Cateye Viz Rear Light

Product Information

Steve described this mode on the Viz 300 as luridly chaotic and it is – it's not just the bonkers output of those bright flashes but all the various rapid strobing that's going on at the same time, which makes this hard to ignore. Following behind this light in the daytime, I found that from around 100 metres it was very effective at being impossible to miss (and not overly bothersome) but from 10 metres it was pretty irritating. I didn't ride with this mode at night, so cannot report the thoughts of other road users. I would only use this mode if I was doing a lot of riding on fast A-roads in the daytime, and it would make me feel safer in that specific environment. Although functional and reliable enough, it's a bit fiddlier than others, especially in the dark. Exchanging it for an oversized o-ring type improved matters. Modes

Cycle Centre Congleton Limited 2021. Cyclestore is a trading name of Cycle Centre Congleton Limited. All Rights Reserved Company No. 05107467 | VAT No: 593 733 507Charging times are similarly faithful: 3 hours from a laptop, 15 minutes faster at the mains. That's longer than some, especially those using USB-C, but on a par with other, such as the Sigma Blaze. Plugged into a dynamo USB it's a bit more variable, but has gone from zero to hero in just over 4 hours. Value On the bike the CatEye ViZ is simple, secure, effective and long-lived. The clamp needs a bit more attention once you remove it – and if you don't use lights on bright days it's a bit excessive – but other than that it's very good; it gets the job done well. Verdict The 15-lumen steady is up to the job of built-up areas; I seemed to register on friends' radars at 70-80 metres. Run-times But it sure is a pain to fit. Plus, given the length of the charging cable included, there isn't much scope for just leaving it attached to your bike when topping it up.

One thing I did notice though is still the use of micro USB. With the move of many electronics now to USB C, it would be nice to see companies making this change on bike lights as well. Plus with the higher potential power draw for faster charging, there is an additional upside beyond just being able to plug the cable in either way up. I shunned the 30lm Flashing mode (though it lasts a claimed 45hrs) as the flashes are such short bursts, and the pace just high enough to make it look (at least to me) like it'll almost instantly annoy following drivers. You only get the full beans in the Daytime Hyperflash mode, and only for the briefest of flashes. This mode name has been around for a while but what it does here is different to Cateye's older lights. It used to mean 'always on, with brighter flashes' and I thought it was a great choice for daytime running or well-lit busy night-time environments. Here it goes Full Rave with all five LEDs flashing at different speeds and the full 450 lumens deployed a little over once per second. Minor niggles aside, the specification and performance are favourable and the price is good, although there's still a fair bit of competition. I also avoided the Daytime Hyperflash in anything but strong sunlight, because it's so bright and so luridly chaotic it's like riding around on a distress beacon. Again it's a personal choice, but I don't want to give the worst drivers another excuse to throw a cretinous shut-your-eyes pass.Returning to the review, I honestly cannot see how anyone thinks 300 lumens is appropriate for a red light aimed at following vehicles or riders, whether at night or in daylight. I find 30 lumens is more than enough to draw attention. The Viz 150, which appears to have a very similar shape, has more than enough punch and is significantly cheaper than this unit. Obviously that's not a picture (above) of the full brightness, or indeed any of it... use it in the dark and it's likely to irritate anybody behind; not so much because of the intensity, but because of the pattern.

Happily, there are less bright, less expensive options from the same range, and for my money the Viz 100 at half the price would be all the light I'd need. Verdict So, the modes are a bit topsy turvy. The one I got the most use out of, day and night, was the Group Ride mode due to its more subtle flash pattern. With the LEDs being lit longer it gives better side illumination too. The ladder strap hooks into lugs either side, and I've had no issues with standard round profiles between 25.4 and 30.8mm. It's compatible with some box-section trailer tubing and helmets, too.So Cateye decided it would be a great idea to discontinue the cheap and much loved Rapid Mini and Rapid Micro lights just so they could bring out a new product line with more eyeball searing lumens than you'll ever need that does nothing apart from blinding everyone behind you and inflating the price, Just so they could make more money off you. The overall build quality is up there though, and I like the angular style CatEye has gone for on their higher models. It looks at home on a modern aero frame, so won’t be cramping your style for the pursuit of safety (nor performance at only 47 grams)! With an 8hr claimed run-time from the 800mAh li-ion battery, Group Ride is very usable too. I certainly never had it shut down even after multiple rides, as there's ample opportunity to top up before it gets critical (and a red warning light at 1hr left, when it also switches to a special power-saving flash pattern). Value