Review: Lezyne Macro Drive 1300XXL
(2022) If there is one on-bike accessory that has made leaps and bounds in improvement over the last few years, the forward light would win. Gone are the days of helmet-mounted battery packs or giant cells taking up a bottle cage. The lights of today are smaller, brighter, and relatively maintenance free. In an attempt to extend the outdoor riding season, much research went into the right light for nighttime riding around rural roads with a desire to be seen by motorists. Starting with Lezyne lights was the right call. Strapping the Lezyne Macro Drive 1300XXL was the right light.
Night riding is certainly an adjustment. No longer worrying about racing out the door to beat the sunset or traffic, riding well after sun down brings new challenges. With all the concern about motor vehicles, our concern was seeing wildlife, debris, and/ or dangerous patches with enough warning. We hit up a cyclist who had experience with lights, asking him if the top rate Mega Drive 1800i was right. He immediately responded with the idea that a rider can never have too much light, but a less powerful lumen on the handlebar works great with a smaller helmet light. Taking his advice, the 1300XXL was ordered and received. A quick charge, immediate installation, and we went out on the roads to learn the rhythm of riding after hours.
For starters, this light is bright. In our inexperience we set the light on Overdrive and probably blinded a few motorists. This is a serious comment. A couple of oncoming cars flashed lights in our direction, possibly thinking we were a motorcycle. Several cars slowed down, possibly confused as to what was going on. This was the desired effect. For 1300 lumens max, cars were certainly taking notice. On a fresh charge, we could have ridden approximately 2 ½ hours like this, the minimum amount of time on any setting. For one uncharged ride home, we kept the lumens low on economy and managed to bring it home before the battery died. Even then the road in front of the bike was lighted and clear. Should the battery get low, the light’s switch fades to a yellow before turning an ominous red to say it can beam no more.
Lezyne smartly builds their lights with an aluminum body for heat dissipation. Beyond that there is a feeling that the light is stout should the light get dropped or clip something. What the light isn’t is heavy. At a little over 200 grams, it’s easy to forget the light is even on the handlebar. With a feathery light and bright beam, riders can focus on the road without a single worry about the light. This is as it should be, and Lezyne delivers confidence for situations already full of anxiety. Further construction involving a simple rubber strap makes taking the light on and off the bike a simple single effort.
The Lezyne Macro Drive 1300XXL is USB rechargeable via the aft port door, the rubber flap on the left of the photo.
Arming the bike with Lezyne’s Macro Drive 1300XXL - and the Lezyne Pro Smart Rear LED - was a ride into uncertainty. The wide angle lens of the Macro Drive illuminated the road and roadsides to ease that uncertainty. Sure, night riding happens a bit slower, but it also happens a bit quieter. The light performed beautifully on rough gravel roads, debris-strewn descents, and remote tertiary roads. Once our imagination calmed down regarding sasquatches in the woods or rabid coyotes stalking us for miles, the light took over.
It is hard to argue against a front light like the Macro Drive 1300XXL as a device that can drastically change the way anyone rides. Trainer miles can be shelved a little longer in the autumn and stowed early come spring with the addition of a front light. With 1300 lumens, the back roads of Bucks County are illuminated with confidence, and we get to reclaim that second water bottle cage for the ride.
