Lezyne KTV Pro Drive 75 rear light

The Lezyne KTV Pro Drive 75 is a compact, bright rear light with long run-time. Just 50g and compatible with any seatpost, its 75-lumen output sits somewhere between 'be seen' and 'legal obligation', and makes for a good backup choice.

• Pros: Fits any seatpost, wide angle, long run-times, memory mode, angled bracket
• Cons: USB-stick charging design, charge time & low charge remaining indication time

Back in 2017 Shaune reviewed the previous KTV Pro Drive, only really questioning the usefulness of the 3-lumen Economy setting. For 2019 the changes are tweaked optics increasing the advertised illuminated field from 180 out to a huge 270 degrees, a significantly increased run-time of about 40%, and a redesigned, angled rubber seatpost interface – all for about the same weight.

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The Pro Drive 75 is dead simple to operate: press and hold the button for on, same for off. Press to cycle through the five modes, and it remembers the last mode used when you restart it. There's only the one button and it sits reasonably proud of the top of the light, making operation with gloves on easy.

There are two tiny battery charge level LEDs in the top right corner as you look at it, displayed by a single quick press of the power button without actually turning the light on. Green = 75% or more, green and red = 25-75%, and red-only means under 25%. The same LEDs show charging state: red for charging and green for charged. Handy, and nice to see charge level indication in a light so small and cheap.

It seems to run forever in 75-25% remaining, meaning the 25%-or-less indication doesn't seem to map to expected time remaining, so when you see that come on, get it charging sharpish.

When the light is turned on these charge level LEDs remain lit, so you can get an idea of time remaining without having to turn the light off and back on again.

Mounting

Fitting to your seatpost couldn't be easier: unhook the rubber strap, then rehook it around the post. Inside the rubber 'wings' there's a deep indentation to allow fitting to an aero seatpost without slipping, and enough give to also adhere securely to a normal post. For 2019 Lezyne has angled the rubber mount so as to make the lens vertical when on the bike. Unlike some other Lezyne designs, the ladder strap isn't retained, so make sure to hook it back up when chucking in a bag or it might go walkies.

The strap is thick yet also pliable enough to hold the Pro Drive 75 firmly on all diameters of seatpost, from skinny droppers to full-fat 30mm+ models.

Charging

Charging is via Lezyne's now-commonplace USB stick design, where you insert the light directly into a USB port after removing the secure rubber bung. It's handy not to need a cable, but inserting it into a standard low-profile Apple USB charger there was only just enough space to accommodate the depth of the light lens without excessively bending the USB tongue. Depending on what you're trying to charge it in, especially a low-profile laptop sat flat on a desk, you may run into issues here and require an extension cable (not provided) to facilitate charging without damaging the USB port or the light.

The rubber bung is very secure so no chance of losing it on the road, and as per its IPX7 rating, it survived a full minute under the road.cc Lukewarm Kitchen Tap Of Doom without letting a trace of water past.

Lezyne lists the charge time at three hours, but in repeated tests it took five hours each time, using different USB chargers. The charging current was only 0.1 Amp and I know the chargers are good for 2 Amps at each port, so it's the light's internal charge circuitry limiting current and therefore extending charge time here.

Performance

On the road, it works pretty much like every other light of this brightness. Yes, you can 'see' it from 100 or so metres away, but as we know 'being seen' is entirely subjective – there are plenty of internet examples of drivers ploughing into the rear of police and highway vehicles painted entirely in high-vis fluorescent paint with gigawatt-power lights flashing. Personally, I ride with a few hundred rearward-facing lumens of retina-burning disco-strobe righteousness, especially in the low-sun shoulder seasons and under dappled sunlight tree-lined country roads.

At 75 lumens max, the Pro Drive 75 isn't the Deathstar-disco light you're looking for, but does what I'd call a good job of alerting road users to your presence, and the purported 270-degree visibility does kick out a fair bit of light to the sides. Certainly it's not 75 lumens, mind, so don't expect to be lighting up a side street intersection as you roll past or sit at the lights. It's a moot point as to the legality of a rear light projecting red light forwards.

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I'd say the most likely use case is the 75-lumen Day Flash mode, purported at 10hrs run-time. I measured it at 11hrs, a solid overachievement and one that makes it a contender for an all-day audax or touring be-seen light. Another audax/touring-friendly feature is that the Pro Drive 75 can be easily run upside-down on a seatstay if your seatpost is obscured by luggage, using the extra ladders to make for a tight fit around slimmer tubes. While the subsequent lens angle isn't quite vertical, it's plenty good enough.

It scores well on value too: it outshines the Blackburn DayBlazer 65, for example, in both lumens and features, for less money. For those features and performance, and Lezyne's reputation for good customer support, I'd say £25 is a very good deal.

All in all, the Lezyne KTV Pro Drive 75 is a cracking little rear light. The mount, run-time and viewing angle all improve on what was already a solid performer.

Verdict

Solid little light for all-day riding or a week's commuting, with good mounting options and visibility