Gary
See the start of the Ay Up Dusk Till Dawn 2009 on Youtube here
UK review by Gary, Mountain Bike Instructor – Aug 2010
The bike kit is staggeringly good. Used for the first time last night over two hours on technical, wooded, single-track that I’d never ridden before, and (as far as is possible to gauge) I don’t think I’d have been going any faster in daylight.
The lights give complete confidence, instantly. There simply isn’t any “getting used to” them, you just ride without thinking. I was taking rough ground, gullies, drops and jumps on-sight, at pace, without any degree of hesitancy. The units never needed adjustment, as are seemingly impervious to trail wobble, and the gecko system on the helmet was comfortable, and un-intrusive. This is genuinely “fit and forget” stuff.
I’m hugely impressed by the quality of the light output. Having used a variety of headtorch/lamp combinations in the past, I’m overwhelmed with the consistency, clarity and colour response of the beam. There are no dim spots (or bright patches), and the depth perception even with just one light-unit is excellent. A lot of the sandy trails I run and ride can appear to go “flat” under certain weather/light conditions, so I was really impressed with the level of detail they pick out.
With regard to the intensity of light, I rode almost exclusively with the lights on their lower setting, as I’m most interested in their performance as an endurance product. I can see why you don’t advertise this as “half power”, as the step down is marginal, considering the extended burn time this level offers. I can see the full power level being really useful in bleak weather, really technical trails, or just when the brain starts tiring, but also for navigation across more open ground that I was riding last night. The narrow beam on the helmet is certainly useful for picking out features either stationary, or on the fly, and this is what I’ve always looked for in an “adventure” set u
If you are already a valued customer and want to spill the beans on your experiences with Ay Upper’s, drop us an email and we’ll publish it.
