Zoopabaus S500CF Bike Light Works with Apple Find My

The Zoopabaus S500CF Front Bike Light is fine for being seen, night or day, with its 800-lumen maximum output and bright daytime flash, and it has the added bonus of working within the Apple Find My network, so you know where it – and the bike it's attached to – is at all times. However, while the light itself is okay, the mount could do with beefing up.

> Buy now: Zoopabaus S500CF Front Bike Light for $69.99 from Zoopabaus

Check out more options in our guide to the best front bike lights.

If you have an iPhone or a similar Apple product then you can track where this light is by adding it to your own Find My network using the button on the underside of the light, in the same way you might use an AirTag.

Once it's added, you can see where the light (and your bike) is, or where it last was if it's out of range of an Apple product, and you can also get it to make a noise if you're looking for it. This could come in very useful if someone tries to steal your bike, or you just need to check where you left it, at the station or something.

In use

It's a simple light with just three modes: two solid settings of 800 and 500 lumens, and a daytime flash.

Operating it is easy as there's just one button on the top, so pressing and holding it will turn the light on or off, and tapping it will cycle through the three modes.

The shape of the beam is very circular, very focused in the centre of the beam and getting gradually duller towards the edge. It's fine for being seen by, but less good for seeing your way with as you pick up less detail towards the edges of the road.

> road.cc front bike lights Beam Test 2024

I've mainly used it in its flash mode, during the day, and I've found it works well for that, being bright enough to aid my visibility on the roads.

Although it's not a light I'd choose to use at night for seeing with, because of the beam pattern, it'll help you get home if you're caught out in the dark.

Mounting issues

Attaching the light to your bike is pretty simple: it uses a plastic mount that wraps around the bar before being tightened up with a screw, by hand. The light can then be quickly taken off the mount with a quick release if you want.

When I first started using this light I had an issue with the mount, which on its first ride rattled itself loose, to the point where I lost a part of it. Thankfully I'd taken the light off by then, but I had to contact Zoopabaus to get a replacement. The company was really good at getting me another one, and it does advertise a lifetime warranty, so you'd always be covered.

Although I haven't had any issues with the replacement mount, and nothing has rattled loose yet, it does feel a bit flimsy and not the same quality as the light itself. It's certainly worth keeping an eye on it and making sure it stays nice and tight.

I have an aero shaped bar on my bike, and it was good to see that this mount worked with it, but it was quite tight; if you have a very deep bar then you might not be able to fit this light.

Also, because Zoopabaus uses a proprietary mount, it's not possible to attach this light in any other way, such as to a GoPro mount under the stem, which is a bit of a shame, and just gives you fewer options should the one out of the box not work for you.

Be aware, too, that the way the light mounts to the bar does mean it hangs over the back a bit; that might not be an issue for everyone, but when I get out of the saddle my knees go quite far forward and quite close to the bar, and I've caught my knee on the light quite a few times.

Run-times & charging

On its brightest solid output, the battery lasted an impressive 4 hours 20 minutes, but I wouldn't count on it to see with for more than an hour as it got progressively duller throughout that time, to the point where it was barely outputting anything.

On the 500-lumen setting it lasted 10 hours, again getting progressively dimmer in that time.

Personally, I would rather the output stayed consistently bright but for a shorter time than the gradual dimming, but I guess that's subjective.

This dulling didn't happen in the flash mode, and it lasted over 8 hours.

It took 3 hours 20 minutes to fully charge from empty, and the light will work while it's being charged, which is handy. It charges with a USB-C port hidden behind a waterproof flap, which seems to work well, and there's also a USB port if you wish to use the light as a powerbank and charge something from it.

There's no way to know how much power there is left in the battery, though, until the light just dies and turns off. The button goes red when the light is charging, but there's no feedback during use, which is pretty frustrating.

Zoopabaus says that even when the light can't turn on because of the low battery, the Find My part will continue to work for a whole year, so you don't have to worry about that.

Value and conclusion

At $69.99 on the Zoopabaus website, which translates to just under £55 at the time of writing, the price isn't overly high. Considering a single AirTag costs £35, you're basically getting a reasonable be-seen-by front light for £20, which is a pretty good deal if you ask me. And it's not an awful light by any means – it could even help you get home if you're caught out in the dark without something better suited to night riding.

The output is similar to something like the Lezyne Fusion Drive Pro 600+ which costs £50, another light to be seen with, and not best suited to night riding.

Overall, if you're looking for a light to see with for riding in the dark then this isn't the best option, but if you like the idea of something that works with the Apple Find My network and just need a front light for being seen by, it's certainly worth considering.

> Buy now: Zoopabaus S500CF Front Bike Light for $69.99 from Zoopabaus

Verdict

Decent light that works with Apple Find My, but a few niggles and the mount could be better