Strengths: Very small and unobtrusive. Mounting works great...simple, elegant, and effective. Battery flexibility.
Weaknesses: Does not make my bike go any faster. Charger failed after 2 years...easily replaced. Wish I knew how to pronounce the name DiNotte! When freezing outside the red light comes on very quickly indicating low batteries. This is a false indication, presumably related to the batteries' inability to maintain full voltage or current in the cold? At any rate, the light has always worked just fine when this happens.
Bottom Line:
Bought this light 2 years ago based on positive reviews on this forum, and have not regretted it one bit. System is tiny...smaller than the pics led me to believe and it mounts easily and securely to my bars. Going into my third cold winter of night riding I am still on the original rubber attachment strap. The beam is bright and a good compromise between a bright spot directly in front of you and some side-spillover for peripheral vision. I am comfortable at 25 mph with this beam pattern...any faster and I don't think I could react in time to a deer or other critter in the road. Stock batteries worked exactly as long as advertised, though I have bought a new set each year. Energizer 2500 mah and Duracell 2650 mah work even longer...2 solid hours on high. This thing is small, light, bright, and elegant. Lights up the road/trail well and makes it easy for others to see you. Charger failed after 2 years of use, so I bought another packaged with new batteries for this winter. Several friends have bought this light on my recommendation and they are very pleased as well. Note that if you want to carry a spare AA battery pack in your pocket you can pick up the plastic holder at Radio Shack for like $1.50. Overall, I don't see how one could do better for value and performance.
Bike Setup: Look 585, DA (A bike), Scott Speedster, DA/Ultegra (B bike)
Overall Rating:
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Submitted by
Jules
a Cross Country Rider
from Hobart, tasmania
Date Reviewed: March 7, 2008
Strengths: Very light and Very bright!
Weaknesses: Helmet mount is a bit fiddley.
Bottom Line:
This light is great value for money. Using AA's is a bonus, taking a spare battery pack with you only costs about 125gms. Customer service is great. The colour and spread of the beam is great for both road and bush. The light is bright enough for about 40kmh on the road (it won't burn off possums that run in front of you though) and any uphill or flat off road riding. I've just ordered the new model so that I can have a light on the helmet and one on the bars. I borrowed a mate's light and this dual setup does the trick for everything on and off road. A great cheap LED setup that gives HID a run for a third of it's money.
Similar Products Used: various Halogen lights, a mates HID.
Bike Setup: Merida
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
Scott Gross
a Cross Country Rider
from Austin, TX
Date Reviewed: January 25, 2008
Strengths: Brightness, whiteness, beam pattern, cost, size, service from Rob, won't shut down, etc
Weaknesses: Connecter at battery pack could be more stout.
Bottom Line:
For starters, LED is a (the?) way to go for light quality, price, durability, run-times. Bright white is way better than halogen's yellow. If you go with one light, go helmet (or at least with helmet and bar mount compatible).
I started night riding this time last year and borrowed a friends bar mounted NiteRider halogen. Older rechargeable battery crapped out after 15 min, but I was hooked on riding at night -- it doubled my riding opportunities.
Anyway, the Ultra 5 is now in the Pro Series 200L-AA-L-B (200 lumen, AA NiMH batteries, long cord). Same light and casing, etc. I run this light on my helmet only and use the long cord so I can put the batt pack in my MULE. I initially got the standard cord, without realizing their were options and it wouldn't reach my pack (Rob swapped it for free -- cables are NOT interchangeable as they start from inside the light). The light and batt pack are so light weight that you can mount the whole set up on your helmet, which I did initially, and it's not too bad. You have to use extra straps to secure the batt so it's not floppin.
