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review
Lights - front
Lezyne KTV Drive 200 Lezyne KTV Drive 200 Lezyne KTV Drive 200
Lezyne KTV Drive 200

Lezyne KTV Drive 200

7
by Adam Robertson
UPDATED Fri, Dec 20, 2019 17:33

First Published Dec 20, 2019

0
£25.00

VERDICT:

7
10
Good, affordable USB-rechargeable light with excellent day flash mode
Weight: 
52g
Contact: 
www.upgradebikes.co.uk
How we test

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The Lezyne KTV Drive 200 is a good little front light for keeping you visible on the road, with a tough, waterproof construction, although choosing modes while riding could be easier.

  • Pros: Solid construction, USB rechargeable
  • Cons: Mode selection

Front lights fall into two categories: to see with and to be seen. The KTV Drive 200 is very much among the latter, providing excellent rider illumination, particularly the day flash of 200 lumens. In my experience this was more than sufficient to keep me visible even during the worst and darkest winter weather.

> Find your nearest dealer here

The light is made from a composite matrix polymer material and has stood up well both to the UK winter weather and some hamfisted testing... Although not a metal case, one upside is that even after dropping the light not a single scratch has appeared.

Lezyne KTV Drive 200 - top.jpg

As well as the 200-lumen day flash, which Lezyne claims should last 6.5 hours, there are four more modes at your fingertips: blast (70 lumen, 2 hours), economy (15 lumen, 10 hours), flash mode 1 (30 lumen, 13.25 hours) and flash mode 2 (15 lumen, 20 hours).

This provides a decent range of modes to suit the conditions, but the choosing of each mode is linear in progression, which can be a bit cumbersome while riding. One good point is that when the light is turned off and on again it automatically turns on in the last mode used.

Overall battery life has matched up fairly well in testing to the claimed figures mentioned above, and recharging took around three hours, as expected. The USB stick is built directly into the device, allowing you to plug the KTM Drive into your laptop or computer without the need for additional cables.

Lezyne KTV Drive 200 - USB port.jpg

Mounting is quick and easy, using a rubber band to hold the light in place. This keeps your handlebar scratch-free and allows for easy adjustment while out on the bike. The only drawback is that the light tends to rattle over bumpier roads. You fit the light by twisting at 90 degrees, fitting the band and then twisting the light back again.

> Buyer's Guide: The best 2019/2020 front lights for cycling

At £25 the Lezyne isn't bad value. It's a couple of quid cheaper than Cateye's Volt 200 XC at £26.99, though Bikehut's 200 lumen front light is only £18 and  and you can get brighter lights for the same money, such as Moon's 300-lumen Meteor (review to come).

Overall, I'd say the Lezyne KTV Drive 200 is a good choice for being seen, day and night.

Verdict

Good, affordable USB-rechargeable light with excellent day flash mode

road.cc test report

Make and model: Lezyne KTV Drive 200

Size tested: 200 lumens max

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?

Lezyne says, "Compact cycling safety light with two bright LEDs and a 200-lumen Daytime Flash mode. It features a super lightweight, yet durable co-molded construction that is IPX7 (waterproof) rated. NEW -- Up to 20 hours of runtime (eight hour increase) and up to 200 lumens (20 lumen increase) of output. And it features an integrated USB stick for convenient cable-free recharging. The KTV Drive Front offers five output modes and is available in four colors (Black, White, Red, Blue)."

Tell us some more about the technical aspects of the light?

Lezyne lists:

Specification

MAX LUMENS: 200

WEIGHT: 47.5g

MAX RUNTIME: 20 hours

RECHARGE TIME: 2:15 hours

Rate the light for quality of construction:
 
7/10

Good durable construction.

Rate the light for design and ease of use. How simple was the light to use?
 
6/10

Easy to use, but switching between modes can be cumbersome.

Rate the light for the design and usability of the clamping system/s
 
8/10

Reliable and easy to use.

Rate the light for waterproofing. How did it stand up to the elements?
 
9/10

IPX7 rated. Survived the worst the UK winter has had to offer so far.

Rate the light for battery life. How long did it last? How long did it take to recharge?
 
6/10
Rate the light for performance:
 
8/10

The day flash mode was very effective.

Rate the light for durability:
 
7/10

 

Rate the light for weight:
 
7/10

At 47.5g it's not a weight you'll notice on the bike.

Rate the light for value:
 
5/10

Falls in line with similar models on the market.

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

Does a good job of making you visible on the road in low light conditions without blinding other road users.

Tell us what you particularly liked about the light

The overall ease of use.

Tell us what you particularly disliked about the light

Switching between modes while riding.

How does the price compare to that of similar products in the market, including ones recently tested on road.cc?

It's on a par with rivals, a little more than some, though it does share some of the features found on higher end lights in Lezyne's range, such as the Macro Drive 1300XXL.

Did you enjoy using the light? Yes

Would you consider buying the light? Yes

Would you recommend the light to a friend? Yes

Use this box to explain your overall score

It's a good front light for the money; it's affordable and well made, with some useful and practical features, though selecting modes could be improved.

Overall rating: 7/10

About the tester

Age: 20  Height: 6ft 2in  Weight: 75kg

I usually ride: Giant TCR  My best bike is: Giant Trinity

I've been riding for: 5-10 years  I ride: Every day  I would class myself as: Expert

I regularly do the following types of riding: road racing, time trialling, club rides, occasional bit of track

Lezyne KTV Drive 200 2019/2020
Lezyne KTV Drive 200
Lezyne 2019/2020

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