Having a bright headlight is an essential tool for any road cyclist. Not only does it extend riding time in the morning or evenings, they can add an extra dose of safety during daylight hours.
And, that’s one of the great features of the Ion 700 — it’s annoying, blinky mode. It is pretty much like a flashing strobe light and it will get you noticed in the middle of the day. So, the good kind of annoying.
Aside from the blinky mode, there are four other modes of various brightness and another, irregular flash mode. Battery life varies between 1.75 at 700 lumens and 6.75 hours at 200 lumens.
Mounting the Ion 700 is easy. There’s only a single notch, so stretch that puppy and hook it on. It can be a bit of a pain to get it stretched and hooked in place, but once it’s there, it’s all good. For me, it had a tendency to rise upward during the course of a long ride — just a tad. The swivel mount is very nice and easy to adjust so you don’t blind oncoming traffic.
I don’t mind the white color, but some may not like such a bright color. The side-mounted orange lights are also nice for cross-traffic avoidance and they also illuminate the cockpit just slightly — an added benefit.
Ion 700 Headlight Features:
- Brightness: 700 Lumens via high-power CREE LED
- Five modes: 700LM , 450LM, 250LM, 50LM beam with extra bright flash and irregular strobe
- Run Time: 700LM-1.75hrs, 450LM-3hrs, 200LM-6.75hrs via lithium ion rechargeable battery
- Fully charged in 5 hours through sealed Micro USB port
- Includes: 20 degree +/- adjustable SyncV2 bracket that fits bars from 22.2-31.8mm
- Weight: 150 grams
- Price: $99.99
The Bottom Line
A great light with a wide range of lighting modes. I love the strobe mode for getting noticed in daylight hours and the ultra-bright beam is fantastic for early-morning canyon assaults.