Cateye Strada 5

Advantages: Cheap
Disadvantages: Lacks features, durability

...Cateye have managed to produce a very functional cycle computer at a very good price point. The controls take a bit of getting use to as there are very few buttons on the computer itself but are very simple once mastered and can easily be accessed when riding. The unit doesn't have very many advanced features or tricks and lacks capabilities found in more expensive models such as average pace and heart rate but handles the basics adequately such as speed, odometer, time etc. The display is dominated by a speed reading and is very easy to see at a glance and the other less vital info is set below it in smaller writing but which is still viewable. However I am concerned about the durability, as the unit feels quite plasticky and not terribly water resistant. Overall though a great buy for the money....

chorscroft 16.06.2009 · Read review
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Review of Cateye Strada Wireless

A Cateye That Really Can Pick Out The Cats' Eyes

Advantages: White hi-power LED for resonable economy
Disadvantages: Pricey - still need another light to aalert pedestrians

...either not present or inadequate. Yes, you can pay out £200 for rechargeable halogen 'off road' packs, but in the real world of trying to commute at all times of the year, 'proper' headlights are thin on the ground. The Cateye HL-EL530 bridges this gap. You couldn't actually call it a headlamp, in the same way that a car has them, but it does indeed throw enough light out and down to light the road ahead, if only a few yards ahead. No-one said you could plough on at the same speed! Thanks to the technology that now allows for The Holy Grail of economy lighting, brilliant white LEDs, this light is positively arc-like in power, throwing out some 1500 or more candlepower. Not bad for something with one LED running off 4 AA batteries. If you catch the beam full face, prepare for a white spot in your vision like in the bad old days...

BNibbles 16.01.2009 · Read review
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Review of CatEye EL530 Power Opticube

Small and perfectly formed

Advantages: Size; simplicity
Disadvantages: Large transmitter; Easy to accidentally reset

...Given how much I like cycling, and how much I like gadgets, there are few little toys I get quite so much fun out of as a cycle computer. Ever since my dad first fitted an analogue speedo to my bike as a kid I've had a fascination with how fast and how far I'm riding. So when building up a new bike one of the first things I got for it was this tiny Cateye Strada Wireless. I hadn't intended on spending so much on a computer (£39.99) but the small size of the main unit (about 2cm x 3cm) sold me with its simplicity. Fitting: Without a wire to fiddle about with this could hardly be an easier computer to fit. The cradle for the main unit can be mounted in the normal fashion on the handlebars, or in the centre on the stem, with the unit able to slip into place in one of two positions so that it's always the right way up to read...

blackpuddinonnabike 16.11.2007 · Read review
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Review of Cateye Strada Wireless

Many Bulbs Make Light Work

Advantages: Bright, Clear, Battery LIfe
Disadvantages: Cost, Scratches easily

...Apparently, women need men like a fish needs a bicycle. Well, assuming that the fish will be cycling in twilight conditions, it will also be in need of adequate safety equipment, of which a decent front light is an essential part. All of which probably means that women need cycle lights too. On a more serious note, and despite the fact that the days are getting longer, there is probably nothing more important when you are cycling than being seen. I won't rant on endlessly about it - it's just common sense. What I will tell you about is one way in which you can improve your visibility and it comes in the form of the HL-EL 300 from Cateye. Cateye have been making peripherals for bikes for quite some time now and have built up something of a reputation for solid, functional and innovative solutions. They aren't the cheapest, but...

LegendaryMrDude 14.05.2006 · Read review
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Review of Cateye HL-EL300

Cats Eyes Burning Bright In The Night

Advantages: Wonderfully Bright LED Light
Disadvantages: Is it Sturdy Enough

...1. Boring Preamble After my previous experience with a Cateye Cycle Headlamp a lot of you would be very surprised to hear that I purchased another one. The reason for this was choice, and that I could not get one to suit my needs that were made by another manufacturer. Such is the free market in the cycling world, so knowing full well what to expect if something went wrong I purchased this beastie from Harry Hall Cycles (who are wonderful) in Manchester for £24-99. Most specialist cycle shops would stock these babies. 2. Why I Choose This Model As a cyclist and an occasional fossil fuel burning moron I know that the most important function of any light is that it gets you seen by fossil fuel burning morons and stupid pedestrians. A lot of LED lights on the market do not do this and I think that they should be banned from sale...

