Exposure Therapy: Understanding the Exposure Lights 2026 Range
Exposure Therapy: Understanding the Exposure Lights 2026 Range
Made in Britain since 2005, Ultimate Sports Equipment's iconic Exposure light brand produce some of the best bike lights in the business. While they're admittedly expensive, the quality, features and long-term durability are legendary. Sure, you can buy cheaper lights with the same brightness, but with Exposure you're paying for quality construction, UK manufacturing and future repairability, with the peace of mind that the battery isn't going to go on fire in the garage overnight.
If you're not already familiar with their range, it's a lot to take in. I'll try to cast some light on the situation, breaking down the key features, explaining the range, and spotlighting a couple of specific models which are especially worth your attention.
Key Features
OMS (Optimised Mode Selector)
OMS is Exposure's interesting take on a mode selection system. Most bike lights present you with all of their modes in one continuous cycle, usually running from high to low, through some flashing modes, then back to high. If you plan to leave your light in one mode for the whole ride, that's great. However, when riding with a very bright headlight, sometimes it's necessary (or just courteous) to dip your light into a lower mode. Conversely, you might want to ride at a lower output to increase your battery range, only turning onto "full beam" when necessary. With most lights, that means scrolling on through all of the options, giving you a minute or two with little or no light at all as you go through the dim and flash settings. If you're riding in thick gloves, with cold hands, you might find yourself in the dark completely as you fumble with the tiny buttons – not ideal.
That's where OMS comes in. Before the ride, you select an approximate runtime option from the chart. That then gives you either just Low and High mode, or Low, Medium and High mode to choose between. Going for an intense night time enduro ride? Pick the brightest option that will go the distance. Commuting all week? Pick the longest runtime that's still bright enough to use comfortably. Setting up your OMS mode works slightly differently for different light models, but it's very straightforward – once you've done it a few times, it'll be second nature. Once you're out on the trails or roads, you can always get back to high beam with one or two clicks of a big silver button.
I personally run my slightly older Exposure Maxx-D Reflex light in one of the lower OMS modes – low mode offers perfectly usable brightness for road riding and commuting, giving around 10 hours runtime. For fast desents, rough surfaces and off-road rides, I put it into the high mode, which gives me around 3 hours at around 1500 lumens – more than enough for my road and gravel riding.
Reflex / Reflex 2.0
Reflex is a slightly newer feature, which uses some clever tech to adjust the brightness of your light. It's only available on the dedicated handlebar mount lights. Sensors inside the light housing detect the gradient and smoothness of the terrain. If you're going uphill on a smooth surface, the light dims to preserve battery life. If it detects you're going downhill or over rough terrrain, it increases the output to give you more brightness when you need it, without blinding other people and wasting battery life when you don't. Reflex explains why you'll sometimes see two different lumen outputs listed, or an asterisk. On the above chart for the SixPack 15, running at full whack it can output a continual 4240 lumens, but in Reflex mode, it'll increase up to as much as 6000 lumens for short periods. If it doesn't say otherwise, assume that Reflex will run at about 30% less than the listed output until it detects that you need it.
Sync
Do you align your brake levers with a laser level? Wish there was an extra click halfway between 5 and 6 on your high speed rebound? Take your cassette off to clean each sprocket individually? If you like things Just So, then you'll like Sync. That's just Exposure's way of saying it has bluetooth connectivity and an app. If Exposure's default modes aren't good enough for you, and you don't trust Reflex to get it right, then you can use the app to create your own custom modes, exactly how you want them. Reflex and Sync are one-or-the-other features – you'll usually find a version of the light which has each option, but never both.
ITM
This is a boring one, but I'll include it as it's a small caveat to the points above. ITM stands for Intelligent Thermal Management. The little brain in the light will automatically adjust brightness to optimise battery life and health – if temperatures start to rise above a comfortable level, it will reduce output until the light cools. If you were riding slowly uphill on a warm evening, with your light on full power, there may not be enough airflow to keep the light cool, so it will automatically dim it slightly until you get some speed up again. Therefore, measured brightness may not continually be the same as advertised brightness, if you're feeling pedantic, but it will average out over the course of a ride. And it'll still be very bright.
TAP
This one is quite self-explanatory. Some of Exposure's helmet lights have a feature called TAP, which lets you change modes by tapping the body of the light, rather than having to fumble for a button on the back of your head as you rattle down a trail. Helmet lights can be particularly anti-social, as they have a habit of shining wherever you look, so being able to turn them down and back up again quickly is very handy if you don't want to dazzle people, or find yourself blind at the top of a steep descent.
Day Bright
Day Bright is Exposure's daytime running light mode. It features a distinctive irregular flash pattern, which is visible over long distances. I never claimed all of the features would be exciting.
