Exposure Diablo Mk5

The Exposure Diablo is now in its fifth iteration having subtly evolved year on year to its present 1100 lumen offering, and has long been a favourite amongst the local night ride crew for its self-contained design and faff-free ease of use. With three Cree XPG LEDs inside its small aluminium body, it packs a fair punch for its diminutive size.

Like a small dumbbell for your head, the light attaches to Exposure’s supplied plastic mount which bolts through and clamps to one of the top vents of your helmet. There’s a lanyard too which can provide security and peace of mind if you tend to ride trails with a lot of overhanging branches. Weighing in at 108g it’s hardly noticeable in use.

The Diablo’s output easily illuminates the most technical trails to a level where it’s possible to really pin it with the confidence that you’ll know exactly what’s coming up. In truth there was never really any need for maximum setting, the light spent most of its time in medium where its 3100mah battery will power it comfortably for more than three hours, which very handily tends to be how long we ride for. Thanks to its Optimised Mode Selector, it’s possible to scroll through different setting if you want to customise and extend output to suit your riding, but we’re guessing most people will be happy with the default.

If you’re after a cable-free and capable light, this is probably the one for you.

Overall: Small, compact and self-contained. A no nonsense choice, that throws more than enough light to tackle the techiest of trails.