Exposure MaXx lights

USE launched its Exposure lighting range in 2005. They were early adopters of LED technology, and while the implementation of LED in bike lights was in its infancy then, the new models have clearly come of age. We got a first ride with them at the recent MaXx Exposure event

Firstly, the three lights that make up the range, the Joystick, Race and Enduro, have all been MaXx'ed for 2008. New Seoul LED emitters and revised lenses, plus a rahter of other changes, have made the lights a lot easier, and nicer, to use. And for simplicity the range now runs the same burn time - you only need to decide how much brightness you need for your riding.

We used the Enduro, which you'll notice now has three lamps rather than two. This, combined with the new Dual Beam Optics, gives a noticeable improvement over the old design. Those who have put in miles on Exposure lights will know that the lights lacked a little in the brightness department, and the beam pattern lacked a little depth. The changes have addressed both of these points and the Enduro is now significantly brighter with a deeper reach, and a more focused spot for picking out trail details. Burn time on "MaXx" is 3hrs while the Ride setting gives 10hrs.

With the Enduro on the handlebars, we put the diminutive Joystick on our helmet - a handlebar mount is available which makes it an ideal commuter light - and plugged in the new external piggy-back battery. This is a new option for the MaXx series lights, allowing extended runtimes without swapping batteries in the dark. If you don't need to ride for several hours, just rely on the cable-free convenience of the internal battery. We used it with the Joystick, with the battery stowed in our hydration pack (the cable is a generous length) and gave us the option of running the light on MaXx for up to 12hrs, more than enough for our test ride. The leap in brightness has to be seen to believe, with a very strong spot and a usefully wide fall-out area. It proved more than bright enough to be used on its own for much of the ride.

While the increase in brightness and the changes to the lenses improve an already strong product, other changes have centered around making them more user-friendly. Outside, the units don't look much different: a bulge and some cooling fins at the front are the only obvious suggestion that something different lurks inside. The on/off swith has migrated from the top of the unit to the back, and now double as a battery life indicator, with three colours - green, amber and green - indicating how much battery is remaining.

Another change is to the mounting bracket. Gone is the aluminium clamp secured with an Allen bolt, and in comes one of the neatest QR clamps we've seen. It's a dovetail design, more commonly found on camera tripods and telescopes, and makes fitting the light really easy and its rock solid when in place. It'll fit 25.4 and 31.8mm handlebars.

Each light has the same three modes of illumination; MaXx (3hrs), Ride (10hrs) and Low (24rs), the MaXx mode dispatching 720 lumens into your path.

We really like the changes to the Exposure lights. We're fans of the integrated battery design for the lack of cables cluttering our bikes, and the light weight, and we're finally starting to see the real potential of LED technology. The new QR mount is a revelation, the burn time indicator is a nice touch, but most importantly they're a lot brighter than before, and the new lenses make the most of that extra available light for a package that is a real contender for your money.

Joystick £160, Race £230, Enduro £300.

www.exposurelights.com - +44 (0) 1798 344477