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review
Lezyne Deca Drive 1500i Loaded.jpg£209.99
VERDICT:
Big beam, big run-times, well-considered modes for road riding
Weight:
457g
Contact:
At road.cc every product is thoroughly tested for as long as it takes to get a proper insight into how well it works. Our reviewers are experienced cyclists that we trust to be objective. While we strive to ensure that opinions expressed are backed up by facts, reviews are by their nature an informed opinion, not a definitive verdict. We don't intentionally try to break anything (except locks) but we do try to look for weak points in any design. The overall score is not just an average of the other scores: it reflects both a product's function and value – with value determined by how a product compares with items of similar spec, quality, and price.
What the road.cc scores meanGood scores are more common than bad, because fortunately good products are more common than bad.
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Lezyne's Deca Drive 1500i is right at the top of its range, and you'd expect it to offer some serious illumination, which it does. The i stands for 'infinite', and that means that the light has a port on the underside which you can plug an external battery into to extend the life. That gives you some pretty impressive run-times; this is a light that can easily cope with an all-nighter or even a weekender on one charge.
Obviously it's not 'infinite' in any meaningful sense; that would require you to carry an infinite number of backup batteries that would be both expensive and rather cumbersome. But I digress. What you do get is a light that's very good on its own, with the option to extend its run-time as and when you need to.
> Find your nearest dealer here
You can achieve the same thing with pretty much any USB-charging light by carrying a backup battery, and you can pick up some big backup batteries for a lot less than the £70 the Lezyne one adds to the cost of the light. But on the flip side, the Lezyne battery is designed to be mounted to the bike, and is IPX7 waterproof (submersible), and the light can be charged in situ and is still waterproof when the battery pack is plugged in. You can charge your devices from the battery pack too – there's a USB out at the other end – but the battery isn't waterproof when the port cover is removed, so it's not so much an on-the-go solution.
The Deca Drive has a rugged alloy body. It's finned, in the manner of a heatsink, but never actually got very warm when riding. At the front there are three LEDs pumping out the beam, which is more or less circular in shape. Stated output is 1,500 lumens – that's what the 1500 in the name refers to – but in beam testing it was more on a par with 1,200 lumen lights from the likes of Exposure and Ravemen. Different companies use different methodology to measure the total output of a light, so there's a bit of variation between manufacturers.
Anyway: it's really bright. Bright enough that I hit 72km/h on a nice open descent during testing without any worries about being able to see far enough ahead. On the road you're not really going to need more light than this.
Overdrive is great for the road
Hold down the power button for five seconds and you get into overdrive, which gives you just two beams. On the Deca Drive it's the 250-lumen economy mode and the full beam, and you press the button to toggle between them. That 250-lumen setting is plenty of light for pretty much any road riding at night save for throwing yourself down a descent, and you know that the full beam is just a click away when things start to go downhill, rather than having to cycle through the modes; on some lights you still have to go through off, or a super-low-brightness emergency mode, or an epilepsy-inducing daytime flash.
What's more, the button is really easy to use: light action but with a definite click, and well raised from the light body so it's easy to find even in thick gloves.
> The best 2017/2018 front lights for cycling
Having a wealth of different beam settings is fun, but in normal day-to-day use I generally only want two: one for riding around, and one that's really bright for when things start going quickly. So overdrive is perfect for that. Other manufacturers take note.
I'd like to see Lezyne following some other manufacters – notably Ravemen – in making more road-orientated beams for road riding. The Lezyne wastes a fair bit of light at the top of its beam, which is one of the reasons that the 1,200-lumen Ravemen PR1200 appears brighter in the beam engine: it's not putting out more light, but it is putting more of it where you need it. Interestingly Lezyne do make a range of STVZO-compliant (German beam standard) lights for the German market, but we don't get to see them here.
Clamp it
The clamp on the Deca Drive is a pretty simple rubber strap. You twist the light to make it easier to pull the strap round and secure it, and then twist it back once everything's in place. It's easy and quick, provided you have space on your bar to twist the light; sometimes the stem or a computer or bell can get in the way a bit.
This is a big light (261g for the head unit without the battery) and I wasn't convinced that the rubber strap would be up to the job, but it is, so that's me told.
