The Exposure Diablo 15 is a compact, 2,000-lumen bike light that’s designed for riding trails at night. Weighing 116.8g without the mount, it’s lighter than many similarly bright helmet lights, and its flashlight form factor makes it versatile enough to mount just about anywhere.
Exposure Diablo 15 key specs
- Brightness: up to 2,000 lumens
- Weight: 116.8g
- Price: $260
- Buy from Exposure Lights
Tap to adjust
The Diablo 15 has a hidden feature I haven’t seen on another bike light: tap-to-change brightness. Instead of cycling through modes with button presses, you can just tap the light to adjust the output. It’s genuinely useful when you’re riding smooth terrain or pavement and want to quickly bump up the brightness without having to feel around for the button.
Tap control is only designed to be used when the light is helmet-mounted; otherwise, any bump in the trail will cause the light to change modes. It generally works as advertised, though it’s also susceptible to changing modes on especially bumpy descents and with tree-branch encounters. You can adjust the sensitivity of the tap control, or disable it completely if you find you’re getting too many false taps.
Mount up and ride
Pick up the Diablo 15, and it feels like a quality flashlight, because that’s essentially what it is. At 116.8g without the mount, it weighs 25% less than the Fenix BC26R helmet light I use regularly, and that weight difference is especially noticeable when you’re mounting it to your helmet.
The Exposure Diablo 15 helmet mount uses a GoPro-style attachment system, and a vented-helmet attachment is included in the box. However, the attachment really only works with a vented helmet that has a center vent. Fortunately, I already have a few GoPro helmet mounts that fit my helmet, so that’s what I used. The Exposure nub shown ensures a low-profile mount, which is great when riding overgrown trails. One of the mounts I used puts the light up pretty high, as you can see in the photo above, which isn’t ideal.
The bar mount is simple and attaches with a single silicon band. Initially, I was concerned the basic plastic cradle wouldn’t be secure enough for trail riding, but I haven’t lost the light over more than 100 miles of night riding.
Where this light really shines is its versatility. Need to check a mechanical issue on the trail? The U-shaped mount makes it easy to pop the light out and back in again without fiddling with hidden clips.
A balanced beam
Three LED bulbs deliver a circular beam pattern that pushes light ahead on the trail. At 2,000 lumens max, you’ve got plenty of output for riding fast on technical terrain, especially when paired with a powerful bar light like the Exposure Toro 16. I’ve been running 2-3 hour night rides with this light, and the battery capacity has proven more than adequate to calm any range anxiety I might have.
The all-metal construction feels solid, and the lone button has a satisfying tactile click that lets you know when you’ve pressed it. You can see the circuit board inside the housing, and a color-changing LED indicates battery life and lets you know what mode you’re in.
The “15” in the Diablo 15 lets you know this is the fifteenth version of this model (!), and clearly, Exposure has learned a lot over the years. Compared to the previous-generation Diablo 14, the Diablo 15 delivers more battery capacity and somehow manages to drop a couple of grams at the same time. The latest Diablo also charges faster than before, allowing riders to top off the battery in about two hours compared to four hours previously.
Six programs to choose from
The Diablo 15 offers six different light programs to choose from, plus a flash mode for visibility. Four of the modes let you toggle between high and low settings, while the other two modes include a third, medium brightness setting.
I’ve talked to a lot of riders about this, and many of them prefer having just two brightness levels instead of three. They don’t want to cycle through a medium setting—they just want to toggle between “saving battery” and “going fast.” If you’re one of those riders, you’ll gravitate toward the programs that skip the middle option.
Initially, I was a three-mode rider, but now I really like the first mode, which is designed to provide about three hours of runtime on high and 12 hours on low. Exposure quantifies the modes in terms of battery life rather than brightness, so you’ll want to test the various modes yourself to see what works for you. Mode four gives you full-on brightness on high, but only for about an hour of battery life.
The light charges via USB-C, which is the right choice in 2025. Thank goodness there are no proprietary cables or outdated micro-USB ports to deal with.
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Pros and cons of Exposure Diablo 15
Pros
- Smart programs and tap-to-adjust feature
- Lightweight at 116.8g
- Solid all-metal construction and versatile form factor
- Battery handles 2-3 hour rides easily
Cons
- Helmet bracket only fits helmets with center channels, so you may need to provide your own GoPro-style helmet attachment
- Expensive compared to other lights with a similar form factor
Bottom line
The Exposure Diablo 15 is a well-built, smart helmet light that’s great for trail riding.
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