South African-born, US-based brand, RavX Design, is known for its expansive range of cycling accessories and, over the past two years, a range of cree LED lights too. The latest being the 600-lumen Optibar.
It comprises a solidly constructed CNC alloy housing and toolless mounting bracket, weighing a fairly light 179 grams. It is rechargeable and comes with an AC charger for the Li-lon battery. There are three settings, High beam (600lm), Medium beam (500lm) and Strobe (500lm).
We couldn’t get the mounting bracket to fit the wider centre area of our bars. A wider clamp would solve this. Once fitted though, it held its position well, even on very uneven terrain. Both constant-beam modes provided a good spread of light while the focused lens ensured extra spot reach.
The strobe mode works exceptionally well, ideal for commuting or just added visibility, especially in daytime traffic on your way to or from the trail.
Battery life is 1.5 to 8 hours max, depending on your mode usage and riding conditions.
In rain we had no issues thanks to weather sealing on exposed and threaded parts, but the black anodizing tended to rub/wear relatively easily. Overall, a compact, light that has good trail capability – ideal for those that commute by bike or who do the occasional night ride.
WEIGHT: 179g
LUMEN: 600 (claimed)
*PRICE: R1399
Contact: www.ravx.com
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*Originally published in TREAD Issue 26, 2013 – All rights reserved
