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SEVEN DAY CYCLIST
CYCLING, BUT NOT USUALLY RACING
LATEST UPDATE: JANUARY 28th
HOW DO WE DECIDE OUR OVERALL RATINGS FOR PRODUCTS WE REVIEW?
Moon Sport Helix Pro 150 Rear Light
36g (light only) £34.99
The Moon Sport Helix Pro 150 Rear Light has a lot of nice tech to supplement its more basic qualities as a bright and effective light with good all-around presence, a lot of mounting options, and good run times. A nice price, too. Is there a con to dent all these pros? Must be, but I have not found it yet. OK, maybe some people want more than 150 lumens at day or more than two hours at sixty lumens steady at night.
Pros: imaginative and useful tech, strong day flash, good side vision, punches above weight, forty-five minutes of kickdown, variety of mounting options.
Cons: nothing significant.
Spec
Open up the box and, as well as the light, you’ll find a seat post bracket, two rubber pads – one aero and one round, a saddle rail bracket (with two zip-ties), and a “belt” clip (for light loops on rack packs etc.), and two straps (one for 20-35mm and one for 35-52mm posts etc. Oh, nearly forgot the USB-C cable.
The light, of course, has a charging port protected by a snugly fitting rubber bung. There’s also a rubber press-button switch. The lens is designed to give good side-on visibility as well a clear bright view from the rear. The body is CNC aluminium, useful as a heat sink for efficiency. Top whack is, as you will have guessed, 150 lumens.
Inside the lamp is a built-in Li-Polymer battery and COB LEDs, as well as the gubbins that can bring you some tech tunability that is uncommon at this price point. There’s an intelligent brightness function which
automatically switches on the day flash mode in daylight and turns on your selected mode when entering dark areas or when darkness falls. This is supported by motion and parking sensing functions. All are overridden by the auto safe mode, effectively a kickdown. There’s a variable lumens system, too. This will let you override the pre-sets and give a wider range of outputs. More common at this price point is the ability to lock the light to avoid accidental powering-up.
There is a charge indicator LED.
IPX7 rated, promises everything you need for all-weather cycling.
Brackets and mounts 4.5/5
The mounting options available are pretty comprehensive (except for a helmet mount) Aided by the design of the light (66mm from top to bottom), pretty much all bases are covered. The same cannot be said of some more expensive lights.
The light is held by a half-twist bracket, rather like a mini version of the Garmin bracket. This can be mounted on seat-post, seat-stays, or any other bit of tubing on your bike or your trailer where it may be appropriate to stick it – well, within reason. It can also find a home on the saddle rails or a light loop, on a rack pack or seat pack. I have managed to bodge the saddle rail mount onto a cycle rack – zip-ties are a great thing.
There are round and aero pads for mounting on round and aero tubes. Mind you, in my experience, an aero pad like this does an equally good job on pencil stays or rack struts.
For those with limited seat-post exposure, such as on my tourer, the fact that the bracket stands proud of the seat-tube and bolt means that there is plenty space for it. There has even been space for the diminutive Kranx Solis 100 to sit above it and collaborate.
The watch straps come in two sizes which should cover most sizes of tubing and seat-posts. Both hold firm, and have rattled over gravel as well as broken road surfaces and setts, but with only one cross-piece, fitting to thinner stays and struts has been a challenge. Of course, a sturdy 0-ring or watch strap with more cross pieces might be found in many a spares tin.
Most of my riding is on mixed surfaces at speeds of between 10 and 20 mph. All the brackets have held firm at all times – even the bodged ones.
Switch 3/5
Maybe I am just a bit cack-handed – don’t ask me to gloss the skirting-boards – but I found the switch a bit awkward to locate and press, at first. I have not let that put me off, but I switch it on and toggle to the desired mode before putting gloves on. For less challenged individuals, you’ll have little trouble giving the switch a firm required to get things going. There’s no remote, of course, but dextrous cyclists will be able to toggle on the fly after a little practice. Even I have got used to working the switch in full finger winter gloves.
The lock-out device is useful, I have managed unwanted illumination. More of that below.
Care and durability 4.5/5
IPX7 makes this pretty much secure against all-comers, be they rain, spray, mud, and all things between. That makes it a good option for those mucky-pups who, for very good reason and personal preference, go out with no mud-guards. That is also true for regular river-crossers – the secure mount and bracket will give you confidence, too. Of course, keep the charge port cover shut tight.
I have needed to do no more than give it a little wipe over following particularly dirty rides. Whilst I have not dropped the light, I have heard gravel fired against it. No sign of damage, not even a scratch.
