and head unit to be each a couple of centimetres longer. I found it necessary to use the extension cable, which made the cable a bit too long, and wrapping it around the bars and stem got messy. There were some neat red Velcro cable tidies included in the kit, so I should probably just use these and suck it up instead of complaining.

The large 5.8Ah battery pack, supplied with the systems sold in Australia, provides for almost 3 hours of operation on high beam. Even with this larger battery, the total system weight comes to a very modest 550g. This is within 50g of the Ferei BL200s we reviewed a few weeks ago, for almost twice the runtime and almost twice the real output. Judicious use of mid beam on the climbs could extend a full battery to 4 or 5 hours duration easily.

Operating the MyTinySun Sport 2700x
I particularly liked the mode switch operation of this light. In Simple mode, there are three light levels and a simple bump of the button toggles between mid and full power. More importantly, you don’t have to pass through an “off” phase to get high beam back when starting a fast or tricky descent; bump the button and you’ve got it back immediately.

To get the third light level, low beam, say when you need to stop to fix a puncture, it is simply a matter of holding the button down for a second and releasing as soon as low is triggered. Bump it once to return to mid-beam again. To turn off, simply hold the button for one and half seconds until the button turns red. Simple to use, it shows the manufacturers have invested considerable thought into their products usability in the field.

The illuminated button doubles as fuel gauge by passing through a range of colours on its journey from green to red.

Engage an Expert
Expert mode gives you a choice of six setups, each providing a range of  light power levels in either Power or Eco programs. These setups give you the choice of going from 330 lumens to 2700 lumens in 3 steps, 330 lumens to 1800 lumens in 5 steps, or 330 lumens to 2700 in six steps, and using either the colour of the button LED or a main light flash sequence to indicate the amount of charge left in the battery.

Engaging Expert mode is as simple turning off the head unit completely (i.e. no status light) with the power connected and  holding down the button for 20 seconds. You then get to enjoy a light show while it cycles through all of the programs. The instructions cover the setup choices available and how to select the program you want.

When you next turn the light on, it remembers the mode and program you previously selected so you don’t have to go through the process again. Tapping the button steps you up and then back down the range of available  light levels in the program. In a competitive mountain bike race this could get a bit awkward with so many light levels, but cruising around at night far away from civilisation, this allows you to better match the light output to your needs so that you can squeeze the most life possible from the battery. These setups would be suited to back country touring and camping. If you get into trouble, there is an SOS flash option that can only be disengaged by disconnecting the power.

Returning back to Simple mode is a matter of holding down the button for 20 seconds again and enjoying another light show. For racing and training though, Simple mode is brain-fade proof, and on that count is just about perfect for my particular brand of insanity: 24 hour mountain bike team relay racing.

Let there be Light
To find out what I think of these lights in action and to read my conclusions, you’ll have to wait for Part II of this review. The MyTinySun is due to see some serious action this summer, so if you see bright lights streaming from Manly Dam in Sydney at night, you will know who it is. Hopefully there’ll be no red and blue flashing lights following close behind.

Until then, you can see more of the MyTinySun Sport 2700x on the MyTinySun website where they’re available for $629 with the larger capacity 5.8Ah battery pack.

The Ferei BL200 is one of the most recent entrants into this race and, at a recommended retail price of $229, is outstanding value for money. At a claimed 1600 lumens, it generates enough output to paralyse possums and fry feral rabbits around my local trails. While there is a defined hotspot, there is enough beam spread to be comfortable on all but the tightest of twisty trails.

The light head comprises two Cree XM-L T6 LEDs in a robust weather-resistant aluminium housing with one of the most nicely engineered tool-free handlebar mounts I’ve seen. Moulded rubber inserts are included in three different thicknesses to provide a snug fit across a wide variety of bars. The thinnest was a perfect fit for my Easton 31.8 mm mountain bike riser bars. So far there has been no slippage at all, despite using them on some sketchy, rough trails.

