Exposure Sirius Mk11 1300L

The Exposure Sirius Mk11 1300L is a 90 g front bike light with a 1300 lumen Cree LED, an 8 degree spot lens and side visibility for traffic. It recharges over USB-C in about two hours, and its programs stretch the 4,000 mAh battery from one hour at full power to 130 hours on flash.

Who it's for

The Sirius 11 is a commuter and road light that does not ask much of your bike. At 90 g it is light on a road bar, it is bright enough for an unlit bike path home in winter, and the lens and body are designed for side visibility, helping you stand out to cars at a roundabout or a driveway. It suits the daily run into the Brisbane or Melbourne CBD, early-morning bunch rides and audax nights where you would rather not carry a heavy battery.

Brightness and runtime together

Output and runtime trade off against each other, so the Sirius 11 lets you choose. Each program has a high, a low and a flash setting:

• Program 1: 1300 lumens for 1 hour on high, 3 hours on low, 12 hours on DayBright.
• Program 2: 2 hours on high, 6 hours on low, 24 hours on DayBright.
• Program 3: 12 hours on high, 24 hours on low, 130 hours on flash.

Pick the program that matches your longest ride between charges. DayBright is a pulse pattern built for daylight, visible more than a kilometre away, so the Sirius 11 earns its place on the bars on sunny afternoons too.

Beam shape

An 8 degree collimated spot concentrates the 1300 lumens into a tight, long-reaching beam, which is what you want for reading the road ahead at speed. The lens and body are designed for side visibility, listed at 270 degrees, and a machined lip on the front of the body keeps glare out of your own eyes.

Charging and battery

A 4,000 mAh lithium-ion battery charges over USB-C in about two hours and works from most modern power banks, so you can top it up from a desk, a car or a cafe stop. A traffic-light indicator shows the battery level while the light is on, and one press with the light off shows it for five seconds.

Mounting

The Sirius 11 comes with Exposure's QR handlebar mount, which fixes to the bar with a silicone band and lets the light come off quickly when you lock the bike up. Fit it with the eyelid on top so the front lip shades your eyes.

Weather resistance

Rated IP67 and IK09, the CNC-machined 6063 aluminium body handles rain, road spray and the odd drop. Intelligent thermal management backs the output off if the LED runs hot and restores it once it cools.

Looking after it

Wipe the lens clean after wet rides, and skip the high-pressure hose. If it will sit unused for a while, charge it fully once a month.