On test: Light & Motion Seca 700 Race, November 19, 2008

Daylight Savings Time's worst enemy

Light & Motion's new Seca 700 Race

Light & Motion's ARC Li-ion HID systems were once the company's undisputed flagship lighting systems but new LED technology has knocked them from the lineup altogether with a brighter, longer lasting, and more durable beam. Cyclingnews technical editor James Huang heads into the night with the company's latest Seca 700 Race model.

The Light & Motion ARC Li-ion HID was indeed an impressive beast with a claimed 650-lumen output, three-hour burn time on the highest setting, and relatively light 550g system weight. Even so, LED technology has finally progressed to the point where even Light & Motion has abandoned its once-king HID systems in favor of a new range-topper dubbed Seca.

For the same US$549 price as the venerable ARC Li-ion, the new Seca 700 Race delivers fifty more lumens of total light output and an additional half-hour of burn time on the highest setting. It's also about 50g lighter, and the solid-state LED emitters offer dramatically better durability and lifespan (10,000 hours vs. just 500).

Even better, the more efficient beam pattern makes Seca seem even brighter. Each emitter of the uniquely stacked three-plus-three LED array is fitted with its own aluminum reflector to yield a composite beam pattern akin to the bottom half of a bull's-eye target but without the harsh demarcations. As with ARC, there is still a central hot spot but now also a sharp cut-off up top to direct more of the light down towards the ground where it's useful instead of towards the stars trying to signal E.T.

The complete set even includes a handy carrying case.

The broad apron immediately ahead of you and off to the sides is more dimly lit (or perhaps it would be more accurate to say that it's not quite as ridiculously bright) but there is still enough light to extract critical terrain details. Moreover, the LED's whiter output more clearly distinguishes color and texture variations than the bluish hue characteristic of HID systems.

Numbers aside, the Seca 700 supplies more than enough light for most situations and we rarely had to check our speed for lack of light. During our early testing during the 24 Hours of Moab, comments from other riders were plentiful and we even got an "I though there was a whole herd of people coming up behind me!" from one. The Seca's hot spot also delivers one of the best long distance punches of any LED system we've sampled to date and its unique beam shape provides a much more complete 'big picture' view of things than the usual tunnel vision of pure spot patterns.

Even so, we still occasionally miss the more tightly collimated center pattern of some HID systems. At most speeds the Seca can throw as much candlepower as needed on particular areas of the trail but if you ramp up the pace to more race-like levels you eventually overrun your light. To be fair, you really do have to be moving pretty quickly but seasoned nighttime riders or hang-it-all-out-there racers should perhaps take heed.

Packed with features, too

The compact Li-ion battery powers the Seca 700 Race

The old HID-equipped ARC provided a two-setting beam but in reality, there was little difference between them so stepping down the beam intensity didn't net much gain in battery life. In contrast, switching between the various modes on the Seca yields a very useful boost in run time.

Standard 'cruise' operation offers three settings: high (700 lumens; 3:30 hour run time), medium (350; 7:00), low (175; 14:00), and flashing, all accessed in sequential fashion via the single top-mounted button. If you hold the single button down for a few seconds when firing things up, though, the Seca enters a wonderfully convenient 'race' mode that toggles just between the high and low settings and skips the other two.

The new mounting system

However, that top-mounted button is essentially mounted flush with the housing and can be hard to find with a gloved finger in the heat of battle, especially when the lamp is mounted up your head. In addition, there's little tactile feedback to indicate that you've actually pushed the thing (though the difference in light output obviously provides feedback by itself). A raised rubber-coated button with a slightly stronger click would be much preferred here - we got around the issue ourselves with a stick-on rubber dot.

Depending on the course and how well you manage the power settings, it's entirely conceivable that you could run an entire 24-hour solo event with a single battery, particularly if you opt for the higher-capacity Seca 700 Ultra model. Otherwise, recharge time for the Seca 700 Race's standard Li-ion unit is a short 2.5 hours.

Seca also features Light & Motion's revamped mounting system which can now easily switch between helmet and handlebar configurations without swapping parts - say goodbye to that annoying little screw. The replaceable rubber strap can accommodate standard 25.4mm-diameters bars just as well as oversized ones (or bigger, in fact) and its grippy purchase won't migrate down during use, either. As before, the head can also be rotated side-to-side as needed and the helmet mount is easy to install on most helmets we tried and sufficiently secure.

Light the way

The Seca's reflector array

Light & Motion's new Seca 700 Race is one of the best LED lighting systems we've sampled to date with a comprehensive, lightweight, and durable package that offers a superb total output and an intelligently shaped beam pattern.

In an ideal world we would get a little more long-distance punch from the Seca and a stouter button but then again, we also still go to bed wishing for Tom Boonen looks, Warren Buffett financial savvy and James Bond adventure and wake up the next morning sorely disappointed as usual.

Sure, it's true that you can have it all - at least in terms of lighting - but most (sane) riders will be beside themselves with Light & Motion's new top dog. For the remainder, getting something with more oomph will require a far more painful cash outlay than the Seca 700 Race's already premium price tag.

Price: US$549 (lamp head, battery, helmet mount, charger)
Weight: 514g (complete on-bike setup); 524g (complete on-helmet setup); 148g (head only); 352g (battery only)
Pros: The beam pattern we've yet seen from LED, superb total light output, compact and lightweight packaging, usual Light & Motion quality
Cons: Central hot spot falls off in intensity a little too early for true high-speed running, button could do with more tactile feedback and is hard to find
Cyclingnews rating:
More information: www.bikelights.com

Photography

For a thumbnail gallery of these images, click here

Images by James Huang/Cyclingnews.com

• Light & Motion's new Seca 700 Race pumps out a claimed 700 lumens of trail-illuminating light.
• The Seca's reflector array produces a unique beam pattern that resembles the lower half of a bull's-eye.
• The large aluminum heatsink is required to dissipate the heat generated by the high-powered LED emitters.
• The single-button operation is simple to use but the button can be hard to locate while riding, especially with full-fingered gloves.
• The compact Li-ion battery powers the Seca 700 Race for 3.5 hours. If that's not enough, the Seca 700 Ultra's bigger battery will last for five.
• The new mounting system quickly switches from handlebar to helmet use and easily accommodates different bar diameters.
• The complete set even includes a handy carrying case.