Here is a guest post on the Outbound Lighting Road and Trail Bike Lights – high-end bike lights that successfully debuted last year on Kickstarter, and are now lighting up the cycling world! Of course, they are not cheap, but with cycling gear (as with everything else), you get what you pay for. If you are in the market for excellent, high-end bike lights, read on!

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The Outbound Lighting Focal Series Road & Trail Edition Bike Lights
The Outbound Lighting Focal Series Road & Trail edition bike lights are certainly unique. They are extremely bright, but use less lumens than other bike lights, while feeling brighter and more powerful than you would expect for the amount of lumens. The reason for this is that the Outbound bike lights are designed with an engineered custom reflector which doesn’t waste any lumens into far flung areas like the top of treetops, or too much light in front of the bike. It is an eye-opening experience riding with either light for the first time!

The Outbound Road Bike Light

The road light is very cool because it features a cutoff line like a car headlight. We often talk about how lights are as bright or brighter than car headlights in a lumen sense, but with the Outbound Lighting light you can actually use maximum brightness without blinding oncoming traffic or fellow riders. The cutoff line allows for this, as well as using the available lumens more effectively. Simply aim the bike light so the cutoff is below a car windshield and you are set!

The really wide spill of light is also very welcome on those tight turns or intersections on the road. It also helps fully illuminate the lane when you are on a dark back country road. Be warned though, once you have ridden with the Outbound Road bike light you cannot go back to a typical bike light and feel as comfortable riding; heck, you might even wish your car headlights were this good!
The Outbound Trail Bike Light

The Trail light looks very similar to the Road light, but its beam pattern is very different. It is more like a soft rectangle than a typical flashlight spot light pattern. It is enormously wide and fills up your entire field of vision with light. Only downside is that it is not nearly as “bright” as some other lights when both lights are side by side and looking to see which light lets you see further at a standstill. However, start riding and you’ll immediately forget about the typical bike light and want to ride forever with the Trail version. The wide illumination, along with a carpet of light on the front of the bike, lights up everything in your peripheral vision, making it easy to see deep into turns on the trail, as well as just feeling more comfortable at night.

Batteries for the Outbound Bike Lights
The battery lasts for about 3+ hours on the “adaptive mode.” This mode starts on high, and after 15 minutes it starts a slow 30-minute drop to medium, as your eyes adapt to the dark. It also features a strategy so that you are never left without light, stepping down the power as the reserve gets lower and lower. You’ll never be stranded in the dark again!
Mounting for the Outbound Bike Lights
Mounting these bike lights is simple, using a large rubber strap that is bigger than most lights. You can quickly strap it onto your handlebars, and it works perfectly with a common 32 mm bar. Some older bikes with 25 mm bars or smaller might see some problems, and would be better off using a GoPro mount that would work with the included adapter piece. Mounting is tight, but not so tight that you can’t make adjustments on the fly. I have never had an issue with it slipping while riding, even when taking the mountain bike over some jumps!

Bottom Line on the Outbound Lighting Road & Trail Bike Lights
The price is steeper than most of the lights, but rest assured, it is well worth it. Assembled in the USA, with high quality batteries, well built, reliable electronics, and a great manufacturer’s warranty (30 day love-it-or-return-it) makes this potentially the last bike light you will need to buy … At least until they make another one!
Find out more about the Outbound Lighting Road & Trail Bike Lights Here!
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