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Infini Amuse
Front & Rear Safety Lights
By Mike
Dayton
 
www.infini.tw
Price:
$8-$10 each
Source:
bike shops, websites
Made in:
Taiwan
Color:
black (white beam), red (red beam)
Weight:
10.5 grams inc. batteries
Battery: CR2032 (2 per light)
Features:
2 LEDs; flash and steady modes; no-tool installation; run time
of 50-plus hours
How
obtained: cold cash
RBR
advertiser: no
Tested:
20 hours
HOT!
-
lightweight
-
inexpensive
-
easy to
carry & install
-
long run
time
-
water
resistant
not!
-
beam too
weak for navigation
-
requires
CR2032 batteries
-
durability
may be an issue
Sooner or later, every
cyclist gets caught out at dusk
or in rainy, low-visibility weather. The chances are especially
high this time of year, as the warming spring afternoons coax
riders out for a spin after work.
Many cyclists
don't have lights on their bikes, putting them at risk of
becoming a traffic accident statistic. So here's a simple way to
increase visibility in the twilight hour: the Infini Amuse, an
inexpensive light that can be tucked in your seat bag until
needed, then installed -- without tools -- in seconds to catch
the eye of motorists.
This safety
light looks like a bug-eyed stingray, complete with a long
rubber tail. It comes in 2 models -- one with 2 white LEDs for
the front of the bike and the other with 2 red LEDs for use as a
taillight.
Instant
Installation
Installation is
quick and simple. The bottom of each light is concave. The front
light fits snuggly against the handlebar while the rear light
can be attached to the seat tube or seatpost. Each light's
rubber tail then wraps around the bar or tube and fastens to a
small hook atop the light body. Voila -- it's on in seconds. To
let there be light, you simply press the body of the Infini once
for flash mode and twice for a steady beam.
The Infini's
claimed run time is impressive -- 50 hours on steady and 100
hours on flash for the white beam, according to the company. The
red beam burns even longer -- 120 hours on steady and 240 hours
on flash. I'll have to believe Infini on these numbers. So far
I've used my lights for 20 hours and they're both shining
brightly.
To test the
company's claim of water resistance, I submerged a light in a
glass of water, pulling it out occasionally to change the beam
setting. After 30 minutes under water, the light developed one
hiccup -- when used in flash mode, it would switch to steady on
its own. After I gave the light a quick shake, the flash mode
worked again. Bottom line: I don't think you'll have water
issues, even in a rainstorm.
Drawbacks
An Infini runs
on 2 CR2032 batteries, the kind many cyclecomputers and watches use. These
batteries are not especially expensive, ranging from $3 per pair
online to about $5 at a drugstore. Keep in mind that you
probably won't find CR2032's at your typical convenience store.
Another
potential issue is durability. Specifically, if the rubber tail
stretches or breaks, the light will no longer attach to the
bike. There's also the possibility that the light might vibrate
loose, although it didn't happen during my testing.
Could you use
the front light for navigation? That's doubtful. Maybe, just
maybe, in a pinch, if you kept your speed down, but I certainly
wouldn't want to rely on it for any great distance. The white
LEDs, especially in flash mode, are better for being seen than
seeing.
Two Infini
lights weigh less than an ounce, so there's no weight penalty
for carrying a pair. They can be strapped on in less than a
minute to provide greater safety when the setting sun catches
you still on the road.
Mike Dayton is an
accomplished long-distance cyclist who serves as newsletter
editor of "American Randonneur," the newsletter of
Randonneurs USA. |
