The Lezyne Macro Drive 800XL is a decent-enough, all-in-one light with significant runtimes, but it's let down by poor beam focus and a wobbly mounting system. Emma’s first encounters with a road bike were in between swimming and running. Soon after competing for GB in the World Age Group Triathlon Championships in Edmonton in 2001 she saw the light and decided to focus on cycling. For the record, I have had a number of interactions with Lezyne support, and so far they have always stood behind their products. The CNC machined aluminium body looks quality and makes the light look way more expensive then it actually is. It's available in a range of anodised colours too, so you can achieve a bit of coordination with your bike. Flashing-wise, there is a DayFlash which pumps out the full 1,000lm for 7.5hrs, which grabs plenty of attention when riding in the sunshine or filtering during daylight, though it is way too antisocial to use during darkness.

Boost is still plenty bright enough to see where you are going on wide main roads with cats-eyes and the like, plus the Enduro will, too, at a push. That said, the weatherproofing is to Lezyne's usual high standards. Over a few months of riding in occasionally soaking conditions the Macro Drive 800XL didn't miss a beat, nor did the road.cc shower test of doom faze it.In terms of the beam pattern, it doesn't differ much from its predecessor, the Lite Drive 800XL: a decent central spot with fading edges. On the road, I had absolutely no issue seeing what was coming up, obstacles, potholes and gutter dwelling objects. The lateral cutouts really help here.

Although I like the idea of having two separate cycles available, I'm not sure the combination of modes is right. I'll explain... The new ladder fitting is also a bit of a faff to fit onto 31.8mm bars, requiring every step in the ladder and leaving you with only a small rubber tab to grasp – again, a faff with gloves on. For round bars there's an adapter you fit over the rubber strap, or remove for fitting to flatter aero bars. That's a nice touch, and the removable bit is held pretty firmly. Typically I use the ultra-low setting near dusk when you begin to need visibility but you can still safely see where you are going. Then after dark I use race mode, on this one with the remote wired toggle button. The system has proven to be a 10 for reliability, and once you figure out the operating scheme, it has become second nature.There are eight settings in total, which gives you plenty of versatility for balancing battery life against output, and I wouldn't real cull any of them – well, maybe the Pulse – but I would definitely change the way you access them to make the light more user-friendly. The button used to switch the light on and off also displays the battery life. Green for above 50%, amber for 10-50%, red for below 10% and eventually red flashing for less than 5%. It's an idiot-proof system that works for the recharging too. The Day Flash mode puts out 800 lumens and is top notch for riding in daytime traffic; EVERYONE notices you! It's followed in the cycle of modes by Flash and Pulse; these two are much better for evening riding in urban areas – they don't send your eyes funny but still make others aware of you. The button has an LED beneath it which moves from green to red through amber, allowing you to keep an eye on how much juice you have left, and a full recharge will take between four and five hours depending on where the power is coming from. Cons: Perhaps too many modes that have to be scrolled through; modes not grouped in the most practical way

I've been a fan of the Overdrive Race mode for years, and consider any light without it fundamentally unfit for purpose." The 800XL sits at the bottom of Lezyne's 'Performance' range, which then drops to 'Sport' with lights of 450 lumens or lower. In the 800XL you get standard light settings from 15 up to 400 lumens, with runtimes decreasing from 63 down to 3 hours. There are 150 lumen pulse and flash modes lasting over 13 hours, plus Lezyne's trademark 'Overdrive Race mode', with a simple toggling between 'low beam' at 150 or the Overdrive 800 flagship output lasting 1hr 40mins.Lezyne's Smart Technology works in conjunction with an app on your smartphone to avoid all this faff, but it's only available with the more expensive, powerful models. Redesigned for our Year 13 collection, the Strip Drive Rear features our new Wide Angle Optics lens that provides up to 270° of visibility. It also features an increase of 27 hours in runtime for a maximum of 57 hours. Its co-molded construction is more compact, but still boasts five LEDs for up to 150 lumens of output. With 11 output modes, including a Daytime Flash mode, it’s got options for any time day or night. A versatile mounting system attaches to aero or round posts and it’s micro-USB rechargeable. The one exception I'd make are German lights manufactured to throw a shaped beam that cannot dazzle oncoming road users. In that case you can just use them on full all the time. But then on paths where you wand uniform coverage, for example to get even left-right cornering coverage, they don't work. The next setting is Blast (500lm/3hrs), then Enduro (250lm/5.5hrs), Economy (150lm/19hrs) and Femto (15ml/87hrs), which finishes off the solid options.