The light never budged a millimetre even when the route dived off along bumpy towpaths and the like. The light does wobble a little bit because the rubber is, well, rubbery, but it's a wide dispersed beam and it's not noticeable like it would be with something that's more of a spotlight.
Battery life: lots
The battery pack is simple enough to fit, either under your stem or on the top tube. Once the battery is connected to the light, the button displays the charge state of the battery rather than the light itself, and pulses blue to let you know it's connected. Once the battery runs out (or is disconnected) the button reverts to the charge state of the light itself. This is straightforward if you know that's what's happening, and confusing if you don't: read the manual.
In overdrive mode you can run the light on economy for a claimed 19 hours. That's enough for two full nights of riding, even if you're adding in a bit of maximum beam for the tricky bits. At 1,500 lumens the light lasts a claimed 1 hour 40 minutes on its own, or 3 hours with the battery. I found the run-times to be reasonably accurate. The light will knock itself down to lower modes when it gets too hot, so it's difficult to test in a controlled environment with a stopwatch, but out on the roads I certainly got about an hour and a half of full beam, which is what you'd expect. You can have 64 hours of the daylight-running pulse mode.
Waterproofing seems up to the job: five minutes under the shower resulted in no problems, and it's been out in the rain without issues. The charge port for the external battery is tucked away under the back of the light, and is well protected from the elements.
Overall: a very good package, if it fits your needs
To consider buying this you're going to have to be considering some fairly big night excursions. The extra battery only really makes sense if you're genuinely going to be riding all night. If you're just commuting, or doing shorter night rides, then you can easily make do with the run-time from the Deca Drive on its own, and save yourself £70, or £100 if you get the Super Drive 1500XXL instead, which has the same output and run-times, but no infinite charge port.
The bump up to the loaded pack with the extra battery feels a bit over the odds given what you can get a backup battery for these days, but considering the light as a whole system, the £209.99 asking price is decent value given the output and the run-time.
The Deca Drive is an excellent light, especially in overdrive mode, and with the battery it's enough for a big audax or a 24-hour race, where you can use the battery to charge your phone as well without worrying about everything going dark.
Verdict
Big beam, big run-times, well-considered modes for road riding
road.cc test report
Make and model: Lezyne Deca Drive 1500i Loaded
Size tested: Black
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?
Lezyne says: "The finest high-performance LED cycling light designed for all forms of serious night riding. Compatible with the portable Infinite Light Power Pack, which can double the battery runtime. Durable, heat-dissipating CNC machined aluminum construction. Three market-leading, ultrahigh-output LEDs delivering up to 1500 lumens. Optimized Constant Lumens system maintains steady lumen output throughout battery cycle. Optional Overdrive Race Mode toggles between Overdrive and Economy modes only. Mode Memory function returns to selected mode after turning off. Enhanced MOR (Maximum Optical Reflection) lens with built-in side visibility. High-speed 2 Amp USB charging capabilities (with compatible wall adapter). Ultra rugged and pliable strap securely mounts to all standard bar shapes, including aero bars. Advanced Li-Ion battery for superior runtime."
Tell us some more about the technical aspects of the light?
Lezyne lists:
Expanded LED package loaded with additional night riding accessories.
Durable Composite Matrix container with sturdy foam organizer.
Available for Deca Drive, Super Drive, Power Drive and Macro Drive LEDs.
EACH LOADED KIT CONTAINS:
Deca Drive 1500i and Power Drive 1100i
Infinite Light Power Pack
Micro USB charging cable
Rate the light for quality of construction:
8/10
Rate the light for design and ease of use. How simple was the light to use?
8/10
You need to read the manual to understand what the charge indicator is doing, and how to access overdrive mode, but all good once you've got that sorted.
Rate the light for the design and usability of the clamping system/s
9/10
Simple, effective, doesn't slip. Battery strap works well too.
Rate the light for waterproofing. How did it stand up to the elements?
9/10
Light and battery are both IPX7, battery port on light is at the bottom so unlikely to be a problem with water ingress. No issues during testing.
Rate the light for battery life. How long did it last? How long did it take to recharge?
9/10
You can ride for a long time on a decent beam, and the overdrive setting is very, very bright.
Rate the light for performance:
9/10
Great power from the beam.
