The lens also means cross traffic can see you at junctions. ![]() This makes sighting potholes and drains easy, but also lights up the inside of tighter corners. Here, the beam pattern does a good job of not only lighting the road aheads but also casting a decent amount of lumens to the left and right. But it’s nice to have the highest power option for dark country back roads. In fact, the highest strobe setting is arguably too much for regular road riding and tends to encourage car and van drivers to blast you with high beams in annoyance.ĭuring my time with the light, I only tended to use the low and medium settings, or a low strobe if I feel I really needed to attract the attention of other drivers and didn’t really need the solid headlight illumination. This will be fairly commonplace, because the AMPP 1100 packs some mightily bright LEDs. Cleverly, it’s also possible to flick between a sort of high and low beam set-up by long-pressing that top button for a second or so, allowing the rider to quickly flick between the settings so as not to dazzle other road users. Press that button again and it cycles through the different light modes. Operation is as easy as it gets, with a long hold of the big button on top switching the lamp on. That said, the light unit itself is fairly bulky, so you’ll want to stash it in a backpack or bag, rather than a packet, when parked up. It’s really simple and easy to get on and off, even with gloved hands. It’s possible to find a decent location on most machines, even if the bars vary wildly in thickness.įrom here, CatEye uses a sliding mechanism to attach the light to the mount. The AMPP 1100 attaches to the handlebars of most bikes thanks to a fairly standard loop and ratchet system, which wraps around the bars and tightens via a twisting dials. If you need something with a stronger output, consider some of the higher-powered lights in Cateye's Volt series, or check out our full list of recommended headlights.(Image credit: CatEye) CatEye AMPP 1100 Front Light Review: performance The Volt 100 and 200 are a great choice for people who only ride at night occasionally, typically bike shorter distances, or primarily ride on well-lit urban streets. Few lights are available in this price range from reputable manufacturers. It retails for $35, but is often available online for under $20, making it a great value in terms of performance per dollar. While you won't be using the Volt 100 or 200 for trail riding, it's a strong choice for urban riders on a tight budget. The mount requires no tools to install, but is not as quick to move between bikes as rubber strap mounts like those found on Serfas, Bontrager, and Light & Motion's headlights. However, when tightened, the excess plastic from the mount sticks out the back, and is easy to scratch a wrist on. It's very sturdy and works on handlebars with abnormally shaped cross-sections (like some road bikes). I have mixed feelings about Cateye's FlexTight mount. ![]() The Volt 100 uses the same mount as all of Cateye's other Volt series headlights. The internal lithium battery is easily recharged by a micro USB port which supports fast chargers. My own runtime testing shows that the output is reasonably well regulated, with the light remaining above 80% of its initial output through the first hour, maintaining 75% after the claimed 2 hour battery life, and finally dropping into flashing mode after 2:25 hours. Although its output is much lower than the many high-powered headlights which are quickly approaching car headlight outputs, the Volt 100 is a good option for riders on a budget who primarily ride on lit urban streets, or weight-conscious road bikers looking for a light-weight backup for long rides that stretch into the evening.Īlthough advertised as putting out 100 lumens, the Volt 100 was actually measured at 160 lumens on high by MTBR. Cateye sent me a Volt 100 to test this fall, as the Volt 200 wasn't available yet at the time. The Volt 100 and 200 are Cateye's low-cost entry-level headlights, primarily designed for safety visibility rather than lighting up a dark path.
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