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review

SP All-Round LED Safety Light

6
£34.95

VERDICT:

6
10
A tidy little unit, but there are question marks over its ultimate value once you factor in buying a mount
Weight: 
41g

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If you buy it with SP's Connect Saddle Case, then the SP All-Round Safety Light is a logical and useful addition to your bike, whatever the time of year. If it came with a bracket for your seatpost, it'd be a no-brainer.

  • Pros: A neat add-on to SP's Connect saddlebag, bright enough, disruptive modes
  • Cons: No seatpost bracket included, total cost

First things first, in case it wasn't obvious already, this light was tested attached to SP's Connect Saddle Case. Why? Well, because it's designed to fit to it with an integrated bracket, and also because SP doesn't supply a seatpost bracket with the light.

Surely, even if the light is designed to work in tandem with the brand's own saddlebags, a clamp of some sort – even a cheap one – wouldn't go amiss? Not everyone is going to want an SP case to attach it to. Yes, you do get two adaptors for a mount, but you don't get the mount itself.

SP Connect Saddle Case Set - light mounted.jpg

SP does sell various clamps at an additional cost of £20-£25 depending on the version you opt for. Add that to the £35 cost of the light unit itself, and suddenly you might be thinking twice. You can get small 'look-at-me' units for less, like Lezyne's max-250-lumen Zecto Drive Max for £48 and its Strip Drive Pro 300 for £49.99, both including brackets, or less-bright options for a lot less: Oxford's 15-lumen Ultratorch Mini+ is just £9.99 including bracket.

Anyway, with that complaint out of the way, the light unit itself is actually a nice little performer. You get up to 100 lumens of power from two LEDs, which can operate in three modes (not two, as SP's website seems to state).

You get a static 20-lumen option, and two disruptive flash modes, one of which flashes up to 100 lumens in a pulse-and-strobe pattern over an always-on static mode, putting out around 10 lumens in the background.

All are useful and tick the visibility box, while battery life is acceptable. From full to completely discharged used on the static option – used in several stints – you get around 6:30hrs of life with the final hour 'reducing' to the combo mode, while the simpler of the two flash modes yields a claimed 16 hours.

> Buyer's Guide: 16 of the best rear cycling lights

I like to use flashing modes because they tend to draw more attention in a queue of static brake lights and the like, but also to save battery life and reduce the amount of times I need to charge it. I got a full working week out of the unit in this mode, which included many commutes and cross-Bath spins, plus a medium-length winter ride – not bad at all.

It's versatile too, in case you're a multi-sport person. The patented clip-and-twist fitting system is solid and secure, and deceptively simple to use, and can fit to your arm if you buy the running band accessory.

Build quality is excellent – it's definitely 'weatherproof' – while the simple plastic and rubber external construction proved sturdy when I spilled it out of my hands. It only weighs 41g, so it's actually quite easy to drop if you're careless. That light weight also means it doesn't add much if any pendulum effect to the Connect Saddle Case it was tested with, so that's also a positive.

The All-Round Safety Light has me in two minds, though. On the one hand, it's a great little lightweight unit that adds vital visibility to you and your bike... but on the other, you need to buy an additional £20-£25 bracket or £35 saddle bag to go with the £35 cost of the unit itself. Although I like it as a product, there are others around that can out-power and out-price it.

Verdict

A tidy little unit, but there are question marks over its ultimate value once you factor in buying a mount

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road.cc test report

Make and model: SP All-Round LED Safety Light

Size tested: Max 100 Lumen

Tell us what the light is for, and who it's aimed at. What do the manufacturers say about it? How does that compare to your own feelings about it?

SP Connect says: "Be seen with the SP Connect ALL-ROUND LED SAFETY LIGHT RED when biking, running or during other activities. The weatherproof 100 Lumen light features constant and flashing modes and is USB rechargeable with a long lasting, built-in battery. With the integrated patented SP ConnectTM mounting mechanism it can quickly and securely be attached to the SP ConnectTM Cases, Running Bands and other cycle mounts."

Tell us some more about the technical aspects of the light?

Features:

- Multiple uses (bike & running)

- Weatherproof

- 2 modes (constant and flashing)

- USB rechargeable, long lasting built-in battery

- Red light - max. 16h / max. 100 Lumen

Rate the light for quality of construction:
 
9/10

It's a very solid-feeling light at 41g.

Rate the light for design and ease of use. How simple was the light to use?
 
10/10

Couldn't be easier – and the attachment system is simple and solid too.

Rate the light for the design and usability of the clamping system/s
 
10/10

(As long as you have a bracket to fit it to!)

Rate the light for waterproofing. How did it stand up to the elements?
 
8/10

Absolutely no problems at all, although it's not described as 'waterproof', just 'weatherproof' which isn't the same.

Rate the light for battery life. How long did it last? How long did it take to recharge?
 
8/10

I got a working week out of it on one charge, with intermittent use every day, plus a ride.

Rate the light for performance:
 
6/10

Good, if not outstanding brightness. The reflective half is useful too.

Rate the light for durability:
 
8/10

Stood up to being dropped. Oops.

Rate the light for weight:
 
9/10
Rate the light for value:
 
4/10

Bearing in mind that you need to buy a bracket or saddlebag with mounting to fit it, that needs to be taken into account: £55+ for this light is a bit steep.

Tell us how the light performed overall when used for its designed purpose

Very well, truth be told. I like it as a product.

Tell us what you particularly liked about the light

A neat add-on to SP's Connect saddlebag, bright enough, disruptive modes.

Tell us what you particularly disliked about the light

No seatpost bracket included, total cost.

How does the price compare to that of similar products in the market, including ones recently tested on road.cc?

The Lezyne Zecto Drive Max is £48 but includes a bracket. Niterider's 80-lumen Sabre 80 is £29.99. If you don't need the max 100 lumens, there are dozens of standard rear lights for a lot less money. Oxford's Ultratorch Mini+ is just £9.99 including bracket, but it's only 15 lumens.

Did you enjoy using the light? Yes

Would you consider buying the light? No

Would you recommend the light to a friend? As a unit, yes, but not until there's a standard bracket included in the package.

Use this box to explain your overall score

It's a nice little unit, but the value when you factor in having to buy a standard bracket brings the score down.

Overall rating: 6/10

About the tester

Age: 29  Height: 188cm  Weight: 80kg

I usually ride: Canyon Ultimate CF SL 9.0 SL (2016)  My best bike is:

I've been riding for: Under 5 years  I ride: Most days  I would class myself as: Expert

I regularly do the following types of riding: time trialling, club rides, sportives, general fitness riding

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