Some of the more desirable products on display at Eurobike were found, unsurprisingly, on the Lezyne stand.
With the change of season fast approaching, if not already upon us, the new lights were the items that caught our attention (and in use will hopefully do the same for road users).
Macro Drive front light
The Macro Drive front light, encased within a typically stylish (and water resistant) CNC body, pumps out 300 lumens. Two cut aways, one either side of the lens, increases the visibility of the beam from the side. The beam is filtered through a one piece lens known to Lezyne as MOR (‘Maximum Optimal Reflection’) with claims for a wider, smoother, and brighter beam. It’s a feature of the Micro Drives described below, but not the entry-level Femto. A fuel gauge, neatly integrated with the power button, keeps you up to speed with the amount of life left in the battery – which leads us to the Macro Drive’s most attractive feature. Unscrew the end cap to expose a USB port, allowing you to charge it from your laptop while you work, ready for the evening ride home. Simples. You’ll be able to buy the Macro Drive front as a single unit for £54.99 or paired with the Micro Drive rear light (see below).
Micro Drive
The Micro Drive rear light (pictured above) is a smaller unit in body and in output than the Macro Drive, but maintains many of its features, including the MOR lens and the USB recharging facility. Depending on which of the two modes are required, it will send out 30 lumens (standard mode) or, if the Daytime Flash mode is selected, 70 lumens. Like the Macro Drive, it attaches with a composite, ‘snap fit’ mount (a u-shaped bracket into which the light pushes) held to the bar with a silicone rubber strap. No tools required. It will sell for £39.99 as an individual unit. There’s a Micro Drive front light, too, with many of the features of the Macro Drive, but delivering 150 lumens rather than 300. The reduced output is reflected in the price: £39.99 as a single unit.
Femto Drive
The Femto Drive is billed as a safety light; one with which to be seen rather than to see with. Replaceable batteries (CR2032s, a flat disc about the size of a 10 pence piece, two in each) will save the user from disposing of the light. It’s a natty little unit, with a water resistant, aluminum body shaped by CNC machining, and an ingenious lens that doubles as the activation button for five lighting modes (one solid, four flashing). The back plate is another dual-function component, serving as half of the mounting mechanism and a screw-off cap that grants access to the battery. The output is low compared to others in the range (15 lumens front, seven rear) but that’s sufficient for well-lit urban roads, and could serve as a useful backup when rechargeable batteries in more powerful units are exhausted. They’ll come in four colours: the blue and red we snapped at Eurobike, as well as more prosaic black and grey. They’ll sell for £21.99 a pair, or £12.99 each. Replacement batteries, Lezyne branded, will cost £3.39 a pair or £11.99 for a pack of eight.
Pairs fair
The guys at Lezyne were keen to extoll the virtues of buying in pairs (Macro front + Micro rear, or a pair of Micros; front and rear Femtos) and sales blurb aside, they had a point. If you’re the last member of the chain gang and you don’t have a rear light, your buddies aren’t safe either, diminishing your popularity in a direct ratio to the increased danger faced by riding colleagues. To that end, there’s a discount for buying a front and rear light together. Front and rear Micro Drive lights will cost £69.99 as a set, or £39.99 a piece. Similarly, £84.99 will get you the Macro Drive front light and Micro Drive rear; a saving of nearly a tenner on the cost of purchasing the same lights individually.
All of the lights described here are winging their way to RCUK Towers for test and we’ll report our findings in the weeks ahead.
