Blackburn

I'm a big fan of the original Blackburn VIP ride wallet, so was intrigued by this VIP QR handlebar phone case, which takes the waterproof phone cover from the jersey pocket to the bike with a quick release bracket.

The whole package is a lightweight alternative to some of the unwieldy phone mounts out there, with an extremely compact and easy to attach mounting bracket that puts most of the competition to shame. The thin nylon wallet has a plastic clip on the back that slides and locks to the mount, but even that is pretty unobtrusive.

The Blackburn Scorch front light is Blackburn's most expensive and most powerful front light, with a claimed maximum output of 140 lumen. Producing those lumens is a white Cree XP-G LED (the de facto LED for higher end lights) which is housed inside a solid CNC machined aluminium housing. Light modes (high, standard and flashing) are toggled through using a single rear mounted push button which also acts as the on/off switch.

The Blackburn Super Flea rear flasher stretches a good design to its true potential with excellent optics, weathertight casings and decent mounting hardware whether affixed to seatposts, clothing or accessories.

Measuring 33x23x46cm it's about as genuinely bijoux as you get while still doing the job on dark nights. Blackburn doesn't quote figures but it seems broadly in thirty-odd lumen territory. Run times are quoted as fifteen hours steady, twenty-eight in flash/strobing.

The Blackburn Flea Solar 2.0 4 LED USB front light is perfect for touring and audax since it can be charged using the sun's energy - but has a USB option, an absolute godsend in dwindling daylight. However, despite these gizmos it's starting to feel dated, dare I say impotent alongside the latest generation of eighty lumen plus rivals.

Blackburn's Voyager Click Headlight mightn't be leading the pack in the lumens race but rather like horsepower or megapixels, figures are only half the picture. Thirteen measly pounds buys two ultra bright LEDs, fiendishly user-friendly switch, battery sipping run-times and no quibble lifetime warranty.