Exposure Race 19

The Exposure Race 19 is a powerful front light that is well made, offers a good beam pattern, and can be attached either above or below the bars. It’s an impressive piece of kit that performs extremely well, but it is a substantial unit and right up there in terms of cost.

The build quality of the Exposure Race 19 is seriously impressive with an all-in-one machined body and etched logos and technical information – no stickers or paint in sight.

This is not a compact or lightweight unit by modern standards, but it’s definitely not the heaviest light out there and the size brings with it a reassuring sense of durability. Everything about the construction – from the finish to the mounting interface – feels carefully considered and properly executed. It gives the impression of a premium light designed to withstand year-round riding in tough conditions.

Performance

Once you’re riding, the Race 19’s bright, forward-focused beam gives plenty of confidence. The light illuminates the road ahead well, with a beam pattern that is narrower than others, but it’s more a gradual fade-out than a stark stop on the peripheries.

The concentration of the beam in the middle means that this would be well-suited to MTB uses as well as the road. I found that it was bright enough for gravel rides and I would be confident to use this on rougher trails if needed.

The lenses are recessed which helps to protect against damage to them, but the drawback to this is you have no real visibility from the side. Exactly how much impact this would have in-real life is debatable and I never felt like other vehicles couldn’t see me, but it’s something worth noting.

Maximum output on the light is 2,650 lumens, which is more than you would need for most uses, especially on the road. I quite comfortably ran this at around 50 per cent on light gravel trails, so the maximum would be more than enough for more technical or fast mountain bike trails if needed.

Usability and features

Exposure has packed a lot into the Race 19’s design without making it too complicated or requiring you to use an app.

In particular, the full-colour OLED display gives clear information on output mode and remaining battery life, which is very cool. It meant that it wasn’t just a guess of what one LED in a line represented – it gave exact times.

Reflex technology automatically adjusts brightness based on your speed and terrain too, which feels like a sensible way of getting the most out of the battery without constant button pressing.

However, my favourite part of this is something so small that shows how much thought was put into the design. When the light sits on top of the bars, the screen appears one way up, but when underneath it flips so it’s still readable. This is something that is not necessary in a light, but at the same time shows the workmanship that has gone into it.

The interface is all controlled through a single button on the rear of the light. You hold the button to cycle through its various functions and press twice to switch the beam on. Once the beam’s on, a single press changes the power level, while holding the button will switch between constant beam and flashing. It takes a little bit of getting used to, but honestly, within a couple of rides it wasn’t an issue.

Charging and battery life

Charging the Exposure Race 19 is straightforward via a USB-C port on the rear of the light. This has a dust cover that kept all the water and muck out during rides. Charging from 0-100 per cent took a couple of hours from a laptop port and about an hour from a socket, which is about what I would expect.

Battery life is one of the Race 9’s strong points, particularly with Exposure’s Optimised Mode Selector and Reflex technology. You can tailor the output to suit your riding and how long you need it to last, so overall battery life becomes a little less important as you’re less reliant on guesswork. The light suggests maximum run-time of 36 hours and a minimum of two hours and on-screen estimates seemed reasonably accurate.

Mount and build quality

The Race 19 sits solidly on the bike thanks to Exposure’s well-designed quick-release bracket. This features an arrow-shaped channel into which the arrow-shaped mounting point on the light fits. Press the red button on the top of the bracket and the light releases easily.

The system is secure and stayed put throughout testing. This really matters with a heavier light as even a bit of instability can lead to the bracket loosening itself over the course of a ride. In this case, I have not at any point needed to tighten it during the review period.

I mentioned the CNC-machined aluminium body earlier, but it’s worth noting again how well made this feels. It could easily take a knock or two without complaint and even the radiating elements that help the lenses to release heat are machined parts of the body, which has no screws or even joins.

You’re paying a premium for this level of finish and durability, but it is genuinely a thing of beauty.

Value and weight

That premium is an RRP of £295, which means it sits near the top of the tree, with only a few other lights in the same bracket and most of them coming with additional tech like cameras or dynamos. That said, if I were to pay this much for a light I wouldn’t be disappointed. I’ve used dozens of lights throughout the years and this is undoubtedly the best made and most innovative.

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The Exposure Race 19 hits the scales at 224g which, whilst heavier than many lights, is about right for this lumen output. I wouldn’t want it under my bars if I was climbing Mont Ventoux, but I would want it coming down in the dark.

It’s also barely half the weight of Exposure’s own Six Pack 15, which at £495 and offering output of up to 6,000 lumens is only really an option for serious night riders with very deep pockets.

Elsewhere, you could look at the Igaro C1 Dynamo Light and USB Power Converter that we reviewed on off.road.cc. It is lighter at 158g without mounts or cables. This is more expensive at £380, but requires an app to use and the exposed ports are difficult to keep clean. However, it is a dynamo light which some might find attractive.

For slightly less money, you can pick up the NiteRider Lumina Max 2500, which is £220. It is a whole 2g heavier – but whilst it is £75 cheaper and has a very good beam, the build qualities are incomparable. The Niterider is solid and reliable, but it doesn’t lay a glove on the Exposure’s single body design.

Overall

The Exposure Race 19 is a very impressive, well-made front light – perhaps the best made I have ever used. It’s powerful enough for serious night riding on or off-road, but it is also durable and polished enough to feel like a long-term piece of kit, which makes the very high price a lot more justifiable.

It isn’t the smallest front light around, but with the ability to mount it beneath the bars, this becomes a minor point as it’s not taking up any handlebar real estate and it isn’t big enough to disrupt pedalling motion. Overall, this is a very expensive, but very, very good light.