For the singletrack riding I do, which is not so fast but very technical, the single light on my helmet is great. Having it on my helmet allows me to look where I'm headed, not just pointed. The light is nice and bright white with a great spread and just a hint of spot in the center. I love the white and when I'm with friends using halogen, I can't stand riding behind them. I've even run it in low when my batts were wearing out and it's totally rideable. At high power, I routinely get 2 hrs, after which it'll run on low for awhile (not sure how long). With 1-2 hr ride a week, my oem batts lasted 7-8 mos and by the end, I could barely get an hour on high. But, batts are cheap and in a pinch you can run disposable lithiums. However, they'll only get you about 3 hrs and the die precipitously, unlike NiMH which seem to fade.
The mount works great and is easy to put my light on the mount even with full fingers. Without the weight of the batt pack on my helment I can't tell it's there, especially if the cord is secured at the back of the helment so it doesn't slide over to your shoulder. Rob and Dinotte give you plenty of extra o-rings, batt packs, and velcro straps so no problem there. The light is VERY durable as I've smacked it hard many times on branches (can be tough to use your peripheral above when you have a visor). Nary a scratch and it stays put. Only one real wipeout and everything stayed put and connected.
I've also used this one light in a 24hr race and only on the fastest descents (~20 mph) did I feel like I was insufficiently lit, but I still managed to maintain the same lap times at night as during the day. More light would have been better, but for 1 race a year I'll stick with my trusty Ultra 5/200L.
A friend has a minewt.x2 as a helment and x2 dual on his bars and that's pretty trick. When he's behind me, his lights overpower mine and I'm pretty much riding 'with' his. Nevertheless, that setup is HID-cost territory.
You can get this light with Li-ion for another ~$100 but unless you're doing >2 hr rides or want to run multiple lights, the AA is THE value. I don't believe that you can upgrade, though I imagine Rob would work out something for you to ease the pain.
One last thing. These lights will not shut off when the batt is dying -- they'll squeeze whatever juice is left in the batts till the bitter end. This happened to me during one of my 24hr race laps with disposable lithiums.
Submitted by
Don Staniszewski
a Cross Country Rider
from Roseville, CA
Date Reviewed: November 20, 2007
Strengths: Great light, very bright, lightweight, sturdy.
Weaknesses: AA battery connections were causing a bit of trouble on rough trails.
Bottom Line:
This is a follow up to my previous posting. I have used these lights for some time now - one on the helmet, two on the handlebar - great lighting. I was switching out batteries for run time -Rob was a big help and suggested that the money I spent on chargers and batteries was better spent on the li-ion lights. He agreed to trade the lights in!!!! The connections on the AA battery packs sometime would get loose on rough trails, the connections on the li-ion are superb (plus 4 hrs run time), and the value of the li-ion is better than any other light out there (believe me, I have checked). Three 5W - 200L lights is all the light ANYBODY needs - ideal! I cannot say enough about the service that Rob and his people provide! There is no reason, service wise and value, for anyone to even consider any other lights. I am sold, and you will be too. They have made me a loyal customer through their service.
Similar Products Used: NiteRider Trail Rat, NiteRider Classic Plus
Bike Setup: Trek Top Fuel 9.8
Overall Rating:
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Submitted by
Rick
a Cross Country Rider
from Balad, Iraq
Date Reviewed: November 13, 2007
Strengths: Light, simple, easy to mount, well constructed, easy to use, and able to use NiMH that I can buy at any store. Great reviews from other people also made a difference for me.
Weaknesses: Can't get exactly the right beam direction if you don't mount right in the middle of your bars.
