Riders however have the choice to to choose between the power sources and can hence influence the run time and modes (constant or flashing). The flexible mounting strap (FlexTight) can be fastened without the use of tools. The LED lense and reflector is intensified with the ‘Opticube’ lense technology.

The Hybrid light is a thoughtful solution and while the wide solar panel platform is certainly required, the design is somewhat awkward and there is potential to improve the form for a more balanced and integrated light.

Functions:
400+ candlepower
Solar (Ni-MH) 2.5+ hours of runtime  (Constant)
Solar (Ni-MH) 6+ hours of runtime  (Flashing)
Alkaline (LR6 (AA)) 10+ hours of runtime  (Constant)
Alkaline (LR6 (AA)) 30+ hours of runtime  (Flashing)
Flashing and constant mode

Cateye lights are distributed in Australia by Pacific Brands.

The most remarkable feature of IQ-TEC is a newly-developed special reflector with integrated cooling system.  The light comes from a high-powered LED that is used as an indirect light source. For this reason, the centre of the reflector remains free for “nothing but light”.

The overwhelming lighting experience is not only due to the high lux value pumping out 50 lux. If the IXON IQ Speed is installed as double headlight (only one accu pack!), the bike “burns” brightly through the night brilliantly illuminating the route with 100 lux for five hours or 10 hours at 50 lux. And can be switched down to the 10 lux to save battery life or in high lit areas.

Features:

2-position switch:
High-Power-Mode: 50 lux (10 hours)
City-Eco-Mode: 10 lux (50 hours)
Convenient and safe electronic system with more than 90 % efficiency
With electronically controlled charger, charging time approximately 6 hours only
Scope of supplies includes high capacity accumulator
With protection against total discharge in both operating modes
Weight: 85 g only (without accumulator)
Optional helmet brackets available
A second headlamp can be attached for double lighting capacity

Made by Busch & Müller in Germany and available from selective Bicycle shops in Australia such as St Kilda Cycles in Melbourne.

A new take on the trusty LED bike lights that we’ve all grown to love and rely on.. LED bike lights have been around for almost 10 years now and have changed very little.. Some say when you find a good thing stick to it.. we say.. why not make it better..?

Regular bike lights light up brightly in a one primary direction (uni-directional).. and generally work well for traffic approaching from behind you.. but what about traffic coming from the side and other angles?

Fibre Flare uses high intensity LED’s to illuminate a flexible fibre optic core that lights up all around in every direction (Omni-Directional).. it can be seen at distances over 300 meters .. and yes you can make it flash too.. and like most LED lights it lasts ages and uses regular (or rechargeable) AAA batteries.

The fiber optics are very bright while very economical on battery usage, meaning that your light won’t run out in the middle of your commute or late night training ride. The light offers 20 times as much lighting as the typical rear light.

Fibre Flare is amazingly versatile when it comes to mounting options.. they have fabric clips at either end that can be used to fasten it to jerseys, jackets, bags etc.. best bit is no matter which way it dangles or hangs its always visible..

The Fibre Flare tail light and side light is available from A.L.L. Innovations in Victoria.

The extensive Liix range of bike parts fits with the Urban Bike scene like spokes in a hub. Liix has introduced us to the Liix Wing Light, a retro style headlight comes with a superbright Power LED, batter powered and available with different brackets so you  can either mount it on the fork or on the handlebar.

Liix are also releasing Liix Design Helmets, made in cooperation with  BERN. The Japanese designer Aritake Nakagawa has designed a new range of helmets exclusively for Liix. The concept behind the Bern helmet is a simple one, a helmet that can be used for a wide range of sports, including Skate, BMX, Wake and Water-ski, Snowboard, and Snowski. The helmets feature interchangeable warm and cold weather liners and audio headphone kits.

The Liix Wing Light and Bern/Liix Design Helmets are available online from Liix in Germany.

Enter the D.I.Y. Pro LED Series. So what about a light design that’s programmable to you where you can customize with its own internet based software to fit your own riding whether that be road, off road or commuter or the casual ride after dark. The maximum and minimum output is set but the rest of the setup is up to you.