The included sealed battery is a compact 7.2V 4400mAh Li-Ion unit, and is supplied in a colour to match the anodised head unit. It comes with a rubber pad moulded in to the body to prevent frame scuffing, though, for riding in the dirt, I recommend applying some clear tape or Frameskin material to your frame first.

Besides the nominal 1600 lumen high beam, it has a tunable low-beam mode and a choice of three flashing modes. High beam is the default, a second click of the button drops the beam to low, and a third turns it off. Flash mode is engaged by starting with the unit turned off and holding down the power switch for a couple of seconds. A small LED flashes to indicate battery charge level and the high beam run time easily surpasses the claimed hour-and-thirty minutes.

As a commuter, it was reassuring to have flashing lights this powerful. I was concerned about not having the ability to aim the BL200′s at inattentive drivers, like you can do with helmet mounted lights, but so far my experience has, overwhelmingly, been that drivers not only notice you, but are more courteous than if you were driving a car.

In flash mode, my previous experience with a high-end Cateye “look at me” type flasher, was that drivers would either not register your presence or, more usually, seem to take the view that “it’s only a bike” and pull out in front of you anyway. With this amount of photonic grunt, drivers both notice you earlier and treat you with respect. The BL200s give you real “presence” on the road, even if you use them during the day.

One potential consequence of so much light output is blinding other cyclists; I’ve had to be careful to avoid using high beam when crossing the Sydney Harbour cycleway after dark, despite having the BL200s head unit pointed a couple of degrees below horizontal. Flash mode seems to be acceptable to oncoming cyclists with no complaints against them vocalised to date, unlike my usual Ay-Up V4s which used to regularly get grumpy comments from the commuter brigade.

The BL200s functionality would be improved for trail use by separating the on/off switch from the mode switch. While most experienced mountain bike riders would be likely to have a separate helmet light when out on the trails, it would be better not to have to pass through “off” before getting high beam again. I also found myself getting confused on a couple of occasions, inadvertently entering low beam adjustment mode when I really wanted flash mode. With time and practice this would be less of an issue.

This brings me to the subject of beam spread. One of the issues I experienced on the fast, tight, descending switchbacks at the Mont 24 this year was the serious tunnel vision effect from my Ay-Ups. Due to the narrow beam, the bar light would point off into space instead of down the trail, and I’d have to use the helmet unit to fill in the gap in front of my front tyre, instead of looking further around the corner. This meant slowly “tippy-toeing” around the corners with the Ay-Ups, riding the brakes hard instead of flowing, all contributing to mental fatigue and really not enjoying the sections of track that had me hooting and whooping at race speed during the day.

For mountain biking, the BL200s are a vast improvement over the Ay-Ups, and if the beam had a little less hotspot and only a little bit more beam spread without the sharp cutoff at the edge, they would have gone from being very good to just about perfect. For road commuting, the Ferei BL200s are exceptional.

I’ll be shopping for new lights very soon and these are definitely on the short list. As a mountain biker, teaming these lights on the bar with a B5 680 lumen light on your helmet will give you a sub-$400 setup that’s competitive with products twice the price.

Pros:
Beam throw is outstanding
Solid, stable tool free mount
Light and small setup
“Dude, get off my road!” flash mode, even in the day
Outstanding value for money for recreational mountain bikers and commuters

Cons:
Would have preferred a wider beam spread for off-road race use

The Ferei BL200s are available in black, red, blue, and gold/yellow from Ferei Australia for $229.

When you walk in to KNOG you know instantly that they are a design company. The modern building features open plan spaces with a showroom, work areas and meeting areas. It is far from clinical – evidence of creativity is everywhere: sketches, CAD renderings, prototypes and even mockups of point-of-sale displays.

KNOG started about eight years ago as a spin-off brand of a successful industrial design company (catalyst) and has grown so that the company is now 100% KNOG. They began by reinventing the bicycle light and produced the successful silicon “KNOG frog”, but straight away they were faced with a challenge: “Are we one-hit-wonders or are we really good at what we do? Can we reinvent something that we reinvented the first time?”

