Right, on to the TraceR, which is the rear equivalent of the Trace front light. This, on the face of it, is a far simpler unit than the Strada, but that’s always the case with rear lights, which serve purely to attract the attention of drivers, rather than illuminating the road.
Still, ensuring the attention of a driver has been caught is important and the TraceR is among the more powerful rear lights on the market, with a claimed output of 75 lumens.
It’s a super-compact unit with a claimed weight of just 39g and once again made from CNC-machined aluminium to give it a high quality feel in hand. The lens is fairly deep, with approximately 5-10mm visible from the side.
Like the Strada, the TraceR uses Exposure’s Optimised Mode Selection, this time with three programs to choose from. When the light is off, press and hold the on/off button. The light will then flash slowly. Release the button after the number of flashes appropriate to the mode you want (i.e. two flashes for mode two). Again, it’s easy to use in practice.
Program one, the most powerful of the three settings, offers a claimed three hours of battery life on constant mode and six on flashing. Program three offers 12 hours on constant and 24 hours flashing. Once again the programs are detailed on the light itself.
The light is charged via micro USB and Exposure provide a cable. The port itself is protected by a rubber band.
The TraceR also has a battery life indicator. When you turn the light off (by holding the on/off button) the lens will briefly display the battery level with a green, amber, red or red flashing light, indicating 100-50 per cent, 50-25 per cent, 25-5 per cent and less than 5 per cent battery respectively.
The TraceR’s mount straps to the seatpost with a silicone band and we had no trouble trying it out for the first time. It’s quick and easy, and should be a doddle to switch between bikes.
As for the price, that’s £49.95. We’ll be testing the TraceR and Strada extensively over the weeks ahead so watch out for full review.
Website: USE
