Hope R4

At £250 Hope’s R4 scrapes into the ‘affordable’ bracket and follows the tried-and-tested pattern of a bolt-on clamp and separate battery pack, with the two connected by a lead.

There are two lighting patterns – ‘trail’ and ‘race’. We stuck mostly to ‘race’, not because we’re fast (we’re not) but because ‘trail’ is very dim.

The light spread isn’t as clean as some other lights – there are definite hot spots and ridges, which can leave you wanting more when you compare it to some other floods. It’s also not close to the top of the charts when it comes to firepower – fine if you’re riding alone, less good in a group. On the maximum beam setting you’ll only get 90 minutes or so out of the battery, so it’s worth making sure you switch down in between fast sections to prolong the fun – there’s no fuel gauge so you’re relying on your own memory to make sure you don’t run out of juice mid-ride.

That inconvenience aside, it’s a well-made set up that strikes the right balance between the engineer’s triumvirate of light weight, sturdy construction and practical design. Little touches like the CNCed, offset clamp which sets the light directly above your stem, the vibration-damping pad on top of the battery and the partially-coiled cable (which gives you at least a fighting chance of stopping the wires being ripped out by undergrowth) are indicative of the usual Hope attention to detail.

Overall: Not the brightest of the bright but well made, sturdy and more than adequate for most of a winter’s riding demands.

Review Info