Commuter light
Moon Shield Rechargeable Tail Light
Unless that nice Brian Cox has led me astray the mighty Moonshield rear LED should really be called the Sun Shield, seeing as the Moon only reflects light, it doesn't kick it out in great strobing pulses with a disco flash.
Moon X Power 500 Front Light
The Moon X-Power 500 looks neat and compact and feels pleasingly chunky yet light.
Mounting the light was easy, the mount is easy to adjust and fitted very solidly to the bars, and stayed firmly in position without having to be cranked up stupidly tight. It has some horizontal adjustment too, so you can point the beam towards the verge and make sure you're not going to dazzle any oncoming traffic. The release switch is easy to locate and operate, even in gloves.
Niterider Lightning Bug 3.0
Much to the relief of the macho types and, I suppose, goths Nite Rider's Lightning bug 3.0 also comes in black, as well as white, red, blue and green… and the pink version tested here. Indeed a black one has alternated between helmet peaks and the Univega's prodigious WTB drops for the past twelve months, rescuing us when more sophisticated see-by systems got the sulks.
Silva Velo 3LED Headlamp
Silva calls the Velo 'a perfect product for the advanced commuter' and that's as good a description as any of the light's strengths. The Velo's three-LED head is very similar to Silva's Minox head torch - the Swedish company has years of experience with head torches and is seeking to use that knowledge to break into the bike market.
Cateye Econom EL-540 Rechargeable Front Light.
Cateye's EL540 is a viable alternative to dynamos for commuting and utility riding round town and in the sticks. Don't be fooled by the slightly quaint looks and AA Nimh power source, cutting edge technology squeezes every last ounce from the single LED and it's powerful enough for navigating unlit backwaters by. Forgetful types will be reassured by the fact the cells can be swapped for common or garden alkaline types without impairing performance.
Blackburn Voyager Click front light
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.
One23 Intense Bright 1 Front LED Light
One23 Intense bright 1 is a remarkably solid, well-conceived compact commuter lamp with excellent optics, weather seals and peripheral illumination that shames some household names. On the flip-side, Halos limit effective navigation beyond 15mph and battery consumption is pretty poor by modern standards too, although you can of course use rechargeables.
Moon Mask 5 LED Front Light
Form definitely meets function with the Moon Mask 5.0 LED, which claims to delivers a whopping 70 lumens in the highest of five modes-just enough for tackling well surfaced lanes at 20 odd mph and a real boon for roadside repair, pannier rummaging and map reading. It certainly gave a punch performance in our beam test and the stats seem to bear that out too.
Cateye Jido AU-230 Front Light
Billed as the ultimate commuter light Cat Eye AU-230 is a very neat hybrid of cutting edge and tried 'n' tested technology. At one end we have the clever automatic sensor shared with the brand's Reflex family that engages the five super-bright LEDs when it decides dusk, dawn or darkness have arrived. At the other and in stark contrast to the USB-or-nothing dogma, it's powered by four AA cells returning a very frugal 57 hours in flashing, 28 steady.
Knog Gekko 3LED Front Light
The Knog Gekko is a delightfully simple, yet bright and economical LED light fuelled by two AAA batteries and encased in a super tactile silicone shell. Our white samples allowed the bright beam to bleed through the casing as a ghostly glow that most traffic seemed to spot a good distance away in flashing modes when mounted around the bars. These are welcome get-you-homes should the swanky Uber lumen rechargeable systems do the unthinkable or as a cute dynamo companion, peripheral presence can prove a little hit and miss.
Singletrack MTB mag
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