All Arround MTB

The Stix Elite uses its own USB key to dock into the flexible rubber seatpost mount, where a rubberised cover snaps into place to keep it secure. Water can still get in though, and the key can get pretty wet during downpours, so it’s important to make sure to let the light dry before recharging it. There are two constant modes, but we elected to use one of the four flashing settings to string out battery life. Specialized claim the light will last a whopping 77 hours on ‘Eco Flash’ mode, with charging taking just 2.5 hours. A red/green battery life indicator makes it easy to see when it needs topping up. The Stix Elite’s compact size and standout visibility (Spesh claim it puts out 68 lumens in its brightest mode) mean it’s a great little rear light to carry in your pack in case the light starts to fade when you’re on your way home from the trails. Price $45

The MaxxD has always been a costno- object favourite and Exposure sneaked us the latest version ahead of its official release. Its four-LED output has crept up to a 3,300-lumen max in the accelerometer-controlled ‘Reflex’ mode, which automatically senses faster/rougher riding, while the stopped setting is dimmer to save battery life. Modes are selected via the back button, while run times/ charge are displayed on the rear screen. Three spots and one diffused LED give a healthy level of light for fast riding, but capacity is still enough for big rides if used wisely. The self-contained design removes cable and battery worries, and you can buy supplementary batteries and a wireless remote switch. An appcontrolled 'SYNC' version is due in the autumn, but as it stands it’s our favourite smart grab-and-go light. Weight 340g Run time 1hr 55mins Price $562

MTB Batteries make replacement cells for salvaging ropey eBay lights, and that experience means their own branded lights are spot on for the money. The claimed 2,200-lumen output is more like 1,200 to 1,500, with limited distance reach, but it gives broad coverage from the front wheel upwards, with a smooth edge that’s easy on the eyes. You can order the small two-LED head with an O-ring or GoPro mount. Upcoming changes will split the three solid modes (press and hold for strobe/ flash) and on/off duties between the two rear switches so there’s no illumination interruption. Four Panasonic cells in a metal case give impressive run times that make the lack of a life indicator less troubling. The stretchy bag-battery fits most frames easily. Reliability peace of mind makes the price a bargain. Weight 360g Run time 3hrs 10mins Price $158

Gloworm have been evolving the extremely adaptable X2 over the years and this latest version is the toughest yet. The cables – a previous weak point – are now properly stout, with bombproof connections to the head, wired remote and boxy battery. It comes on a helmet clip mount, with bar and GoPro mounts included. The X2 is light and angle-adjustable enough to work with a helmet-peak mount too. Its three-mode trail menu can be custom tuned. You can even change the default tightly-focused, clean-edged output by unscrewing the faceplate and switching to the diffuser or spot lens included. Small LEDs set deep into the battery face make the five-stage run time indicator slightly awkward to read but battery life is reasonable for its small size and reliability has been rock solid now the cables are sorted. Weight 340g Run time 2hrs 35mins Price $262

The Buster 2000 is heavy, but that gets you serious power and longevity with tons of useful features. Its claimed 2,000-lumen output actually seems higher, with long centre-point reach and a clear, consistent secondary spread out to smooth, eye-friendly edges. The triangular three-LED head comes on a thumbwheel-secured band that works with 35mm bars (if you pull the padding out). Helmet and GoPro-style mounts are also included. There’s a wireless remote too, with a secondary button that just toggles through the steady modes, dodging the strobe and pulse settings. The square plastic battery is bulky and contributes to the heaviest weight on test. Run times are impressive though, and it’s got a fourstep charge indicator. While it’s a new light to us, reliability is sound so far. Weight 485g Run time 2hrs 35mins Price $380

Alpkit’s rebranded Magicshine light bundle looks a real bargain, but testing revealed some troubles. For a start, the actual output seems more like half that claimed. A focused central punch means it still has acceptable reach but the intermediate beam is lumpy and irregular, which can get confusing against complex backgrounds. The three-stage power menu includes sketchy flash and then off sequences too. That’s not as crippling as on some lights here though, because the wireless remote means you can flick past them without taking your hand off the bar. The generous hardshell battery allows a decent ride at full power. A helmet mount and extension lead are included, and a rear light can be added via a Y-shaped cable splitter. Magicshine reliability is normally excellent too. Weight 345g Run time 3hrs 15mins Price $142

While it’s got some neat features for mixed road/off-road use, the Halo’s switch menu undermines on-trail flow. The ribbed twin-LED head gives a relatively focused beam and the listed 2,000-lumen output compares to properly calibrated 1-500-lumen lamps on the trail, with good distant reach. Irregularity towards the edges of the beam can be distracting, especially given the tendency of the O-ring mount to waggle on rougher trails. The three power settings are split with consecutive flash and off modes too, making the change from medium to high power a sketchy ‘disco then dark’ panic. Useful visibility is added by the outer ‘halo’ rings that give the light its name. There’s no battery gauge apart from a last-gasp change of switch colour, but its generous six-cell capacity means that’s rarely an issue. Weight 410g Run time 2hrs 30mins Price $165

Hope’s four-LED all-rounder isn’t the punchiest or lightest, but its all-metal build quality and reliability is exceptional, and Hope’s legendary customer service means you’re investing in a light for life. The small, intricately-machined head twist-fits securely into a rock solid bar mount that positions it over the stem. Three ridable power levels (there are three walking levels too, on a separate menu) are communicated via the colour-change main switch. A ‘traffic light’ battery indicator makes it easy to extend the already generous run times. The price is high for the output, but the calibrated 1,500-lumen beam is softly coloured to avoid eye strain and broadly spread in all directions for twisty trail context. It lacks reach for full-gas pinning though, so it’s best combined with a lid unit like Hope’s R2. Weight 460g Run time 2hrs 35mins Price $345

