Even though I’ve lived in the Upper Midwest my entire life, the darkness of winter catches me off guard every year. In fact, as I write this sentence, it’s pitch black outside my window at 4:45pm. For mountain bikers across the Northern Hemisphere, this means one thing: night riding season is in full swing. And to get the most out of the dark, riders need bright, dependable lights.
Back in July, Magicshine sent Singletracks the Allty 1000, the flagship model of their completely re-designed bike light line. Although it tended to heat up on its highest setting and we found minor handlebar compatibility issues with the stock mount, the tough Allty 1000 reliably produced a bright, long-lasting beam. Additionally, its set-it-and-forget-it hex bolt mounting system was a refreshing shift away from conventional strap mounts.
For those needing a little extra power, though, Magicshine offers the Allty 2000, the big brother of the Allty 1000. However, making a more powerful light effective isn’t as easy as doubling the power. This is because multiple variables like battery strength, battery access, beam angle, and beam quality need to be considered to make a USB light of this intensity a good product. Voltaire explained this phenomenon best, saying, “With great power comes great responsibility.” So when Magicshine sent me the Allty 2000 for review, I was interested to see if it would live up to the quality of the Allty 1000. Over a few months I’ve tested this light in a variety of conditions, and here are my thoughts.
The Numbers
provided the best light if I only needed one emitter on.
- Actual weight with stock mount: 193g
- Actual weight with TTA mount: 238g
- Dimensions: 99 mm x 42 mm x 39 mm
- Maximum brightness: 2000 lumens
- Actual run time: 1 hour 2 minutes on high
- Recharge time: 4.5 hours
- Beam spread: 20 degrees (right light) and 25 degrees (left light)
- MSRP: $149.99. Available at Amazon.com.
The Specs
Despite largely being a supercharged version of the Allty 1000 on paper, there are a few things about the specs of the Allty 2000 that are vastly different than its smaller brother.
To begin, because Magicshine achieved 2000 lumens with two 1000 lumen emitters, users have a massive range of adjustments they can make to get the exact beam they want. For a basic ride around town, users could leave on the Daytime Running Light (DLR), a great feature carried over from the Allty 1000. The DLR is an auxiliary beam designed to be dim enough to prevent other people from being blinded but bright enough to let them know that you are there even during daytime. If users need more power, they can tap the main button twice to turn on the left beam. By repeating this, you can turn on the right beam, both beams, and then strobe. And like most other lights on the market, a single tap will increase the light intensity on any of the main light settings.
Light security and longevity are also key to the Allty 2000’s design. For example, the battery can be “unlocked” with a coin and removed from the actual light, which disincentivizes theft by rendering the light useless. This feature simultaneously ensures a long product life by allowing users to replace the battery to fight inevitable battery decay. Although USB-chargable lights of this size rarely come with this feature, it is a welcome addition; clearly, Magicshine is aiming to make a refined product capable of handling heavy use. Another big advantage of a removable battery is that it allows users to have a emergency battery in case they forget to recharge the light. By storing an extra battery in your car, you’ll never be ill-prepared to shred at night.
Most noticeably, Magicshine includes a simple interface for tracking how much battery the light has left. Every 20 seconds, the screen switches between battery life in terms of percentage and time. The interface also indicates the light mode in the upper left corner of the display, and battery life can be easily checked while the light is off by tapping the main button.
Lastly, with the Allty 2000, Magicshine sent one of their TTA Out Front Mounts and a helmet mount. Not only does the TTA mount have a robust metal build capable of withstanding the hardest crashes, but its thin profile completely solves the conventional mount’s issues with tapered bars. In addition, its hex bolt system was even easier to operate than the stock mount, which ensured a secure but intuitive fit onto the bars. Magichsine’s lights also fit onto their mounts using a quarter-turn, Garmin-style interface, so you don’t even have to buy any mount if you use Garmin products; it will be able to fit on your Garmin mount. This also means that getting the light off of the mount is as simple as a twist of the wrist, which is about as convenient as it gets.
