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Blinding new lights from Lezyne Blinding new lights from Lezyne Blinding new lights from Lezyne Blinding new lights from Lezyne Blinding new lights from Lezyne
Lezyne LED 2012 lights

Blinding new lights from Lezyne

Lezyne had never made lights before. They have now.
by nick_rearden
Wed, Aug 17, 2011 16:38
11

Accessory brand reputed for pumps and mini-tools Lezyne has launched a first range of bicycle lighting based on the latest LED bulbs and Li-Ion batteries recharged by USB. There will be waterproof rubber-sealed alloy compartments and a 'composite matrix' bracket that fits either 31.8 or 25.4mm handlebars.

The three models are due to arrive ready for lighting-up time at the end of October, all with CNC-machined aluminium rubber o-ringed screw-cap compartments, LED bulbs and USB rechargeable Li-Ion batteries. According to Lezyne, the use of the latest 'Cree' high-efficiency LEDs combined with a cleverly-designed mirror polished parabolic reflector and front lens provide superb brightness and beam pattern.

The alloy enclosure is claimed to dissipate heat better as well as handle a high degree of wear-and-tear. Colour choices are anodised grey, black or silver. You get a USB recharging cable and there's also an optional wall plug for £19.99. Plus an optional high power 2,600Mah battery - the standard unit is 600Mah - and, yes, they are working on a helmet mount.

road.cc had a chance to play with the new Lezyne lights at the recent Mountain Mayhem event in the Malvern Hills and we have pre-production prototypes in the house now which we'll be riding over the next few weeks. You can find out more about Lezyne's new lights on UK distributor, Upgrade UK's website www.upgrade.co.uk our initial impression is that the aluminium housings are beautifully machined and the bracket works very positively with an easy-on thumb screw. Oh yeah, and they're bloomin' bright, otherwise. Stand by.

Lezyne LED Super Drive £99.99 / 126 grams / 450 lumens

Estimated run times
High: 450lm – 1hr 10min (80min)
Medium: 300lm – 2hrs 30min (150min)
Low: 150lm – 4hrs (240min)
Flash: a very long time according to Lezyne 

Lezyne LED Power Drive £79.99 / 120 grams / 300 lumens

Estimated run times
High: 300lm – 2hrs 30min (150min)
Medium: 200lm – 3hrs 20min (200min)
Low: 100lm – 5hrs (300min)
Flash: a very long time according to Lezyne 

Lezyne LED Mini Drive £49.99 / 66 grams / 150 lumens

Estimated run times
High: 150lm – 150min
Medium: 100lm - 200min
Low: 50lm – 5hrs (300min)
Flash: a very long time according to Lezyne 


Lezyne LED Super Drive £99.99

Lezyne
cycle lights
commuter lights
Bike Lights

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11 comments

Avatar
workhard | 13 years ago
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I think Lezyne's core market is exactly who these lamps are aimed at. People who like well engineered products. The Power Drive look plenty sleek and a bracket is a bracket.

I wish there was an ISO standard for the clip and an ISO standard O-ring based 'clamp' so we could all mix and match to our hearts content.

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KirinChris | 13 years ago
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Thanks for the extra info and photo - gives it a bit more scale.

So OK they aren't huge but they aren't exactly sleek are they. I'm still a bit meh about them in way that I'm not normally about Lezyne stuff. I expect a bit of a design leap from someone like them - it's not just about how it works.

They just look like a Cateye or any other standard light perched up on the bar with an ugly clamp. Something a little more flush would be nice.

Lezyne have a lot of fans among people who like their bike things to be beautiful as well as functional.
Sure they might sell some lights because they work well but they are not engaging with their core market IMHO.

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dirtyone30 | 13 years ago
0 likes

Maybe you could try one of these:
www.mountain-pursuits.com

Only £200 !?

Avatar
Simon E | 13 years ago
0 likes

If these lights are as well made and functional as other Lezyne kit they will be worth considering, even if they cost a little more. I really like my Pressure Drive pump. Design matters, both aesthetically and practically.

I don't think it's fair to compare them with the powerful units you can get via dealextreme and similar sources. I don't see those sellers involved in the sport and, although the P7 lights are powerful, I've seen a number of complaints about them failing. And if the seller pulls the plug you have no comeback. Swings and roundabouts.

I will be interested to see if the beam pattern is up to the job. I'd consider a well made front light that improves on my Fenix LD20.

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Shiny Flu | 13 years ago
0 likes

I really do like the look of them, much prettier than Hope's solution.

I just hope that the clamps are affordable as replacements/extras

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FatAndFurious | 13 years ago
0 likes

They look grand, but at BikeRumor, they're quoting the US$ prices:

Super drive $110 (£69) vs. UK MRP of £100
Power drive $90 (£56) vs. £80
Mini drive $70 (£43) vs. £50

Aside from the Mini drive, that's a disappointingly high mark-up for the UK.

Avatar
nick_rearden replied to FatAndFurious | 13 years ago
0 likes
neildmoss wrote:

Aside from the Mini drive, that's a disappointingly high mark-up for the UK.

Ah, that old chestnut. OK. Take off 20% VAT as follows:

Super drive $110 (£69) v £100 - VAT = £83.33
Power drive $90 (£56) v £80 - VAT = £66.66
Mini drive $70 (£43) v £50 - VAT = £41.67

Part of the issue is that our (relatively high rate of state tax) VAT is required to be included in the consumer price. In the USA you get charged on top of the sticker price at the counter and it's always a small number; something like 5% as opposed to our 20%.

On top of that shipping and distributing to our relatively smaller country is unavoidably expensive compared to the USA which has 4-5 times the population.

The answer of course is to order your new lights from a US retailer but I wouldn't mind betting that the shipping will be pretty much the difference and anyway, I really don't mind paying the extra seeing as my LBS just sorted me out with a replacement quick release skewer from his workshop parts bin and then didn't charge me.

If you want to complain, just ask the Australians who pay another 20% on top of that again.

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the-daily-ripper | 13 years ago
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they look jazz, light and well made.

BUT, when you consider what you can get out of china via dealextreme and the like, they're quite pricey.

Even Fenix, who are very high quality can knock out 800lumen for 130mins for £100 from AA batteries.

http://www.flashaholics.co.uk/fenix/fenix-tk41.html

Avatar
nick_rearden replied to the-daily-ripper | 13 years ago
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the-yorkshire-pk-ripper wrote:

Even Fenix, who are very high quality can knock out 800lumen for 130mins for £100 from AA batteries.

One of the architects in our building, a hard core cyclist with a pitch-dark 15-mile commute was saying earlier on in connection with these new lights that although he uses a Fenix and has been happy with it for the couple of years he's had it, he can also see how things have moved on in only a year or two and that there's something to be said for a beautifully engineered enclosure and bracket. Plus, it's not like we're talking £300.

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nick_rearden | 13 years ago
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Hang on, we've got scales. Stand by. It has to be said Chris that 'big' and 'bulky' are not two words that would have first occurred to us. Assuming any light is an abomination on a nice bike, these look pretty nice albeit not tiny. In the end, though, it's how they work...

Right, there you go; weights added and a photo of the 'big' one, the Super Drive (126 grams, 125mm x 25mm) mounted on a Wilier Zero 7.

Avatar
KirinChris | 13 years ago
0 likes

Hmmm, Lezyne is loved by a lot of people with very sleek bikes who appreciate well-made, functional and beautiful stuff.

These lights look quite big and bulky - would be interested to know the weight - and those clamps 13

Put it this way, that's never going near my Ridley.

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