Champ666 18.02.2005 · Read review
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Review of CatEye HL-EL200 LED Headlamp

A tale of Woe and Dodgy Headlights

Advantages: Good for poorly lit areas
Disadvantages: Lack of Robustness

...the middle of Oxford Road, only to be crushed by a bus. The whole unit is now completely unserviceable and I am not impressed at all for £15 I expect considerably better quality and from a brand leader like cateye this is very poor. What Followed **************** I returned the light to the dealer who refused to believe that the result of the failure was due to normal usage. He refused to offer a refund or replacement on the guarantee. I decided to then escalate the matter to Cateyes UK distributor, who took the dealers side. They also pointed out that under UK consumer law, it is the dealer that is responsible for accepting returns. (They were waving a red rag at a bull, and I was that bull) I was not happy with this either, I am a polymer engineer, In the manufacture of plastic components a lot can go wrong, that will result in...

Champ666 18.03.2004 (15.06.2004) · Read review
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Review of CatEye HL-500 Headlight

A Bright Spark

Advantages: Excellent Waterproofing, Very Bright, Reliable
Disadvantages: Bit lardy, poor bracket, price

...I've always liked Cateye lights. They tend to be more expensive than other lights, but have attractive styling, seem to be well made, and last a long time. I still have a battered but functioning Liminax Micro Halogen by Cateye. LED's Most commuter lights nowadays use LED's rather than standard or Halogen bulbs. LED's have several advantages. Namely very long bulb life. 60,000 hours is not unusual for an LED bulb, and is significantly longer than the expected life of a commuter light. The other major advantage is LED's waste less of the energy as heat compared to halogen bulbs. This means more light for less power. As a rule of thumb a 1 watt LED is approximately equivalent to a 3 Watt Halogen bulb. LED's produce a very bright white narrow beam. Halogen's and HID's (very expensive off-road lights) produce a light that is...

fred_redwood 27.07.2008 · Read review
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Review of CatEye EL530 Power Opticube

Its No Dance For This Flexloose Lightset

Advantages: Compact, Versatile, Bright for size
Disadvantages: Appallingly fragile bracket, poor waterproofing

...The Brand Cateye are a Japanese company and have been around since 1946. They have 3 factories 2 in Japan and one in China. They have always produced good looking (in my opinion) and well built lights (certainly in the past). Pricier but better made than their competitors. The Cateye Experience The lights are small and have 3 fairly bright LED's. They are intended to make you visible to other road users in well lit towns. If you are venturing out onto unlit roads then these are not the lights for you. The lights have 2 modes steady and flash. A small button on the underside of the unit turns the light on/off and selects flash/steady. The button is fairly easy to use, and can be found with little trouble with a gloved hand. So in summary these lights are small, look good, and are bright enough for commuting...

fred_redwood 19.10.2008 · Read review
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Review of CatEye HL / LD270 Light Set

Nice idea but....

Advantages: Great little size, very bright, easy to use, good quality lights
Disadvantages: horrible product fault - straps often get jammed and won't budge

...These are 2 small CatEye light, i say very small they are jolly conveinient for popping into your pocket when you have left your bike somewhere. Both have 2 batteries, AA in the front and AAA in the back, and despite the size work fantasticly for the price you pay. These aren't the sort of lights that light up the whole road in front of you. I would suggest you only use these are roads with street lights. I have ridden late at night on back road, it is not a good idea, they don't light anything up. But then you aren't paying for something that lights up the whole road. These are for main road use, and for this - they work fine. Very bright and you will be very visable despite the size. There are 3 different settings on the rear light and 2 on the front. These are solid light and flashing light and the rear light also does...

Samsung_93 09.09.2009 · Read review
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Review of CatEye EL135 / TL130 Light Set

Very bright but has its weaknesses

Advantages: Very bright, good battery life
Disadvantages: Brighter lights available, build quality questionable, battery heavy and gets in the way

...Normal AA battery powered lights. Nothing wrong with them really, for city centre riding, where you could really get away with no lighting whatsoever. Head out on a country road, or go off-road at night (try it - it's quite fun!), and you need something with a bit more oomph. I've always trusted CatEye as a brand, so off I went to my local bike shop and investigated their range of lighting, and stumbled across these. The HL-500 II consists of two of the Micro Halogen lights that previous CatEye users may be familiar with, but with the normal 2.5W bulbs uprated to 6W each. You also get various bits of cable and a sealed lead acid battery, with a supplied charger. Fitting the lights is a simple operation, with simple thumbscrew brackets which attach to your handlebars and the battery hanging from the frame. Here you may hit...

Pritch 07.12.2000 (02.05.2001) · Read review
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Review of CatEye HL-500 II Micro Halogen