Given the 2-hour run-time, I was expecting it to have slipped into amber. I was pleasantly surprised to note that the battery life indicator light was still clear after 50 minutes. Rabbits and other woodland creatures caught in its arc also dispersed promptly. However, green lanes and less technical dirt roads/trails were easily navigated at a steady 17mph, and 23-25mph was also doable along clearer sections. Along my favourite winding lanes, approaching traffic typically dipped their lights at 80 metres or so on clear nights – half that when mist presented.įor serious trail antics, I'd be inclined to pair it with a helmet-mounted flood. It's potent enough to persuade the most ignorant of full beam drivers to dip, and so long as I've angled the light properly, I've not dazzled or had anyone flash their lights at me. Unleashing the full 1700 lumens provides a very rich, ambient light, which gives as much navigational punch as you could want along pitch black lanes – enough for 42mph, anyway, which is my limit for a local descent. The light has a memory function, so will turn on in the last mode used. Hyper constant is a hybrid of a 200-lumen steady and 1700 flash, and lastly there's a 200-lumen flash. High is 1700 lumens, medium 500 and low 200 – which is tame enough for town.

It offers five modes in total – three steady, two flashing – all of which are well thought out and should cater for most people, most of the time. Pros: Great output, sensible settings and run-times, very user-friendly.However, while I have quickly warmed to its charms, there are others out there that offer similar bang for less buck.

Several intelligent settings with generous run-times ensure that it's practical for semi-rural and town work too. The Cateye Volt 1700 is a super-potent compact front light with enough punch for scorching along the darkest lanes.

Cat eye volt 1700