by Stan Purdum
Hot!
- Rechargeable bright LED headlight with forward and side/down lenses
- Multiple light modes and combinations thereof
- Waterproof
- Rechargeable multi-mode tail light included
- Charging cord included.
Not!
- At 5 ounces (including mounting bracket), the light may weigh more than some riders wish to add to their bike.
Price: $46
Available here: https://hokolite.com/
How obtained: Sample from Hokolite
RBR Advertiser: No
The rechargeable Lux-Bike light is a new offering from Hokolite — so new, in fact, that the company has not, as of this writing, put this light on its website. But it is available by contacting Hokolite.
At its highest setting, the Lux-Bike puts out 1500 lumens — which is a lot of light. But the “lux” in the name refers to another measurement of light, and here, the Lux-Bike really shines — literally. Lumen indicates the amount of light emitted by a light source, while lux refers to the illuminance on a surface — be it a desk, wall or the road ahead. In other words, lux refers to the real effect of a light and the size of the area it illuminates.
This bike light deserves the “lux” in its name because it is constructed with three lenses: one aimed straight ahead, one aimed broadly down and to the left and one aimed broadly down and to the right, meaning that when all three lenses are putting out light, there’s a lot of surface before you illuminated, including the ground immediately ahead of your front wheel as well as the road further ahead.
The Lux-Bike light has two buttons on top. One click of the front button (marked with a cone-of-light icon) turns on the front lens light, at 1000 lumens — constant light, no strobe. Another click of that button bumps the front lens light to 1500 lumens — constant light, no strobe.
The rear button (marked with a (( )) icon) turns on both side/down lights — constant light, no strobe. Another click of that button switches the side/down lights to strobe mode. A third click turns the side/down lights to red — constant light, no strobe. And one more click switches the side/down lights to red, strobe mode.
The two buttons operate independently of each other, so you can have the front light and the side/down lights all on at the same time if you wish, which would be useful when riding in a very dark location. And in daylight, when you might want the white light strobe operating to increase your visibility to oncoming drivers, the side/down lenses provide broad enough coverage to call immediate attention to your presence on the road.
I had to think a bit about the red light, whether in strobe or full on. You would never want to ride with a red light aimed forward. Red lights are universally perceived as indicating a vehicle moving away from you, so you can imagine the carnage that could occur if drivers thought you were heading away from them when you were actually coming toward them.
However, if you were to take the light into your tent at night, you could use the red light to find items there without blinding tentmates. Or if you had an accident on the bike and needed help, you could fire up the red strobe to assist emergency personnel in finding you. But the Lux-Bike kit also includes a rechargeable red tail light, so the red in the headlight might not be needed in that scenario. Doesn’t hurt anything to have it there, however.
The light mounts to your handlebar by means of an easily installed bracket.
The rechargeable tail light that comes with the kit is about as big around as a silver dollar and mounts with a stretch strap, meaning it can be placed almost anywhere on the bike. It has three modes of constant light at varying intensities, and three strobe modes: slow, intermittent and fast.
Hokolite is not a common name in bicycle accessories, but they make LED lights for many applications besides cycling. The Lux-Bike is the second bicycle light the company sent me (see my review of the first one here). That light is now permanently mounted on the bike I ride most often, and frankly, I like it. I expect the Lux-Bike light will find a permanent home on one of my other bikes.
Stan Purdum has ridden several long-distance bike trips, including an across-America ride recounted in his book Roll Around Heaven All Day, and a trek on U.S. 62, from Niagara Falls, New York, to El Paso, Texas, the subject of his book Playing in Traffic. Stan, a freelance writer and editor, lives in Ohio. See more at www.StanPurdum.com.
Leave a Reply