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Submitted by
BaliBoy
a Downhiller
from Bali, Indonesia
Date Reviewed: October 24, 2009 | | Favorite Trail: | Kuta | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$130.00 | | Purchased At: | Ebay | | Strengths: | Daul Beam gives you very good depth perception. A great idea. Lightweight. | | Weaknesses: | Battery run time is low. 1:45 on a full charge. You will get the infamous red warning light come on at 1:15 telling you that you only have 30 mins left. | | Similar Products Used: | Cygolite Milion. NiteRider Flight 1.5. NiteRider Minewt X2. NiteRider Minewt Mini USB. | | Bike Setup: | Trek 8000. | | Bottom Line: | A nice idea. But, the battery life is just way too short. Only 1:15 mins before you are get that infamous red warning light (how annoying) | Value Rating: Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
trekusps
a Cross Country Rider
from Fremont, CA
Date Reviewed: February 18, 2009 | | Favorite Trail: | Mission Peak | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Price Paid: |
$200.00 | | Purchased At: | REI | | Strengths: | Light weight, easy to install, blinking mode for road use. | | Weaknesses: | Weak bar mounting system, marginal amount of light for off-road use. Slow to change steady to blinking mode function. | | Similar Products Used: | Niterider Dual Beam, Niterider Trail Rat, Cygolite MityCross 350, Cygolite TridenX, Light and Motion Stella 120N | | Bike Setup: | Trek Fuel 80 with Shimano LX and SRAM components | | Bottom Line: | Like the flashing mode for on-road use. You will be easily seen but for any serious off-road use, you will want something more sturdy with more light. I feel that I am outrunning these lights at about 20-25 mph on my usual off-road trails. Also, the mounts are very weak. I have broken several rubber O-rings but to Niterider's credit, they have replaced under warranty. These same mounts over time have not held up the headlights on rough terrain well. The headlights have drooped on rough terrain and the rubber mounts on the bottom of the headlights have come off because the glue has melted and became sticky. Like others have said, going from a steady light to a flashing light mode takes time and can be a bit annoying due to the long time delay. Run times are spot one but it would have been nice if they could have provided some type of helmet mount with this light. Ended up replacing the Niterider with a Cygolite MityCross that is brighter, has a much more sturdy handlebar mount, much longer run time and costs less. Much better choice over the Niterider in my opinion. Better luck next time Niterider. | Value Rating: Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
anomicbum
a Cross Country Rider
from Portland, OR
Date Reviewed: January 8, 2009 | | Favorite Trail: | Lewis River | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$200.00 | | Purchased At: | REI | | Strengths: | Great light for commuting, especially on strobe/flash | | Weaknesses: | The switch is balky, for example have to hold for about 8 seconds to switch on the flash mode. No tactile "click" feel. My cheap rear blinky light has a much more user-friendly switch. Also, no way to switch from both lights to just one - that seems like a very basic feature that would be easy to include. | | Similar Products Used: | Schwinn Mod light | | Bike Setup: | Stumpjumper S-Works | | Bottom Line: | The balky switch and inability to switch the light from two to one light modules are my only complaints. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
mrben0101
a Cross Country Rider
from San Diego, CA
Date Reviewed: November 23, 2008 | | Favorite Trail: | The one that gets me diry | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Price Paid: |
$120.00 | | Purchased At: | LBS | | Strengths: | I like being able to stack the light beams on single track for more light and spreading them out on fire roads | | Weaknesses: | the mounting system. I don't like how it is held on the bars with a rubber band (for lack of better words) | | Bottom Line: | I would purchase this again but I always keep an eye on the mounting. | Value Rating: Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
omaha
a Cross Country Rider
from Omaha, NE, USA
