Review: Lezyne Power HB Drive STVZO 500 front cycle light

Beautifully made in the style of all the manufacturer’s products, Lezyne’s elaborately named Power HB Drive STVZO 500 has a squat shape due to the width required to incorporate two separate LEDs and their associated reflectors side by side in the CNC-machined aluminium housing.

This front lamp is designed to take advantage of a change to German road traffic regulations from 2020. That allowed StVZO-approved cycle lights, which must have a beam that only projects below a cut-off line to prevent dazzling oncoming road users, to have a supplementary high-beam mode similar in concept to the high and low beams cast by motor vehicle headlights.

These regulations aren’t enforced in the UK but the HB Drive 500’s impressive 500-lumen output on high beam makes it an attractive proposition for commuters on unlit roads, while the cut-off low beam is an effective way to reduce the impact of a powerful cycle light on other road users.

Weighing a not insubstantial 286g, the Drive 500 attaches via a thick rubbery strap with enough anchor holes for the hook to accommodate any size handlebar. Remove the half-round bung from the strap base and it will even work with an aero bar.

There’s an unsightly plate screwed to the top, which can be used with the contents of a ‘Loaded’ pack (available separately) to mount the light in front of and below a stem front cap. The light must not be strapped to the handlebar upside down, which would negate the cut-off beam feature.

It is supplied with a USB charging cable and a remote control button, which mounts using an O-ring and plugs into the charge port. The remote offers the same mercifully brief range of functions as the main button: press and hold for on or off and press to toggle between high and low beams.

The light shines steadily in both; flashing modes are not allowed in either front or rear lights under German regulations. The remote button shines blue when the light is in high mode.

Switching modes provides a real choice of beam coverage, with the high beam casting noticeably higher and further than the height-limited low. It is also a lot brighter than the low beam alone.

On low beam, however, run time is increased, from the high beam’s two hours to three and a half. There’s a green/amber/red battery charge status indicator in the on/off button. A recharge takes up to six hours.

Verdict

This well-made, good-looking if bulky front light is an effective operator on the road even if you ignore the German road regulation-compliant high/low beam feature, which makes it possible to cast a powerful beam on unlit roads with the option to avoid dazzling oncoming traffic.

Other options

Ravemen CR1000 Front Light £99.99

Small, light and easily mounted high-output front light with numerous operating modes.
Read our review.

Bontrager Ion Pro RT £119.99

Front light with 1,300-lumen maximum output and USB charging. Double-click switch means it shouldn’t come on accidentally in your bag at work.

First published in Cycle magazine, October/November 2024 issue. All information correct at time of publishing.