The Exposure Blaze MK3 with ReAKT and Peloton features gives you possibly the best commuting and general riding rear light. It's easy to use – once you've figured out the settings – and it lasts for ages. It is a little on the pricey side, though.
- Pros: Peloton and ReAKT both function as claimed and work well; great durability; long battery life
- Cons: Not cheap at all
Exposure's ReAKT technology was a feature that we saw on the MK2. It worked there and it works well here too. The light can detect braking thanks to the Ambient Kinetic Technology and put the light into a flashing mode to increase visibility.
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The ReAKT setting also adjusts the brightness of the light depending on the conditions. In bright sunlight, it gets noticeably brighter, giving more contrast for better visibility. Does it improve your safety while riding? I'm not sure, but it's great to have when heavy clouds break to reveal bright sunshine.
The Peloton mode is the new feature here and it's focused on group riding. The Blaze will sense when another rider is positioned on your wheel by reacting to the increased brightness of their front light and dimming. It does work, but it's dependent on all the riders having lights. As a result, I was selective about when I used Peloton.
With all these features, initially choosing settings is a little more complicated than I'm used to. It would have helped if I'd read the instruction manual as this demystifies the process... Everything is controlled from the single function button. Give it a quick double press and you turn the light on, picking up the last chosen setting (high/daybright, medium or low). Selecting which of these three settings, or programs, you want is a simple case of holding the button down from off and counting the light's flashes. One flash gives you the brightest mode, two for the medium setting, and three for low.
To enable the ReAKT or Peloton features, you've got to hold the function button down for four or five flashes respectively. They don't work together, so it's one or the other. Beyond this, six flashes disables these modes.
For the test period, I settled on the high setting with ReAKT enabled. This daybright mode kicks out a strong flash for 12 hours (a single click turns any of the constant settings to flashing). That's plenty for a full week of riding for me.
For the times that I headed out on the dark Mendip lanes, program 2/medium was easily bright enough and a quick look over my shoulder saw the road and hedges bathed in red light.
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The claimed battery life is pretty good, with a minimum run-time of 6 hours on constant high, and a max of 48 hours on flashing low.
Remaining battery is visible from the traffic light colours that display through the function button. Green is between 100% and 50%, amber is 50%-25%, red is 25%-5% and flashing red is lower than 5%. At this point, the light will automatically switch to low flashing to squeeze out as much time as possible.
If you forget what program gives what burn time, Exposure has handily laser-etched the details into the casing.
That brings me on to durability. The aluminium casing is much more robust than a plastic shell and Exposure is happy to back up its light with a two-year warranty. I've not dropped this yet, but it's nice to have the harder shell if you're blessed with butter fingers.
Mounting the light is simple and although it's a low tech system, it works easily and holds the light in place over rough ground. The rubber band fastening will allow it to fit all modern oddly shaped seatposts.
The MK3 gets the same 1,500mAh lithium-ion battery as the MK2 ReAKT, and the only change is the addition of Peloton. As a feature, it's a great idea, but it's reliant on all the other riders in your group having a front light running. Testing this feature meant asking a friend to sit on the wheel with their light running.
It works, dimming the light to a comfortable level with the wheel-sucking rider's light flashing or on constant, and if your regular group ride is more organised than mine, it's quite a clever feature to have.
Although the price is high, it's not the most you can spend on a rear light. Hope's District+ is £130 and shows the extra burn-time that you get from an external battery pack – '15-200 hr burn time'. For pure commuting, the Cycliq Fly6 (£169.99) adds HD video but reduces the light's capacity.
On its own, the Blaze is a great light with long battery life and very good brightness. Both the ReAKT and Peloton technologies work well and if you frequently ride in a group with lights, you – and your riding mates – will be pleased.
Verdict
Bright, long battery life and easy to use with clever technology
Make and model: Exposure Blaze MK3 With ReAKT And Peloton
Size tested: Length: 70mm Head Diameter: 28mm
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?