CMO Michael Lelliott is a cycling fanatic, the type of guy you would imagine to have an enviable collection of urban bikes in his apartment and who loves to cruise through the city on his bike at night. When he talks about the products the company creates it is not just passion, there is also a sense of relaxed methodology. KNOG has created an identity and they know where they are going and how to get there; it involves a good dose of fun.

KNOG lights and locks are born in a relaxed and creative workspace

When I sat down at the KNOG HQ, two of Michael’s marketing colleagues joined us: Englishman Sean and Spaniard Tania. Michael took the lead, but only after getting a supply of locks and lights so that he could hold the products in his hands as he talked about them. I wanted to know about the design progress; how do they get the ideas and what does it take to make a finished product?

According to the KNOG team, from start to finish it takes about a year and begins with the team of designers getting together and brainstorming. The constant process of reviewing existing products and improving the technology leads to new ideas. Michael explained “One side of the brand is having fun and being Aussie in our humour and approach, but from the product design point of view it is about what can we do that is different. What can we do that it is different from a design point of view? What can we do that is different from a technical point of view? What materials can we use to make something that hasn’t been seen before?”

For the current series of blinder lights, for example, KNOG took on customer feedback, such as the light switched on inside people’s bags, and derived a solution: to turn the lights on you need to press the button down for two seconds and toggle modes by pressing once. The initial problem was resolved though at the cost of a small, but easy to overcome learning curve understanding how the new switch works.

USB charging was an improvement from an environmental perspective (i.e. no batteries to dispose of) and it also meant that the lights could become a sealed unit and become (fishtank) waterproof. New smaller lithium polymer batteries allowed a freedom in design without compromising performance.

A team of 20 designers, including industrial designers, design engineers and electronic engineers, sees the team moving from sketches to Computer Aided Design (CAD) before creating prototypes (via rapid prototyping). The electronic engineers further develop the product so that working prototypes can be created and tested. It is a continual process of optimisation and refinement before the factory is involved to look into tooling, electronics and production before they deliver the first off-tool samples which go into testing. It takes about a year from original conception until the factories are ready to deliver the final product into shops.

The KNOG workshop for hands-on creation and testing

Rapid Prototyping is followed by painting to create a mockup of a proposed new light

If imitation is the ultimate flattery, then KNOG have been well and truly flattered; there are a lot of imitation silicon bike lights on the market. At this year’s Eurobike, the team was shocked to see that top German brand ABUS had released a lock remarkably similar to their Strongman lock, a modern heavy duty U-Lock with Silicon over moulding.

“When we arrived at Eurobike this year, ABUS had made a lock that was incredibly similar to ours and that was a bit of a surprise, not really a happy one. Our BNA [laughs], DNA is originality and innovation, so we pride ourselves on that. It is one of our driving factors”

This goes to show that KNOG have grown significantly from their roots in the fixie scene to being a full-blown mainstream cycling brand – you will spot KNOG lights in the bunches cruising up and down Beach Road as well as on commuter bikes and mountain bikes.

Lights make up 80% of KNOG’s global sales and this is where their future lies as well. Tania showed me prototypes of the next generation lights which are not just lights to be seen, they are lights to see with at 220 and 350 lumens. They are well suited to road cyclists who are always demanding more lumens, but minimise weight and do away with external battery packs. Without revealing too many secrets, I can say that they will feature USB recharging and should be released in February 2013.

Tania Sanchez from Madrid is one of the fresh faces of the international brand

Even though they’re an Aussie brand, KNOG doesn’t market itself as identifiably Australian. “Heritage doesn’t play a part in our brand DNA at all” comments Michael “it all comes back to originality of the product, the fun that we’re having with it and more and more the technical prowess”.

Though KNOG have set their sights on becoming the number one bicycle lighting brand globally, they won’t loose the cheeky advertising and fun-ness of KNOG any time soon.

