Indigo5 Bike Light Review

Here's my video Indigo5 Bike Light review for the TL;DR amongst you.

Backstory

I see two uses for lights:

• see and be seen
• be seen

In a city like Melbourne (or indeed any other major city), in early mornings or late evening, there's a lot of incidental light (street lights and traffic). This slightly negates the need for a “see” light. A be-seen light is about all you need and that can be a cheap little flashing LED.

However, for those of us–myself included–who need a “see” light, we need something a little more serious.

Here's a picture of the road outside my place at 6AM in the middle of winter. Not many street lights, right? Lots of trees. Not a lot of light (even though in mid winter it's light at 6.30AM).

In addition, the roads in our area resemble something akin to a road post-WW2 bombing raid, with craters that will swallow an unsuspecting cyclist whole!

Here's our local milkman.

And in summer, there are some awfully large Eastern Brown snakes around our local roads. The Eastern Brown Snake is the third-most venomous snake in the world and second most-venomous land snake (Wiki). Whilst browns are allegedly diurnal (day time), they are definitely around in the early hours, particularly on roads where there is ample warmth and lots of frogs. In actual fact, snakes are mobile in mid winter where we live. Warm roads, cold air and darkness after 5PM mean a light is necessary!

So, the need for a light that exposes not only the road, but the roadside verge, is a life and death matter for me.

My riding in winter is curtailed for about 2 months precisely due to the lack of a decent light in my armoury. Given that commuting to work (around 25km of very hilly, narrow, winding coutry roads that takes 90 minutes) is not really viable in winter, this necessitates some early starts. All of that to say, I need a light.

Enter the Indigo5

So when an Aussie duo recently Kickstarted a new light–purportedly the brightest single LED light on the market at 1800 lumens–I took the opportunity to grab one. (Where to buy links plus discount code are at the end of this review.)

The light recently landed on my doorstep and I've now had a chance to put it through its paces in our sub tropical winter.

And I have to say, I've been blown away (as have the insects that have been attracted to the bright light only to be disintegrated by the heat)

Here's some examples of how good this light is.

This video is a mix of a late afternoon (4.30PM) ride and night time ride. The 4.30PM ride was in dying light, showing the be-seen function of the light. Despite the ambient light, you can still clearly see the light reflecting off signs. The 5.30PM ride was a quick spin down to our town hall.

As you can see, there's no ambient light, no street lighting, a snake on the road, a bandicoot, some cows (often on the road), some road debris, and fast moving cars.

Also be aware I was able to wear my Oakley Radarlock XLs (Oakley Radarlock XL review here) with polarised lenses, and use the light. In reality at this time of day, I'd wear a G20 lense mainly to protect against the bug swarms. Regardless the light is more than strong enough to le tyou wear dark sunnies if needed.

This was shot with a Sony VIRB and 1080p. Though the footage is sub-optimal quality, the light is brighter than shown.

Notable features

Ease of use

The light is super simple to use.

Simply click it on, or turn it off by holding power button for 1 seconds.

You cycle through the modes with single clicks. A double click enters Max mode (which is something akin to a car high beam, almost). Return to normal mode from Max mode by pressing the button once.

There's a battery light indicator, a mount for a tether (for mountain bikes mostly) and mounting on a bike is easy.

The mount for road use is a simple rubber band setup, with mountain bike mount involving an allen key mount and adjustable arm. There's also a dual light/Garmin mount.

Light colour

As it states on Indigo's website:

Cool white light is bright and good for throw, but the eyes see best with sunlight. Colour Render Index (CRI) is a rating of light compared to ideal light. 5 has a high CRI rating which means better clarity for the human eye.

I can confirm that the colour of the light is “nice”. It's not the cold harsh light you get from, for example, an LED torch light but is something more natural.

Modes

Wow this light has more modes than…hmm, what is something with a lot of modes?