From Exposure:
Intelligent rear lighting for commuting, road cycling and Time Trial. Ambient Kinetic Technology (ReAKT) enables the light to automatically flare under braking and when entering areas of higher ambient light to create a contrast in brightness
Updated with Peloton mode utilises ReAKT Technology for use in a chain gang by dimming upon detection of a rider's front light, preventing a dazzling effect, but flaring up as a beacon at the tail of the pack.
High capacity battery for substantial burn times.
Features USB convenience, a choice of 6 burn times, DayBright flash pattern and side illumination for 180__visibility.
Tell us some more about the technical aspects of the light?
From Exposure:
Output
LED Configuration: 1 x Red XPE-R Cree LED
Lumens: Max 80/With ReAKT 150
Battery
Battery: 1500 mAh Lithium-Ion
Runtime: 6hrs - 48hrs
Rechargeable: Mains and USB
Charge Time: 4hrs
Construction
Weight: 77g
Anodised 6063 Aluminium
Water Resistance IPX6
Dimensions
Length: 70mm
Head Diameter: 28mm
Rate the light for quality of construction:
7/10
Everything works and nothing feels cheap or flimsy. That's good considering the price...
Rate the light for design and ease of use. How simple was the light to use?
8/10
One function button means that everyday use is very easy. Navigating the settings is a bit involved with counting the flashes, but it's something that I did once and then left alone. And if you can't remember which settings mean which run times? That's laser etched on the casing.
Rate the light for the design and usability of the clamping system/s
8/10
It seems a bit basic but it works well. Very easy to use and secure.
Rate the light for waterproofing. How did it stand up to the elements?
8/10
I've had zero issues with water ingress and I usually leave the lights on while washing the bike.
Rate the light for battery life. How long did it last? How long did it take to recharge?
9/10
Same story as the older MK2 with ReAKT. Run-times are great, and recharge time is about 4 hours from a wall socket.
Rate the light for performance:
10/10
Great burn-times and very easy to use once set up. The ReAKT technology works very well but the main addition is Peloton. This works but relies on all other members of your group ride having front lights switched on.
Rate the light for durability:
9/10
The aluminium body is sturdier than a plastic one, which could help in the event of a crash. Or if you've just got butter fingers.
Rate the light for weight:
8/10
It's not the lightest but it's not as heavy as one with an external battery.
Rate the light for value:
7/10
A premium price for a premium product – but not the most you can pay for a rear light.
Tell us how the light performed overall when used for its designed purpose
For everyday training rides and commuting, this is really good. I appreciated the extra battery life over the Lezyne Zecto Max 250 that I've been using.
Tell us what you particularly liked about the light
The burn-times are brilliant, allowing you to feel safe in the knowledge that you'll get home with a very bright light still running.
Tell us what you particularly disliked about the light
There's nothing that I particularly dislike, but I wouldn't be able to use the Peloton mode much.
How does the price compare to that of similar products in the market, including ones recently tested on road.cc?
This is at the top end of the rechargeable market but you get great build quality, top technology and very long burn-times. The Cycliq Fly6 adds HD video for £169.99. Lezyne's Zecto Drive 250 Max (£48) is much cheaper with a brighter day flash, but the burn-time on constant is much lower.
Did you enjoy using the light? Yes, once figured out, the settings are easy to use.
Would you consider buying the light? Maybe
Would you recommend the light to a friend? Yes
Use this box to explain your overall score
It's bright and the battery lasts a long time. That's the most important thing for me. The ReAkt technology is really good, but while the Peloton feature is very clever and works well, it is very situation-dependent: it relies on everyone in the group having a front light on and running. Overall, I'd say the Blaze is an excellent option – especially if you'd make full use of the Peloton feature.
Age: 24 Height: 177cm Weight: 62kg
I usually ride: Cannondale Supersix Di2 My best bike is:
I've been riding for: 5-10 years I ride: Most days I would class myself as: Expert
I regularly do the following types of riding: road racing, time trialling, cyclo-cross, commuting, club rides, general fitness riding, I specialise in the Cafe Ride!
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