I am using the Outbound Detour and the newer helmet light (Portal). My main riding style is on the road and I go from strip malls / bright to small neighborhoods, to dark neighborhoods.
I would say the build quality in incredible. had a few questions before buying and my experience was very pleasant.
taking the lights on and off the mounts and charging is SUUPER easy. speaking of the mounts, zero rattle. I’ve ridden all kinds of weather for a year and the Detour looks (and acts) like it’s brand new.
there is a commuter mode where it flashes at night that’s very nice.
I wish the Detour was just a very tiny bit brighter on the commuter setting. the beam pattern itself is excellent.
the helmet light works good on my mountain bike where i’m upright…but on my road bike and I’m leaned over, it’s a touch heavy. my helmet that fits well normally slides down onto my glasses even at full tension. plus maybe I’m a wimp and it’s a bit much on my neck. they have a lighter model but the runtime is pretty low.
I was considering the exposure Siruis for a helmet light…but looks like it’s got a proprietary charger…I dunno. sort of a pain. I might still get it though. (I ride to work and back…it’s nice to have the option to charge at work and everything else is USB-C)
yeah check this out from a mountain bike forum. they said they were going for more uniformity than peak brightness.
I agree I wish it was a touch brighter but the beam pattern is awesome and uniform. and form factor / usage of the light is great.
I think this light with a headlight that’s a little more concentrated is optimal.
Outbound reply to a similar comment as yours:
This doesn’t surprise me to hear honestly, similar reactions we had initially to Hangover and Evo. Have to remember that even though we are using similar lumens from the chips, we aren’t going for peak intensity in the slightest. The overall goal of these beam patterns is homogenous illumination from the front of the tire to the cutoff top, as well as the smooth fill of the side-to-side. We have to utilize that light energy from something, and trying to balance that with the higher peak intensity for the center of the beam is the challenge.
Just like with Evo, Hangover, or our old lights, we’ll never win a light intensity contest when shined against a garage wall or something. But hopefully you’ll get a chance to ride with it on a dark road, while not blinding oncoming riders and can re-evaluate your thoughts. Of course if you still aren’t happy with it, can always talk to us and can return it within 30 days.
i’ve had this light for a while and never noticed the ribbing…but just turned it on in my basement and I can see it when I look look for it. it’s built right into the lens.
did they say when they were gonna update the light?