Bottom Line:
I read reviews here and after shopping around, decided to get this light from REI. I always buy from REI if I can because of their amazing customer service. I was shopping for an effecient and bright light to get me around Camp since I work nights and ride a bike almost every where. This is an extremely bright light that is very easy to install and understand. I bought an extra set of batteries to supplement the 4 it came with. Now I always have a set of batteries ready to install. It has 3 intensities for both the steady light and the flashing mode. I hang the battery bag underneath my stem and hardly notice it's there. With the O-ring, it stays in place but allows for small adjustments on the fly. Most of us ride bikes down here to get around camp and everyone comments on how bright my light is. The converter is dual voltage which is convenient since Iraq is 220. Lastly, I love that it has a low battery feature-pulses for two seconds and the button turns red. I ride every night on short trips around camp (10-20 minutes a night average) and am finding I can get over one week on one set of batteries. Haven't been on a long ride and don't know if I will over the next year. Bottom line-I am extremely pleased with this purchase. It was tough to accept spending so much money, but has proven well worth it. I would seriously recommend considering this light.
Bike Setup: 1-Iraq: Old HeadShok w/Nashbar single speed kit, XT brakes, 2-Home: SC Blur, TALAS RLC, XTR, Crank Bros. Mallets, Easton seatpost and bars,
Overall Rating:
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Submitted by
Gregg g
a Weekend Warrior
from clayton
Date Reviewed: November 12, 2007
Strengths: Very nice light, bright for road riding, very lightweight, cool looking, good quality
Weaknesses: rechargeable nimh's just don't work for me. Unless you are well acquainted with aa-nimh, this may not be good for you
Bottom Line:
I really thought this would be "THE Light" and really wanted it to work out better and be the light of my dreams, alas, no, Look, I am not a genius but I am no idiot either, but I have dealt with aa- nimh rechargeables in the past, and for some reason, I guess I just don't have the touch to get decent results with them. The light was awesome, right up until it went into low power conservation mode, very very early on in every ride. I would follow the manufactures recommendations for properconditiong and leave them on teh charger right up to the beginning of the ride. Despite my efforts, time at full power was mediocre ate best, and to top that, the sheet that came with it said to not operate at low power whenever possible. hmmm....after a week or two of being on edge throughout my rides waiting for the batteries to give out entirely, I decided I couldn't take it any longer, returned it and got the niterider minewt x2 lithium. Couldn't be happier. (Well I'd be happier with a light and motion stella lithium, but they cost twice the price of the minewt)
Lithium's rule. Unless you have good luck with nimh in the past, lithium is the battery to have. No questions.
The led/lithium combo is the ticket for road riders who want substantial light. I do not ride a mountain bike, so please make sure you compare apples to apples.
This is a great light in the hands of the right person. It just didn't work for me.
Strengths: Very bright (on high), great quality, uses AA batteries, helmet or bar mount, easy to mount, light weight, GREAT costomer service,
Weaknesses: Can get hot, run time could be better: 1.5 hr on high, 2hr on medium and 2.5 hr on low, medium and low aren't usable for trail riding, if you have the 12 inch cord model and you want to use it on your helmet you have to put the battery pack on your helmet too.
Bottom Line:
Bought this light about 7 months ago for a 24 hr race. It had the 140 lumen LED and the 12 inch cord. Worked great at the race. A couple months later a had a bad crash and cracked my helmet and had to buy a new one. I bought a bell sweep. The air vents on that helmet are oriented in a way that made it difficult to mount both the light and battery park on the helmet. I called up DiNotte to see if I could get the longer cord installed on my light so I could put the battery pack in my jersey pocket. I sent my light in; they installed the longer cord, and replaced the 140 lumen LED with a 200 lumen LED, all for $60. When I got the light back, in the box was light wand 2 extra sets of batteries they had thrown in for free! This all took less than two weeks! The new LED is noticably brighter and the longer cord makes helmet mounting much much easier. I HIGHLY recomend this light.
Submitted by
Don Staniszewski
a Cross Country Rider
from Roseville, CA
Date Reviewed: October 20, 2007
Strengths: The customer service is outstanding
Weaknesses: The pouch for the battery packs is flexible, and could use some securing.
Bottom Line:
I can't say enough about the customer service that Rob provides - this is a great light for 24 hour races. I have the AA rechargeable batteries. I put this light on my headset (above and below), rather than my stem, and it works magnificantly. This is a great light - I can put two battery packs on my headset if I prefer, in order to change them out quikly. Great work, Dinotte!