KNOG online : www.knog.com.au

When you take the Blinder 4V out of its packaging it looks and feels like a well thought-out, well-designed little unit. Built from polycarbonate and aluminium, the Blinder 4V feels solid.  A lot of small lights feel too light or “plasticy” and the tabs or clips are prone to breaking.  The Blinder has an integrated rubber strap and steel clip that looks like it’ll grab onto nearly anything. Knog says that it suits 22-32mm diameter tubing and I found that the rounder the tube, the better the fit. For undersized or oversized tubes, or odd-shaped tubing, it is more difficult to get a fit, though the rubber strap still allows for more flexibility that many generic lights.  Knog are doing their bit for the environmental as well using fully recyclable packaging and enviro-friendly printing inks.

The Blinder 4V is, like many of Knog’s lights, a one-button affair; long-press on, short-press to cycle modes, long-press off again.  This button is at the back of the unit, towards the top and you have to stretch the strap a little to move the unit clear of the seat post to operate it. This means that turning it on or off, or changing the flashing sequence is a task best performed when you have stopped and not while riding.

We reviewed KNOG Blinder lights earlier this year which had the same USB charging function as the 4V. Once it’s off the bike, the USB plug flips out from behind the clip area.  Given the bulk of the light, it won’t fit all USB ports.  Low fixed ports could prove troublesome, as you have to turn the light upside down to insert it.  Using a short USB extender cable would solve any problems, but you may not always have one on hand.

There is an LED next to the switch to indicate charging, full, or low battery.  It is very small, so it’s probably worth checking every few trips to make sure it’s not in need of a charge.

The Blinder on the Road
For my first ride I mounted the blinder on a 27.2mm seat post and rode home at dusk.  It was obvious that this was a brighter, more visible rear light than my usual Superflash knock-off light. If you glance behind you can see the Blinder 4V lighting up your bike’s back wheel, parked cars and the road around you. This is a BRIGHT light.

My usual dusk/dark commute rear facing lighting consists of the Superflash knock-off light on the seat post, a single-LED blinky on the seat stay and a helmet-mounted LED blinky. When it’s very dark I run a 4-LED flashing light on my backpack, too.  I’ve had comments from other cycle commuters about the level of lighting being very effective.  Never have I felt under-lit.

On my first ride with the Blinder 4V I had a driver stop and say “Wow, that’s an effective light!” Knog note that the light has an inbuilt 15-degree mount angle which means that the light unit is angled to point directly behind rather than down towards the road (at the same angle as the seat tube).  In practice the angle of change is minimal, though it is a nice thought.  The light mounts such that it’s not pointing in driver’s eyes, however.  This is a light that could easily distract other road users if it was poorly mounted.

The light has 5 modes: solid, fast flash, organic flash 1 (‘heartbeat’), organic flash 2 and eco-flash.  I used it on fast flash and organic flash 1. The run time on for the eco-flash mode is claimed to be 50 hours, which is plausible given that it only fires two LEDs at a time.

The rubber strap seems a little counter-intuitive to install at first, being a ‘hook through and fold back around’ arrangement, but it felt solid.  Even so, I can’t help but think there was a small risk of catching baggy shorts on the clip and becoming unbuckled, though this didn’t happen during the time I was testing.  Should it undo on the run, there’s no safety net.  Given the length of the strap, the seat post or seat tube are the only options for mounting this light.  A low mounted saddle bag or short rise post may mean that this light won’t find a suitable mounting location on your bike, so ensure you have space first.

The Blinder 4V is small, light, and unobtrusive enough to be left in place all the time, though it also can be quickly removed, which is recommended if you leave your bike locked up in a public space. The waterproofing is rated at IP66 (dust sealed, strong jets of water with limited ingress), so it should stand up to being doused with water from your back wheel or a rain shower.

Consider buying the Blinder 4V if:

• You want compact brightness
• You want to swap lights between bikes often without removing mounts
• You want a less generic, better looking light

The KNOG Blinder 4V retails for $49.95 RRP and is available from KNOG online as well as in the many bicycle shops that carry this brand.

