For office workers who work from nine to five, if they want to enjoy the fun of riding, they often have to choose night riding, which I believe many riders can empathize with. However, it is not safe to ride at night, especially to the secluded tree-lined paths and deserted suburban alleys, and you can't see your five fingers. A high-performance cycling light is often a reliable partner you can rely on. Recently, Fenix (Phoenix) released the BC26R bicycle headlight with high brightness and direct charging design, let's quickly take a look at it:
The author's hand is still a sample machine, so packaging, paper products and some small accessories are not available. Including the lamp body and quick-release clips. Unlike many lamps with built-in batteries on the market, the BC26R still uses a battery removable design, for long-distance riding friends, you can buy a battery as a backup, so as to obtain long-lasting battery life. In addition, it also adds the popular C-mouth direct charge, which is very convenient.
Let's take a look at the appearance, but from the front, the BC26R is no different from the other flashlights in the Fenix family. The bronze CD grain switch in the middle of the barrel side, the A6061-T6 aluminum shell with HAIII hard anodizing anti-wear treatment on the surface, coupled with the cylindrical shape, the grip is actually quite good. Even if you don't ride, you can usually use it as a flashlight to illuminate it.
The word "TEST" on the fuselage confirms the identity of the prototype. The entire barrel is integrated and is not treated in segments. The head button has integrated power indicator (with power indicator and low voltage warning function), long press on the switch, short press after boot can switch between gears. The headlights also have a flashing mode (600 stream brightness), which can be accessed by a quick double-click, and can be used for surrounding passers-by and vehicles.
The "HOT" anti-scalding logo and model are on both sides of the buttons, and you can see that there are special grooves around the round keys, so that you can quickly locate them during blind exercises. It is worth mentioning that the BC26R is also the official designated headlight for long-distance riding on the Sichuan-Tibet Line, and the quality is still quite guaranteed.
The bottom of the main body of the lamp is designed with a chute, with a quick-release clip, which can be loaded and unloaded in only two steps (pressing the clip when removing).
The rubber plug above the chute is the Type-C charging port, and the BC26R battery is replaceable and supports direct charging. More flexible in use. The seal of the plug head is very tight, dustproof and water-blocking, and its protection level has reached IP68, which is not afraid of the wind and rain in the outdoor changeable environment.
The specific size of the headlights is 113 * 27 * 29mm, which is not very long, and it is just right to hold in the hand. The weight of 155 grams including battery will not be a burden on the handlebar, and it is still very stable after fixing.
The two sides of the headlights are very interesting, the front half is a heat fin with a partition, and the lower half is directly cut and printed with the maximum brightness (1600 lumens, 7158 candela) and the positive and negative poles of the battery.
Close-up of the quick-release clip: The clip at the end can be pressed down to quickly remove the headlights.
The tail cover of the headlights is knurled, which is convenient for twisting, and after unscrewing, you can see the gold-plated spring inside, and if you don't use it, you can loosen it, and it won't light up.
Thread details: The workmanship of the Fei family is still quite good.
Take a look at the battery, the random standard model is ALB-L21 21700 battery, the capacity of 5000 mAh (can also be compatible with 18650, but need to be equipped with ALF-18 battery holder), the highest brightness can last 3 and a half hours, low brightness is 65 hours. Such results are still quite good, and you have no problem running the route.
Gold plated spring:
Finally, a close-up of the lamp head: BC26R carries the "old friend" we know well: a single Luminu (Lumens) SST40 LED lamp bead, which has a service life of 50,000 hours, and its outer border is shaped like a "saddle" and there are small holes on both sides of the corners, which can be transmitted and diverged. The lampshade pattern is also different from the flashlight, and its ring pattern can make the light emitted farther away, and at the same time have a good flood performance. The maximum range of the headlights is 169 meters, and even at low lights it can illuminate 28 meters away.
Let's take a look at the installation process, the BC26R's grip is fixed by screws, and its inside is also filled with rubber pads for greater stability. Unscrew the screws during installation, fix the clip to the handlebar, and tighten it again.
The thicker handlebars can be replaced with thin rubber pads, and then the lamp chute is aligned with the clip slide, and it is enough to slide to the end, without any straps or tools.
After installing it, add a few more riding pictures after installing the headlights:
The BC26R has four constant brightness gears, which are very bright/high/medium light/low brightness, corresponding to brightness and range of 1600 LM/169 meters, 600 LM/101 meters, 200 LM/57 meters, and 50 LM/28 meters, respectively. Flashing mode can be turned on to alert you to emergency avoidance. The lights themselves have intelligent temperature control and gear memory functions. This is the same as other flashlights in the Fenix family, and I will not repeat it here. Let's go directly to the night shooting measurement to see the specific brightness performance:
The wall view can see that the light angle of the headlights is still very wide (close to 180 degrees), which can achieve large flood light, and the center light can still illuminate the distance.
The first is the irradiation effect in different gears:
For the environment with street lights next to it, it is enough to turn on low or medium light, one is enough to illuminate the road in front of you, and the other also plays a role in warning passers-by.
In the dark section of the road (such as the wilderness), you can directly turn on the highlight or super bright, at this time the light can cover most of the road surface, and the road can also be seen from afar.
Where the light reaches, the color of the illuminated object is natural, its color rendering is still good, the light is soft and uniform, and there will be no too strong sense of glare. For pedestrians, it is also a kind of protection.
The BC26R's floodlight performance is still good, not only from a distance, but also under the feet can be taken care of.
Even when not riding, it is good to use it as a flashlight.
Summary: As a new phoenix lamp, the BC26R's performance is remarkable, it has a tough appearance, compact body shape, drop resistance and waterproof. The high brightness of 1600 lumens is also enough to meet the needs of cycling lighting in most scenes. Coupled with its direct charging and quick release design, it is a rare riding helper. I believe that with its company, you will be able to make your riding road full of warmth and comfort.