Canadian firm Gemini Lights have hit UK shores for the first time through distributor i-ride.
Established in 2010, Gemini already have several high powered lights in their range but for the time being, only the XERA LED system will be available. We've managed to get our mitts on one, too, and it'll be reviewed in a future issue of What Mountain Bike magazine. For now, we'll take a look at what the XERA has to offer.
Powerful, lightweight and affordable is what its makers are claiming with the tiny XERA. With an output of 800 lumens, a weight of 57g and a price tag from £129.99/$199, and depending on your point of view, they've perhaps achieved all three. The rub comes in the fact the power pack, which connects via a lead into the light's rear and attaches to either the back of the helmet or handlebar underside, weighs 257g, which means total carrying weight is a more considerable 314g. Our test pack came with the bigger 4-cell battery, so the 2-cell option should be lighter. Even so, neither is overly heavy for what is a very bright light.
From a construction point of view, the tough alluminium shell looks as though it'll take a pounding and with a variety of included helmet, handlebar and head mounts, it looks to be a versatile bit of kit.
According to Gemini, it's user intuitive and allows you to set the brightness level that you want, whenever you want. Out of the box, it has three default power settings - high, medium and low - with battery life on maximum brightness claimed to last two hours on a full charge (2-cell) and four hours (4-cell). The bigger juiced battery comes at a £20/$30 premium, however. The power button on the rear of the light changes colour according to how much power it has left, with green corresponding to 100-20 percent, orange 20-10 percent and red 10-0 percent, so you'll be served notice on any impending power outage.
All Gemini products are available in the US directly through their website now, including the more powerful 1700 lumen, triple LED Olympia light set, which will be available from i-ride soon. In the meantime, visit their website for a closer look.
