New to Cateye's range of bike lights is the super bright Volt 1600. Retailing at around £170 this light isn't cheap so you might expect it to have lots of bells and whistles but actually the light is very simple. One button switches the light on and multiple presses cycles through the different brightness output modes right up to an impressive 1600 lumens. This is bright enough and has a wide enough beam pattern to safely guide you through a trail at night, the trade-off being that you'll only have 2 hours of fun before you have to recharge. The 6800mAh Li-ion battery recharges via the supplied USB cable, although the battery is equipped with a fast charge circuit the large capacity means that it can still take up to 16 hours to fully charge.
On the road output can, and should, be knocked right down to save blinding other road users. At 500 lumens you get around 5 hours of use, at 200 lumens, which is bright enough for urban night riding, you get around 15 hours of use.
The tool free handlebar mount is a breeze to fit and holds the light fairly secure but make sure you really crank the wheel as tight as it'll go before hitting the trails to avoid the beam creeping skywards.
If you want one light to do it all then you can't go far wrong with the Volt 1600, just close your eyes and grit your teeth when the cashier takes your payment.