AKTIV
Exposure's road-specific headlights feature Aktiv, a light sensing system which automatically dips your headlight when it detects oncoming lights. This is especially handy if you're riding unlit country roads, and don't want carpal tunnel syndrome from continually changing the mode on your light.
REAKT
Reakt rear lights feature a small sensor which detects braking, automatically increasing the brightness to act as a sort of brake light. It can also adjust the brightness to adapt to ambient conditions, saving power in low light and ramping it up in bright sunlight.
Repairability
This isn't a product feature as such, but it's certainly a selling point for Exposure. Most light brands offer a 2 year warranty (Exposure recently increased theirs to 3 years, but it used to be 2). Any quality light should easily last longer than 2 years of regular use. However, once you're outside of the warranty period, if the light breaks... you're buying a new light, unless you're a keen electronics enthusiast. That's not the case with Exposure.
If something goes wrong, no matter how old it is or whose fault it is, you can send it back to get it repaired for a very reasonable price. You might even be able to get some parts upgraded while it's there. And because they use very high-spec components, the likelihood of something going wrong in the first place is rather low. Whether its crash damage, wear and tear or just old age, you'll be able to get it sorted one way or another. Good for the environment, good for the UK economy, and long-term probably better for your pocket too.
A Few Things To Consider Before You Buy
Exposure's website divides their lights up into several different categories, but that doesn't necessarily mean that they can't be used for other things. For example, all of the helmet lights can be fitted onto handlebar brackets, but the same can't be said the other way around. The cleat-fit handlebar lights won't go on a helmet mount.
The Strada is a great road light for going for a bike ride, and it has some nifty road-specific features, but it might not be such a good light for longer distance rides or regular commuters. If you're commuting all week, or setting off on an adventure, consider something like the Race, Toro or Maxx-D – not for the brightness, but for the incredible runtime you get in the lower modes, which are more than ample for road use. If you're considering some night time gravel rides, you might appreciate the options of higher brightness modes too.
Handlebar brackets are something to consider. If you have a bike with a one-piece handlebar and stem, you may be limited in your options. Exposure make several different cleat-fit mounts, including one which fits into a GoPro Flange Mount fitting. Just be mindful of the strength of your out-front mount before trying to fit a big, heavy light. I personally ran into this issue using a Deda Vinci stem and carbon handlebar. The non-round handlebar wouldn't allow me to fit Exposure's nice aluminium handlebar bracket. The strange shape of the Vinci faceplate meant the faceplate mounts were not an option. The Vinci's out-front mount was plastic, with a low weight limit. Therefore, the only option to fit my large Exposure light was to use the stem top cap mount, where the light completely blocked the view of my Garmin. I had the choice between seeing where I was going, or knowing where I was going.
If you're in a similar situation, consider one of the larger helmet lights instead, such as the Zenith. These can be fitted using a few different plastic brackets, which should fit most handlebar shapes. The helmet lights can also be fitted onto the cleat fitting brackets with a small plastic adaptor.
If you have range anxiety, Exposure lights have a few handy features. The smaller lights use a coloured LED on the back to indicate remaining runtime. Larger lights have a clear LED display on the back, which will display your selected mode, remaining runtime in that mode, and battery charge percentage. Mount your light upside down, and the display will flip to stay the right way up. Exposure are currently in the process of updating their lights to use USB-C charging cables, in line with EU law. The range currently has a mixture of USB-C and their older Smart Charger cable.
One final consideration: If you're riding any kind of technical off-road, you may benefit more from having two lower-powered lights than one bigger one. Helmet lights are actually illegal for road use in the UK, but hard to do without off-road. Handlebar mounted lights are great for long range and brightness, but they go whichever way the handlebars are facing. That means that you can't really see around bends until you're already turning. Their relatively low position also means that obstacles can throw long shadows, or disappear below the reach of the beam. Adding a helmet light gives you the ability to see where you're looking, and spotlight areas the main beam doesn't reach, while the extra height helps you look over obstacles, reducing shadowing.
If you have the budget for one big Maxx-D, consider instead buying a Race bar light and a Joystick helmet light – you won't win any size contests, but sometimes you have more fun with two little ones than one big one. You'll have a better time using the more limited runtime to its full capacity, than you will squinting around corners and ploughing into obstacles, then getting home with 3 hours of charge still left.
The Exposure Lights Range 2026, In Order of Output
The number next to each model refers to the generation, not the model year.
SixPack 15
This is the big one. If you want riding at night to feel like riding in the daytime, but with a tin of beans on your handlebars, look no further. Yes, it's massive. Yes, it's probably overkill for most situations. It's the one she told you not to worry about. If money is no object, you want the brightest possible light, or you want good usable brightness without having to worry about runtime, this is the light for you. For the best off-road experience, pair with a Zenith helmet light.
