Trail LED DS Light Review

Having the ability to ride in the dark opens up riding opportunities to those with a chaotic schedule. It also allows riders to hit the trails when they are less busy and stay out of the heat. Lights come in many different price points and mounting styles. The Trail LED DS is a helmet mount light that falls into the high end of the price point their MSRP is $549. This is a very well made light. I have held and used other companies lights that are close in price and their build quality is lacking in comparison.

"The DS (the light formerly known as the Dark Star) has been redesigned in the image of its BIG brother, the Halo, and maintains the same quality and attention to detail.  The DS houses five of the highest performing CREE LEDs available and emits 3200 lumens.  We deliver those 3200 lumens in a solid, anodized aluminum light-body weighing 100 grams.  We have maintained tight control over both output and color temperature to give you maximum output with the best color rendition available in the industry.

The unique, low-profile, arched design and multiple lenses of the DS produce what we like to call MPSD (multi-point shadow definition), rendering unparalleled depth perception.   The unique integrated mounting system also allows unmatched flexibility and convenience in mounting.  And if all of that isn't enough, our battery packs boast a 1:1 charge ratio, meaning you only need two battery packs to run continuously.

With all Trail Led lights, no compromises have been made in materials, design or construction.  Trail Led lights are all handmade in the USA, by bikers for bikers. 

Bottom line--you are guaranteed not to be disappointed.

All lights come with 1 standard battery pack, 1 neoprene battery pouch, 1 bar mount, charger, and 2 mounting rings."

Specs 

 Lumens/Run Time:  

• High - 3200 lumens - 1.5 HRS
• Low - 1500 lumens - 3.25HRS
• Emergency - 300 lumens - 16HRS

Charge Time: 1.5 hours 

Battery: 285g

Light Body: 100g

Ian

Using lights is a great way to get in more riding. I have used a number of lights in the past. Once I opened the box and looked at the Trail LED DS it became apparent that what I was about to install onto the top of my helmet was something that was in a league of its own. The build quality of this light cannot be ignored. It is a solid chassis that contains 5 very powerful LED lamps. The finned aluminum body helps to cool the light and allows you to attach it to your helmet via the thick bands that come with it.

It fit very snug against my Troy Lee helmet. I used one band on the outside edge and it worked perfectly. I used the light while climbing in low settings and upon reaching the top of the trail I was surrounded by the night. At this point I put the light onto high. It was very bright and the trail I was riding just happened to be high speed. Typically during the day I can hit 25mph on it pretty easily. This night ride for me with the help from the Trail LED DS light had a max speed for me of 21mph. Considering it was full black I think that says alot about the lights power output loosing 4mph to be able to ride in the evening was well worth it.

They way back through town I was high beamed by a few cars because I forgot to turn the lights down. After the third time I finally went to the lower power setting. Those of you that do much of your riding at night could take full advantage of the lowest power setting that the DS offers.

Andrew Soto

Right out of the box the Trail LED Light was super easy to use. In the low mode the light puts off enough emission to ride down any trail. Once you turn the light on the bright mode, you might as well be riding in the day time. We were able to get away with only using the one light during our 3 hours rides with enough battery life to still pedal home. Typically these loops where about 20 miles with 2000-2500 feet of elevation.

I really liked how compact the Trail LED was, you don't even notice it on your helmet. The battery pack was quite small as well. I have used other lights and all of their battery packs where larger than the Trail LED. I was able to slide it in the Delane Camelbak with ease. If you're looking for a one light work horse, this is your light.

Overall I was very impressed with the Trail LED light. It had outstanding build quilty, was very powerful, and is one of the smallest lights I have ever used. If you put that all together into a package that puts out 3200 Lumens the Trail DS is an incredible light. If they had to improve something maybe an alternate way to mount besides the band method. This is personal prefernace and nit picking to be sure. They worked fine it was the only thing that I could find that could be improved!

Conclusion

Overall the Trail LED light proved to be a phenomenal product. It's build quality along with the power output provided us with an outstanding light. We would have no problem suggesting the Trail LED DS to a friend. The lights put out a cooler color temp than other lights we have used in the past. It keeps things natural looking during the evenings. I would guess it is somwhere around 5000 on the Kelvin scale.

Everything about the Trail LED is high class. The craftsmanship is incredible and it has performance to match. If that isn't enough they are a very green oriented company making things here in the USA. I knew these lights would be amazing from what I had read and also heard from fellow riders that have owned them. It was like getting a Porsche GT3 delivered if you are going to review it. You know it is one of the best cars on the planet but you still have to take it out and see what it can do.

