By Russ Lowthian, HaveFunBiking
No matter what time of the year there is never enough daylight and having a bicycle headlight is a necessary item for any cyclist riding on the road or on trails. Over the last couple of months, I have had the chance to test the Fenix BC21R v2.0 bicycle headlight in several applications with memorable success. Retailing at less than $75, the Fenix worked well while commuting by bike and fat biking through the snow. This 1,000-lumens capacity light offered me several beam output settings that I needed at dusk and in the dark to see and be seen. Plus its makes a handy stand-alone flashlight when not on my bike.
This light easily clips-out from the handlebar, in a minute’s notice, to become a handy flashlight.
The Fenix BC21R v2.0 bicycle headlight out of the box
The Fenix bicycle light comes packaged and inside the box, you’ll find:
The light fits well in the packaging with the extra parts tucked behind the form-fitting plastic holder.
- BC21R v2 Light head
- Fenix rechargeable Li-ion battery
- USB Type C charging cable
- A handlebar mount, with two extra rubber mounting shims
- Spare O-ring
- User manual
- Warranty card
The light fits well in the packaging with the extra parts tucked inside. The Fenix branded 18650 Li-ion battery is pre-installed in the headlight with a small piece of insulation that needs to be removed before charging and using. The housing of the bicycle headlight is engineered to protect it from dust and foreign objects and is perfect for safe cycling on those rainy days.
Bike commuting with the Fenix bicycle light
As the days get shorter (up through December 22nd with winter solstice) using the Fenix bicycle handlebar light gave me several beam options with the lights four settings. Plus, while commuting or running errands the light was easy to remove at stops, for security and/or to plug it in for an added charge.
Through the woods on a snow-covered trail
Fat biking over the snow-covered trail the beamwidth of the Fenix was more than adequate.
Recently fat biking through the snow-covered forest I found the beam width adequate, the majority of the time in the lights medium mode. But, when the trail became more technical, it was easy to bump it up to the Turbo Mode. At 1,000-lumens, with two-hours of run time, the output was near that of riding in daylight.
A recap of the Fenix BC21R v2.0 bicycle headlight
The Fenix bicycle light is an interesting alternative to most lights in its price range. The light comes with a chargeable battery that can be easily replaced. It offers a high-quality optic lens with four settings for beam spread to make your time in the dark and low-light periods enjoyable. And with the convenient bicycle mount the light easily clips-out, in a minute’s notice, to a handy, multi-mode flashlight. For more information on Fenix and to order a bicycle headlight go to their website here.