Rate the light for durability:
8/10
Rate the light for weight:
5/10
It's a pretty weighty system at the best part of half a kilo.
Rate the light for value:
6/10
Not cheap, but not bad value either as a package, although £70 for a piggyback battery is a bit over the odds, £100 if you consider that the Super Drive 1500XXL has the same output and run-time but is £30 cheaper without the charge port.
Tell us how the light performed overall when used for its designed purpose
Very well. A proper weekender.
Tell us what you particularly liked about the light
Bright, easy to control, long run-time.
Tell us what you particularly disliked about the light
Pity there's not a road beam version. Battery add-on is pricey.
Did you enjoy using the light? Yes
Would you consider buying the light? Maybe
Would you recommend the light to a friend? Maybe
Use this box to explain your score
Really good performance, super-easy to use in overdrive mode, easily runs all night. The extra battery adds more to the price than it should.
About the tester
Age: 43
I usually ride: whatever I'm testing... My best bike is: Kinesis Tripster ATR, Kinesis Aithein
I've been riding for: Over 20 years I ride: Every day I would class myself as: Experienced
I regularly do the following types of riding: road racing, time trialling, cyclo-cross, commuting, club rides, sportives, general fitness riding, fixed/singlespeed, mountain biking, Mountain Bike Bog Snorkelling, track
Dave is a founding father of road.cc, having previously worked on Cycling Plus and What Mountain Bike magazines back in the day. He also writes about e-bikes for our sister publication ebiketips. He's won three mountain bike bog snorkelling World Championships, and races at the back of the third cats.
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23 comments
Nower days torches make much better value bike lights than specific bike lights. Even going a bit mad you will only spend half as much, for instance this http://www.flashaholics.co.uk/products/eagletac-sx30a6-d.html#undefined1 mounted using this http://www.flashaholics.co.uk/products/fenix-alb-10-bike-mount.html#unde... .
Or bike lights made by torch companies like this http://www.flashaholics.co.uk/products/fenix-bc30-bike-light.html or this http://www.flashaholics.co.uk/products/fenix-bc30r-v20.html are probably better and much cheaper.
As cyclists we're too often ripped off. The above are at the expensive end, too.
Nbrus, i was suggesting you fornicate with cars dear, do keep up...
If you recommend it, then I won't bother as our tastes differ.
Yes. I'm not even n prison for 18 months, cool story about one idiot though, I mean be never had a car driver using high beams causing an issue, oh.
Let's be fair, all lights give you problems if you stare at them for long enough, I'd advise against it.
What is your obsession with cars? You seem to mention cars in every post you make. Why don't you go out and buy one, then maybe you'll give the rest of us a break.
Ahem... second paragraph "Yes, it really can be that bad ... remember cars have proper dipped beams and even on full beam aren't near as blinding as a high powered mountain bike light".
Car apologist, bike lover, you mention them in every post. Bet you love an exhaust...
I haven't got a clue what you are on about ... exhaust? What? Don't bother replying.
It could be that the ravemen is being shown at full output using both ‘dipped’ and ‘high’ beam. On the 600 lumen ‘dipped’ beam there is a notable cut off effect.
yeah, the PR1200 is on its highest setting which is both barrels. try comparing it to the CR900 which just has the dipped beam.
for reference the ravemen lights have a much wider and flatter beam than the exposure strada. it's not a german beam, but it's not *that* far off
At that price you are getting dangerously close to it being cheaper to pay for someone to just drive behind you!
I haven't yet worked out why an asymmetric background is a suitable test for a side by side comparison.
because you can drag the slider across to see the whole of either beam, and how they compare?
The Ravemen beam shot puzzles me - it doesn't seem any more cutoff at the top than the lezyne, or indeed other lights. Is this just camera, or the high beam setting, or placement?
The Ravemen doesn't have a true beam cutoff as it uses a simple lens to refract more light downwards (a simple and cheap solution). There is no beam cutoff as you would need to hide the LEDs from direct view and use a reflector to shape the beam (more complex and expensive), which is how German StVZO approved lights are designed. The Ravemen's dipped beam is still useful as the beam is less bright towards the top (so you don't need to tilt it down as much) and you get a nice broad beam to light up the foreground. I agree that the dipped beam isn't that great, but its better than nothing (Exposure Strada is similar to this). It would be nice to see more StVZO approved lights being made as more users buy lights to use on road rather than off road, and almost all the high powered lights that are available in the UK are a safety hazard when used on road as they can blind oncoming traffic.