Buying from China
The Xeccon S14 light is available direct from the factory in China. Before we look at the light’s details and performance, let’s first look at what it means to buy directly from Asia. While China and Taiwan produce most of the worlds bicycles, typically you buy well known brands locally and expect that the brand looks after the quality control.

When buying direct from a young or unknown brand, you could be forgiven if you get cold feet. Without a local importer, who do you turn to if there are problems? Is the equipment safe? Will it even arrive? It make sense to be cautious and to do your homework. The internet is making the retail world smaller.

If you think you have seen this light before, just as a different brand, you’re probably right. Xeccon was established in 2007 and since then has provided OEM flashlights worldwide. More recently, the company has been aiming to establish Xeccon as it’s own retail brand. This means you can buy directly from the manufacturer, cut out the middle man, and remove a lot of the markup.

The Xeccon S14 under the Spotlight
The Xeccon S14 Cree XM-L U2 has a pretty technical sounding name and the ‘Cree XM-L U2′ part is pretty important because this refers to the type of LED used. Cree are one of the most well regarded brands of high powered LEDs and they’re used by military and police forces in many countries. We’re off to a good start.

The S14 light is new product from Xeccon and the test unit arrived about three weeks after confirming the review. Everything was well packaged and presented on arrival. Inside the box you will find the light itself, a bulky battery in a pouch, an extension cable (which can be used optionally to extend the cable length from the battery to the light), an elastic head/helmet mount as well as O-Rings for fastening the light directly to your handlebars.

The light looks well made and features an aluminium body which has been machined with grooves for better heat dissipation. It is a good looking light, compact and refined. It also has a little bit of weight when you hold it in your hand, which is actually reassuring.

Mounting is self-explanatory, the light mounts onto handlebars and an O-ring clips on to fasten the light. The battery sits in a pouch with velcro straps that allow flexibility to mount the battery on various positions on your bike frame. I chose to hang the pouch from the top tube, just behind the headset where it fitted quite nicely.

The velcro straps are important because you need to regularly charge the battery, so unfastening and re-attaching the battery needs to be convenient. If you lock your bike in a public place, the light can also be removed in seconds flat.

Bright Lights and Action
On my 5 AM training ride it is pitch black; perfect conditions for testing this light. The S14 has three light modes: high beam, medium beam and flashing. Starting in blackness, the high beam was the best selection with the 1200 lumen light illuminating the road so that I could clearly see every crack and pothole in the path of the light beam. The beam is quite focused with a dominant hotspot and while there was still peripheral light generated, I would have preferred a smoother and broader beam. To give you an idea of the amount of peripheral light, street signs would glow in the distance without being directly targeted.

To best see the road ahead, so as to avoid potholes and debris, the light should be dipped. As a courteous road user, I keep my light dipped anyway so that oncoming traffic, motor vehicles as well as cyclists, are not blinded. The beam worked best when focused around 4 – 6 metres ahead, any higher and I couldn’t see the road surface in clear detail.

During sunrise, the S14 still lit the road and once there was enough ambient light I would switch to the medium light. A green glowing silicon button at the back of the light indicates that the light is charged and pressing it switches through the light modes starting with high, then medium, flashing and then off.

I don’t see much use in having a high powered flashing light and instead usually run a second light, a small LED blinker. Not only is this a backup if all else fails, a flashing light is helpful for getting other traffic to notice you while a ‘steady beam’ light is useful so that other traffic can judge your speed.

For normal daylight riding, the medium beam is a nice setting and it will be hard for oncoming traffic and traffic in side roads (who check first) to overlook you. On the side of the packaging it warns “Don’t shot the eyes directly” (sic). I admit that I sneaked a look at the medium beam, but  just a glance, because the intended warning was not lost in translation.