And although the helmet mount isn’t quite as straightforward as the TTA, it is still easy to strap in through helmet vent holes. Magicshine’s inclusion of a way to adjust the light’s angle on the helmet mount also allows users to fine tune where the beam of their helmet light goes, which is a welcome alternative to the many mounts that offer no adjustment at all. At the very least, it saves riders the trouble of reinstalling the mount to get an optimal beam position.
On the Trail
As you turn the Allty 2000 on for the first time while riding, one thing is clear: it is one powerful beast. Immediately, every stick, stone, and turn on the trail pops right out of the night. While some might say that the light that the Allty 2000 emits is a little harsh, the trade-off is the ability to see everything coming at you in the dark, even on high speed descents. Personally, that’s a price I’m willing to pay.
Magicshine’s design also makes optimal use of this brightness. Because Magicshine chose to place two individual lights next to each other to create one beam, the light itself and the beam spread are wider than many other lights. This makes the Allty 2000 a great choice for a handlebar-mounted light because even if your bars aren’t pointing directly down the trail, there is still a pretty good chance the light will be shining where you’re looking. Whatever position the Allty 2000 is in, this extra beam spread always makes it easy to pick out obstacles on the fringes of the trail. There may be a rock perfect for a pedal strike on the trailside, but you’ll definitely see it with this light before you get to it.
When it comes to sustaining its intense and well-distributed light, though, the Allty 2000 seems a little undergunned with a battery that usually lasts around an hour on high. In a world where most night lights offer closer to two hours of light time, I definitely felt limited by the Allty 2000’s battery capacity. One hour is just not enough time to get in a solid ride. For those who run a two-light setup, the simplest solution I found is to turn off the Allty 2000 during climbs. This way, its awesome brightness can be saved for railing descents. If a single helmet-mounted light is more your style, I would either run it at a lower setting or keep an eye on the time. Because of this battery life limitation, I found that I mostly ran the light as a handlebar light to keep an eye on the battery.
There is a way to avoid these battery problems. If you are willing to spend $43, the simplest solution is to buy a second battery pack. That way, if one battery runs out, you can remove it, slip in a second battery pack, and keep riding.
As for durability, the Allty 2000 really shines (no pun intended). Honestly, at the beginning of this review I wasn’t completely sure how its metal body would handle shock absorption from falls. Despite this, I’ve dropped it onto everything from rocks to concrete, and nothing has been able to break it. Magicshine also claims that the light is waterproof; I put it under the spray of a shower for 15 minutes to confirm. Even after all that time, the shower didn’t affect performance in the slightest. Just like the Allty 1000, Magicshine built the Allty 2000 to last, and the product’s quality proves it.
One last thing to note is that the Allty 2000 suffers from the same heat problems as the Ally 1000. Although this doesn’t affect the light’s performance, users should take caution when touching the bottom of the light. It can get very, very hot.
Final thoughts
The only real downside to the Allty 2000 I can find is its battery life. With one hour of light at 2000 lumens, riders that use one light or that need as much power as possible will struggle to get quality riding in. One hour is just too limiting. That said, most everyday riders can simply use their second light alone on the climbs and save the sheer power of the Allty 2000 for descending. And if one really needs the extra battery life, they can buy a second battery to carry on their rides. In fact, its probably not a bad idea to get a second battery in general as a back up.
Overall, as long as you are willing to conserve battery or buy a second battery pack, the Allty 2000 will never let you down. For one, its beam is wide and bright enough to illuminate even the fastest descents. Also, its robust build and replaceable battery will keep it running long into the future, and its adjustable and easy-to-use mounts make operating it as smooth as possible. At $150, it doesn’t even break the bank for a light of its power.
⭐️ Find the Magicshine Allty 2000 at Amazon.com.
Thank to Magicshine for providing the Allty 2000 for testing and review.