[/quote]... almost all the high powered lights that are available in the UK are a safety hazard when used on road as they can blind oncoming traffic.
[/quote]
Almost all of the cars, lorries and vans available in the UK have full beam lights which can be a safety hazard but we all rely on the majority of motorists to use them properly and appropriately. Why dont you think that cyclist, many of whom drive vehicles, can't use their lights appropriately? Please, no ancedotes, have you any real evidence to show that cyclists cause accidents (as opposed to annoying someone for a second or two) through the improper use of front lights?
Its a lot more than simply annoying someone for a second or two ... more like completely blinding someone for a minute or two. I remember one dark early morning ride when another cyclist came over the top of a hill with full beam bike lights on and I literally couldn't see anything the glare was so bad. I had to emergency brake and stop until he passed me as I couldn't even see where I was.
Yes, it really can be that bad ... remember cars have proper dipped beams and even on full beam aren't near as blinding as a high powered mountain bike light. If your lights are bright enough to annoy someone, then that's because they are blinded by your lights. How can you expect to see pot holes and other obstacles when blinded? What is it you have against proper dipped beams on bike lights? Do you like blinding other road users?
I own a Ravemen PR1200 and a Philips Saferide 80 (StVZO compliant) and the Philips light does not blind even on max, whereas the Ravemen is still somewhat blinding (not as bad as some). Exactly what is it you are comparing your high powered light to that allows you to say that it doesn't blind anyone, but is only annoying for a second or two? Have you stopped to ask those you've blinded what they thought of your light?
Pointing your light down helps, but doesn't eliminate being blinded as you still have a very intense LED in direct line of sight. The German StVZO compliant lights hide the LED and use reflectors to shape the bean as it leaves the light. This means there is no high intensity spot directly in view and also the beam cut off can be very sharp, so there is no blinding of other road users. If you haven't seen one of these lights, then you really ought to before making statements about how to 'properly' use a high powered bike light on road. Do you have real evidence to support your assertion that 'properly' using high powered lights on road doesn't cause accidents?
You are talking from where the light doesn't shine and making lots of assumptions nbrus. I use a front light with a beam cut-off (Fluxient Elite S3 if you are wondering) because I like to see where I am going without blinding other road users. I still find two car headlights on full beam more distracting than one bike light.
When I asked if you had evidence rather than just anecdotes I didn't really expect you to come up with anything but I didn't expect to to start making allegations based on false assumptions.
I don't have evidence that eating your breakfast from your lap while driving causes accidents either. I can certainly tell when I'm blinded and that's enough to tell me there's a problem with high powered bike lights (more so in pitch dark than under street lighting). If you are using a front light with beam cut-off, then I really don't understand why you even bothered replying to my original post as it would appear you agree that using bright mountain bike lights are a hazard otherwise why bother. Most car drivers do actually dip their headlights when they see a cyclist coming the other way. I also don't think taking revenge against those that don't dip is a good idea so I'm not sure what purpose your statement about "two car headlights on full beam being more distracting than one bike light" serves. I would also say that many of the bright mountain bike lights available are in my experience far more blinding than car headlights on full beam as it is still possible to see tarmac when car headlights are shining at you and they usually pass quickly by.
???
I bought the Ravemen last week. I already own a Philips Saferide 80. The beam isn't anywhere near as good as the Philips, but it's still an effective light and worth the money.
I'm not completely satisfied though, so have just ordered a Lupine SL A7. Expensive but it looks like the Philips, with a supercharger...
Yes, the Ravemen is a good light, certainly better than most of the other options available in the UK.
Thanks for letting me know about the Lupine SL A7 ... I'll keep that one in mind, though at over £350 it is a tad expensive for my needs. It also uses a separate battery pack, which I'm not keen on as its more faffing around. I hope we start seeing more lights like these coming to the UK market.
Keep an eye on this project:
https://www.facebook.com/OutboundLighting/
double post ... no delete button