To begin with, I have to say I have never used a bike light at this price point, and I sort of poo poo’d the idea that any light was worth £125.
How wrong could I be?
This is one hell of a light, and I had no idea lights could be this good. I’d heard of lights retailing at £750 and just laughed, but this Specialized Flux with an output of 1,200 Lumens is an eye-opener in more ways than one.
Let’s just start with the clip attachment to the Cockpit. No allen keys or screws or “ fiddly†bits. The “quick release†clip comes with three different inserts, so will fit any bar diameter and it can be used at any angle or configuration on the bar. I wanted mine to clip on the opposite side to my Garmin so I had room to hold the bars in the middle. This can be done as it fits both sides of the stem. I clipped mine into position exactly below my Garmin and once clipped with the QR lever, it isn’t going to move. You can adjust it so there is NO movement when the light is attached, even through the deepest pothole, it’s immovable. YOU do the moving if necessary.
So once that was done (with ease) I charged my Flux using the USB cable supplied. Here’s another PLUS to Specialized... Most companies make everything non-compatible with other manufacturers products, but with this USB cable, I was able to use my Garmin plug, my Sram Red Etap plug and several other household plugs. So if you commute to work, you can charge with other USB chargers. That’s a huge plus from me!
I was now ready to use my Specialized Flux for real.
When you come to fit the light to the clip. BE CAREFUL! This is not really a design fault, but you need to be aware when you fit the light to the clip.
The light itself has two grooves in it, top and bottom. There is only one “paddle†on the clip to release the light, so if you are an idiot (like me) you must make sure BOTH grooves are set home. The release flap (which with my orientation of the clip is underneath the light) has to clip in securely and you must make sure you hear two “clicks†before the light is “homeâ€. You can ride with only the one-click, but to my cost (with absolutely no harm to the very robust light) mine popped out after hitting a large ridge in the road. I hadn’t clicked the light “home†properly. DOH! So, make sure the light is absolutely CLIPPED IN. This is when you hear TWO clicks and the opening paddle is completely home. Try to pull the light out, and if you can’t, all is well...
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Now for the “proof of the puddingâ€.
Before I start this description, however, some more tips. DO NOT LOOK INTO THE LIGHT DIRECTLY. If you get the full 1200 Lumens in your eyes,
it’s damaging so please don’t do it.
As some of you know, I go out very early in the mornings to train and it’s dark when I leave home. I have been using pretty decent lights as I value my safety on the Wirral lanes and I thought 200 Lumens was the Bees Knees! Was I in for a shock.
When you start to use the light, making sure the light is angled down to the road and you don’t blind oncoming motorists, angle the beam down to where it suits you (for me about 2 bike lengths in front) but you can adjust as required, BUT not into oncomers eyes. The first thing you will be aware of is that you can SEE so much more in the dark, it’s superb and you can see everything in front of you. To me, it was a real WOWSER factor and it’s just a brilliant bit of kit.
How you use it is really a personal thing. Bearing in mind you have SEVEN different settings. On full beam you have 1,200, 600 or 300 Lumens to play with. If you hold the button down for 3-4 seconds you can go onto the “flash†mode where you have 4 different settings. This is really “horses for coursesâ€. I can only tell you how I use my light. I hardly ever use the 1,200 as it’s just not needed on the roads I use... If I was on a 1 ½ hour or less commute in London I would use the full 1,200... It’s just nice to know it’s there (Like buying a 300 BHP car.. You hardly ever use its full potential.)
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My morning ride usually takes 3 hours and mostly in the dark, except for the last 30 to 60 minutes. I start with 300 lumens from home and when it’s totally dark, you can just SEE SO MUCH.. When I go through any big conurbation, I switch to 600 Lumens, so the light remains a “stand-out†light and drivers see you. Loads of times I’ve had a car “nearly†come out of a side road, only to see this bright light and stop dead! I sometimes think they are seeing a Motorbike, it’s THAT bright. It’s great for the feeling of security and peace of mind. So for me, it’s mainly 300 and very occasionally 600 Lumens... When the sky is totally light I use the flash mode (that’s both lights flashing at 300 Lumens). You can obviously play around with all these combinations and find which is best for each ride... Nice to have so much choice and you soon find what suits.
To sum up. Is this light worth £125.00?
YES DEFINITELY
It’s the best light I’ve used and I think, worth every penny. What’s the price of safety and peace of mind on the bike? A LOT TO ME!
This review has been done by Dave Lloyd - Find out more here http://www.davelloydcoaching.com/
