Stands all over the Eurobike 2013 complex were blinking with high- and low-powered bike lights last week, and BikeRadar visited a selection of the biggest companies to see what’s new for 2014.
The biggest news is that two brands – Lupine and Exposure – are offering lights with wireless remote controls, meaning you don’t have to take your hand off the bar to control illumination levels.
Lupine Betty R
Lupine have added another 900 lumens to their dazzling Betty R front light, giving it a whopping 4,500 lumen total. The light, aimed squarely at hardcore night riders, has a maximum power burn time ranging from 1-3 hours, depending on the capacity of the rechargeable battery pack selected.
Riders will also be able to program five levels of light intensity – useful for eking out battery life or customising the Betty to your conditions if it’s used as a commuting and competition light.
Aside from the extra light power, the remote switch that was introduced a year ago could be the Betty R’s biggest draw. The lightweight control can be mounted anywhere, the obvious place being within thumb reach on the bar. The remote can be coupled to two lights, meaning users who favour a helmet light in addition to a bar unit can control both in one go.
The Lupine Betty R isn’t cheap, however – UK prices range from £700 to £745 depending on the battery pack selected. US prices are to be confirmed.
Exposure Equinox
Exposure Lights will release their lightweight, remote operated, 2,000 lumen Equinox mountain bike light in October 2013. It will retail in the UK for approximately £270. A US price is to be confirmed.
The Exposure Equinox
The three-LED Equinox – a more compact, more powerful but slightly heavier relation to the Diablo Mk5 – will weigh about 130g. It will have a minimum burn time of 30 minutes on full power, though reduced intensity could mean it emits light for up to 24 hours. A support cell battery will also be available to increase burn times.
Like the Lupine Betty R, the Equinox adopts a two-way wireless thumb switch so riders can control the light without having to fiddle with a switch on the unit itself. The Equinox is marketed as a helmet light but will be sold with a bar mount too.
CatEye Volt range
Japanese company CatEye have reinforced their broad light range with a number of new models for 2014, mostly aimed at those who commute by bike.
Most interesting, however, is the Volt 1200 – a 1,200 lumen, 210g rechargeable light that should be good for two hours on its most intense setting. The light will retail at £149.99/US$200.
CatEye Volt 1200
The Volt range also extends down to more commuter-specific levels, including the 120g, 300-lumen Volt 300 (£49.99/US$60) and Volt 50 (same pricing), a back light addition. A notable feature of both lights is that they can be recharged via a USB.
Ilumenox rear brake light
Ilumenox were using Eurobike to show off their rear brake light, which switches on when the brakes are applied. The novel, nano-sized 5.5g light has a single LED and should work with all cable rim brakes. No UK price is available but it retails in the US for about US$8.