LEZYNE Micro Drive Pro 800XL Light

Product Information

The Micro Drive Pro 800XL offers be-seen modes as well as a powerful beam that's sufficient for dark night outings on unlit lanes. It will suit most commuters and many keen roadies, a realistic option that will help you avoid the super-powerful, eye-blinding, wallet-emptying elite light category...

I've done thousands of miles commuting in the dark now and gone through many rear lights. This one is my favourite.That said, the slim elongated design works absolutely brilliantly with saddle bags, as it neatly juts out underneath them, originating light from a sensible point away from obstruction. It also works well if you're limited on seatpost length. For the record, I have had a number of interactions with Lezyne support, and so far they have always stood behind their products. I'd say the light is only let down by the excessive number and grouping of modes. If you're happy to tolerate this, given the simplistic operation, ease of mounting, decent beam pattern, solid build and fair price, it's definitely one to consider. Verdict

There are eight settings in total, which gives you plenty of versatility for balancing battery life against output, and I wouldn't real cull any of them – well, maybe the Pulse – but I would definitely change the way you access them to make the light more user-friendly. Switch to Economy, though, and it just isn't bright enough to see where you're going. If it was the 500lm Blast combined with Overdrive it would be spot on, and you'd be able to use it like the high/dipped beam of the Ravemen PR1600. Mount Lezyne's Micro Drive rear light aesthetically complements the front version, but it's an odd design choice; the cylindrical shape of the main body is usually only found on handlebar mounted lights.Finally, the new Lezyne Strip Pro Alert Drive is the rear light in this trio of bike lights from Lezyne. This advanced LED rear bicycle light features a new “Alert” technology to warn following vehicles that you are braking – when decelerating, the light will turn solid like a brake light and then provide a distinct flash pattern once stopped to alert riders or vehicles from behind. They're incredibly bright too - the flash is easily noticed, even on a bright mid morning, and makes for an ideal added safety measure when riding on main roads with cars throughout the day. Turning the light off resets the Micro Drive to normal.

The Oxford Ultratorch comes in at the same price point for an extra 50 lumens, but Stu wasn't overly impressed with its beam pattern. Boost is still plenty bright enough to see where you are going on wide main roads with cats-eyes and the like, plus the Enduro will, too, at a push. Lezyne's Smart Technology works in conjunction with an app on your smartphone to avoid all this faff, but it's only available with the more expensive, powerful models.

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The updated design of the Strip Drive Pro is even more compact and even more water resistant – with charging coming from a Micro-USB cable port. The versatile mounting system will attach easily to aero or round seatposts, and it is super easy to remove for charging. The beam pattern is excellent with a bright central spot surrounded by a nice spread of diffused light. Even when angled to illuminate further down the road it provides plenty of coverage to allow you to read the road effectively and in flash mode will illuminate signs a significant distance away.

Once it's on though, there's over 8cm of metal poking out from your seatpost. Being this long means it can act like a cantilever; the whole thing can be pushed out of alignment, and mounting it just a few millimetres off centre can easily impact the angle which the light actually points. This problem is amplified by the fairly narrow beam and enclosed faceplate. Superior visibility, both in daylight and at night – the Lezyne Strip Pro Alert Drive is impressive. I have been stopped by at least half a dozen riders and 2 car drivers to ask me what make the light was, such is the impact of the visibility to anyone following. As for charging - personally I love the USB feature. It fits a treat into an iPhone type plug with the lead removed and I have found it is typically charged in around an hour or less after a 3 hour ride. Why do you need to see it flashing, can't you just leave it and take it out when you need it? And as for losing the cap? Come on, that's a really soft criticism. Tidy your desk!Using a helmet light provides the rider with excellent line-of-sight vision, as well as increasing their visibility to oncoming traffic significantly. This offering from Lezyne is one of the lightest and longest-lasting bike helmet lights that I have tested to date. Like Stu with the Lite Drive last year, I think eight modes is a bit much, but there's sure to be something to meet your needs and cope with every circumstance on the road. The diagram below shows how many Lumens the lamp offers in a certain position and how long the LED can last. 1 lumen equals the light of a candle.