Lezyne Femto Drive (Rear Light)

The story of my tail light....

Lezyne Femto Drive Rear Light - Blue

 After destroying my last AAA powered rear light by smashing it into a tree it was time for a replacement and being Lezyne, I expected the $24.95 Phoenix Cyclery charged me to be matched with quality and it hasn't disappointed.

The Lezyne Femto Drive rear light is classy with its CNC machined anodised aluminium housing and simple design. It is small and at 22g it's light yet it you'll been seen on those night rides, with 7 lumens shining out the back. I like it.

To turn it on, push in the lens for 2 seconds then press quickly to cycle through the 5 modes of: slow flash, medium flash, fast flash, organic fade away and steady. Then when it's time to pack aways press and hold the lens.

It comes 'ready to roll' with the required 2 x CR2032 button batteries and it is designed to be weather resistant with O-ring seals. It is available in various housing colours (red, silver, black, blue, purple, orange and gold) however, I chose blue coz it was the last one in the shop - suckers!

Runtime is rated at up to 60 hours flashing, or 30 hours on steady - I'm running on flashing at the moment so I'll let you know when it goes 'kaput.'

The lens is still plastic, but the housing protects it and the design does seem robust enough to survive a few mishaps.

It uses a silicone strap to wrap around and secure the light to your seatpost so is suitable for various seat post sizes but if your saddle pack gets in the way then apparently (according to the bike shop man), you can get a clip attachment designed to clip the light through a back loop on Lezyne saddle packs...so no excuses for not having a tail light.

Lezyne Silicon Strap

This strap makes it easy to re-position the light, particularly if you're a shorty like me and need to make sure that your rear light is not blocked by your rear tyre coz your's seat is so low! Here it is mounted on my seatpost on "Giovanni."

Lezyne Femto Drive Rear Light Mounted on 'Giovanni'

Lezyne Femto Drive Rear Light Mounted on 'Giovanni' - Side View

It works well and the plastic housing curves around the seatpost to angle the light upwards to help ensure it can be seen from behind. Although we'll see if I still think it's great when I put on a saddle bag... I suspect I may have to buy the bag clip so the light is not blocked by my rear wheel. 

In conclusion, the Lezyne Femto Drive rear light is pretty awesome. I like the fact that it is a simple design, it's easy to install and adjust, it's very light and it just looks cool. However, if you're short or ride with a saddle bag you may have to buy the bag clip so you can clip in a position that it can be seen and it is pricy but the cost is rewarded with quality.

Bontrager Air Support MTB

The story of my hand pump...

 

Bontrager Air Support MTB

I actually bought this Bontrager Air Support MTB hand pump in March 2010 but it has served me well over so I though it deserved a mention.

Costing me $41.52 it's not an el cheapo and it did take the bike shop man at Pack 'n' Pedal some time to convince me it was worth it. Considering I'd just destroyed 2 cheap plastic hand pumps in the space of 2 years, I was sold when he offered a full refund/replacement if it failed within a year. Needless to say it has survived and I think it was worth the extra moola.

This thing is a beast, it features:

• An auto-select head to fit both Presta and Schrader valves 
• Dual action design pushes out air when you're pushing and pulling so it's fast to fill those tubes on the trail when you're in a hurry. 
• Rugged aluminium barrel so it can take a few knocks
• Locking lever to attach the pump to the valve 
• Fold-out handle to give you extra leverage
• It is very light-weight

Bontrager Air Support MTB - ready to start pumping

It comes with a mounting clip to attach to your bike frame, but I never used it as it doesn't fit alongside my specialized bottle holder on my Specialized Hardrock Pro. Instead It's light enough that I usually carry it in my Camelback.

Bontrager Air Support MTB - mounting clip & packaging

This is the best mini hand pump I've ever had, it is quality and worth the extra cost. The push/pull pumping feature is not a gimic; it definitely pumps quicker than those that do not have this feature. It's aluminum build is very rugged and the locking lever holds onto the valve good and tight. Although it looks like it will be weighty it is surprisingly not and it looks awesome, I love showing off my flash looking pump!

Not a lot is perfect and this is no exception, I have found a few cons during my years of use...

• Fold out handle is neat and gives good leverage but it is not the most comfortable thing to be gripping and pumping with for too long.
• The handle pivots and is locked to the main body of the pump via a pin through a thin aluminium spacer. Over the years, I have noticed that this has become loose with wear and could eventually fall apart as it'll no longer lock the handle in place. However, this will take a few more years yet.

Overall, this is a high end mini hand pump, which is reflected in its cost, but despite a couple of cons, I have been happy with its performance and I would recommend it to anyone considering owning one for themselves.