Charge and run times 3.5/5
You will find shorter charge times, but these will be for pricier lights or those with lower output. Two-hours and thirty minutes – which is pretty much what has been achieved – is neither unusual or very long. Remember, the auto safe mode will give you forty-five minutes of light, but it is at that point, rather than exhaustion, that recharging should be done. In reality, if you are vigilant, charging time will be less than that advertised. I have seen it go to max from auto save in two hours.
Stated run times are; day flash (150 lumens) 20 hours, steady flash – what I think of as a night flash when being used solo – (50 lumens) 15 hours, flash 1 (30) 20 hours, mode 1 (60) 2 hours, mode 2 (5) 22 hours. These all seem about right, although use of the variable lumens function will make things less predictable. Personally, I like the ability to have a clear idea of how much time might be left – the steady/flash mode is, for me, eleven commutes. However, that’s just me. It has been a moot point during discussions with friends.
Modes and performance 4/5
Day flash is easily visible at getting on for seventy to eighty metres when the weather is overcast – probably a bit further. In really bright sunshine – one of those days when the sun is at a low angle and shining brightly into your eyes – this is roughly halved. With the sun higher in the sky, needless to say, presence increased. All this seems pretty decent for a light of this kind at this price point. In my experience, getting more presence will require both more power and more cash.
I have found the night flash (flash and steady combined) very effective. I have often combined it with the Kranx Solis in its 50 lumens steady mode, when running through the city traffic on the first part of my commute. I have tended to turn it off or use it in a steady mode when hitting the unlit cycle tracks and the rural and suburban roads. It is more than adequate for the latter circumstances. The flash/steady mode gives some 150 metres of obvious vision. In the city traffic, presence is harder to judge, but drivers have given me plenty of space and the side-on vision seems to be very effective – as with the Magicshine SeeMee 50 Smart Tail Light.
Steady modes? Well, on an unlit country lane, clear presence comes in at around 200 metre in top mode whilst the lower steady managed around 125. By “clear presence” I mean that it is obvious rather than a distant glimpse. True, that is not scientific, but it is from the real world.
The motion function works well, although with a potential downside. Leaving the light on – accidentally as it happens – I turned around after walking about 100 metres and saw the light go off. Fearing someone had nicked it (it was an unlit area - I rushed back. The merest touch of the light sent it back to full force. Forgetting this lesson, I stuffed it in my pocket when I got to my next stop. I hung my jacket on a clothes hook, and, you’ve guessed it, on came the illuminations. Memo, remember the lock function.
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Overall, this is – as with many quality models – punches above its weight. It is more than adequate for all the situations I ride in. Moreover, it works well in combination with other lights, being bright enough to hold its own. I have found the night flash/steady especially useful. Moreover, the good side presence and various tech functions add value, rather than complications (so long as you learn how to use them – memo to self!). Group riders may prefer a light that can be remotely adjusted or synced (such as the Magicshine SeeMee 50) whilst some will enjoy additional power offered by some Ravemen models, such as the TR200 or TR300 0r even the TR500. Mid modes there match the top modes of most rear lights. Mind you, they can be horribly dazzling to following cyclists.
Weather proofing is great. No ingress from the hosepipe test. In reality, even when sans mudguards, you aren’t likely to see ill-effects from rain, spray, or general muck.
Value 4.25/5
There’s a lot of tech in this light, more than you’d expect at this price point. How much do you value that? Well, there are other positives, too. The side presence is similar to the Magicshine SeeMee 50 Smart Tail Light. True, it’s not as powerful, but it is cheaper and the ability to sync with a suitable Magicshine front light and other Magicshine lights on other bikes, might make if of greater interest to regular group riders.
The Topeak Redlite 80 offers slightly longer run times in the top steady mode, but comparable in the others. It will set you back a little bit more.
The Magicshine SeeMee 200 has the same rrp as the Helix Pro 150. The tech is different, featuring a tracer light around the cyclist and a brake sensor. Meanwhile, michael's old fave, Lelumia the Beast, continues to whack out a potent presence. However, it does not have the same weatherproofing or mounting options.
Overall, I very much like the Helix Pro 150 and have used it as my regular commuting light, as well as when finishing off longer day rides as the daylight hours have shortened. The output is very good, run times good, tech helpful; and the price is by no means high.
Summary
A good value light for all types of cycling. It’ll cater for all circumstances, day or night, charge pretty quickly, and is unlikely to blind cyclists trailing you – or, in my case, preparing to fly past. With a variety of mounting options and useful tech, you get a lot for your money.
