Specialized Flash Combo Front/Rear Light Review

Among the many accessories for bike or rider equipment offered by Specialized, there are about ten models of lights of varying power and their mounts, designed for different uses. The Flash Combo Front/Rear is a set of two small, lightweight, and effective auxiliary lights for riding in low light conditions or at night, primarily in the city.

By Guillaume Judas – Photos: 3bikes.fr

Two small, easy-to-install, lightweight lights that ensure your visibility.

Bike lighting should not be taken lightly, especially in winter and as traffic conditions become increasingly oppressive for all cyclists. Those who commute by bike know this well, as they have to ride early in the morning and late in the day, most of the time at night. Whether in the city or crossing the countryside, it is necessary to ensure both good visibility for other road users and good lighting to know where you are riding. Other practices are developing, such as ultra-endurance events on the road or mountain biking, which also require specific, powerful lighting with good autonomy, to ride long hours at night while being able to see far ahead. These different characteristics influence the price of the product.

These are two front and rear lights, lightweight, practical, extremely simple to mount, and designed to ensure your visibility.

Specialized offers a range of several types of lights, of which the Flash Combo Front/Rear is the entry-level model. It is actually a set of two front and rear lights, lightweight, practical, extremely simple to mount, and designed to ensure your visibility rather than to truly illuminate your path. This set is particularly useful when the weather is gray and foggy, at dawn or at the end of the day, or even in the city if you exceptionally finish your ride after dark, as happened to us during the test. The selling price of €39.90 for the set seems entirely reasonable given the usefulness of the lighting. But for those who primarily ride during the day and are just looking for a small rear light to ensure visibility, the Flashback Taillight (rear only) is sold for €19.90.

The rear light may be sufficient if you only ride during the day, in the morning or late afternoon, or when conditions are foggy.

Each small light weighs 15 grams, and attaches to the handlebars and seatpost using a small elastic strap. Operation is via a raised button, which is not necessarily easy to manipulate with thick gloves while riding, although the rubberized texture facilitates grip in all other situations. Right next to the button, a small tab provides access to the mini-USB port required for recharging. This is done via a computer’s USB port or a phone charger.

The small button is used to turn the light on/off, but also to select one of the four lighting modes.

Both lights offer a power of up to 70 lumens at the front and 20 lumens at the rear. Each has four lighting modes:

Continuous
Power Flash
Disco Flash
Eco Flash

Obviously, the battery life of the lights depends on the intensity of the lighting, whether in continuous or flashing mode. The four hours of battery life in Power Flash mode at the rear are verified. Regarding the other modes, the principle of a single button to switch from one function to another can sometimes lead to errors in judgment. So be careful if you consider lighting crucial at the end of your ride.

Battery life varies depending on the lighting mode.

Installation is really very simple, done by hand, and adapts to almost all seatposts and handlebars on the market. The elastic strap rests in a notch that is lower than the one used to hold the system in place once installed. If the back of the seatpost is not completely round, this can cause the light to be slightly crooked.

In addition to being quite exposed to road spray (unless you have small mudguards), the rear light is positioned very slightly crooked if the seatpost is not round.

There is, of course, no such problem on a round handlebar, where the light naturally finds its place. It is even easy to then orient the light to direct it in front of the front wheel.

The elastic retention is firm enough not to move while riding.

But you can easily adjust its orientation.

On the road

For a little over two months, we rode every day (or almost) and on four occasions at night with the Specialized Flash Combo. In the rush of starting training, we sometimes made some adjustment errors, which led to a rapid decrease in battery life. You first have to turn on the light by pressing the button, then press it briefly again to change modes. Nevertheless, for the rear light and to be visible during the day, the 20-lumen flashing mode (Power Flash) is the most interesting. And this is barely enough for 4 hours of riding. At night, Disco Flash or even Eco Flash mode is sufficient, which extends the light’s battery life.

The rear light provides very good visibility, even in its least powerful mode. For

For the front, we are far from the capabilities of a real headlight. But the light is sufficient to see 10 meters ahead, and especially to be seen almost 360° given the beam of the light.

The light beam allows other road users to see you. And it is sufficient to spot holes and changes in asphalt quality, without being as powerful as a real headlight, of course.

On some dark sections, we were not surprised by the condition of the road, although we would not dare to embark on a real outing in the countryside with this device. However, let’s remember that we are talking about a removable and rechargeable front light that weighs 15 grams, not a heavy, energy-consuming headlight.

Equipped like this, motorists see you and are even quite cautious when passing or overtaking you.

In the city, or when alternating between areas more or less illuminated by public lighting, the set is largely sufficient to be seen. We also notice the attitude of motorists, often very cautious when passing or overtaking in these conditions. The “continuous front light and flashing rear light” configuration is, in our opinion, very effective.

The “continuous front light and flashing rear light” configuration is, in our opinion, very effective.

The battery life of the continuous modes is sufficient as an auxiliary light, or to start or finish a ride. The flashing rear light seems essential on gloomy days at least, from November to February, but also the rest of the year to be perceived from several hundred meters behind.

Maintenance of the lights is minimal, although we advise against prolonged exposure to heavy rain or high-pressure jets, as there is a risk of water penetrating at the charging port.

The Specialized Flash Combo ultimately doesn’t revolutionize the field with these two small removable lights, but the system has the advantage of its ease of use, very light weight, and contained price. It’s an option to consider.

SPECIALIZED FLASH COMBO FRONT/REAR

Rating: *****

Pros: Weight, easy installation, effectiveness for visibility
Cons: Power Flash mode battery life, single button

Front light: 20 to 70 lumens depending on the mode. Battery life from 2 hours to 24 hours depending on the mode. Four lighting modes: continuous (55 lumens), power flash (70 lumens), disco flash (55 lumens), eco flash (20 lumens).

Rear light: 5 to 20 lumens depending on the mode. Battery life from 2 hours to 20 hours depending on the mode. Four rear lighting modes: continuous (10 lumens), power flash (20 lumens), disco flash (14 lumens), eco flash (5 lumens).

Flexible mounting system compatible with handlebars and seatposts with a diameter between 22.2 mm and 35 mm, as well as seatstays, helmets, and saddlebags.

Weight: 15 g per light
Price: €39.90 for the set

Contact: Specialized.com

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