TESTED: My Tiny Sun 2700X

The high-powered light game is always getting stronger. The past 10 years have seen head units get much smaller, battery burn times increase and charge times decrease – and best of all prices are lower.

My Tiny Sun are a German company who make precision lights for outdoor sports. Caving, mountaineering, motorbike riding, trail running – and of course mountain biking.

What drew me to this model though was the mounting and adaptability. This unit uses a GoPro mounting system. And while it comes with a bar mount, there are then all sorts of options for where and how to mount it to suit your bike. From your top cap, to high or low off your bars, or a helmet mount. With a claimed 3000 lumen output, and 3 lenses to fine-tune the beam pattern to your liking (19,25 and 40 degree angles) it was set to be a versatile setup. The ‘Enduro’ pack comes with the Enduro battery – although you can get the Race battery (which is half the size and weight) if your needs aren’t as high.

Setting up

Like most good light sets, this is plug and play. The two-pronged cables have a distinct click and are satisfyingly sturdy. The base of the unit is ready to attach to a GoPro mount of your choice. The included mount sits right on, or below the bar. Actually getting it to fit with the head unit was hard… so I put it on a K-Edge mount that sits out the front. In the end, it meant it was below the height of my bars, and ahead of the cables and outers on my bike – perfect.

The Enduro battery is small by past standards but it’s an awkward shape to fit on the bike if you mount the light on your bars. The race battery is smaller and would be stable on a top tube or beneath your stem. The larger battery is best in a backpack or well-fitting jersey pocket. The larger battery will run for a claimed 2:47 on high, but 3000 lumens is a lot… I’d opt for the Race battery and invest in a second one if I was doing events.

On the Trail

I used the 19-degree lens and was happy with the tighter beam, as I mostly tested the light on tight singletrack.  Using a GoPro mount meant it was super solid on the bars, and when I used it on a GoPro helmet mount (a built in one) I found the same.

Given it’s just one light, I preferred it on my head. It’s bright, and small, and was excellent on the handlebars, but you still end up with those times where you don’t quite see what you want if you only run a light on the bars.

What I haven’t mentioned is the tuning in Expert Mode on the light. As the lights are also designed to cater for industrial use and search and rescue, there are numerous ways they can be programmed, to get the desired burn times and outputs you might want to be able to cycle through, with the light indicator on the back of the unit telling you what setting you’re in. For those doing ultra-distance events at night – this could be a very useful feature. The light also steps down from the high power mode to medium as the run time comes to an end – it’s very hard to get stuck in the dark.

Of note is the fact they light will accept any battery pack that runs 14-18v – as long as the cable is right. This is a light that can seemingly do anything, if you choose to set it up the way you need.

Overall thoughts

Given the light gave me the beam pattern I wanted, but had more options, had all the crisp white light I could need and more, and had a secure fit with a fairly light (110g) head for either the handlebars or your helmet… I’m left to wonder what it can’t do?

My only gripe is the rudimentary battery holder, but that is not unique to this light, it does seem to be the place many lights drop their technical advancement game. All in all it’s a very versatile light that can be setup in just about anyway you might need.

Hits:

• So many settings and options – including plug and play
• Very secure mounting

Misses:

• Basic battery mounting

RRP: $499 with Enduro battery, $399 for Race battery

From: fullbeam.com.au