Comparison Lezyne Radar React System vs Garmin Varia Vue

The type determines the purpose and configuration of the lantern.

— Velofara. A device similar to car headlights and designed to illuminate the road in front of the cyclist, as well as to increase its visibility. In many countries, the use of a bicycle headlight at night or in low visibility conditions is mandatory; and even if there is no such prescription in the law, driving without lights in poor visibility is simply unwise and unsafe. The headlight, usually, is mounted on the steering wheel and rotates with it; many of these devices have a strobe mode to further improve visibility.

— Flasher. Auxiliary lamp mounted at the rear of the bicycle. Usually, flashing lights are made red (although there are other colours) and are not intended for lighting, but solely to make the cyclist more visible to other road users. Unlike headlights, such equipment is rarely mandatory even at night, however, from the point of view of traffic safety, it is much more effective and preferable than simple reflectors (reflectors). Note that, despite the name, flashers do not necessarily work only in flashing mode — usually, the design also provides for a constant light mode.

— Velofara + flasher. A kit that includes both of the devices described above — a bicycle headlight and a flasher. The point of this option is that the cyclist can purchase both the front and rear lights at once, instead...of buying them one at a time. On the other hand, buying separately gives you the opportunity to choose the lights at your discretion, while in this case you have to rely on the decision of the manufacturer. Therefore, the “bicycle headlight + flasher” kits have not received much distribution.

The number of individual light emitting diodes (LED) in the bike light (see "Type").

A larger number of LEDs, on the one hand, makes it possible to achieve greater brightness of the headlight and reduces the likelihood of its complete failure (the failure of one LED does not lead to a loss of lamp operation). On the other hand, the technical features of modern LEDs are such that manufacturers prefer to put one bright single-chip LED instead of several case ones into powerful “long-range” bicycle lights. On the third, there can also be several single-chip LEDs, to increase reliability and provide additional adjustments (for example, changing the brightness by turning on / off individual LEDs). Therefore, only lamps of the same price category should be compared by this parameter. At the same time, “multiple-charged” models, in addition to the described advantages, also have disadvantages — they are, usually, more complicated, more expensive and larger.

Luminous flux given out by a bicycle headlight (see "Type"); in models with adjustable brightness, usually, the maximum value is indicated.

The higher the luminous flux, the brighter the headlight and the greater the illumination range (see below). On the other hand, this characteristic significantly affects the dimensions, weight and cost of the flashlight, despite the fact that high brightness is not always required — for example, for episodic trips along well-lit city streets, a powerful flashlight is not needed. Therefore, it is worth choosing a bicycle headlight according to the luminous flux, taking into account the features of the planned application; specific recommendations for different cases (city, highway, rough terrain, etc.) can be found in special sources. Also, do not forget that the actual lighting efficiency depends not only on the brightness, but also on the shape of the light spot.

The number of individual operating modes provided in the bike headlight (see "Type"). Usually, this parameter takes into account all available adjustments: for example, for a model with 3 brightness adjustments and the ability to work in the stroboscope format, 6 modes will be indicated (3 brightness values \u200b\u200bfor constant light and the same for a stroboscope). A specific set of modes in each case should be clarified separately, but in general, the more there are, the more options for use the headlight suggests, the higher the likelihood that an unforeseen situation will not take the owner by surprise.

The number of brightness modes makes it possible to adjust the intensity of the flashlight and adjust it to the necessary needs. Accordingly, the more modes, the more flexible options for using the model (even not only in cycling needs). So the most popular are models with brightness control in 3 or 4 positions.

The longest time of continuous operation without replacing or recharging the power source, provided by a bicycle headlight (see "Type") in constant light mode (if there is a flashing mode, the operation time is usually longer, but it cannot be called the main one). This item indicates the value for the most economical format of operation, at minimum brightness; therefore, the actual headlight run time will generally be lower than advertised. It is also worth considering that many replaceable batteries (see "Power") are available in different capacities and have different durability — which means that battery life will also depend on the quality of the batteries. At the same time, this indicator is quite suitable for evaluating bicycle headlights and for comparing them with each other.

Bicycle headlight battery life at maximum brightness (see "Type"). This indicator is closer to reality than the maximum operating time (see above): in fact, it indicates the time that the flashlight is guaranteed to be able to work without replacing or recharging the battery. However note that some batteries (see "Power") can be produced in different capacities, and the manufacturer usually indicates the operating time for the most capacious (and expensive) batteries.

The number of operating modes provided in the flasher (see "Type").

The presence of two modes, usually, means the ability to work in constant light mode — in some cases this format is considered more preferable (although the blinking is still more noticeable). And if there are more than two modes, then the flasher also provides more specific options (for example, “running lights”).

Operating time of the flasher (see "Type") without replacing or recharging the battery. Usually, it is indicated for the flashing mode, because the flasher is extremely rarely used in constant light mode, its main purpose is flickering modes.

This parameter is quite approximate, because. the actual operating time will depend on the frequency and modes of use, air temperature, quality of replaceable batteries (see "Power") and other factors. Nevertheless, the operating time stated in the characteristics makes it possible to evaluate the battery life of flashing lights and compare them with each other.