Date Reviewed: November 22, 2008 | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$180.00 | | Purchased At: | Performance | | Strengths: | Use for daily commuting 1/2 hour each way. Flash mode gets the attention of cars in full daylight. Excellent light output. Can still see the street when on-coming cars don't dim their lights. Good at 20+ mph on streets. Went from a Cateye EL-500 (a good "be seen" light). I didn't realize just how much of an improvement this light was until I had to go back to the Cateye...I went back to driving my car until I got my MiNewt back. Mounted the lights with zip-ties, including several along the wires (to keep the lights from walking off when parked in the rack at work). | | Weaknesses: | Short battery life. Wish they would double the battery life. Battery died at the 3 month mark. The light on the switch would go on, but the lights would not come on. NiteRider replaced under warranty. The battery contains both the battery cells and the control electronics, the electronics went bad. The good news is that the electronics are covered for 2 years. To the other reviews that had battery problems...send them in for warranty repair. NiteRider was very responsive. | | Similar Products Used: | Cateye EL-500 (LED, uses 4 AA batteries). Thought it was good until I tried the MiNewt. | | Bike Setup: | Miyata 1000LT touring bike (20 year old road warrior) | | Bottom Line: | Was hesitant about spending $180 for a headlight (I ride a 20 year old bike). After using this light - no regrets, worth every penny. Great buy when Performance runs their 20% off sale. Only gave a 4 on overall because of early battery death (replaced under warranty). | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
tsam
a Racer
from az
Date Reviewed: November 10, 2008 | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$191.00 | | Strengths: | size
weight
mounting. ive read reviews about people not liking the the rubberband mount. just to clear things up, its not the rubberband off of your office desk. they wont break anytime soon. and with cold hands after a cold ride, its difficult to remove the rubberband, so accidental release is not possible. | | Weaknesses: | short batt life
steady to strobe transition. if your are starting in strobe, you can go directly into steady beam with a single push, but going from steady to strobe, the light turns off first leaving you in the dark for about 7 seconds. | | Similar Products Used: | HID
| | Bottom Line: | I use this light primarily for road riding. 300 lumens is plenty for the road, but minimum for the trails. On low setting (184 lumens) you can get away with riding road at night in complete darkness, but be familar with the road.
these are bright enough to piss motorists off. Its been 2 weeks and so far (using strobe), I've had two car completely pull over, three people yell at me, and one lay the horn on me. another started flashing his high beams on and off on and off.
the way i see it. be seen or be hit. if i were a motorist, i would appreciate the cyclist taking all the precautions to be visible, so i dont see why they are getting angry. the last motorist that hit me lost 60,000 dollars (i wasnt visible enought with a small led blinker he says, but i still won the case). there should be no excuses this time, and no complaining.
get this light, unless you do epic rides. i ride a hour before sunset, so i can get almost 3 hours in total using this light to end my rides. the light quality is 5500 kelvin, about day light quality in color. it makes car lights look very yellow, and i have out shined some older motorcycle lights that pass me. for the price, quality, weight, and ease of use it gets a 5 | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
riderguy67
a Cross Country Rider
from boston ma
Date Reviewed: October 28, 2008 | | Favorite Trail: | hp, vietnam, burl landlock, lynn woods, townsend, leominster | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$225.00 | | Purchased At: | lbs | | Strengths: | seems to be bright enough in woods if used in conjunction with head lamp. Unit is very light and easy to mount. Battery mounts right on stem..very secure quick on and off. | | Weaknesses: | had problem with switch.....returned to lbs no questions...however battery life and wiring may be a litte suspect...hopefully the replacement will be ok. I will re-review when I know better | | Similar Products Used: | minewt mini | | Bike Setup: | stumpy fsr expert | | Bottom Line: | verdict not quite out yet...i hope niterider reads this blog | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Dr. Jimbo
a Weekend Warrior
from Santa Barbara, Ca.
Date Reviewed: September 24, 2008 | | Favorite Trail: | Cruisin' Elwood Bluffs | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$200.00 | | Purchased At: | Local bike shop | | Strengths: | Way bright, sweet looking and the battery pack fits right under the stem. | | Weaknesses: | Could see the mounting bands breaking in time, I'll just keep an extra set in my backpack. | | Similar Products Used: | POS head flashlight | | Bike Setup: | Kona Dawg Dee-Lux | | Bottom Line: | As I said, I could see the mounting bands breaking as reported in other posts but I ran my "Y" cable for the lights under the Velcro strap, so if they do pop a band, the light won't end up in the spokes. It's also great that I don't have to remove the battery pack to recharge it. When setting up the alignment, I only snugged the screws so I can still adjust them according to my needs (trail, commute, street, etc.)
