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Kryptonite Avenue F-70/R-35 Dual

6
£29.99

VERDICT:

6
10
The absence of a rotatable mount spoils a robust and potentially very handy emergency commuting option
Weight: 
27g

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Kryptonite's new two-in-one Avenue F-70/R-35 Dual light is bright enough for an emergency backup or secondary light. Its ability to work as front or rear is definitely handy, but the mounting system makes it less appealing than it could be.

  • Pros: Can be used as front or rear, memory mode
  • Cons: Mounting limits/faff; short run-times

The light has 10 modes in total, five for the front and five for the rear. These are cycled through via one rubberised button which is slightly raised and easy to find, even when wearing gloves. There's a memory feature, allowing you to instantly pick up the mode you prefer.

> Find your nearest dealer here

The modes are as follows:

Avenue F-70: Run Time (Hrs) Lumens

  • High Steady 1:30 70
  • Low Steady 4:00 30
  • DayTime Pulse 6:00 70
  • NightTime Pulse 7:30 10/30
  • Economic Flash 20:00 10

Avenue R-35

  • High Flash 1:30 35
  • Low Steady 2:00 15
  • DayTime Pulse 3:00 35
  • NightTime Pulse 5:00 5/15
  • Economic Flash 10:00 5

As all of my commuting is on unlit lanes, I found myself mostly using it as a rear light, in DayTime Pulse mode, mounting it on the seatstay on the drive side. I coupled this with a more powerful constant light mounted on the seatpost.

Kryptonite Avenue F-70 R-35 Dual - rear.jpg

I did use it as a front on some daytime training rides and found the DayTime Pulse to be the perfect visibility aid at 70 lumens. I didn't trouble the six-hour battery promise, even leaving the light on at the cafe and while cleaning the bike after the ride.

Other run-times are a little disappointing, though. Should you need to use this on full power, its hour and a half limit probably means one use per charge.

You can obviously use different modes to preserve battery life. I used it as a rear light on the DayTime Pulse mode on the way to work and then the High Flash mode on the way home, which gave two hours of riding.

Mounting

The ability to use this as a front or rear light is its standout feature. Having a single affordable light in my bag that will fill in for any light on my bike is useful; I have been known to forget to charge lights.

What's not so useful is the light's inability to simply swivel on the bracket. You do get an adaptor so you can mount it vertically or horizontally, but you have to unscrew the adaptors to change them – a slightly fiddly process that requires a Phillips screwdriver. I found the only realistic option was to choose which way I wanted the light mounted, and leave it that way.

> Buyer's Guide: 14 of the best rear lights for cycling

Choosing the shorter mount means it sits either horizontally on the bar or vertically on the seatpost/seatstay. This means the side visibility ports are a bit wasted – they point up and down at the rear, unless you can find a horizontal position to mount it (I couldn't), and at the front the shifters and my hands get in the way. It also takes up a little too much room on the bar.

Kryptonite Avenue F-70 R-35 Dual - front.jpg

The other mounting option means the light sits vertically on the bar, which is good for space, but the side visibility windows shoot light straight up into your eyes.

Using a mount you could rotate would cure many of these issues. It's a shame because it really lets the light down.

On a positive note, the band that secures the bracket around a tube is strong and easy to use. There's also some angle adjustment that helped when mounting the light to my seatstay. It also comes with a slim mount for attaching to clothing or a bag, which is handy.

Waterproofing

The light has seen steady rain, plenty of road spray, and also a thorough soaking from the hosepipe. Nothing has troubled it. It's also picked up a surprising amount of oily grime from being mounted low on my drive side seatstay. It's come up clean after every wash.

Conclusion

For an emergency light, I'm happy that this would get me home, working well as a rear light, and as a front light on flashing it was good in daylight and in a lit environment.

> Need things brighter up front? Check out our 55-light beam comparison 

For this to work easily as either a front and rear light, though, the mounting bracket really needs to be rotatable. For a tenner more I'd go for the Moon Aerolite COB. The battery life is better and, while boasting fewer lumens, the mounting options are, I feel, more useful for the purposes of an emergency blinker.