Trail LED Q&A

1. How did Trail LED come to be?

Back in about 2006 I was working a more than full time job and being winter the only time I could ride was at night after dark. I had a set of Vista lights with large battery packs that you had to change every 30 minutes so for a 2 hour ride that was 4 large packs to carry and change. I happened to be Christmas shopping and went into a Sharper Image store to look for some stocking stuffers. They had a small LED flashlight about the size of a lipstick tube and don’t you know it was as bright as my bike light and had a 2 hour runtime. Unfortunately it didn’t use rechargeable batteries so I immediately went to purchase a LED bike light, funny thing is nobody made them at that time. I figured a flashlight couldn’t be too complicated so I immediately destroyed my wife’s stocking stuffer to see if I could figure out a way to run it from an external pack. During my research I discovered an online forum of other people doing the same thing. Initially they were built out of very crude designs and hand built for me and my riding buddies, then one night on a trail somebody said if they looked nicer they would buy one and Trail LED was born. Our first models were hand machined on a drill press by me and sold to the local mtb club riders. As TrailLED started to make a name for itself I taught myself some machining techniques as well as anodizing so that we could offer custom light body colors to differentiate ourselves. As Trail LED continued to grow I went from hand machining to doing the cad design and then having local machine shops do the machining of the bodies for us. Assembly has always been and always will be in house.

2. Did you guys see a niche in the lighting market for high quality lights?

Yes, we are not a cheap brand, but we are a good value. We only use the highest quality components and parts and that does cause us to be more expensive, but when traveling off-road at high rates of speed a light failure can be at the least a walk home, and at the other end a trip to the hospital. A good quality light is really cheap insurance.

3. What is your background?

Farm boy. If you couldn’t build it, repair it, or adapt it you didn’t get it.

4. What sets Trail LED lights apart from the competition?

We are the only lights designed from a helmet mount first perspective. All other lights on the market are designed to fit on your bars first and then they figure out a way to strap them to your helmet. We went backwards to that method of thinking as it is far easier from an ergonomics standpoint to adapt a helmet deigned light effectively to the bars than the other way around. For off-road riding being able to see where you are going versus where the vehicle is going is a distinct advantage.

5. What where the features you wanted your lights to have before you even began designing them?

We had three design goals with this latest generation of lights.

• No more than ¾ inch off the helmet
• Helmet mount first design
• Brightest helmet mounted light in the industry

We achieved that with our Halo model and those features along with many others as a result are available in all three models of our lights.

6. With battery technology advancing so fast will we in the near future be able to have lights that have a battery plugged into them so we can leave the cords behind?

Battery technology has actually hit a brick wall, just that the major manufacturers are now catching up. We have been using li-ion for the last 10 years, it was just cheaper and the broader market didn’t demand it until recently so others finally changed from NiMH to Li-ion. There are some things we are keeping our eye on, but in the area of high powered lights I am afraid it is going to be a while.

7. Any tricks for getting the lights to hold a longer charge or to keep the batteries running longer?

Li-Ion doesn’t have any memory effect and self-discharges very slowly. We tell our customers that if you are not going to use the lights for more than 3 months to discharge them about half way as they store better long term with a partial charge. As far as longer runtimes the big button on top makes it easy to change between low and high even with full finger winter riding gloves on. The simple act of dimming the light down during a fire road climb can lead to a significant run time increase.

8. Why bands as opposed to velcro to strap the lights down?

Our first gen lights used velcro. Velcro can be cumbersome to get tight, and the bands we use are the solution we came up with to ensure that the light gets mounted as securely as possible.

9. Are there any new projects that Trail LED is working on that you care to share?

Yes but we cannot share at this time! 

10. What type of trail rocks, jumps or mixed?

My days of BMX and big air are long gone, so rocks and drops are about as adventurous as I get, however we did just hold the first ever night time enduro stage and it was a huge success both with the spectators and riders.

11. What would make the bike industry better?

The industry or the community? I guess the answer to either is a unified front on bicycle advocacy of all types.

12. Anything else our readers should know about Trail LED?

There is a lot, so the easiest way is to head over to our old Kickstarter page which has a tone of information or our website. Otherwise drop us a line and we will answer it to the best of our ability.

