Lifeline LED safety light (front/rear)

At just under a tenner you'd expect the Lifeline LED safety light to be a cheap blinky for being seen around town. It's much more than that: it's a well built and genuinely capable standalone light for city riding. It's even bright enough - just - to venture beyond the streetlights.

The body of the Lifeline is a two-piece alloy affair with a tight thread and an o-ring seal holding two 2032 button cells, and the LED is housed in a proper reflector behind a good quality lens.

You press the lens to turn the light on and off, and there are two modes, flashing and constant. Mounting is via a simple rubber strap and plastic clip; the back is designed for a seatpost but can be persuaded onto a seatstay, the front for bars but will stretch round a headtube, just about. Both front and rear lights have a cutaway section on either side for extra visibility at junctions, and you can rotate the light on the mount to get them pointing sideways however you decide to mount.

Stick 'em on your bike and off you go. The rear light is marginally the better of the two: it's a really strong performer. The beam is strong, the mounting simple and the light small and light enough to leave attached all the time. It doesn't have the punch of some of the more powerful rear lights we've tested but I'd be happy enough riding in the city or on the lanes at night with the Lifeline on the rear; you'd want a bit more oomph for main roads.

The front light is good too, very capable as a light to be seen with. On road bike handlebars the side visibility can be obscured by the drops as it sits in line with the bar, but you can fit it under your STI lever or on the head tube if you think that's going to be a problem.

The light it gives out is bluish but bright, stronger than you'd expect. Head somewhere pitch dark and it's enough - just - to navigate by at 10mph or so.

Battery life on both lights is a stated 50 hours on constant; I didn't make it that far but 2032 cells can be had for very little online.

The only issue during testing was with waterproofing. I first had an issue when I was cleaning my bike with the hose - I managed to force some water into the rear light through the seal between the lens and the body. The second time was on a wet ride on a road bike, again with the rear; the spray from the tyre eventually worked its way inside. In both cases a night on the radiator sorted it and they were as good as new, but it's worth noting that they're not completely waterproof; I've lobbed a bit of silicone grease around the seal and they've been fine since. In time the plastic strap clip may age and break, or you might lose it, but it'd be easy to bodge a fix for that.

Verdict

Very good quality lights for the money, ideal for being seen around town.