Cateye el530

The Cateye EL530 should be considered as the base level for bike front lights.

The centre spot is very bright - I angle this down at the road about six metres in front of me. A pool of weak light is cast around widely as well - it's good for giving an all round view (a fairly dim one, but sufficient to see what you need to) showing the edges of the road, hedges in country lanes, and the road and lie of the land ahead when set as I have it.

It gives a good view of the road surface ahead so I can see if I need to adjust my path in sufficient time to react, and alerts me to other hazards or deviations in plenty of time as well, even when riding quickly.

It seems easy to fit, but as the material that the fitting is made from stretches slightly over time, it needs to be adjusted over the first month every few days to ensure it remains tight, and it requires significant effort to tighten it sufficiently. the bracket is secure, and allows for good variation in the angle of the light so it can be set just right. Fitting is important - if not securely fitted it will tilt forwards over time from the vibrations of riding, and can rattle. Also, getting the angle right matters - if you point it straight ahead as some do, the centre spot is lost into the blackness ahead and the wide beam is not sufficient then to light the road properly. Tilt the light down to the road in front - it takes a little use and adjustment before you're happy with it.

I also use a tiny Topeak front light in flashing mode, as sometimes I ride on cycle route/pavement combined paths and people seem to cheerfully ignore the fact a bike is heading for them at speed despite the bright front light, but a flashing light seems to get through to them to get out of the way and move back to the side of the path intended for pedestrians - I fell off once trying to avoid someone like this, who told me they just hadn't seen me, which is why I added the flashing light.

There are better lights, lots of them, but they're expensive. The best solutions are rechargeable lights with separate power packs and twin lights, but you can expect to pay between £200 and £400 for them. I paid £50 for the Cateye EL530 from a reputable store, but it could have been bought for less online. Anything less than this is not good enough to light the road at night IMHO, and should be avoided. This light is perfectly usable and safe, but could be better if the pool of light surrounding the central beam was a little bit brighter.

I've used this Cateye el530 light for night riding over the winter months and can honestly say that it's not up to the job as a main light for dark lane use.It's okay if you are travelling at very slow speeds but if you want to go fast down unlit country lanes safety issues arise when using the cateye.The main problem is the beam....it has a very bright centre spot which lights up a very limited area on the road surrounded by a flood beam which isn't much use at all.Cateye would have done better to spread the power contained in the spot beam over a wider area......I just can't understand the beam pattern they have employed in this light.I have now replaced this light with a busch and muller ixon iq which is a fantastic light easily capable of lighting the way on unlit country lanes.....although it is quite pricey. Good points are magnetic switch,very visible to other road users.

Disappointed - lamp fell onto worktop (about 6 inches) cateye el530 not worked since - can't seem to find out if the lamp can be repaired or if one can get a spare led unit

A must have for cyclist. Long battery life, bright spot and larger flood around the centre spot. easily removeable from bars. I did find that the Cateye el530 tends to rattle a bit in the bracket

After six months the Cateye light fell off my bike, and stopped working. There does not seem to be any way to mend it, (I think the LED blew).

I bought this light for commuting because I wanted something really bright. It delivers on brightness - when it works - but spectacularly fails in most other areas, notably the quality of the mounting system and the reliability of the light. First, I found the mounting bracket supplied incredibly difficult to fit tightly to my handlebar - the light would tilt downwards every hundred yards or so, making for a very frustrating commute! The mounting system on the light body itself is incredibly fragile - it broke after just a few hours use. There was still enough material left for me to mount the light using an old Cateye bracket which was compatible (and MUCH easier to mount) so I continued to use the light. After about 20 hours use the light just died, leaving me with an hour's ride in the dark with no light. What a waste of money. I'll never buy another Cateye product.