Trail LED Kickstarter

www.trailled.com

2015 Evil Insurgent Review

Evil Insurgent Complete Build

Evil as we know it today is owned by Kevin Walsh. He purchased the brand from Dave Weagle back in 2008. Since buying Evil they had some problems on the manufacturing side with their first few runs of the Downhill bikes. With manufacturing happening in big quantities it took things awhile to get sorted out. Once production issues where sorted the guys at Evil took care of customers that had problems. Their carbon trail and downhill bike have been very successful and last year Evil came out with a bike called The Following. Now it is time for Evil to enter the 650 market with The Insurgent. Evil bikes is now using the same factory as Santa Cruz bikes for the production of the full carbon bikes and with SC's experience in building carbon bikes it sounds like a good choice. With the overwhelming accolades being bestowed upon The Following it made perfect sense for Evil to jump into the 650b market. Their new bike The Insurgent is their go at the aggressive 27.5" Enduro bike market.

"Do you repeatedly attempt to seperate your tires from your rims in every corner, do you say lets take this ride mellow, does your trail bike find itself going slide ways.. Those up hill both ways days just got a little less sucky. Short snappy chainstays, long top tube and a low BB set the stage for a bike that likes to party.."

Build Kit 

• Evil Insurgent XL
• DVO Diamond 160mm
• Enve DH Bars 800mm
• Hope 35mm Stem
• Chromag Grips
• Magura MT7 Brakes 203mm F/R
• Thomson Covert Dropper
• Fabric Carbon Saddle
• Hope 170mm Cranks
• Hope 34 Tooth Chainring
• Hope Pedals
• SRAM XO Shifter
• SRAM XO 11 SPD Derailure
• SRAM XO 11 SPD Casette
• Mavic Crossmax SL Pro LTD 29 WTS Wheels

TOTAL BUILD WEIGHT 31.19lbs

Upon receiving our Insurgent we opened it up and began assembling the bike. Again the finish on The Insurgent seemed top notch just like it did with The Following. Thank God for a Threaded BB and a 142 by 12mm rear hub spacing. Having the threaded BB makes assembly a bit easier and keeps the bike from making noises that should only be heard on a bikes purchased from WalMart. (Though we are running SRAM 11spd and that at times can make our Evil bike sound like a department store bike....) Overall our build kit is similar to others we have used. Our area is rocky and rough so a full chain guide, heavy tires, big brakes, and DH based cockpit round out the build.

Evil Insurgent Profile

The Delta Suspension System

"(Dave’s Extra Legitimate Travel Apparatus ) Despite Delta representing Dave Weagle’s 3rd cycling specific suspension system, we thought a super tech acronym would be much more appropriate. Well, if we had our way we would say it bends in the middle, stops and goes. But let’s be realistic, we can’t get away with that simple of an explanation. As much as we would like to think that everyone will have the opportunity to test ride an Evil, the reality is most of You will buy based on reviews, friends or Weagle’s past successes.

So the following is straight from the horses mouth ( Dave Weagle being the horse ). The DELTA system was conceived to, among other things, achieve very complex leverage rate curves that can be used to tune for varying track conditions, spring, and damper parameters. The dual progressive leverage rate curve was developed for coil sprung downhill applications to take advantage of the speed sensitive shocks on the market. Mechanically, the system uses very compact links that can achieve a lot of angle and velocity change through the travel. We can tailor the leverage rate curve to really take advantage of the shock’s valving and the way that a speed sensitive damper is designed to work. Ultimately the design achieves a high degree of suppleness early in the travel, with a very predictable high traction stage through the middle and a bottomless ramp at the end of the travel.

The whole suspension system, every attribute, is developed concurrently with each other, with the shock absorber, and with the bike’s intended use and geometry in mind. Main pivot location was carefully chosen to give the best balance of acceleration and braking performance. This careful positioning lets the bike accelerate without the need for excess damping, which in turn helps us push the limits of shock setup as far as possible to achieve ideal damper setup for any World Cup track. One of the biggest advantages of the system is its ability to let riders and mechanics adjust frame geometry without changing leverage rate and wheel rate at all.

Additionally, different link kits can be used to make drastic changes in the bike’s feel. These link kits are something that Evil’s World Cup athletes will take advantage of to fine tune for the drastically different race courses that they compete on over a race season. There is no bad option.It all comes down to personal preference. If you like to run air shocks and a position sensitive damper, we can develop that tune. If you like yourframe geometry low in the BB and slack in the head angle, or vice versa and anywhere in between, it’s covered. Upgradeability, tuneability, and personalization is what it’s all about, finding that combination that’s perfect for you and no one else."

