Cateye Rapid X Rear

Cateye's Rapid X Rear LED light has been around for a couple of seasons now. While I'm delighted with the build quality and overall performance, minor revisions would improve its appeal – especially at this end of the market.

Aside from the minimalist design and proportionally large 180-degree lens area, 24g is seriously impressive and it feels really solid. I've dropped it a couple of times and it's survived unscathed – most notably when it tumbled from my jersey pocket and bounced along the patio without so much as a scratch.

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Bike lights have been mimicking those fitted to higher end cars in recent years, adopting the COB (Chips on Board) technology that allows more diodes to fill the same space. Aluminium heat sinks disperse heat and give them the best chance of long, productive lives. The Rapid X follows this particular trend with excellent straight on and peripheral bleed, which means it's equally potent round town or along pitch black lanes.

Its factory fitted lithium polymer cell is easily refuelled in a couple of hours and features the now almost universal port plug size, so chances are the one belonging to your phone or tablet will also do the job.

This is hidden behind a sculpted, rubberised foot, designed to achieve a paintwork-friendly, host-hugging surface – simply choose the appropriate O-ring, depending on whether you want to tether it to seatpost, seatstay or rack. Aside from cultivating a slightly silty patina, it seems universally kind to surfaces and hasn't harboured water/spray.

Speaking of which... Like most, the Rapid X has an IPX4 rating and is resistant to heavy rain. A good few close-range blasts from my garden hose didn't make any impression either.

A la modes

The small switch requires a deliberate two-second press before it will power up, and the memory function saves faff if you have a favourite mode. There are six in total, which to some will be overkill, but on the other hand they allow plenty of choice to suit conditions and, of course, battery life.

With great power comes great responsibility... The constant 50 lumens setting proved less distracting than its intermittent counterparts, and works better than I'd expected during the day. Several friends driving home reckoned they could spot me at half a mile or so down the back roads. After 53 minutes, the system's battery auto save function prevents blackouts by kicking down to flashing. This has been dependable to date, although it'll be interesting to see if this remains the case over time, as the cell ages.

Low is a more sensible setting; I would have been more impressed if Cateye had divided the power more equally between these two, but still...

I've tended to run this with its Micro sibling in pulsing for the best of both worlds: enough presence that other traffic can estimate my speed, the pulse reminding them of my presence but without risk of dazzling. A run time of 4hrs 46mins hero to zero is more like it too.

Flashing modes tend to divide opinion. In the 'being seen' sense this one blinked away for 29hrs 39mins and proved unexpectedly useful on some overcast afternoons. Rapid and pulse were good for 280m or so, more on really clear nights, dipping to the 200 mark in town, where they were particularly welcome at roundabouts and junctions. Both modes have consistently returned 15hrs 47mins.

> Read more road.cc reviews of rear lights here

Vibration is another retina tickler – great for pitch black blasts and for warding off wheel-suckers – and returns 7hrs 50mins or so, but it's a bit too raw for group riding and rush hour traffic.

As for value, these days it's possible to pick up good, solid rear lights for less than 20 quid. As a present or at a discount, I'd be delighted with the Rapid X, but as it stands there are models offering very similar bang for less buck.

Verdict

Plenty of presence, but pricey compared with the competition