The BBB Strike 300, a new addition to the Dutch firm’s lights range last winter and back in the line-up for 2013/14, is the latest torch to arrive at RoadCyclingUK for review.
Two lights make up the Strike range, with the Strike 300 and Striker 500 offering, you guessed it, claimed outputs of 300 and 500 lumens respectively. We’d recommend 300 lumens as being plenty for round-town riding (we’ll see how the Strike performs in that regard), while 500 lumens should, in theory, provide enough light to ‘see by’ on unlit roads. Read our full lights buyer’s guide here.
We’ll focus on the Strike 300 here but it’s worth noting a more powerful light exists higher up the food chain if riding on unlit roads is on your agenda. Retail prices are £74.99 and £99.99 respectively.
The Strike 300 is a compact unit with a plastic body and aluminium fins at the front which BBB say help disperse heat. There’s no obvious side illumination, so we’ll have to see how the beam pattern fairs in that regard. A rubber button sits on top of the unit and cycles through the five modes: super beam, high beam, standard beam, low beam and flash beam. Battery life is said to be eight hours on standard beam.
The on/off switch doubles as a low battery indicator, which indicates when the light is on (blue), running low on juice (red) and charging (blue flashing). Like most modern lights in this mould, the Strike 300 is USB-rechargeable, with the charging port located on the underside of the unit and protected by a rubber cap when not in use. A USB cable is provided with the light.
As is the ‘TightFix’ mount, which is essentially a plastic belt which wraps around the handlebar. The mount can be turned with the light attached in a full 360 degree circle at 20 increments.
The mount is held in place by a 5mm Allen bolt, which runs through one of two holes in the belt to fit either a standard 25.4mm or oversized 31.8mm handlebar. The mount is lined with two rubber strips of differing thickness and these can also be removed to allow for different handlebar diameters. We had to remove both to, erm, mount the mount for our photos, though it can sufficiently tightened to stop it sliding on the handlebar.
The light slides into the mount and is secured with a reassuring ‘click’, while there’s a button on the side of the mount to release the unit. First impressions suggest this button is a little smaller and more fiddly to use than it needs to be.
Check back soon for a full review.