Room for Improvement
The Xeccon S14 is well suited to commuting and road cycling. For off-road night riding however, since the beam lights up the path with a two dimensional effect, it is hard to recognise depth. Even though the S14 delivers a lot of light, a broader ‘spotlight beam’ and a second bright diffused beam would be more suited for off-road riding.

The main failing of the Xeccon S14 is thankfully easy to fix. During normal riding, vibrations make the handlebar mounted light move slowly forward so that the light eventually points down. The obvious first solution is to use a rubber strip on the handlebars which creates the necessary friction. I discovered that mounting the light underneath rather than on top of the handlebars meant that there was less movement though this still needs the rubber strip. Mounting up-side-down does make the cockpit neater, particularly if you have a bell, cycle computer and bike camera all competing for real estate.

The kit comes with a cable extension, which I didn’t require. The cable from the battery that plugged into the cable from the light was long enough, perhaps a bit too long in fact; on my first ride I found it rattled about a little. My solution was to twist the battery cable around my bike’s gear and brake cables to remove some of the slack while still allowing for plenty of flex to be able to freely turn my handlebars.

The battery needs to be regularly removed for recharging and the cable from the battery connects directly with the cable from the recharger. The connectors (plugs) are a little fiddly due to over-design; there are bumps and groves on each plug end so when they are connected together it’s not immediately obvious where the actual connection was. I sometimes found myself trying to pull it apart on the wrong section. This isn’t a deal breaker, however, though from a product design perspective it could be simplified and improved.

The Xeccon S14 Shines Through
On paper the Xeccon S14 has 4.3 hours battery life on the high beam. I recorded 5 hours 10 minutes. In the last 15 minutes the battery charge indicator switched from green to red. This test was in my office and the aluminium light casing became too hot to touch. On the bike, with the oncoming early morning wind, the light remained much cooler. Over time the battery performance will obviously decline, though for my 2 hour training ride this is more than enough time.

The Xeccon’s ease of use is excellent, once you solve the problem of the light moving about. The single button to turn it on and switch modes is simple. Un-mounting the light and battery and mounting them again is quick, so quite convenient for regular charging or removing the light if you lock the bike in public.

Where the Xeccon really shines (pun intended) is its value for money: it costs US $76.99, so lets say $80 Australian, plus postage from China. There are a number of quality lights on the market in Australia that will deliver the same power, but not at this price point. The narrow beam and hotspot could be improved, though considering the price, the Xeccon S14 makes it affordable for a cyclist to move up from a “be seen” light to a more powerful light that will illuminate the road.

You can view the Xeccon’s specs in the online shop: Xeccon S14 1200 Lumen Light

The Little Brother
The Xeccon S12 is the little brother of the S14 and it still pushes out 1000 Lumens. You can get this online from Xeccon or check out FYXO in Melbourne who are now regularly stocking the S12 in their online shop priced at $79: Xeccon S12 at FYXO

As KNOG expanded into locks and accessories, the design team always kept on the cutting edge. The new kid on that edge is the Blinder, a very bright 4 LED light with a front white light version with 80 Lumens and rear red light version with 44 Lumens. To put this into perspective, the KNOG Blinder GT stripe version I tested was uncomfortable to look at up close in daylight. On the roads at night or in difficult lighting conditions, it will be hard for other road users to miss you.

I like a product that is self-explanatory, where you can avoid reading a manual, but the KNOG Blinders took a little time to work out. The on/off switch needs to be pressed for a few seconds before the light turns on and, similarly, to turn it off the button needs to be pressed a few seconds. Compared with other lights where you press the button once, and then scroll through the light sequences with a click before the light turns off after reaching the last light sequence, this took a little more getting used to.

When the light is strapped on it is hard to reach the button to select the light sequence, but since the light is essentially set and go, this becomes a non-issue. One thing that got me about this light was the battery level indicator. The blinder lights provide (steady) bright light setting and rather than dimming over time (as the charge runs out) they simply turn off. I missed an indicator that would tell me more than the light has no charge or the light is fully charged, I would like to know that the light needs charging soon.