DW D.E.L.T.A. Suspension

Evil Insurgent Head Tube

Rock Shox Vivid Air: Prior to performing shock adjustments, determine riding weight ( fully geared up ). Push the shock O-ring against the wiper seal and push the sag adjuster on the non drive side of the Delta Link forward. Lean up against a sturdy wall, friend, or telephone pole and sit on the bike. Being careful not to tip over, dismount the bike and check the SAG indicator. The SAG indicator should barely cover the 30% mark and the O-ring should measure between 15-17mm from the shock body for ideal setup. The Insurgent uses a high volume air canister which compliments the progressive spring curve of the Delta System Suspension, if a less progressive feel is desired then experiment with different air volume spacers.

NOTE* These are just guidelines to start you on your suspension tuning journey. Its very important to tune your front and rear suspension together to get the best set up possible. Play around and find that special tune, then write it down so you don’t forget! NOTE* The dual progressive leverage rate curve might make some spring rates seem stiff, we encourage you to try different rates that will allow you to sit deeper into the suspension travel and find that perfect set up.

- See more at: http://evil-bikes.com/products/the-insurgent-3/#sthash.Nc1m8mxF.dpuf

Evil Insurgent Features 

Evil Insurgent Features

Looking at The Evil Insurgent geometry numbers below it becomes apparent that they went for a slack and somewhat longer frame than many companies making 650b Enduro bikes. The HA and BB numbers are adjustable via The Flip Chips. We opted to run the bike in the LOW setting most of the time. Running it in X-LOW (64.8 degrees HA) with a 35mm stem made climbing some of the steep stuff around here a bit challenging. Keep in mind we tested The Megatrail and it has a BB in low setting that is 12.7" and provides 160mm of travel. The Evil isn't the lowest bike out there but with a 64.8 degree HA, it is one of the slackest bikes. Some people are concerned about crank clearance, but it wasn't much of an issue for us and the 170mm cranks. Our frame was an XL and I am 6' 2" tall.

Evil Insurgent Geometry 

Evil Insurgent Geometry

Overall, The Insurgent built up easily. The frame and shock weighed in at 7.7LBS.  With our part selection we knew we would have a bike that could handle rough terrain day in and day out. One issue we had with the frame was the lack of a water bottle cage mount. We ended up using a Jand Strap to hold a water bottle onto the frame. Wearing a pack is something we do on longer rides but the other five days a week when you're on an hour long lunch a water bottle fits the bill nicely. We opted for the Rock Shox Vivid Air shock for the back. Kevin suggested that we may want to wait for a more trail oriented shock that would provide more mid stroke support and have a climb switch. We decided not to wait and went with the DH shock. Overall the small bump on the shock is impressive. There where times when I would have liked to use a lock out shock like on long extended climbs or when commuting on the road.

Evil Insurgent Drive Side Linkage

The DELTA suspension is very supple at the very beginning of its travel. Also, the bike's suspension seems to cycle well and offers traction by the boatload. Dave Weagel initially designed The Delta Linkage for the Evil Undead and the high shaft speeds sometimes encountered during Downhill Racing. The Insurgent offers two settings through the flip chips either Low or X-Low. X-Low mode lengthens the WB a hair, lowers the BB and slackens the head angle. For a majority of the test we ran The Insurgent in the Low setting.

Evil Insurgent Chain Guide

Overall, we where impressed by The Insurgent as it did many things well. The frame felt stiff, lively, bottomless, planted, stable and pedalled well. We just finished up testing the Following so getting aboard The Insurgent a few things became clear, like The Insurgent being advantageous when the terrain is fast, chunky or steep. Otherwise the 29" bike seemed to have the advantage looking at times on mellower trails. There are a few trails in the area that are rocky and fast approaching the 30mph mark. The stability provided by the longer chassis and added travel proved to be a positive for The Insurgent on these trails.

Evil Insurgent Non Drive Side Linkage

Ian W

Evil seems to have succeeded in creating a very capable, and stable 650b trail bike with The Insurgent. The bike was very light on its feet with the ability to change lanes and rail corners like an F1 car and proved to be a very capable enduro bike. We built our Insurgent up with DH oriented parts. That being said, we have seen many below the 30LBS mark so it could easily have been lighter. This bike has aggressive geometry but it is by no means too aggressive. In fact a bike with such aggressive angles and great suspension makes a great trail bike for the DH racer.

