We’ve tested the Lezyne Mega Drive before and it’s always struck us as a wolf in sheep’s clothing. Despite the all-alloy body, it still looks a bit like a commuter light. Switch it on and it’s a whole different story.
Previous versions of the Mega Drive had two LEDs and were impressively bright. The latest version runs three LEDs and the claimed output has gone from 1,200 lumens up to 1,400.
More lumens sounds great but the real improvement on the trail comes with the beam pattern on the updated light. It’s now slightly smoother in its transition from the central hotspot to the outer edge of the beam. If anything it doesn’t throw the light as far down the trail but there’s clearly more spill around the edges. As a handlebar-only light, this is an important feature; narrow beams do a respectable job when helmet mounted but become annoying when fitted to the bars. The beam offered by the Mega Drive is nice and wide whilst still offering plenty of distance vision.
Lezyne says the light goes for 1:15 on high beam and we achieved 1:10 in our testing. The lower power settings allow you to stretch this out for a two hour ride but it’s worth buying the ‘Loaded Box’ kit (as tested), as it’s supplied with an extra battery that you can swap out on the trail for longer rides. This upgraded kit also comes with an alloy handlebar bracket—a must if you want this 269g light to stay put on the handlebars on rougher trails.
The regular setup includes a couple of flashing modes within the beam sequence, which isn’t ideal for off-road use. We preferred the ‘overdrive’ setting which gives you a simple two-mode operation; full power and ‘economy’ (5hrs at 300 lumens), although the lower beam is on the dim side for anything other than climbing.
Claimed Output (Lumens) 1,400
Total System Weight 321g
Longest Burntime 5 hrs
PRICE 299$
