The last time we looked at Ay Ups, each light was rated at 400 lumens. Now this figure is up to 700 lumens (1,400 lumens in total). They may be brighter but the overall design remains virtually unchanged. You get two lights in the pack; one for your helmet and the other for your bars. Other lights may offer helmet or bar mounting options but Ay Up covers you for both in one fell swoop.
Mounting the Ay Ups is about as low-tech as it gets. The handlebar bracket is secured with cable ties while the helmet mount is fitted using adhesive velcro dots. Once the mounts are in place, the light components clip into place without needing tools. However with the lights removed, you’re left with brackets and velcro dots all over the place —maybe I’m too precious but this bugged me.
In function the Ay Ups couldn’t be easier to use. Click the button to switch them on, click to scroll through three beam levels and hold the button down for two seconds to turn them off. If you want a flashing mode for daytime visibility, switch the light on with an extended press — that’s as complicated as it gets. You also get a pair of red covers that turn your Ay Up into a super bright taillight.
In stock form the kit is supplied with one spot beam (typically for the helmet) and one midbeam. Both beams are very centrally focused with dark rings around the outside. The bar and helmet light combo goes a long way in compensating for the patchy beam patterns, so in use the system performed better than the photo suggests. We also got to try their new wide beam option; it produces a much smoother and more consistent light. If you ride narrow or twisting trails, we’d recommend you order the wide beam for the bars combined with a midbeam for your head.
Claimed Output (Lumens) 1,400
Total System Weight 425g
Longest Burntime 8 hrs