Let’s get it on!
Mounting the light is an interesting experience compared with other KNOG lights – with the Blinder the elastic silicone is paired with a metal clasp. Rather than just stretching a silicone strap onto a latch, the clasp is levered closed so the light sits tight. For round tubes with average diameters (e.g. seat tubes, handlebars), the lights mount well. A problem arises when the tubing is too small or oversized and when there are non-standard cross-sections.

On my race bike the handlebar diameter near the stem is oversized and it barely allows the Blinder to be mounted. My seat tube is aero and while I can fasten the light, the clasp will open itself immediately. Similarly, the seat stays on this bike too thin, so I couldn’t use the rear Blinder light at all. KNOG specify that the Blinder be mounted on bars/posts between 22 – 35mm in diameter, so it’s worth thinking about where you want to mount the lights so you’re certain they mount well.

The silicon in the mount became sticky with use and tended to attracted dust, though I am used to this and it doesn’t bother me.

The silicon and metal latch give it some flexibility to fit different tubes, though it attracts dust.

The rear light is slightly angled so it points back rather than towards the road.

Lights, Camera, Action
The KNOG Blinders are not lights for illuminating your path, rather they’re for allowing you to be seen on the road. In very dark places, the lights will light up a little bit of the road surface however, if you really need illumination, you need to look for a more serious light.

As a flashing LED, the Blinders will be brighter than most of the LEDs that you see and while I personally prefer a simply flashing sequence, there are four sequences to choose from plus a steady (non-flashing) light. For the constant (steady) light KNOG claims you will get 3 hours of battery life, while for the ‘eco-flash’ you will have up to 50 hours battery life on one charge. In the manual, a discharge function is described where the battery can be discharged for safe storage if the lights aren’t being used for a while.

There are different styles of Blinders, the ones I trialled were the GT stripes front and back and though they look great, I would steer away from the front light in this style. The transparent polycarbonate (lens) stripes wrap slight around the edge which means that while riding, the flashing light is in your field of vision which I found very distracting. The other Blinder styles are sexy so unless you really need the extra speed of the GT Stripes, opt for the Cross, Circle, Standard or Arrow Blinder lights instead.

And now for the cool bit…
It isn’t much fun shopping for ‘watch batteries’ when your light is going dim, and the rechargeable AA or AAA batteries many lights use need to be recharged with a dedicated charger. The Blinder, on the other hand, features a rechargeable battery that is recharged directly via a USB port, which means you can charge them up while you work (if you work with or near a computer) and they’re powered up for the next few commutes. This isn’t a new thing; KNOG already have USB recharging in their Boomer light, but the Blinder has four LEDs and is $40 cheaper per light.

The USB plug pops out easily and goes straight into the USB port of your computer. The plug is at the back of the light and is  sealed when mounted which will protect the electronics from water. Though I didn’t go the whole way and see what happens when the lights take a bath, I asked about waterproofing and was told that this has been thoroughly tested.

For a full charge, KNOG suggest charging the Blinder for 5 hours, which is quite a bit of time to tie up a USB port for. On my MacBook Pro (laptop) a bit of juggling was required to make space and realistically, without a USB hub, I can charge only one light at a time. Obviously, you can however charge directly from a power point if you have a USB adapter and this will speed the recharge time . Like a mobile phone, you will probably find yourself charging the Blinder regularly rather than waiting for it to run out.

So should I get some Blinders?

The Blinders are brighter than most LED ‘flashing type’ bike lights and I love the confidence of knowing that I won’t be overlooked by other traffic on the road. Coupled with the USB recharging, the Blinders are fully integrated and are a very convenient option (plus a little friendlier to the environment compared with disposable batteries). These are stylish lights and probably the logical progression in terms of design. At $49.95 per light, there are cheaper lights available, though they probably won’t have the USB battery charging, brightness and style of the Blinders.