Anyway, it's got the expected flashing + bright-brighter-brightest modes but also a cool “racing heart” mode. Basically this is a continuous beam with flashes that are slightly higher output than the base beam. As Indigo says:

Feel like night traffic forgets you’re a real person? The pulse mode on the 5 resembles a heartbeat, reminding motorists you’re a living being and not an inanimate object. A steady beam is also simultaneously emitted, helping motorists better judge distance and ensures they don't miss spotting you between pulses.

Be aware Max mode can only be used for 30 minutes at a time due to the heat output. Also be aware that this light puts out serious power. Do NOT look into the light on stronger modes as you can damage your eyes. (That is fair dinkum.)

Indigo5 suggest using the modes on the following basis:

• Low/Med/High–choose one of these constant ‘on' modes to best illuminate the light conditions you are riding in and the speed you are travelling.
• Racing Heart–perfect for riding in built up areas with street lighting and amongst traffic, the low constant beam illuminates your way and the flash alerts other road users of your presence.
• Day–as the name suggests, day mode is best for daylight rides. It is also a powerful beacon when riding in daylight foggy conditions.
• Max–when you just need as much light as possible.

Mode output is:

• Low >100lm
• Mid >600lm
• High >1100lm
• Max >1800lm

Battery life

The Indigo5 only comes partially charged, so give it a full charge before use if you like.

The battery is replaceable, so if you have a long ride (for example a 24 hour race) and need hours of light, you can buy an external battery from Indigo, or, buy a spare battery and swap it in.

For most people, especially those training and commuting, one battery will be enough.

Here's how I think about it: the most amount of light I'll ever need is 2 hours and that would be a ride home from work mid winter at 5PM. Mid winter mornings where I live have enough light by 6.30AM to negate the need for a light (except perhaps to be seen, and even then, it's fully light by 7AM).

So, running the light at medium gives you 3 continuous hours of light. That's plenty. If you need more, you can add a small or large booster that plugs into the charging port.

The battery life indicator gives estimated life according to:

• Green light on: 100% – 51%
• Yellow light on: 50% -11%
• Red light blinks: 10% – 0%

Build quality

This bike just feels like it's built to last. It's made from machined, aircraft-grade aluminium and finished with military-spec anodising. At IPX8, the Indigo 5 can survive immersion in 1m of water. The X indicates it does not have a particle ingress rating, however, given its build quality and liquid ingress rating (8), I don't think that's an issue.

Most of the parts are replaceable or serviceable.

Indigo5 Tech Specs

• Output: >1800 lumen (MAX mode)
• Battery: 5000mAh
• Dimensions: ∅46 x 122mm
• Weight: 166g (excluding battery)
• Runtimes: Hi >1h, Med >3h, Low >7h, Racing Heart >3.5h, Day (bright flashing) >6h, Max 0.5h (you could seriously go short range spotlighting in this mode)
• IP rating: IPX-8

Accessories

You can buy an external battery (small and large) as well as antiglare bezel. There's also a very cool light/Garmin mount.

What's bad about the light?

About the only criticism I have is the mount. As can be seen below, the light is very snug against my Edge 500. Before I am drowned in jeers of “get an out-in-front mount you clown” I will say “I don't like Out in Front mounts – they're way too un-aero”.

Obviously depending on your cabling and taping, your mileage may vary.

(Ok, this isn't really an issue.)

So, should you buy one?

I seriously couldn't even consider buying a different light considering how bright this is.

As shown above, compare to an Exposure Diablo (both are in redline/max mode), the Indigo is much better (in my opinion).

Having this light means I can now commute to work mid winter (on very winding, hilly country roads, without a shoulder or verge, with high speed limits and blind corners) with complete confidence, as well as get out earlier for winter rides.

Highly recommended.

Want to win an Indigo5?

Want to win one of these bad boys?

All you need to do is enter here. The more friends you refer, the more entries you get.

Entries are open to everyone around the world.

Where to buy

You can buy an Indigo5 from Indigo Lighting's website.

You can use discount code VFOI at checkout for 15% off an Indigo5.