Deb and Bel were discussing their light choices in the shop last week and decided it would be helpful to see a bike lights review. So here they are… thanks girls!
Debs review of the 2013 Diablo Mk4 light from Exposure.
End of daylight savings means early morning rides require a high powered light to see. Having upgraded my bike last year I decided to choose a new light and it needed to have the following features; it must be lightweight, have a strong beam, be simple to use, be easy and quick to charge and be without an external battery pack strapped to my frame. I found all these in the 2013 Diablo MK4 with 1100 Lumen’s of brightness.
It supplies enough light in a single beam for clearly lighting the road in the dark with minimal street lights. It lasts on full for about one hour or three depending on the setting, then at sunrise I change the setting to flash keeping me visible for the duration of my ride. It has clear indicators of the battery status giving warning to choose another of the 3 settings rather than just powering off. The Diablo is easy to remove from the bar mount to charge and is then set ready for the next ride.
The Diablo MK 4 is a great choice for dark early morning rides or commuting and the option of mounting to my helmet will compliment a more powerful light for night riding on the mountain bike trails as a singular beam.
Bels review of the DUO LED light system from Gemini
Riding during winter is a hard task in itself, and even harder when you don’t have some decent light for those 5am starts!! Hence its a great time to invest in a quality front light. Not only is it important for you the cyclist but also for the many road users that you have to contend with to ensure they can see you too.
Recently my old light packed it in, and I was on the look out for a new light with a few pre-requisites in mind; it had to be rechargeable, have high quality lighting, slimline, plenty of battery life and cost effective. Not too much to ask! As I walked into the store one of the first lights I saw was the Gemini Duo light system. What had caught my attention straight away was its size and how slimline it was. Having smaller then average handle bars this was a great feature as I never seem to have enough room on the bars for anything. To add to the compact size is that fact that the Gemini Duo as the name states has two LED lights which means the beam is spread wider proving better visibility and with 1400 lumen’s it by far weighs up against the other well known lights on the market. It has 4 modes in total; high, med and low beam plus flashing mode. A indicator on the light shows approximate battery life left going from green when over 20% charge left then to amber and finally to flashing red when getting low. Considering all this however I rode on medium beam (this was more then sufficient in the dark) for approx 3.5hrs before it went to amber and then a further two hours on low beam without the light going out.
The Gemini Duo comes with a small battery that can be strapped to either the bars or helmet and a small cable which is short meaning you don’t have excessive cabling which you have to find room for. If a longer cable or additional mounts are required these all come with the kit too.
A great light, with many features and all at a reasonable and affordable price.
get out and ride!