There are a lot of lights for mountain biking at night on the market, and they’re all seemingly pretty basic: light plus battery equals extended season. Many of us probably thought the same thing about bikes when we started riding, but we quickly learned entry-level bikes leave a lot to be desired in terms of performance. Gloworm is the Ibis of the bike light world, and their XSV light offers a huge upgrade for riders still running entry-level lights.
I’m the first to admit few of us actually need 3,400 lumens of brightness for riding trails at night. Then again, I don’t need a Kashima-coating on my fork either — but it makes a good fork feel even better. It’s rare that I need that much light on the trail, but it does come in handy when scoping a line that drops off into darkness or pinning it to catch up with the rest of the group after a bathroom break.
Gloworm claims the XSV will last 1.5 hours on full brightness with the included battery. Most riders won’t need to run the light on high for the entire ride, which leaves plenty of extra capacity at the lower light settings. Most of my night rides last about 3-4 hours and I’ve yet to reach the limits of the battery. For casual riding, the low setting paired with a second light is generally enough. I flick the light to medium for descents and only rarely kick it into high mode. There’s also a “super dim” mode that works well when you just want to be seen (like on the road).
Maximum brightness 3400 lumens Battery life 1.5 hours on high Brightness settings 4: super dim, low, medium, and high Weight 332g (light plus
[continued...]
From Singletracks
Mountain bike trail maps, videos, photos, reviews, and news.
