Lezyne Lite Drive 1200+ LED Light

The Lezyne Lite Drive 1200+ LED is a pleasingly compact but quite powerful front light with a range of different modes and good battery life. After using it in various conditions, it's certainly convinced me with its quality, but it doesn't seem to deliver quite the power that the packet promises in a wider beam. That's about its only downside – but it's enough to make it lose out to other cheaper lights that perform better.

As its name suggests, the Lite Drive 1200+ LED has a maximum claimed output of 1,200lm, and it lights up the road ahead of you effectively. Lezyne says it has a "fresh optical design and the MOR (Maximum Optical Reflection) lens optimises light dispersion for enhanced visibility". That said, I was expecting slightly more out of it; I think the nature of LED light can be partly to blame, but the shape of the Lite Drive's beam isn't as focused as on some bright lights I've used.

My eyes are not always to be trusted, but when comparing it with other lights in our beam engine, above, the Lite Drive 1200+ does deliver less lux than, for example the NiteRider Lumina 1000 Boost with a claimed 1,000lm output, and the Cateye AMPP1100 with 1,100lm output. The beam shape and lighting power of the Lezyne are more even across the two-metre width we used in the beam test, meaning it doesn't concentrate the maximum output in the middle of the light as much as others do.

With any light that packs in quite a hefty amount of lumens, it could easily become bulky, but the Lite Drive 1200+ LED is still quite a sleek design, very similar in shape and construction to the Lite Drive 1000XL we reviewed a few years back. It has a robust CNC-machined aluminium construction, which makes it feel quite hefty in the hand, and an IPX7 water resistance rating (protection against immersion in water up to 1 metre for 30 minutes); it got soaked more times than I can count during the review period and continues to operate well.

The underside of the light houses a waterproof USB-C charging port, which had a little cover but mine went missing when I had the light in a bag and was never to be found... so it's a good thing the port is waterproof!

There is just one button on the light, both for powering it on and off and indicating the battery level. Green is 100%, yellow is 80%, red is 10% and flashing red is 5%. It's quite simple to learn the different colours, and once you need a charge, it takes up to six hours – not super quick, but not unusually long.

It's also compatible with the Infinite LED Light Power Pack+ (£88) if you need extra battery life.

Mount

The light attaches to the handlebar with a stretchy silicone strap that's screwed onto the base of the light. These straps are replaceable, in case you manage to snap one, which is great for the product's lifespan.

Though lights with proper mounting brackets have the benefit of being very secure, I much prefer the silicone strap that the Lite Drive comes with. With handlebars being all sorts of shapes nowadays, the stretchy strap meant I could put the light on even if I was riding my bike with a flat-top bar, and I never had an issue with the light bouncing about or coming off, even when I took it on some chunky gravel paths.

It takes a bit of time to get used to the mount, as you need to twist the light on the strap first to get enough space for attaching it to the hook; once it's attached, you can straighten the light back to shine in the right direction.

There's also an optional GoPro adapter (£6.50) so you can use it as a helmet light (or purchase the helmet-mounted version, for £90).

Modes and run-times

Lezyne claims up to 60 hours from the 3,800mAh battery, but that depends on what modes you use. There are seven to choose from: Economy, Enduro, Blast, Over Drive, Day Flash, Femto and Pulse. Femto gives the longest running time, but only a 20lm output.

I mostly opted for the solid Over Drive mode (1,200lm) on the darkest rides on small lanes – this has a claimed 2-hour battery life and certainly delivered about that every time I was out, though I did usually switch to a lower beam when I got to roads with streetlights. The light never overheated, either, thanks to the LED tech.

Note that to get to Over Drive you need to hold the power button for five seconds until it flashes, which then takes you into the Race Mode setting, where there are just two modes, Over Drive and Enduro. I liked this for night rides as I could get to the 300lm mode easily with one click. To get back to the other modes you repeat the five-second press (with the light off).

Value and conclusion

I've been quite torn with the Lite Drive 1200+'s overall performance. While it has good battery life and an excellent construction, and I really like the attachment style, the output has left me a little disappointed. In full 1,200lm mode it's bright enough to light up the road in front of me on the flat, but once my speed picked up on descents I was worried about not seeing potholes on roads I don't ride very often; I definitely hoped for a little more oomph. It provides a nice wide beam, but doesn't concentrate power for seeing the road in front of you.

While it doesn't seem badly priced on paper, it's outshone by rivals such as the NiteRider Lumina 1000 Boost I mentioned earlier, which costs the same, and the Cateye AMPP 1100, which is now £6 cheaper, as well as the much cheaper Gaciron Kiwi-1200 Anti-Glare Bike Front Light, which is currently just over £48, and which Steve really praised for its strong beam and high quality.

Overall, although the Lezyne Lite Drive 1200+ LED is a decent light, it doesn't quite do enough to warrant a spot among the best front lights; it's just not quite as good in terms of value and lighting power as others.

Verdict

Very good quality, just not quite as good in terms of lighting power and value as others