Portland Design Works’ Lars Rover Lights Up the Night

Tuesday, November 18, 2014

Üma Kleppinger, GoLocalPDX Contributor

golocal-bike-pdw1

Portland Design Works' Lars Rover lights provide USB rechargeable night riding power. Photos courtesy PDW.

There’s been a race going on within the bike industry between manufacturers trying to produce lighter, smaller, more powerful LED lights. Though not the first to cross the finish line, Portland Design Works has produced a newly-released USB rechargeable headlight that out-performs the competition with its versatility and quality.

The new Lars Rover from Portland Design Works (PDW) is a USB rechargeable headlight equipped with a Panasonic™ Li-ion battery, CREE™ LED and Texas Instruments™ integrated circuit. Available in a 650 lumen and 450 lumen model, both Rover models offer alloy construction with a delayed power switch to prevent accidental on and off.

I picked up a Lars Rover 450 to test out the day after the Daylight Savings Time change, and not a moment too soon, as I’d forgotten to take into account that I’d be out past sunset. Before I even fired up the light, as I pulled the Rover from the box, I knew I’d be saying goodbye to the Serfas TSL-200 I’d been using for city riding.

For one thing, the Lars Rover comes with three different mounting options. PDW’s Mission Control mount, designed for rough terrain, a quick-release rubber mount for easy-access city riding, and a helmet mount and strap which fits most vented helmets are all included with the light.

The TSL-200, by comparison offered one mount included in the purchase of the light, and I found a major design flaw in the Serfas mount in that the rubber strap mounting was composed of two loosely-connected parts. Lose one (as I did, fumbling in the dark one evening) and the mount was useless, which meant the light was useless. PDW’s superb product design of each of the mounts offered with the Rover 450 were foolproof.

The Lars Rover 450 offers 5 different operation modes; 3 steady beams and two flashing. Battery life for the various settings range from 7.5 hours at the steady 125 lumen setting, 3.75 hours at the 250 lumen setting, and 2 hours at full power. Both the fast flashing mode and slow pulse burn for 10 hours. Best of all, the Rover “remembers” the mode you last used when you shut it down, then restarts in that mode, rather than requiring you to tab through the settings to get to your prefered mode.

golocal-bike-pdw2

The Lars Rover 450 offers 5 different modes for optimal illumination for any riding conditions.

Because I like to run a flasher even in low-light conditions and at dusk, the long burn time for flash and pulse are essential. In well-lit urban areas I use the slow pulse mode which provided adequate additional illumination to the road surface, and provides the additional safety feature of a pulsing light. However, once I reached outer NE Portland, where street lights are less numerous, I switched to a steady beam for better roadway illumination. When riding through densely wooded areas, such as in the West Hills, I opt for the fast flash to be seen by motorists on twisty roads where I'm riding in and out of deep shade and bright light.

I can’t really compare the Serfas and Rover lights lumen for lumen, but I definitely appreciated the Rover's brightest and medium settings in areas where ambient street light was nonexistent.

The PDW product met or exceeded stated performance, whereas the Serfas light always felt like a crap shoot to me. Even with a full charge, and using it at the lowest setting, the low-battery light would start flashing anywhere from 15 to 30 minutes into a ride. This made for some very stressful, all-out sprints to beat what I thought was a dying battery on more than one night mountain bike ride.

By contrast, I was able to partake in a night nide with the Lars Rover at full power for over two hours’ ride time, and the low battery light still hadn’t come on as I was changing out of my muddy gear. Besides reducing waste by eliminating disposable alkaline batteries, the USB recharger means I can give my light a little boost on the way to the trailhead for a quick late afternoon off-road spin. A full charge takes about 5.5 hours, with the USB recharger cord included in purchase.

At $110 for the the Lars Rover 650 and $85 for the Lars Rover 450, these lights make a great holiday gift for the everyday cyclist who "has everything" except a high-quality USB-rechargeable light.

Bottom line: For commuters who also ride recreationally in low light conditions, or urban riders who regularly enjoy off-road riding (think Leif Erickson and rougher terrain), these lamps are a great value. The versatility of both the mounting options and the beam modes are tough to beat.

Designed at Portland Design Works headquarters, right here in NE Portland, you can find the Lars Rover lights at River City Bicycles, Cyclepath, and 21st Avenue Bicycles and other local shops. To see the full line of PDW products, or to order online visit www.ridepdw.com/.

Üma Kleppinger is a Portland-based copy writer, author and bike addict. A recovering sesquipedalian who writes about life in the saddle and outdoor adventure, she is also the author of Bike Yoga, a flexibility and recovery program for cyclists. When not writing, she can be found riding and racing her mountain bike throughout the Pacific Northwest.