When you are going to ride your bike in the dark, you are going to need lights to stay safe, visible  and ticket-free because in some places, riding without lights in the dark will get you a penalty charge notice!
The SeeSense ICON2 are an enlightening pair of rear and front bike lights that will shine light in the dark and let you see where you are going without blinding motorists. The SeeSense ICON2 rear light has 300 lumens, while the ICON2 front light has 400 lumens, which provides enough light without creating the dangerous tunnel effect. With very bright front lights (i.e. 1200 lumens) your eyes get used to the very bright illuminated area, which restricts the normal wide field of view of your eyes because everything outside of the bright area will look pitch black.
The narrow field of view illumination created by the ICON2 front light actually makes you feel safer riding at higher speeds because the outside of the light is more visible and, you aren't blinding any either!
The SeeSense ICON2 bike lights can also be charged via a regular micro USB phone charging cable as ICON2 do not have a proprietary charging connector. This means, you can charge the SeeSense ICON2 bike lights at home or at work without bringing a charger.You can even use a powerbank to charge the SeeSense ICON2 bike lights since ICON2 use standard 5 volts.
Built-in lithium-ion batteries really makes charging the SeeSense Icon2 bike lights very convenient but, just like all gadgets with non-replaceable batteries, they will require replacement in less than 3 years, which is the lifespan of lithium-ion batteries. For bike lights, removable rechargeable batteries does make more sense. Fortunately though, the SeeSense Icon2 bike lights do come with a SeeSense service maintenance cover you can buy as an add-on to cover you after the 2-year warranty for the bike lights expire.
The SeeSense ICON2 cycling lights have been designed with several light patterns, including blinking lights, which in some places such as the Netherlands and Germany are not permitted because apparently it is harder to estimate the speed of a cyclist with a blinking light.
The blinking light reasoning could be true at night but, during the day though, having the front and rear lights in flashing mode does enhance your ability to be seen by drivers.
Construction-wise, the SeeSense Icon2 bike lights have similar dimensions as the original ICON bike lights though, the ICON2 bike lights are lighter (50 grams) and more slimline than the original ICON, measuring just 28mm wide and 18mm thick.
The ICON2 bike lights are also slightly taller (70mm) than the original ICON. Considering that the ICON2 bike lights pack more technology than the original ICON, it's surprising that the ICON2 bike lights are lighter than the original ICON, which weigh 64 grams.
The SeeSense ICON2 bike light use the same CoB led panel with cree leds and fresnel leds that offer 270-degree side illumination. The leds are housed inside an IP67 rated enclosure, which is made of acrylonitrile styrene acrylate (ASA) plastic. The SeeSense ICON2 only has one single cree led light, instead of two cree leds like found in the original ICON. That said, the SeeSense ICON2 single cree led is way more powerful, doing a better job at focusing the beam over a longer distance.
The SeeSense ICON2 also come with a companion mobile app that offers improved functionality. It's worth downloading the app although, you can use the ICON2 as standalone bike lights without the app/ The mobile app does provide low battery notifications, theft/crash alerts and lighting customization, which really puts the cherry on the cake!
From the SeeSense mobile app, you can enable Brake mode, which sets the ICON2 bike lights to adaptive so, the ICON2 bike lights will quickly flash a brighter light when you brake. From the app, you can also adjust the light intensity, power off/on the light and change the light pattern between five light patterns.
The SeeSense mobile app is, currently, available to download for Android and iOS devices. That said, it is in open beta stage, which means the app has gone through the critical testing and development but, it is likely to contain bugs.
Aside from mobile app access, the SeeSense ICON2 bike lights are compatible with ANT+, which means if your phone also supports ANT+, you can connect directly and control the lights via your phone without the app.
The micro USB charging port is located on the back concealed by a thick rubber grommet that prevents dust and water ingress. There is only one on-board button and it's located on the front of the led panel, just below the five green battery led status indicators. The front panel is made of clear polycarbonate plastic.
When battery is 20% left, the green leds show unlit aside from the left led, which shows solid red. As far as the ability of the ICON2 battery to handle cold temperatures, there is no specific rating but, being an outdoor device it is safe to assume the ICON2 bike lights will be able to handle below 0C temperatures, which is important especially for those commuting late at night in the winter.
The on-board button is rubberized and controls 6 functions, including the battery led status, ON and OFF, as well as the three main light modes, which are Flash, Eco (economic) and Constant (solid).
Normal charging time takes 3 hours and a full charge can power the ICON2 bike light for up to 40 hours in Eco mode. In Solid (constant) mode though, you are looking at only 2 hours. Flash mode has a runtime of up to 16 hours.
The other light variations: Twin and Burst can deliver up to 14 hours, while Pulse delivers up to 5.5 hours. Brake Mode also uses more battery power because some leds stay on constantly. Bluetooth connection also consumes power so, even if the lights are powered off but still connected to your phone via bluetooth, you will see some decrease in battery life. The ICON2 batteries can hold charge in Standby mode for up to 4 weeks.
The SeeSense ICON2 uses rubber retainers to secure the bike lights to the bike. The rubber retainers that come with the ICON2 bike lights are different to the ones that come with the original ICON bike lights, which used thicker rubber.
The ICON2 rubber retainers are thinner and modeled after elastic bands. You get 5 of these bands per light and they come in different sizes to accommodate thinner and/or thicker diameters.
The rubber retainers are designed to strap the included bike light clip mount. The rubber retainers are rounded in shape and have a durable construction, being made of cross linked silicone rubber so, they aren't elastic like rubber bands but, they do have a slight give to allow you to snugly secure the bike light clip mount on to the bars and/or seatpost.
The bike light clip can be orientated vertically or horizontally and it's designed to provide four different lighting angles via the four grooves on the sides of the bike light. Clipping the bike light to the top groove provides the highest upward light orientation, whereas the bottom groove provides the lowest downward light orientation.
As well as rubber bands, the ICON2 bike lights come with mounting options to fit the bike lights to a standard rounded seatpost, handlebars or an aero seatpost, which is flatter. Check out the review of the See Sense Beanie reflective hat and the SeeSense bar bag