Exposure Strada Mk12 SB

The Exposure Strada Mk12 SB is one of the brightest in the company's road range, and with 1,700 lumens on tap you'll never find yourself wishing for more light. With a larger selection of output modes than almost any other lights on the market, and an impressive battery life for an all-in-one unit, the Strada is complex yet simple to use.

There are two models in the Strada lineup: the 1,450 lumen RS and this 1,700 lumen SB (which stands for Super Bright). There's a version of each one with AKTiv as well, which is Exposure's auto-dimming sensor which detects oncoming headlights.

The Strada SB uses two LEDs behind a lens which, according to Exposure, delivers an optimum beam for road riding: a flat beam for the peripheries and a central spot. And it does work very well, giving excellent illumination where you want it, with the bright, cold white picking out all of the road imperfections. On all but the widest of main roads it will easily light up the road from verge to verge.

The SB uses both LEDs all of the time, unlike some, and that can cause issues with oncoming traffic. The Ravemen PR1600, for instance, lights one LED (lensed into a wide beam with a flattened top) for a 'dipped' setting, and only switches on the second spotlamp-lensed LED when you want 'full beam'.

It's a great setup if you ride in a lot of traffic, as you can avoid directing light into the eyes of oncoming drivers.

With both of the Strada's LEDs on all of the time there is no cut-off, so there is a small amount of light bleed upwards. It never seemed to cause a problem with traffic, though. I spend a lot of time riding on main roads and, provided you're courteous with the light power you're pumping out, it shouldn't be an issue. I also had the light angled ever so slightly downwards.

Even then, the amount of illumination thrown up the road allows you to descend at pretty much daylight speeds when on full power.

Modes & programs

Exposure supplies a wired remote with the SB, which allows you to scroll through the modes of whichever of the seven programs you've selected. It's a handy addition, as you don't need to move your hands from the hoods to change mode.

In the past I've run the cable under the bar tape and used cable ties/a rubber o-ring to attach the remote to the shift lever.

For general road riding I favoured program four, which gives full power for high and about a third of it for the low setting. There are loads of options, however, and details of each program are laser-etched onto the underneath of the light body. It even includes the run-times in hours.

Despite this model gaining 100 lumens over the old one, battery life remains around two hours on full power, and stretches to around 36 hours at the lowest setting. A full recharge from flat takes around six hours when using the mains powered charger.

AKTiv – is it worth it?

The version with AKTiv is £30 more at £375, but then you shouldn't need to worry about dimming the light for oncoming traffic. Does it work? I was originally expecting it to switch modes like a car, flicking between dipped and full, but it's actually more subtle; it smoothly dims as cars get closer, then rapidly returns to full brightness after they pass. It works equally well when cars are overtaking, responding to red rear lights just as well as oncoming white ones.

It's a clever design and I'm a big fan (I've used it on other models), and if you ride on busy roads at rush hour it's definitely worth the extra outlay. If you tend to ride on quieter lanes, then maybe not.

Pulse

Pulse mode keeps the LEDs on at low power and layers a brighter flash over the top. To activate it you press and hold the button (though not too long or you'll turn the light off), and to get rid of it you give another quick press. That's right – no scrolling through disco flash when out in the wilderness, just to get back to full beam. Other manufacturers, take note!

The Pulse mode is bright enough for daytime use, and it'll get you noticed at night amongs all the other lights. For very bright and sunny days there's a Daylight Pulse mode in program 1.

Program 5 swaps the pulse mode with a pattern that spells out SOS in Morse code, just in case you crash into that one hedge crammed with telegraph operators, Boy Scouts and US Naval Intelligence officers.

On display

The rear display gives loads of information, such as which program you are in and the remaining battery life in hours and minutes. It's accompanied by small coloured lights that double as mode indicators (green for high, orange for medium, red for low) and a battery life visualiser.

If you run the light upside down under your handlebar, the display rotates so the text is always the right way up.

Quality build

While the Strada SB is anything but cheap, it is impressively well-engineered, and there's no plastic involved in its main construction (though to be fair, today's plastics mean that's less of a slam-dunk plus point than it used to be). The CNC machined 6063 aluminium alloy body is a piece of art, and even the bracket is aluminium.

The bracket has changed slightly since earlier versions, which had a hinge that could rust and fail, if only after many years of wet and salty winter conditions. The new design has top and bottom sections that jigsaw cleverly together instead.

The light slides into a v-shaped locating plate and sits very securely, even on rough roads, with the release pin allowing you to quickly remove the light should you need to.

Longevity is a big plus with Exposure lights, and they offer a two-year warranty. I personally own some older Exposure lights and they're still running after a decade or so, with no noticeable issues, and their batteries still hold charge well.

I really rate the waterproofing, too. I've ridden in very heavy rain for around an hour with the Strada, and it carried on unscathed. Just make sure the rubber cover is always properly plugging the charge port.

Value

Like a lot of things, the Strada has increased in price since last year with this non-AKTiv version costing a tenner more than the AKTiv one did last year. There aren't many lights from other brands on the market at a higher price.

The Ravemen PR1600 I mentioned earlier is one I rate very highly; I still use it on the majority of my road rides as I just love the way it works. It comes with a wireless remote and a great beam pattern, though the burn-times are shorter at 1.4hrs on the full 1,600 lumen. It's a lot cheaper, though, at £139.99.

Ravemen also does a 2,400-lumen version, the PR2400, which I tested in 2021; that's not much more at £199.99, but it's more complicated as it has a slew of modes for both road and off-road use.

If you want even more punch, NiteRider's Lumina Max puts out 2,500 lumens. It too costs £199.99, and it's bodied with a mix of aluminium and plastic. Our reviewer thought the twin buttons worked really well, too – you don't have to scroll through every setting to get back to the one before.

The beam pattern is very much a spotlight kind of thing though, and battery life is much shorter; just 1.5hrs at 1,800 lumens. The full 2,500 lumens will hammer the battery in just 45 minutes.

Conclusion

The Strada Mk12 SB is priced very much at the upper end of what is available, but there's no doubt that it's a very good package. The beam output is great – as are the burn-times for an integrated light with no external battery – and the build quality is phenomenal. You get a huge variety of programs and modes too, which makes it one of the most flexible lights available.

If you want a headlight to rely on for years to come, it's absolutely worth the investment.

Verdict

One of the best lights on the market, though this level of excellence will cost you