Similar Products Used: niterider Classic, Niterider Trail Rat
Bike Setup: Trek Fuel 98, wtth full XTR
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
Philip Wright
a Cross Country Rider
from Washington DC
Date Reviewed: September 5, 2007
Strengths: Very bright, super even light beam, very light, easy to mount and remove, uses AA rechargeable batteries for greater flexibility.
Weaknesses: None so far
Bottom Line:
These lights are phenomenal and with two, I can ride extreme tight, rocky, and often previously unridden, single track at almost daylight speeds. The beam is perfectly even with no bright spots and lights the way ahead like car headlights. I only started out-riding the light when approaching 30mph on single track. I've got one with a short cord for the handlebars, and one with a long one for helmet mounting. On the road I only need one of them since they are so bright, but off-road the helmet mounted light is essential. If I only had to have one, it would be the helmet mounted one and that wouldn't stop me riding off-road at all. I've been out riding on really rocky single track and have had no problems with the battery cable snap undoing like the previous reviewer. In fact, the simple battery holders and snap connection are great for quick changes of batteries when out riding for more than a couple of hours or mid-race. But I would carry a ziplock bag or something to waterproof the battery pack if planning a wet ride. The simple mounting is great for quickly removing the light if stopping anywhere and the light stays firmly mounted over the roughest terrain. Also, I suspect that in a crash the light will just get knocked off or rotate around the bar and not get damaged like one on a fixed mount. Being an LED, I've also got no worries about crashing and having to replace a $100 HID bulb. The helmet mount is basic, but works perfectly and stays on even when bouncing downhill; just tuck in the straps to stop any annoying flapping. Using AA rechargeable batteries is a bonus for me since I'll always have a set charged up and can always pick some up from a store in an emergency. The flash feature is useful when on the road and the lower light features are useful around the campsite at night even if it'll still blow your fellow campers night vision every time they look at it. I followed the battery charging instructions on Dinotte's website carefully and have been getting at least 1 hr 40 mins if not closer to 2 hours of high beam per charge. I can highly recommend these lights and know I'll be using them through the winter and will finally be able to train properly both on and off-road even though I'm stuck in a 9-5 job. Customer service (via Rob at Dinotte) was fantastic - great advice on what to get, and when it appeared that one of the batteries might be faulty I was sent a brand new set without any questions asked.
Count me among the many here who are more than pleased with the Dinotte Ultra 5. It's about as an ideal solution to my needs as I can hope to expect. For most of the year my 40+ KM round trip commute takes place at night, along residential streets and multi-use paths with poor or no lighting. In this environment the DU5 delivers the required illumination and superior visibility, all the while using a practical power source -- AAA batteries and chargers are readily and cheaply available -- and packaged in a lightweight and durable design! The rubber O-ring mounting scheme for the DU5 is simple yet clever -- switching the Dinotte to a different bike doesn't involve fiddling with clamps and tools. No muss, no fuss. My initial concern that the burn time would not be sufficient for my commute proved unfounded: as rechargeable AAA batteries increase in milli-amp hours, the light, on high power, lasts for 2+ hours between recharges. But if one should require extra juice a trip to Radio Shack will buy you a spare battery pack for a couple of bucks. But the Dinotte is not without its faults. The most irksome is the cheap 9-volt battery type connector for the battery pack. On more than one occasion a bumpy stretch of road has plunged me into darkness when the connector liberated itself from its counterpart. I would like to see a more robust connector -- perhaps a screw-on fastener similar to coaxial cable connectors. A cheap, effective solution is to secure the connectors by wrapping a heavy duty elastic band around them and the battery pack -- no more lights out when riding over potholes. The nylon battery pack holder could also be better designed: too bad its not waterproof, or at least more water resistant. In my spare parts bin a neoprene pouch for a Topeak multi-tool (complete with an integrated strap loop and velcro closure) presented itself as a better substitute. The AAAs now stay reasonably dry while riding in downpours. The DU5 can be considered an excellent product for short nocturnal rides supplemented by secondary lighting. Extreme midnight bombers barrelling at high speed through the darkness down technical trails should look for more lumens. Compliments to the folks at Dinotte for their work.