No word on the price as yet.

Distributed by JetBlack Products

The cover itself is fairly predictably a yellow cover with silver reflective stripes, however what’s unique about it integrated LED system.

The 7 red LED’s are powered by two AA batteries housed in a pocket inside the backpack cover and the lights are operated by a button outside the cover. Why? Well, LEDwear claim that not only will this cover help to make you more visible, but it’ll keep all your stuff dry too! Lets take a look at the details.

Claimed battery life is 100 hours, which is on par for this style of LED lights. It’s worth noting, though that you can usually expect less battery life from the flashing modes.

So what can we tell you about the quality? We figured there’s just three things you want from a waterproof, high-visibility, backpack cover: It’s got to cover your backpack, it’s got to be highly visible and it’s got to be waterproof!

Does it cover your Backpack?
Check.

That’s a 30L backpack so their one-size-fits-all approach seems to be adequate. There is still around 10 centimetres of stretch vertically and a bit more horizontally there too. The cover also has elastic bands to hold the bag in place and the metal snaps are on the edge so they don’t dig into your back. We found the placement of the bottom band a bit low since you can see this particular backpack has a lap belt for example, but there was enough stretch in it that it was no big deal at all.

At around 250 grams and foldable to a size of around this:

? It’s rather portable too.

Is it highly visible?
Yep!

Of course, it’s pretty hard to show in pictures what they actually look like but those reflective stripes are very high quality. They’ll pick up the flash of a single LED headlight from 50 metres away and light you up like a Christmas tree. Likewise it’s pretty hard to miss the red LED’s on the cover too. You can choose from a standard ‘on’ mode as well as two different flashing modes.

The stripes, as you can see, follow the contour of the backpack too and give you some side-on reflectivity as well. Some other backpack covers have horizontal stripes for this reason and I’m not sure why LEDwear chose to leave them out. In practice though, the lack of horizontal reflective stripes would not make this cover any less visible.

It shouldn’t be forgotten that the bright fluro yellow is also highly visibilie in daylight and low-light situations as well. All in all, the package delivers. It’s bright and bold, reflects even the smallest bit of light and the LED’s are bright enough that they’re not drowned out.

Will it keep my stuff dry?
The cover itself is definitely waterproof and in a light shower it will certainly do the job. However, in our rather comical backyard garden hose tests, we uncovered a couple of issues.

First, the bottom of the cover doesn’t have drainage holes, so any water that does make its way in, can pool in the bottom. Second, the nature of the cover is that it’s going to let some water inside in most cases. Water can run down your back and soak the backpack from that surface.

The reality is of course, that completely enclosing the backpack is a bit impractical and even more so in a one-size-fits-all application. In fact both of the issues we’ve mentioned here are par for the course and in fairness this cover’s waterproofing qualities are exemplary in context. The whole exterior is made without seams so there are no weak spots and the battery pack is in its own waterproof pocket (although we’d have put it up high, not down the bottom).

In all, our hose soaking was pretty harsh and it would only be extremely heavy rain that could pose a problem, so you should take our criticisms in the right context. If you are going out in a tropical storm, you would need to consider other measures to gear your backpack completely dry though as a highly visible and portable solution, the cover a very practical solution for every day use.

The Final Word
We couldn’t find a backpack too big for this cover so we couldn’t fault it there. The combination of high-vis yellow, reflective stripes and integrated lights are really attention grabbing and are truly unique. You can never be too visible on the road and in that regard, the LEDwear product has few competitors. And yes, it will keep your stuff dry as long as you avoid using it for scuba diving and drenching tropical downpours.

So what about the price? We understand the rrp is going to be around AU$45.00. Considering you’re getting a light assembly included in the package and considering that its essentially without peer, we were pleasantly surprised. If you do a lot of commuting, this is a bargain – it’s easily the most visible backpack cover we’ve seen and it’s probably only a little bit more than you’d pay for a “normal” cover.

And yes, we know what you’re all wondering. The Rucksack Cover is laterally stiff, yet vertically compliant.

The LEDwear Rucksack Cover and other wet weather and night riding gear is currently available online from the UK via Cycle Clothing UK