Verdict

The absence of a rotatable mount spoils a robust and potentially very handy emergency commuting option

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road.cc test report

Make and model: Kryptonite Avenue F-70/R-35 Dual

Size tested: White 70/Red 35

Tell us what the light set is for

Kryptonite doesn't specifically state who this light is aimed at, but I've found its best application is as a backup rear light for the days I forget to charge others.

Tell us some more about the technical aspects of the light set?

From Kryptonite:

Avenue F-70 Modes include HIGH STEADY, LOW STEADY, DAYTIME PULSE, NIGHTTIME PULSE and ECONOMIC FLASH

Avenue R-35 Modes include HIGH FLASH, LOW STEADY, DAYTIME PULSE, NIGHTTIME PULSE and ECONOMIC FLASH

FULLY USB RECHARGEABLE '' No batteries to buy or replace

Run time up to 20 HOURS (Avenue F-70) and 10 HOURS (Avenue R-35)

Two lights in one-Use WHITE light for the front or switch to RED for rear use

Power saving function- 10% power or less, lights will automatically switch to lowest lumen output

Memory Function-Lights turn on at the last mode it was turned off

Multiple mounting options-Vertical or Horizontal mounting options as well as clip for mounting to packs, bags, or belts

Built in battery indicator- Red illumination = lower than 25%, Green = fully charged

Rate the front light for quality of construction:
 
7/10
Rate the rear light for quality of construction:
 
7/10
Rate the light set for design and ease of use. How simple were the lights to use?
 
9/10

The button is easy to find and then it's simple to get the setting you like every time.

Rate the front light for the design and usability of the clamping system
 
4/10
Rate the rear light for the design and usability of the clamping system
 
4/10

Perfectly secure and easy to mount but the lack of rotation limits placement options and also means the side visibility ports are unusable unless you faff about with a screwdriver.

As a front, it's too wide horizontally for many bars and the side visibility is blocked by the hands and shifters; mounted vertically, the light shines in your eyes.

Rate the front light for waterproofing. How did it stand up to the elements?
 
8/10
Rate the front light for waterproofing. How did it stand up to the elements?
 
8/10

Perfect. No issues, even when washing.

Rate the front light for battery life. How long did it last? How long did it take to recharge?
 
5/10
Rate the rear light for battery life. How long did it last? How long did it take to recharge?
 
5/10

Run-times in the higher settings are quite short, so you might need to choose your modes to last the distance. I always recharge overnight (when I remember).

Rate the front light for performance:
 
6/10
Rate the rear light for performance:
 
7/10

Better used as a rear, though as a daylight front light it's pretty good.

Rate the front light for durability:
 
7/10
Rate the rear light for durability:
 
7/10

It got covered in chain lube and grit and cleaned up perfectly.

Rate the front light for weight:
 
8/10
Rate the rear light for weight:
 
8/10

At only 27g, you'll struggle to notice it. I'd be happy to mount this to a TT bike for the evening 10.

Rate the light set for value:
 
6/10

Tell us how the lights performed overall when used for their designed purpose

The mount design means it's a bit of a faff as an emergency if you have to change the setup. Choose to use it as a front and its very bright 75-lumen day flash mode is good; as a rear it's bright enough for unlit roads.

Tell us what you particularly liked about the lights

The ability to have a small light in my bag that can sub in for either my front or rear light in an emergency.

Tell us what you particularly disliked about the lights

The mounting bracket's lack of rotation/faff changing the adaptor.

Did you enjoy using the lights? Yes

Would you consider buying the lights? No

Would you recommend the lights to a friend? No

Use this box to explain your overall score

It's a good rear light, though the side visibility is limited unless it's mounted horizontally. It loses points for the awkward mounting bracket, for taking up too much space on the bar unless you change the mount adaptor (but then you have light shining in your eyes), and for having a shorter run-time than its closest rival.

Overall rating: 6/10

About the tester

Age: 22  Height: 177cm  Weight: 64kg

I usually ride: Cannondale Supersix Di2  My best bike is:

I've been riding for: 5-10 years  I ride: Every day  I would class myself as: Expert

I regularly do the following types of riding: road racing, time trialling, cyclo-cross, commuting, club rides, general fitness riding, I specialise in the Cafe Ride!

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