🚴♂️🔊 Power Your Ride, Light Your Way!
The ZEALOT S1 is a versatile Bluetooth speaker designed for cyclists and outdoor enthusiasts. Featuring a powerful 40mm neodymium driver, IPX5 waterproof rating, and a 4000mAh battery offering up to 24 hours of TF card music playback, it doubles as a torchlight with SOS modes and a portable power bank. Complete with mounting accessories and rugged protection, it’s the ultimate companion for biking, hiking, and travel.
J**F
Surprisingly inexpensive multipurpose, versatile, easy to use bicycle accessory
I've been trying to get a speaker on my bicycle for awhile, and so far this is the most complete realization I've seen. I haven't actually taken it out on a ride yet, and may come back to update this review if this device fails to hold up. < **UPDATE BELOW** >I've just taken it out of the box, played some music via Bluetooth, then turned on the FM radio. Both work well. A single "M" button toggles through the functions, with a voice prompt letting you know what function you've accessed - there's no need for readout. Perfect for cycling. Bluetooth was loud and clear 20 feet away from the audio source, and the FM radio was surprisingly sensitive (after plugging in the charging cable as an antenna). Using Bluetooth, the volume control appears to only control the actual speaker volume, not the volume on the phone. Other Bluetooth speakers I've used turn the phone's volume up and down. Considering the multiple audio sources this device will play (Bluetooth, USB audio from a computer, FM radio, and SDcard) having the volume control simply control the built in amplifier makes sense.This is not a powerful speaker, which is why the weight and form factor enable it to be mounted on bicycle handlebars. However I see the mount will let you easily adjust the position so the available sound hits your ears directly. I had a more powerful bluetooth speaker mounted in the water bottle cage, but the position meant most of the sound didn't reach my ears, it was not an enjoyable listening experience.In my kitchen, this speaker greatly benefits from proximity effect. Placing it in the corner greatly boosted the bass and overall sound so that I was able to rock at a pretty high volume. This is common with most speakers, but for some reason with the Zealot the effect was more pronounced. Placed in the corner, the sound was surprising rich and clear for such a small speaker, it was enjoyable.This unit has a built in bike light. Brilliant - you can't have too many lights when riding. It will charge your phone, though the literature says "in an emergency" - don't think this is intended to charge your phone like my water bottle cage bluetooth speaker, with its heavy battery could.Finally this will let you access the SD card via USB from a computer, so theoretically you could load songs and podcasts directly onto the SD card, then listen while riding without a phone.Overall I'm very impressed. This small inexpensive device succeeds as multipurpose, versatile, easy to use bicycle accessory. It was so inexpensive it fell into the "what have I got to lose" category, I was skeptical it would work well. Call me pleasantly surprised. Hope it holds out when I'm out riding, the build quality seems solid.UPDATE: put this through the torture of actual use on bicycle rides. I now love it even more. Actually like this better than the much more expensive JBL Charge +. Mounted on the handlebars of my road bicycle, there's still room for my iPhone and Garmin Edge 1000. You can easily adjust the speaker to directly hit your ears, can enjoy music without having to turn it up loud, you can still hear cars coming, and less power needed enables the smaller form factor. Also REALLY like the auto input switching, if you plug into the auxiliary input the voice says "line input". I used it as a studio monitor, left it on all night, next morning it still worked, holds the charge for a long time.
E**M
Every bike owner needs this.
I have now owned my Zealot Bluetooth speaker/Light for over 3 months. It is quite a workhorse. I purchased this to replace my Photive Bike Speaker. The Photive introduced me to the luxury of having music safely while I biked, but it's mounting hardware made it unreliable and prone to falling off bracket.That will definitely not be happening with the Zealot. It has a hard compressed thick plastic mount that fits tightly to the handlebar and the speaker screws on to it like a camera to a tripod, so it isn't falling off during a bump. BTW, you can also use it to mount a Go-Pro or similar camera that has screw mount. (I notice a lot of complaints about mounts breaking. It is a small fit and if you screw too tight the hinge pin can break. I would say the maximum circumference is about 3-1/2 inches. My handlebar is 3 inches and I use a spacer, so measure before considering. When installing do not over-tighten).The light is super bright on high mode, that I can't even look into it without it blinding. It has three modes: Bright, Dim and Bright Flashing (S.O.S.). It is large in size like a hand-held flashlight and the silicone rubber covering makes it quite water-resistant. I have the sporty red color.I ride my bike to work everyday in most conditions, except in extreme snow, and this holds up perfectly on the city streets. The speaker is just loud enough for personal enjoyment without annoying others. Granted, this will not be the speaker you will bring to the beach if you want to get a party started, but for personal use the sound is perfect. I even take it with me when I want to enjoy music while relaxing at the park, but not annoy others trying to relax. You can play music via Bluetooth, an SD card, or via FM radio, but for latter you must insert the charging cord to work as an antenna. Not a fan, as I don't like have a long cord dangling by my front wheel while biking.I only use Bluetooth, so cannot reliably review other methods, except to say that SD works fine and you can use controls on speaker the same as you would use for Bluetooth (Volume, Next track, etc). FM is fine if you get good reception. Also, it does include an auxiliary cord if not using Bluetooth and USB charging cord in package. BTW, the packaging is beautiful, so it would make a great gift.The battery lasts for a long time, about 10 plus hours of usage on a charge, and will hold a charge for days.Most importantly, it is also a mobile power charger which most other Bluetooth bike speakers are not. I recently had my Iphone battery go down to 35 percent, and in 30 minutes of charging it brought it up to 65 percent. To get from 10 percent to 100 percent charge takes about and hour.If you want to use it while hiking, it includes a Carabiner Clip that you can attach to a belt loop or knapsack loop for emergency lighting and music while traveling. (When you first unpack light, there will be a screw with a loop on the threads that you have to remove to screw on mounting bracket. Do not throw that screw away, that is where Carabiner will attach}. You can also take calls via Bluetooth if you don't want to access your phone, which I usually have in a jacket pocket or knapsack while biking.So, in short - Great Bluetooth speaker, Water-resistant, a phone battery charger, a bright safety/emergency light, and a long charge. Perfect for the new generation of bikers.
Trustpilot
1 month ago
2 weeks ago