Submitted by
Chucko
a Weekend Warrior
from Sunnyvale, CA, USA
Date Reviewed: April 17, 2007
Strengths: Compact, lightweight, bright!, good beam coverage, attention-getting flash when you need to be seen, uses standard NiMH AA batteries (batts and charger included), 2 battery holders provided for quick battery switches on the run, helmet mount included.
Weaknesses: Needs realignment every time it's mounted, multi-push switch confusing initially, short power cord limits battery mount locations, no straight-ahead "hot spot", battery holder has exposed contacts which could be accidentally shorted in a pocket or bag, didn't really need another NiMH charger.
Bottom Line:
I got tired of replacing lead-acid batteries for the Trail Rat, not to mention even small ones weigh a ton. When I heard Geo.Man had the DiNotte Ultra 5 for $129 plus shipping I jumped on it! I am not disappointed in the least. It does take some getting used to. The beam is advertised as 20 degrees and it's pretty even across its spread. I was used to the Trail Rat's "hot spot", and the Ultra 5 doesn't have one. I think I would prefer a slightly narrower beam for street use. The O-ring mount is clever, easy to install and remove, and lightweight, but it means the Ultra 5 has to be re-aligned every time it's installed. This is a disadvantage on a commute bike that is frequently parked in unsecured areas. I already had buckets of rechargeable AA batteries, and DiNotte included a second battery holder, so the 100 minute limit at full power on a single set is only a minor nuisance. On the whole, though, I'm nitpicking. It's small, light, and bright, and it's well worth the $140!
Weaknesses: Nothing significant. The strap for the battery pack was too short for my application, but that was easily rectified.
Bottom Line:
I recently started riding a Catrike Road, recumbent tricycle, switching from a DF bike after 30 years. I ride on the road, in traffic, so with a recumbent trike being visible to traffic is very important. The DiNotte Ultra 5 is an extremely bright white light, with bright, dim, and flash functions. I mounted it on a Swingrip on the chainring post and use it day and night in the flash mode. Flash mode works fine at night unless you are on a pitch black road. If you do need to change modes you just reach forward and push a button. The small size of the light engine looks good, and does not interrupt the line of sight. I had an A Type rider pull up and talk to me about the lights on a recent ride; I have never had an A Type do this before in 30 years of riding. The light runs 12 hours on flash, and you can switch battery packs if necessary.
DiNotte lights, besides being very bright, add a nice high tech complement to my already unusual Catrike.
The icing on the cake has been the super way the DiNotte customer service has treated me.
I recommend DiNotte lights to anyone who plays in traffic and wants to be seen.
If you were on a budget and had to choose between the $99 Dinotte Ultra-5 and a NiteRider MiNewt Mini-USB Plus for $129, is there one that stands out over the other?
I found se Read More »
DOH!
Why didn't I think of this before I ordered parts to build a new light from scratch. My build is basically going to be a knock off of it any how. A Dinotte 5 ultra is now ob Read More »
First off, I don't recommend doing this mod. Not because it doesn't work, but because you will lose the excellent CS with DiNotte, which has replaced things like worn out contacts Read More »
Sorry for the interruption
Weight Weenie Shop owners bike is up for sale
[url=http://classifieds.mtbr.com/showproduct.php?product=71368&cat=]SCOTT SPARK LIMITED LARGE CARBON Read More »
Pardon the interruption but we are taking best offers on this 20lb XC race bike. Take a look if you are in the market for a race bike. There is a video walk thru of the bike
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