New accessories from Lezyne and SKS

Accessory company Lezyne is branching out into yet another product category for 2012: self-contained LED lights.  While that segment of the market is already highly saturated, Lezyne has infused its trio of models with its own design flair and some rather unique features.

The claimed outputs are impressive considering the size and weight.  The top-end Super Drive model churns out 450 lumens – good enough for legitimate trail riding – while weighing just 126g and yet will still supposedly run for 90 minutes at full power.  The mid-range Power Drive supposedly produces 300 lumens at 120g, and the smallest Mini Drive model still pumps out 150 lumens at a measly 66g.  All of the lights have various output settings to extend the burn time along with blinking modes for high visibility.

All three models also use extruded aluminum housings, highly polished reflectors, and tightly threaded-on caps at both ends that render them virtually waterproof (Lezyne doesn't bill them as such but the company says all of the lights have been successfully tested underwater).  The USB-rechargeable batteries are easily removable and also non-proprietary, meaning that users can also simply buy spares as necessary at local hardware or electronics stores to extend the run time.

Lezyne will include both 25.4mm and 31.8mm-diameter bar mounts with each light and a helmet mount option is currently in development. 

Lezyne hasn't neglected its bread-and-butter pump category, however.  Major news includes a lower-priced floor pump built with an alloy body, wooden handle, and a new composite base.  All of Lezyne's floor pumps will get new heads, too, with a trick Air Bleed System that depressurizes the hose for easier chuck removal plus a press-fit right-angle head that works with non-threaded valve stems or disc wheels.

That ABS design even makes its way into Lezyne's superb range of mini-pumps, while road versions get a new reversible Presta-specific hose with a threaded chuck at one end and a press-fit head at the other one.

The ultra-shiny CNC Rod is essentially just an extruded section of aluminum but with a hexagonal receptacle at one end that accepts a variety of forged steel inserts: a reversible Shimano-type splined bottom bracket and cassette tool, a reversible bottom bracket tool for eight-point external or ISIS internal-spline cups, and finally a single-purpose tool just for Shimano-type bottom brackets.