Lezyne Bike Lights - See Everything and be Seen by Everyone [Review]

Good bicycle lights are important for every cyclist. Whether you’re going for a short ride on your city bike, or want to head out into the dark for hours on end on your road bike or mountain bike. Without proper bike lights, you’re nowhere. Lezyne have released new bicycle lights this year. Time then for a serious test of the new Lezyne bicycle lights!

It has become too dark to do my daily commute, which is 25 kilometres one-way, without proper bike lights, so it was time for some brand-new bike lights. Until recently, I only used battery-powered bike lights. It seems ideal because they last for quite a while, but they don’t offer all that much light. You’re barely noticed.

More bikes with better bike lights

Time for an upgrade then. I wanted to see more myself as well as be seen better. The new lights also had to last for at least 2 hours. That’s how long my daily commute takes on the bike in total.

The route I use for my daily commute is fairly well lit. Fortunately it’s a segregated bike lane and I don’t encounter many cars along the way. The points at which cars do come across my route are a little more difficult though. So I definitely needed a bike light that stood out.

With these demands in the back of my head, I went for a long search through our bike store in Arnhem. We’ve got loads of bike lights set up there for you to try. After having tested a few lights for a bit I choose a pair of bike lights for me to try out.

The selection

Firstly I wanted the Lezyne Lite Drive 700XL. On the normal, brightest setting I should get 3 hours of battery life. Plenty of theoretical time then. Combined with the Lite Drive, I choose the Lezyne Strip Drive as my rear light. On the slightly less bright mode it still put out a good glow, and it should last up to 18 hours in this mode.

Since I was testing anyway, I also took the Lezyne KTV Drive Pair with me. An inexpensive set of bike lights which should still perform well- at least on paper.

Since I go for the odd nightride in the woods I also went mad with the Lezyne Deca Drive 1500i combined with the Infinite Power Pack. Not just a blaze of light, but battery life that’ll get you through the night as well.

Just because I’m curious I also wanted to try the Lezyne Laser Drive rear light. Because… Well, lasers!

Charging

With all bike lights ready to go I started my first test. How long do they all take to charge. I’ve all fully charged them the first time in accordance with the instructions from Lezyne, and then drained them afterwards.

Charging was faster than Lezyne specified in most cases, so I was a happy man thus far. As long as you don’t decide last-minute to set off, you’ll always have enough power on tap for a long ride.

Bike lights in town

On to the more important part: the light. I started with the Lezyne KTV Drive Pair. I expected the least from these. According the specs, they’re little more than lights to be seen with around town or on well-lit roads out of town.

They’re right. The front light provides a decent amount of light, but I was longing for a lot more. The rear light too is enough to be seen with. During a foggy ride I got the idea that other road users still were able to see me well enough. Something which makes you feel a lot more comfortable on the bike.

Daylight mode is convenient

I was particularly a fan of the daytime running mode of the headlight. It can flash bright enough to ensure you simply can’t be overlooked. I quickly noticed the added visibility on my daily commute.

In spots where motorists would normally notice me at the last second -or not at all- in the rain or at dusk, I was now never overlooked.

I used to have to brake hard or stop to make sure someone saw me, but with the daytime lights on I didn’t anymore. Considering this is one of the cheapest sets of bike lights out there, you really do get a lot for your money.

Time for a bit more power

As the KTV Drive headlight simply wasn’t bright enough for me in regular mode, I placed my hope on the Lezyne Lite Drive 700 XL to give me what I needed. I had an older model of a less powerful version of this Lezyne headlight (450XL) and it met my needs. I decided to scale up to a bigger light because I wanted a little more light and a longer battery life.

It turned out to be a good call. My old headlight could just cope with 2 hours a day of commuting in the medium light mode, provided I topped it up at work. The Lezyne Lite Drive 700 XL can easily do that while putting out more and better focused light than my old light.

Only when I ran it at full power, for instance in poor conditions, did I have to charge it up for a bit at work. Normally I have to recharge it once a day. Convenient as it means I can just leave it on the bike at work.

I’m more than happy when it comes to brightness. No more medium mode, just burn it at its brightest. Not considering the Overdrive mode. Plenty to see everything on my ride to work.

The only downside for me is how hard it can sometimes be to plug the cable into the mini-USB port. Quite irritating when you’ve got to recharge it daily.

