Trevor Baylis Micro Bike Torch Review

Find out more about the Trevor Baylis wind-up bike lights.

This product reminded me vividly of a creative writing assignment back in school. The title intrigued me and, for once, I couldn’t wait to get stuck into it! (Which as my parents would confirm was not far short of miraculous.) However having set the scene, and began weaving the fabric of a, if I do say so myself, devastating plot, for some reason which now escapes me I ran out of either momentum or time and abruptly ended the fledgling classic with the classic ‘then i woke up and it had all been a dream…’

I commute everyday by bike and have on more than one occasion been caught short with my lamp batteries giving up the fight before journeys end. So owning some lights which will always be ready to ride after a few minutes’ winding is definitely appealing. Using the lamps is dead simple. Unfold the light’s crank from underneath, and then wind it up vigorously. These lights claim to give 90 minutes’ light for one minute’s winding — but that’s 90 minutes of the power-saving one LED mode, which is just too dim for the road. For the full-power three LED mode, I dismounted and re-wound after 20 minutes – not that the lamp had totally disappeared but I wasn’t happy with the level of illumination provided. A 3 LED flashing mode is also an option.

Where this product falls into ‘it had all been a dream’ crummy territory is the mounts for the lights – these are awful! You have to wind them tight, which just doesn’t work well – I inadvertently snapped one of the mounts (front) and I was being pretty careful with it. The back bracket I had to resort to mounting on the angled part of the frame as I couldn’t get it around my seat post securely. Installation’s is a one-time thing , so if your blessed with patience and dexterity you might not find this an issue. It’s worth noting that the way the lights slide on and off their mounts is somewhat fiddly (well it is in the dark when you’ve removed them for an additional wind) but once in place they are pretty stable.

NB No mounting instructions were included in the packaging, which incidentally, I was disappointed to note didn’t mention Trevor Baylis anywhere, AND was a somewhat un-environmentally friendly looking plastic blister pack…

In the final analysis the lights themselves are simple and relatively effective (though unlikely to tempt moths to swarm you), and competitively priced – and would be a welcome addition to any frame as a secondary / emergency set. However, for me at least, the design and ‘quirky’ functionality of the mounts undermines this product. I really wanted to score this item higher but just can’t bring myself to.

Trevor Baylis bike lamps are available to buy from Ethical Superstore, but don’t say we didn’t warn you.

Trevor Baylis Bike Lights – Ethical Superstore

What we’re hoping for in version 2.0:

• Improved bracket design
• Rubberised design to absorb the knocks
• Brighter optics
• Optional wearable bracket so that you can mount the lamp onto a rucksack or jacket
• Instructions

Also available as a twin pack – includes front and rear torches with quick release clamps. Trevor Baylis Micro-Bike Torch Front & Rear Twin Pack.