I personally would steer away from the GT stripes version for the front light which I found distracting and opt for one of the other Blinder styles. There are 5 colours/styles available and you can see the lights and specs online: knog.com.au/gear-blinder-lights/

Tip: checkout the 4V and 4V Pulse Blinder lights which are coming soon and are a stylish strip of four lights.

So what happens when you raise $215,000 instead? I asked Jim Houk of Revolights a few questions for Bicycles Network Australia (BNA) to find out how their plans have evolved after such successful funding as well as discussing technical and safety details.

If you are not yet familiar with Revolights, the quickest way to understand how Revolights work is to watch the short video (below).

BNA: With the success of Revolights on the US based crowd funding portal KickStarter where you raised $215,000, five times your goal – does this make Revolights a full-time project for your team?

Jim Houk: This has been a full-time “project” since we began our kickstarter campaign but the ultimate goal is to make this a full-time job! We have not achieved this goal yet but are in the midst of a large transitional period for the founding team and the company.

BNA: Do you see the Revolights as a replacement for lights at night or complimentary?

Jim Houk: We believe that one of the unique aspects of the Revolights bike lighting system is that it satisfies all of a cyclists lighting needs. It provides traditional headlight and taillight illumination as well as 360-degree visibility. This is an all-in-one bike lighting solution.

BNA: Have you come across any safety issues or regulations that affect or limit how the Revolights can be used on the streets?

Jim Houk: Our goal is to increase safety for cyclists and have not encountered any safety issues with our bike light system thus far. We are very aware of safety concerns and consider this the number one design priority. There are various regulations that bike lights must comply with across all jurisdictions. This is a huge undertaking that we’ve done a ton of research on. At this point, we are working to address the US regulations prior to our US launch in late June ’12. We plan to tackle international regulations as we move into those markets.

BNA: Without any doubt, the Revolights make a cyclist at night visible, are there any concerns that other road users could be distracted by cyclists with Revolights – considering how different they are to other lighting systems?

Jim Houk: That is something that has been brought to our attention and we think is a fair question. We feel strongly that our bike lights do a great job of identifying the location and direction of cyclists by mimicking other vehicles on the road. We really want to bring awareness that cyclists share the road with all other vehicles. Distractions are a reality on every road and the added visibility created by the Revolights bike lighting system help make the roads safer for everyone.

BNA: Often bike lights are shielded so that the rider sees the beam rather than the light source – with the Revolights, the light source will be directly in the field of vision – could this affect visibility (hotspots that close the riders pupils, and mean the visibility of darker / non-illuminated areas is poorer)?

Jim Houk: Another great question! The lights are actually timed to only illuminate the forward and rearward arcs of the wheels which eliminates this issue. In addition, while projecting 134 lumens from headlight, it is a more diffuse light that creates a “big picture” view of the road ahead as opposed to traditional lights which can  be a little more like having “tunnel vision”.

BNA: The battery has a projected life of four hours – could this be a rechargeable battery and do you see the possibility for longer life batteries or even hub dynamo power?

Jim Houk: The current version uses a Li-ion USB rechargeable battery which is a very efficient energy source for powering LEDs. We have plans to incorporate the wheel rotation as a power source in the future but don’t have a solid timeline for that version at this point.

BNA: The launch is due mid 2012 – are you however still thinking about phase 2 ideas or completely new ideas.

Jim Houk: We are working hard to finalize this version and get it to the market. While this is our primary focus, we do have phase 2 ideas (ie. wheel rotation as the power source) and different applications of this technology that will allow us to grow the business and address additional needs. We are very excited about the future.

BNA: Thank you kindly for your answers – we wish you ongoing success and a great start when Revolights become available.

You can keep up-to-date with Revolights on their website: www.revolights.com. The US retail price is $220 and will originally fit 700c (622mm) wheels. The wheels are planned to be released in the US in late June after which the team will look into overseas markets which is both in logistics (distribution) and safety standards compliance for each country.


Revolights Video

Note: The lights won’t flicker as in the video, this effect comes from shooting with the camera. Also when stationary, the lights won’t rotate instead on the production versions will form an static arc.