SIlva Trail Speed Elite front light

Weighing a startlingly svelte 195g and packing a commendable 660 lumens, the Silva Trail Speed Elite front light is a compact, versatile lamp that can be worn around the head for running, trekking or other outdoor pursuits, on your helmet in conjunction with a more powerful handlebar mounted light for off-road riding, or on your bars for road riding.

Given the astonishing firepower that can be had for a handful of notes these days, it's easy to dismiss a 660-lumen system for over two hundred quid as overpriced and outclassed.

Having put Silva's Pavé light through its paces last season, I was slightly sceptical that an additional 110 lumens justified spending an extra fifty quid.

Superficially the Trail Speed Elite and Pavé units are uncannily similar. Both have a diminutive fossil-shaped lamp unit that hosts the switch, circuitry and two LEDs.

'Intelligent light' is Silva's way of saying flood and spot beams run simultaneously in all but the lowest (flashing) setting. One provides an overview and the the other picks out the detail. The combination maximises the effectiveness of every last lumen and explains how the Trail Speed Elite easily trumped lights with much bigger numbers.

Hustling along through winding rural backwaters at 30mph has been a joy with ample warning of lumps, bumps and bad tempered badgers. It's still slightly underpowered for serious trail antics, but there's enough clout for moderate bridle path and green lanes to around 18mph.

Helmet mounted systems can get very hot, which has implications, not only for diode longevity but lid-life too. Thankfully the aluminium shell has remained temperate, even after ninety minutes with all guns blazing. Its IPX6 rating for water-resistance means it'll stand being being hosed down; ours survived an undignified dunk during some shallow river crossings. The cabling is similarly tough, although it's not very long; I've tucked its battery under my stem when I've mounted it on the bike.

'Minimum' setting sounds comparatively mute but delivers sufficient wallop for moderately paced semi-rural saunters, while sitting the right side of aggressive through city limits. Flashing mode is similarly potent and will kick in by default when the battery reserves dwindle. Combined with the more generous run time that should mean all but the most cavalier will avoid complete system shutdown. The batteries seem to be interchangeable between Silva models, extending playtime quite considerably if you have a couple.

Summing up, this is another great little system for longer commutes, mountain biking and training but nomadic types and endurance riders are, in my opinion better served by the latest generation of high power dynamo systems.

Verdict

Innovative, versatile system with remarkable output—highly recommended for commuting, mountain biking and training.

The light comparator

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