The initial part of the travel is very sensitive and follows the terrain very well. The bike seemed to be pretty linear. We ended up running 2 volume reducer rings in the Rock Shox Vivid Air to keep the bike from bottoming to easily. The frame came with no reducers installed; luckily we had some left from our Following test. Once we added reducers it became a harder to use all the travel without affecting the initial stroke.

Evil Insurgent Downtube Protector

The first trail I took it on was a 900 foot climb. The bike climbs well and offers good traction over loose rock.  It had some bob while putting the power down while standing but not much. The trail has some rocks at the start and the suspension tracked well over the fast rocky sections. Then it changes into a turn filled smooth trail (flow) with a few small climbs. There are a few tight turns on this trail and The Insurgent needs a bit of front end weight to help hold traction in corners. After that getting to know the The Insurgent a little better I started using more body english while turning such as attempting to always have the chin over bars and arms pressing down when needed.

Many people are huge fans of short chain stays The Insurgent is not super short but close enough. It moves quick when you lean on the bars. I did notice that the 650b Evil had a wheelbase that was almost a full three inches longer than The Following we tested last. This showed in fast, steep terrain. The Following even though it has bigger wheels was just not as stable when flying over rougher terrain. The Insurgent's rear suspension does feel almost bottomless. Riding it hard over rocky terrain you cannot tell when the shock is bottoming out.

The next trail is just above the first and is much rockier for the first 300 yards or so. The Insurgent's larger wheel base benefit became apparent by riding over the soccer ball sized rocks at a blistering rate of speed. It handled the rocks well and it was easy to change lines and hop over rocks when the need arose. Once out of the rock garden the speeds increase and you enter trees with turns carving their way down the hill. In the twisty stuff the Evil does a good job of changing lines and carrying speeds through turns. Never did the longer wheel base (48.10") on the bike seem to take away from its cornering abilities.

Across the valley is a trail that many experienced riders have a strong dislike for. This is due to it be loaded with switchbacks or "woodland based crimes against humanity". This is mainly to keep speeds down because this trail is heavily used by hikers. Initially the trail has some rocks and is high speed until you hit the first switchback.  From there you go into five more switchbacks that are spaced about 200 yards between apart. The Insurgent with its long wheelbase handled these in a decent manner. You could tell it had a preference for fast loose corners more than tight slow ones.  However, at the end of the day it can do either fairly well and do them fast.

Evil Insurgent Flip Chip

Conclusion

Overall we liked The Insurgent. It has a great suspension system that works as DW designed it. The platform allows riders to put power down, climb, handle chunky terrain and provide good mid stroke support. The bike has a long wheel base and slack head angle making it stable at speed. Combine that with a stiff frame and the more common 650b wheels and you have a great option for the Enduro racer. We would not hesitate to recommend it to a friend looking for an aggressive Enduro bike.

Evil came at the 650b market in a similar fashion as they did with the 29" market. They created a slack, low, long bike with a suspension system that provides abundant traction, pedals well and essentially feels almost bottomless. Our Insurgent was built to cater to the gravity rider. Those looking for a more trail friendly version can easily shave 2 lbs off our build and get a shock with a lock out like The Monarch.

Evil Insurgent Rear Stay

There where a few things that Evil could do to improve The Insurgent. First put a bottle cage mount on the frame! There is plenty of room for it especially on the XL and LG sizes. The other thing we noticed is that the lower down tube guard could be longer. Maybe adding three to four inches onto it will help protect the frame a bit more. These are simple fixes and at this point we are just looking for anything to complain about.

Evil has produced two great trail bikes with The Following and now The Insurgent. With their newly announced The Wreckoning a long travel aggressive 29" bike Evil has almost all the bases covered. All that is missing would be a short travel XC bike and an actual DH bike. We are looking forward to throwing The Wreckoning down some trails in the near future. Until then we will keep hammering aboard The 650b wheeled Evil Insurgent.

Let’s cut the crap. There is no “one bike to rule them all”. No magical, wheeled-unicorn that can be all things to all people. Here’s what Evil have created: It’s called the Insurgent and it is fun. The uncontrollable-cackling-while-roost-flies-off-your-back-tire variant of fun. Which is exactly what Evil were aiming for. The Insurgent will get you up that long, technical sufferfest in style with plenty left in the tank to shred a trail slide ways—the kind of trail that everyone else calls a “DH trail”.