Gloworm Lights X2 and X2 Adventure reviewed by Spoke Magazine

It’s night riding season. The time when desk-bound rider brave enough to head out into the gloaming is rewarded with some of autumn’s finest hero-dirt. But night time explorers need a little help, which is where Gloworm Lights come in.

Local innovator and founder Bruce Davey was quick to pick up LED technology, originally importing white-label lights from overseas. Realising a gap in the market for high quality, well designed and affordable lights, Bruce founded Gloworm Lights and now designs and manufactures all of his own products.

We’ve been riding with Gloworm Light’s X2 and X2 Adventure models, both of which have some cool features designed to make night riding easier and more fun.

The Gloworm X2 handlebar and helmet mount.

Both models share the same 1700 lumen light-head unit, which weighs 89g and features two LEDs. One is a spot, designed to illuminate the trail ahead of you while the other has a flood optic, adding breadth to the spread of light and increasing your peripheral vision. The light’s “Trail” mode has three settings, the brightest of which is more than adequate for relatively technical trail riding. We found it easy to ride using the lower power settings on easy terrain and while climbing, saving the brightest setting for the fun bits.

The four cell X2 battery mounted on the frame and the two cell battery mounted to a helmet.

Both units include a comprehensive set of accessories and spares, including a simple, effective bar mount which fits and removes without tools, a versatile GoPro compatible fitting that allows you to attach it to just about anything, straps, replacement optics and Gloworm’s wireless remote switch.

Where the two versions differ is in the battery that’s supplied. While both batteries feature a handy easy to read power meter, the X2 Adventure has a smaller, lighter 3.4 AHr Lithium Ion battery pack and is light enough to be comfortable when attached to your helmet and is also intended to fit an optional head harness (not included). Gloworm claim a burn time of 1.5 hours on full power which we found easy to replicate.

The regular X2 is supplied with a larger 6.8 AHr Lithium Ion battery. This is intended to be strapped to your frame and provides double the burn time – up to three hours at full power. This battery is significantly larger and consequently less suitable for helmet mounting.

Gloworm remote switch.

Both models also come with Gloworm’s rad little remote switch. This securely mounts to you handlebars tool-free and connects wirelessly to the battery unit. Connection is as simple as plugging the battery into the lamp unit and pressing one of the two buttons on the switch. The system works flawlessly and it’s really easy to control the output of the lamp and cycle through the modes, even whilst you’re on move – much easier than fumbling around with your helmet mounted light switch.

The coolest function is that the remote switch can be paired to multiple lights. And that’s why we’ve featured both versions of the X2 in this test. Mounting the X2 Adventure to your helmet and the regular X2 to your bar gives you not only a combined output of a possum-tanning 3400 lumens, but the ability to control both light units from the remote switch.

Our preferred set-up was to pair the helmet light with one button and the bar light with the other. This allowed us to tune the output of both lights quickly and easily and also manage the slightly shorter burn time of the smaller battery on the Adventure model.

It’s possible to also have both units paired to one button, simplifying managing two units and giving you the potential to add more lights and pair them with the other button should you wish.

While a Helmet mounted light is your first stop running the dual system was next level.

Most experienced night riders will confirm that having two lights running is the way forward, with the bar-mounted unit lighting the trail immediately ahead, whilst the helmet mounted unit gives you a more easily directed source of light which allows you to focus on the exits of corners and other trail obstacles more effectively. To further improve this arrangement, Gloworm Lights includes an additional wide-angle optic in each kit which can replace the flood optic on the bar unit to add even greater peripheral lighting.

For those who like to customise further, the lights can be fully user programmed, but the good news for those who want to set and forget is that we charged up and mounted the lights without altering the factory settings and got straight into it.