The tiny twin-LED Piko packs an impressive punch and advanced control tech, if you can afford it and don’t need epic run times. As it’s designed primarily for helmet use, the 1,800-lumen output is focused tightly for high-definition longdistance vision that works great at high speeds. Minimal weight means no neck strain issues, and the 120cm lead allows easy pocket placement. The sealed hardshell battery includes an LED run time display that doubles as a back-up rear light. Lupine’s Bluetooth remote lets you change modes from the bar. Power output and menus can be changed manually or via a smartphone app, which helps eke out the short full-power run times. Apart from an occasional need to reset modes, our long-term Pikos have been bombproof in heavy use, helping to offset the high price. Weight 199g Run time 1hr 20mins Price $472

Blackburn’s boxy self-contained light gives impressive power, communication and control for shorter rides. The compact metal body slides on and off a hinged clamp, which needs to be tightened hard to avoid wobble. Twin LEDs give a noticeable ‘double barrel’ effect, with a molar-shaped secondary throw that’s occasionally distracting when swerving around on mixed terrain. The small battery means run times look scary-short on paper, but the big screen on top of the light gives unmissable run time and power info. Three buttons let you scroll either way through the power and strobe menu or hit maximum ‘Blitz’ mode immediately. They also make it easy to turn the light on accidentally. We’ve not had the Countdown long, but Blackburn reliability is generally good. Weight 270g Run time 1hr 20mins Price $202

BBB’s Scope 1500 is a good no-nonsense helmet light if you’re clever with your run time rationing. As it’s designed primarily as a head light, the twin LEDs create a very focused round beam with an impressive long-distance reach that’ll shame a lot of more powerful lights in high-speed use. The narrow beam and sharp edge can be eye-tiring on more technical terrain, and while a bar mount is included, it’s best saved for simpler trails. Amplified effective brightness means you can make more use of all four power levels than on most similar lights. With no battery indicator and not much over an hour’s run time at full chat in the cold, you need to be conservative on longer missions. The price is also slightly high for the basic design, but the Scope we’ve been running since last year is still going strong. Weight 310g Run time 1h 20mins Price $330

The Pro 1400 is a trail-brightening workhorse. Its big plastic battery, heavily-protected single-LED head unit and chunky fibreglass-reinforced bar mount (which is 35mm compatible and centres the light over the stem) take it over the 500g mark. The included helmet mount and fat cables are equally sturdy, and it comes with a lifetime warranty. While it gives a warm, reasonably wide spread of light, there are a few distracting irregularities in there and a noticeably fringed periphery. Three steady modes and an eight-step fuel gauge make it easy to stretch the decent battery life. We’ve had some battery glitches in the distant past but recent long-term sets have been trouble free. Keep it unconnected when travelling though, as the single-click button is easy to power on accidentally. Weight 510g Run time 2hrs Price $322

Lezyne’s most powerful light has some neat features but obvious off-road issues. The built-in thick rubber strap is awkward to hook into place, and noticeable shake on rough ground can be distracting. While the three LEDs don’t have much reach, they give a broad, smooth-edged spread without any irregularities. The prominent button makes it easy to use the light in thick gloves. Because the off, strobe and pulse modes are back-to-back in the menu, moving between power settings can require three hand-off-the-bar switch presses. ‘Overdrive Race’ mode dodges the flashing functions but only switches between 1,500-lumen ‘Overdrive’ and feeble 250-lumen ‘Economy’, making it impractical. The light on its own costs $210, with the ‘Loaded’ kit adding a run-timedoubling supplementary battery. Weight 270g Run time 1hr 35mins Price $315

Five thousand lumens of remotecontrolled power for $300 sounds a good deal, but our trail testing found serious flaws with the Zeta. The six-LED head unit uses an O-ring mount for universal bar compatibility, but its weight makes it shake downwards on rough descents unless you add textured grip tape. Max power looks barely half that claimed, and can only be accessed by keeping the remote button pressed down (compromising grip), with a warning to not exceed 30 seconds. The ‘high power’ mode is weaker than that of most 1,500-lumen lights. We also had repeated ignition/ control issues with the main switch and remote, making a couple of rides non-starters. That all makes the Zeta hard to recommend despite decent battery life and what sounds like promising performance on paper. Weight 425g Run time (max power) 2hrs 10mins Price $313

THIS SELF-CONTAINED LED light from Knog comes with a double-headed mount that allows it to be mounted next to your action camera (not included). In theory, this allows you to keep on filming, even at night.

There are two key things to avoiding ditches on the road. One is technique and other is a bright light. While we can teach you much about technique we want to shed 200 lumens worth of light on front lights. The Lezyne Micro Drive!

Trail LED is the brand behind the distinctive ‘Halo’ light; a 6,000 lumen monster with 10 LEDs that curves to fit right around the outside of your helmet. Producing a claimed 3,000 lumens, the DS is basically half a Halo. It’s close to half the price too at $699 versus $1,379 for the Halo.

The latest version of the Light & Motion Seca now produces 2,000 lumens, an increase of around 20% over the previous version. The battery remains very compact on the ‘Race’ version that we reviewed, and it powers the light for 1:30 on high beam. Light & Motion also offers a larger ‘Enduro’ battery that extends the burntime to 2:30 on high.

A couple of years ago, Exposure introduced the Reflex; a light with built-in accelerometers that sense whether you’re climbing, descending or hitting bumps and adjust the light output accordingly. Now the same technology has been applied to the three top bar-mounted offroad lights within the Exposure range; the Toro, Maxx-D and Six Pack.

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.