Lezyne Lite Drive 1200+ Front Bike Light

Having already tried the lezyne 1300 XL, I was won over by the more compact 1200 lumen version. Impeccable!

Compliant

I use the Lezyne Lite Drive 1200+ on my road bike which I use for commuting (48km). Like on many other models, Lezyne has a race mode: pressing the button for 5 seconds from off mode puts you into this mode. This leaves you with only 2 modes (300 lumens / 1200 lumens) instead of 7 different modes. For road cycling, I find this ideal. 300 lumens is more than enough to illuminate the road + shoulder some 50 metres ahead of you. The 1200 lumen setting does not necessarily allow you to see further ahead, it just lights up more brightly. I personally only use the highest setting in dangerous situations, or to signal motorists who don't turn off their high beams. On the 300 lumen enduro setting, Lezyne says the lamp should do 9.5 hours on a battery charge, so enough for extra-long rides. On the highest setting, this would be 2 hours. For longer rides, this might not be sufficient (but ask yourself if you need this mode continuously). The dimensions of the lamp are pleasantly (a handful) compact. Not such a long heavy "tube" as with some other lamps in this class. The beam is noticeable, but gets used to it very quickly and is even pleasant afterwards. Often with headlights, you see a bright white beam (a wick in the middle) with some stray light around it. This lamp spreads its light much more regularly and in that respect resembles the light pattern of a car headlight much more. It also illuminates the verge well, keeping the edge of the road clearly visible at all times (which is safer). If a downside has to be mentioned then it might be the weight. At 174 grams, it is not the lightest lamp, but in its class (light output, battery life) it is one of the lighter ones. When it comes to operating the button, it is a missed opportunity by Lezyne that the button is not in the middle above the mounting point, but slightly forward. By pressing the button, there is a chance that the lamp will tilt slightly forward. Another tip when comparing lights from Lezyne: the race mode switches between Overdrive and Enduro on some models, and between Overdrive and Economy on others. I don't know what Lezyne's design consideration is in this (maybe battery life on low mode?). This model switches between Overdrive and Enduro in race mode. On the low setting, this is 300 lumens vs 150 lumens. Finally, for commuter cyclists: you can easily charge the lamp with a USB cord using a free USB port on a computer. This way, you will have a full battery again at the end of the working day.

Pros & Cons

The lamp is very high quality, aluminium housing. The button is waterproof and easy to reach, the holder even works with flat aerobars, and the rotating mechanism allows the lamp to be perfectly aligned. And also super save during the day with flash mode !!!

Super light, use it on the handlebars in combination with a 500 lumen helmet light. The rubber fixation on the handlebars holds very well and the angle is easy to adjust. Running time at the highest level just under 2 hours. It is best to activate the race mode, as this skips the unnecessary flashing levels and only switches between the brightest and a medium level.