Lezyne Zecto Drive rear light

Tell us what the light is for, and who it's aimed at. What do the manufacturers say about it? How does that compare to your own feelings about it?

This is a rear light, designed for general usage and especially useful for weekend rides where the first (or last) hour or two may be in the dark. Commuters or regular night riders may want something bigger and brighter, or combine the Zecto Drive with another light.

The Lezyne website says this about the Zecto Drive Rear: '... delivering a highly visible 20 lumens in Daytime Flash mode ... Intelligent Power Indicator allows the user to check the power level at any time, and provide Side Visibility, allowing 180 degrees of visibility ... Easily attaches via its Clip-On System, providing for versatile strapped or clipped mounting. The dedicated rear design points upward to ensure light is directed straight back.'

Construction seems very solid. The aluminium lens ring (rather than plastic) gives extra protection should the light be absolutely dropped. The housing is a mix of solid plastic and rubber.

The light was very easy to use. The single on/off button has to be pressed for a couple of seconds to turn the light on or off, which means it can't be turned on accidentally. The same button then toggles between the modes. It's sealed inside the rubber mounting material, so weather-protected.

The options of clip (for saddle pack) and rubber band (to go round seat post) are ideal and work well. The only minor downside is the design oddity which means the rubber band is not attached to the equivalent position on each side of the light, which has the effect of pulling it slightly to one side, so you need to carefully align it to make sure the beam is pointing straight back towards traffic.

The light's on/off/setting button in inside the rubber housing, so protected from the rain. The micro USB port for recharging is protected by a rubber flap which is certainly enough to keep out the rain, especially as it's additionally protected under the body of the light. If you're riding without mudguards in the rain, road spray from the back wheel may eventually penetrate. It may have been more usefully positioned on the side of the light housing.

The Zecto Drive has six modes, including three different 'flash' patterns (all at 10 lumens, ranging from about 3 to 4 hours battery life), constant 'economy' (5 lumens, 4 hours), constant 'blast' (10 lumens, 2 h 45mins) and 'daytime' – a very bright double flash (20 lumens, 7 hours). In practice, these battery life figures are about right. Towards the end of the charge, the various flash modes switched to constant (although comparatively dull) and the light kept going for another hour or so in addition to Lezyne's times. Recharging takes a couple of hours via the computer.

There are lights available from other manufacturers which are either brighter, bigger, smaller, or with longer battery life (depending what you need), but the Zecto Drive strikes an ideal balance and, for what it is, performance is excellent.

The Zecto Drive weighs 52g (with the rubber band) – making it light and compact for the brightness produced. And still sturdy as well.

The recommended retail is a penny under £30, but you can find it discounted by a few quid at your local bike shop and the usual on-line stores. There are bigger and brighter rear lights available from other manufacturers, ideal for commuters and night-riders. You can also find lights which are either cheaper or more expensive. But for general weekend cycling where you're making the occasional early start (or a late finish) and need lights for just an hour or two, this Zecto Drive is ideal, and good value.

Tell us how the light performed overall when used for its designed purpose

As mentioned above, the Zecto Drive is ideal for general weekend cycling where you're making the occasional early start (or a late finish) and need lights for just an hour or two of darkness, with maybe the light on daytime mode for the bulk of your ride. On this basis, this rear light performed very well for its designed purpose.

Tell us what you particularly liked about the light

Neat, bright, compact, easy to fit.

Tell us what you particularly disliked about the light

A couple of minor design oddities, but not the end of the world at all

Anything further to say about the light in conclusion?

The Zecto Drive is great for general weekend cycling where you're making the occasional early start (or a late finish) and need lights for just a couple of hours of darkness. Commuters and regular night-riders will also find the Zecto Drive useful when combined with another light (for example, one on flash, the other on constant).

On this basis, the Zecto Drive is an ideal combination of small physical size and bright light, plus tough construction, easy fitting and easy operation, which would give a score of 9. The design oddities (position of recharge port and rubber band retention clips) and the price (which although fair is not an absolute bargain) together knock off a point, giving an overall score of 8.