Striking rear light

The Lezyne Strip Drive is the rear light I’d expect to come with the Lezyne Lite Drive 700 XL if they’d come as a set. The price is roughly equal as is the performance, at least on paper.

As I find being seen as important as seeing for myself, a bright rear light was essential. From the first moment I used it, I knew the Strip Drive would provide what I was looking for. The continuous light mode, so no flash, easily lasts multiple commutes to and from work.

The daylight mode is a nice extra if you find yourself in the middle of a heavy daytime shower, something in which drivers are more likely to not see you.

Unfortunately the Strip Drive does offer a huge amount of flash modes. So many that it became annoying. You’d really like to just switch them all off. Whoever wants to scroll through 11 light modes just to get to the right one?

It stayed put nicely though, despite the flat back of the D-Fuse seat post on my Giant. I worried it might not fit right when I saw the back of the rear light, but it all turned out to be fine.

Mud and other dirt managed to stay stuck in the space between the light and seat post though. Something you can clean easily enough. For me not an issue, as I clean my bike after almost every ride.

Lasers!

Just for the sake of having lasers, I wanted to see the Lezyne Laser Drive rear light in action. I felt like Dr. Evil when installing the light and as a result, I was unable to utter the word “laser” in any vaguely normal way afterwards...

The two lasers project a long laser strip on the road on either side of your bike, stretching for about 2 to 3 metres. It stood out in dark areas, but as soon as I ventured near some streetlights that advantages quickly faded.

I did feel as though motorists -given that the two lasers project a fairly wide stance on the road- gave me more space as they went around me. Something which is absolutely great if you ask me. A little extra space, particularly in stormy weather, is always a safe feeling.

See everything, and I really mean everything...

The final headlight in my test was the Lezyne Deca Drive 1500i paired to the Infinite Power Pack. On the brightest regular light mode -so no Overdrive- it’ll put 1000 Lumens on the road ahead of you. The battery lasts an impressive 5 hours in that mode.

You take notice. On an unlit road at night, it’ll show you everything you want to see. The road is clearly lit over the next 100 metres ahead of you and the sides are visible too, showing you what you can expect along the way.

I used to be a little cautious with other bike lights, but that wasn’t necessary in this case. Because your field of view is quite wide my confidence got a boost and I dared to really throw the bike into corners.

For night rides and long endurance rides

The only thing stopping me from purchasing this combination of light and power pack for my occasional night time ride is the price. Something which also stood out was the weight. The light itself is on the heavy side and when combined with the power pack, you’ve got quite some weight up front on your bike.

The Power Pack worked beautifully though. Easy to connect and securely fitted. Sadly the connector cable isn’t long enough to just fit it anywhere on the bike. The weight is all placed at the front of the bike then, and that isn’t ideal to me.

Great bike lights, but too many flash modes

All in all, I liked all of the bike lights I tested. Apart from the 1500i they’re all nice and light, and perform very well. A long battery life and short charging times were key factors for my personal needs.

The light levels were great as well, apart from the low budget version of the KTV drive. Then again, you’re not paying for something you don’t get either.

The only downside to all lights was the overkill in setup options. The Strip Drive rear light offers no less than 11 different modes. A little too much if you ask me.

The other lights too had plenty of different modes. Even though I really only needed a bright mode for poor conditions, a slightly less one for your average day out, and a daytime-mode for poor conditions during the day.

Switching between modes is a doddle, but it was annoying to cycle through all the flash modes to get to the right one. Especially when you just scrolled past your favourite mode and had to start all over again.

My bike lights for winter

In total, I tested the various lights for around 1000 kilometres under various conditions. After testing I continued to use three different bike lights. The front light of the KTV Drive, the 700 XL headlight, and the Strip Drive rear light.

I only use the headlight of the KTV Drive as a daytime headlight. I use it on the first few roads where my route crosses with many cars, regardless of whether it’s daytime or nightime. Since I use it so sparingly it lasts several weeks between charges.

The Lite Drive 700XL is my go-to headlight for everyday use. Plenty of light to see the road and enough battery life to use for 2 days, so 4 hours, of commuting. I might try the 1100XL some day for even more light and battery life.

When it comes to the rear light I stick to the Strip Drive. It puts out more than enough light under all conditions and it offers a daytime running mode for poorer conditions during the day.

My Lezyne bike lights for this winter