Max 6000 Lumens for 3 hours with Reflex mode. Max continuous output 4240 Lumens for 2 hours. The big selling point of this light is the 12 hour runtime at 2675 Lumens with Reflex mode. This will give you a whole night of riding at high off-road brightness, adapting to the terrain. Cleat mount only.
Maxx-D 17
Want serious brightness and long runtime, but don't want to ride around with a tin of beans on your handlebars? Then the Maxx-D is the one for you. It's considerably smaller than the SixPack, but still packs a powerful punch. Again, it'll only fit onto a cleat mount, but the smaller size means it looks a little less out of place. If you're riding road or gravel, this is probably the limit of how far you'll want to go – the brightest mode is still far brighter than you would want to use on the road, and runtime is ample. In my view, this light offers the best bang-for-buck of the handlebar mounted range. Max continuous output is 3000 Lumens for 2 hours, Reflex max output is up to 4850 Lumens over 3 hours. Commuters and distance riders will be more interested in the 12 hours at up to 1362 Lumens in Reflex mode – again, it might not be the biggest, but it can still keep going all night.
Toro 16
Power and runtime starts to drop off a little bit at this point, but the Toro is still a serious light. If you're riding hardcore DH tracks for hours, you might have to knock back your speed a little versus if you were using a SixPack, but you still get 3 hours of plenty bright enough light, with all of the same features that you get in the two bigger lights. Realistically, for most riders, this light will do everything that you need it to do, and save you quite a bit of money. Max continuous output is 2590 Lumens for 2 hours, or up to 3850 Lumens for 3 hours in Reflex mode. For distance riders, you'll get 12 hours at 1200 Lumens – still bright enough to use for light off-road riding. If you're planning a winter Marathon XC ride, this will probably get you through just fine.
Race 19
The Race is the smallest of Exposure's big handlebar lights, and the last of the mountain bike range. It's still perfectly respectable for light trail and cross-country riding, but you'll probably find yourself looking beyond the light in very rough terrain. For road and gravel, it's a fantastic light, and those with smaller bikes or crowded handlebars might appreciate the compact form factor – it's less than half the size of the whopping SixPack. Max continuous output is 1800 Lumens for 2 hours, or up to 2650 Lumens for 3 hours in Reflex mode. By 12 hours, you're down to 761 Lumens, which is still perfectly usable for a road light – this is still a serious contender for hardcore road commuters, but not so much for all-night off-road adventures.
Zenith 4
Zenith is the brightest of Exposure's helmet lights, but it's up for far more than just wobbling around on top of your head. With the addition of a handlebar mount, it also makes for a decent road light, if you're not planning on heading out for more than a couple of hours. As with all of the helmet lights, there's no Reflex mode, but you do get the handy TAP function instead (this can be toggled on and off using OMS mode 7 if you're not keen on it). Max output is 2360 Lumens for 1 hour. At 3 hours, you drop to 940 lumens – still perfectly usable for Enduro and Trail riding, or for use as a main light for shorter road rides. By 12 hours, you're down to 300 lumens, which isn't really enough for any more than drawing attention to yourself on lit roads. It is good as a very bright headtorch though, with the addition of an Exposure headband.
Diablo 15
It's almost as good as the Zenith, but cheaper! The Diablo will run for 1 hour at 2000 Lumens, or 3 hours at 733 Lumens. This is still enough to use as a headlight alongside one of the big bar mounted lights, and it's still just about bright enough to use as a road headlight, if you avoid rough roads and steep descents. By 12 hours, you're down to just 196 Lumens – again, a great walking headtorch, but not much use on the bike. Exposure have missed out here by not incuding a 2 hour runtime mode – 2 hours at around 1300 Lumens would make this light significantly more useful.
Strada 12 SB
We're back behind bars again, with the Strada road lights. The Strada lights feature a road-specific beam pattern, with twin lenses: one offering a flat, wide beam and the other a straight ahead spotlight for distance. They also feature AKTIV technology, which senses oncoming lights and dips your headlight accordingly. The Strada fits the cleat mount, and it should be light enough to work with most reasonably substantial out-front mounts. See the above section on Things to Consider for more info. Max output is 1700 Lumens for 2 hours. Exposure only recently started listing measured output levels for all of their light modes, and the Strada range predates this. However, you can assume roughly 1100 Lumens for 3 hours, dropping to around 400 Lumens for 12 hours. If you're looking for a compact, powerful light for short road rides, the Strada is perfect. If you're a hardcore commuter or looking to cover longer distances, scoll back up a bit to look at the Toro or Race.
Strada 12 RS
See above, but with lower output. 1450 Lumens max continuous output for 2 hours, assumed drop to around 900 Lumens for 3 hours, or around 300 for 2 hours. The cleat mount means you can't use this as a headtorch, and also limits handlebar compatibility with weird-shaped aero bars. The Zenith offers comparable output and runtime, with greater mounting flexibility.
