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Exposure has given its popular Trace front and TraceR rear lights a substantial power boost for this winter season, with the latest-generation Trace 4 front light producing 360 lumens – up from 125 lumens on the previous model.
The TraceR 4 and TraceR 4 ReAKT rear lights also get a significant increase, rising from 120 to 200 lumens. Despite the higher outputs, the lights still weigh 37g apiece.
The company has also dropped the 'Mk' naming used on previous generations of the lights, so these are now known simply as the Trace 4 and TraceR 4 ReAKT.
The Trace + TraceR 4 ReAKT set, which we have in our hands, costs £110 ($146 / €128.95), while the Trace 4 front light is £55 ($73 / €64.96) on its own and the TraceR 4 ReAKT is £75 ($100 / €87.95). The standard Trace 4 rear light costs £55 ($73 / €64.95).
More output, same weight
The Trace 4's 360-lumen maximum output represents almost three times the output of the previous 125-lumen model, while the TraceR 4 ReAKT's 200 lumens is around two-thirds more than the 120 lumens offered previously.
Exposure claims both weigh 35g, which isn’t far from the mark – my sample lights tipped the scales at 37g each, not including the supplied brackets, which add 19g in total.
Exposure says the front light is intended to work as a day-to-day visibility light. Its small size (and weight) make it easy to leave in a jersey pocket, saddlebag or bag when not fitted to the bike.
The power bump may tempt buyers into thinking it’s also a light to see by, but even though the lens creates a round beam shape, in my experience at least 500 lumens is required for use on unlit roads.
Both lights feature a CNC-machined aluminium body and an IP67 rating, while charging is now handled through USB-C rather than micro-USB (or Exposure’s old proprietary charge port), with a claimed full charge time of 90 minutes.
Exposure says maximum runtime is now up to 40 hours for the Trace R front light, and the same for the rear light.
Reactive rear lighting
The TraceR 4 ReAKT is the more sophisticated of the two rear-light options, packing in ReAKT and Peloton tech.
ReAKT automatically increases the light's output when the rider brakes or when the surrounding ambient light becomes brighter. Exposure says this is intended to help the rider stand out more than when using a non-adaptive light.
The Peloton function detects the light from a rider following behind and reduces its output to avoid dazzling them.
As with the previous generation, you can’t run these functions simultaneously, but they can be switched off – potentially increasing ultimate burn time in whichever power setting you have selected.
Both lights feature three basic power settings, from which you can toggle between static and flash modes. Rather than the usual lumen output or arbitrary ‘high – medium – low’-style demarcation, Exposure lists the expected battery life for each mode (meaning a lower number indicates a higher power output).
The rear light includes three more settings for the selection and deactivation of the smart functions.
The TraceR 4 ReAKT comes with a standard seatpost bracket, while the Trace 4 includes a round-diameter handlebar mount.
Spare brackets, for example to fit the front light under an out-front mount or the rear light to the saddle, seatstay or aero post, are also available.
Exposure supplies two USB-A to USB-C cables in the box, while the lights are covered by a two-year warranty.
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