Cateye Volt 80 XC

The Cateye Volt 80 XC is a simple, effective and affordable light, but is slightly let down by how easily it swivels on the mount and gets knocked off centre when riding on rougher surfaces.

The Volt 80 XC is designed to be simple, and the first place you see this is with the lighting sequences. Cateye has included just two varieties: an 80-lumen solid light and a concentric flashing. The brightness is certainly enough to be clearly seen, but not enough to light your way on unlit roads or trails.

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Having only two sequences works well, and is simply changed through the on/off button, which you hold for power and press to swap sequences. It also has slight cutouts on the sides of the lens, which gives it a wider field of lighting, so you can be seen from the sides too.

Battery life is relatively short – 1.5 hours on solid and 5 hours on flashing. These aren't terrible, but mean that if you are using it on solid and have a commute over 30 mins, expect to charge it every other day. If, like me, you use it on flashing and have a 45-minute commute, you'll need to charge it every three days.

Charging takes about 90 minutes and is simple as you just plug the unit itself into a socket, rather than needing a lead. The USB is hidden underneath a large rubber dust cap at the rear of the unit, which kept out water and dirt well and allowed me to charge it even straight after a wet ride. It also has a low battery indicator which shows through the on/off button, which is simple to see and also helps to indicate when the unit is fully charged.

Attachment to the bike is through a rubber strap which goes underneath the bar and threads through a mount attached to the light. This holds it in place well and it never felt like it was going to fall off. However, the mount itself is designed to let the light twist but there is no feasible way of tightening it, so I got a bit irritated finding the light had twisted slightly when riding on bumpy roads. It looks like there is technically a way to tighten it with an Allen key underneath the mount, but it's considerably smaller than anything I could find on four multi-tools and two different Allen key sets.

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The light is light – only 43g – which is unlikely to have any impact if you have it on your bike while climbing. Its RRP of £19.99 (although you can get it slightly cheaper if you look around) is about right for a mid-range design.

It's well made and pumps out a decent beam, so despite some issues with the twisting and slightly short battery life, it works well. It is a no-frills light, but does what you want it to, although the mount is a frustration, especially on rough roads.

Verdict

A simple and easy to use light, but the twist on the mount is a bit annoying