Joystick 18
Heads up! We're back to helmet lights again. The Joystick is the Zenith and Diablo's smaller, dimmer younger sibling. There's no 1 hour mode, this time, so max continous output is 1200 Lumens over 1.5 hours. If you're just out for a blast in the woods, this'll be fine – it pairs well with the Race or Toro handlebar lights. You could even use this in combination with a Zenith mounted on the handlebars, if you're feeling adventurous. At 3 hours, output drops to 530 Lumens, which is probably enough for short commutes on streetlit roads. By 12 hours, you're down to 159 Lumens. This would be adequate as a headtorch for walking or camping, but you might want a bit more oomph if you're using it for anything particularly adventurous like mountaineering.
Sirius 10
The Sirius marks the boundary between the serious To See With lights and the secondary To Be Seen With lights. It fits the same handlebar and helmet brackets as the helmet lights, and can also be worn as a headtorch. Max continous output is 900 Lumens for 1.5 hours. As with the Strada, this predates Exposure measuring the output of every mode, but you can assume that by 3 hours, you're only going to get around 450 Lumens, dropping to around 100 at 12 hours. That's not really what this light was meant for though. It also features Day Bright mode, an irritating daytime running light flashing mode. Think of this more as a daytime running light which you can also rely on to get you home safely if you stay out a little too late, or ride through an unexpected tunnel. If you don't mind charging regularly, it also makes a great little commuter light that's easy to slip into your pocket for theft prevention.
Link Plus 4
Is it a front light? Yes! Is it a rear light? Yes! Can it do both at the same time? Also Yes but not very well! The Link Plus is designed primarily as a helmet-mounted safety light to be used in conjunction with a more powerful light set, but it can also be used as a backup front- or rear-only light if necessary. At full whack, you'll get 3 hours with 400 Lumens continous output at the front, and 50 at the rear. I won't go into further detail, as runtimes get a bit messy depending on which light is on in which mode, but you can find a full breakdown in the product manual if you're really interested. It isn't really bright enough to see with, but it would do the job in a pinch, and the Day Bright mode makes it a useful safety accessory when used in conjunction with a proper set of lights. It would also make a perfectly respectable headtorch.
Link 4
See Link Plus, but imagine that it's smaller and not as bright. Max continuous output is 100 Lumens front and 40 rear for 1.5 hours. The Day Bright feature is probably the real selling point of this product.
Boost/BoostR 2
Boost front and BoostR rear lights are primarily daytime running lights, although they'll also work perfectly well as night time To Be Seen lights. They feature the nice irritating Day Bright flash mode for daytime visibility, and the curved lenses offer good side visibility. A range of different mounting options are available, so you can neatly integrate these into your bike. The BoostR features REAKT sensors, and also has Peloton mode, which dims the light when something is close behind, so you don't dazzle other riders on group rides. Boost offers up to 325 Lumens max continuous output for 3 hours, and the BoostR offers 150 Lumens for 6 hours. However, the real selling point is the 12 hours Day Bright mode, which runs with a constant low beam combined with a daytime flash pattern. If you're still going after 12 hours, it's probably time to turn on the big night time lights anyway.
Trace/TraceR 3
Before Boost, there was Trace. While they've been out for a while now, they're still a great light in their own right – I personally own two sets of these, and don't ride without them. They have the same REAKT, Peloton and DayBright features as the Boost lights, just in a smaller shell with a smaller battery. Max continuous output is 125 Lumens for 3 hours, but the whole raison d'être of these lights is the DayBright mode, which will irritate everyone around you for 6 hours. Lower modes will run up to 24 hours flashing.
Blaze
Why is it shaped like that? I don't know. Blaze is exposure's biggest, brightest rear light. If you're planning an epic adventure with one of the big front lights, this is the rear light to pair it with. Blaze offers up to 6 hours runtime at 150 Lumens, or as much as 48 hours on the lowest flash mode. It shares the same Day Bright, REAKT and Peloton functions as the BoostR and TraceR, just in a bigger body with a bigger battery. Day Bright mode runs for up to 12 hours. The downside of all the extra battery and quirky charm is the fitment situation – it's quite a tall light, so if you're a shorter rider and ride with a seat pack, you might struggle. Brackets are available for round and aero seatposts, as well as bolt-on mounts for rear pannier racks and a GoPro flange mount fitting for... whatever you can find to bolt that to. The orientation is completely different than all of the other Exposure lights, so it isn't really possible to interchange brackets, unless you're feeling creative.
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For Bikepacking
Zenith or Diablo – use it as a bike light or a headtorch.
Jack of All Trades
Made it to the end? Congratulations! Still got questions? Get in touch here! or visit the USE / Exposure Website
Yes, I know I "forgot" about the ebike lights. They're worth their own article. Time to go and sit in a dark room for a bit.