Blaze 2w Bike Light

If James Bond rode a bike, he’d have the Blaze 2w and Pussy Galore on his handle bars. That’s according to Planet Bike, at least. Although the Blaze 2w is not as powerful as the high beams on an Aston Martin, it’s close. And almost as sleek.

With twice the power of its predecessor, the Blaze 2w has plenty of on-street illumination: The high beam puts out 100 lumens and the low beam is about 60 lumens of light. There’s also a blink mode that’s visible in daylight situations. Run times? 5 hours, 12 hours and 18 hours, respectively, on the unit’s two AA batteries.

I’ve been riding with the Blaze for a couple of months and am impressed. It works as advertised and supplies plenty of light, even for nighttime roads as dark as an Edgar Allen Poe poem.

Lights are typically divided between two camps: those that help you see, and those that help you be seen. The Blaze 2w has a foot in each camp. It will help you see plenty on the road and easy paths, but it probably stops a little short for mountain bike night riding or screaming descents.

In my test, it has been as efficient as touted. The included mount is a cinch to remove and install. If I was in the market today — just a few days before daylight savings time disappears — I’d definitely consider it.

It’s also available in any color you want — as long as you want it in black.

The Blaze 2w retails for about $60. Just like all Planet Bike products, 25% of profits go towards bike-advocacy programs. And in these tough economic times, when even folks like James Bond are a little tight, it’s nice to know that some of the money you fork over is going to fight the good, two-wheeled fight. www.planetbike.com

—Stephen Krcmar lives, works and doesn’t discriminate between shaken and stirred bevvies in Mammoth Lakes, Calif.