For serious trail riding, I'd add a headlamp. That way you can see where you want to go before you turn your handlebars. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
hani1
a Cross Country Rider
from Bosotn, MA USA
Date Reviewed: September 12, 2008 | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$150.00 | | Purchased At: | Local Store had an o | | Strengths: | Weight, Brightess, Cost(unique in my case), ease of use | | Weaknesses: | No extension cord or helmet mount
No remote switch | | Similar Products Used: | Nite Rider Digital Pro 6 | | Bike Setup: | Kona King
Rock Shox Reba Team
XTR Drive
Juicy 7
Race face Stem, Bar, Seat post, cranks
Mavic Crosstrail | | Bottom Line: | This is a great light super bright. I ride in New England with tons of roots and rock so i need some extra power this certainly does the job over what I had been using. I rather mount it to the helmet so I was disapointed it did nto come with the hardware. However using the rubber bands I was able to mount both lights to the helmet, but the combination of both lights and the battery is bit heavy for my liking. So I will eventually get the extension to put it in my hydration pack. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
rbagany
a Weekend Warrior
from Martinez, CA, USA
Date Reviewed: September 8, 2008 | | Favorite Trail: | Briones Park | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Price Paid: |
$170.00 | | Purchased At: | AEBike | | Strengths: | Very bright, fast charging.
The strobe light is great at dusk when car drivers do not pay much attention to bicyclists. It definitely catches their eyes. | | Weaknesses: | None so far. Of course, a little expensive, but all products in this area are not cheap either. | | Similar Products Used: | Performance Gen3 Digital light. | | Bike Setup: | 2002 Specialized Enduro Pro FS | | Bottom Line: | To the guy whose mounting O-rings snapped - and to all the other users: everyone should strap the light cable(s) close to the battery with the velcro band, so even if the O-ring fails, the little light will not end up in the wheel/spokes. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
supernootz
a Cross Country Rider
from Orange County NY
Date Reviewed: September 3, 2008 | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$235.00 | | Purchased At: | Campmor | | Strengths: | Very easy to mount. Bright lights. 2 headlights look cool. | | Weaknesses: | Battery doesn't last long. | | Similar Products Used: | Cheapo AA battery lights. | | Bike Setup: | Giant Pistol MTB | | Bottom Line: | I like 'em. Very bright. Excellent for around town at night. I don't ride in the woods at night so I can't comment on that.
Like other reviewers have said already, they don't last as long on a charge as Niterider claims. I get about 1 hour run time on high. Low beams aren't much dimmer than high. I still can't think of a use for the strobe function but it does look neat.
Mounting them is super easy. I happen to like the rubber band mounts and have not had a single problem with them or complaint to report. Mounting the battery is easy with the included velcro mount, it will hang down from any horizontal surface pretty much anywhere near the handlebars.
I recommend them highly, unless you routinely plan to ride more than an hour at a time at night. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
bonzo2007
a Racer
from Chicago, Il
Date Reviewed: August 7, 2008 | | Favorite Trail: | Lakefront | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$180.00 | | Purchased At: | Performance | | Strengths: | Bright for the money. | | Weaknesses: | This is a re-review after using the light for about a month. I started having problems switching from 'on' to 'strobe'. The light would turn off, but the power indicator would remain on, and the light could not be turned back on for several minutes or until the head units were unplugged and plugged back in to the battery pack. I replaced it with another X2 Dual. The second system failed on the first ride, and now I get a battery error when charging. I'm going to check out an L&M SECA when they are released. Lastly, 1:45, the battery life at 300 lumens, is too short for most night rides. | | Similar Products Used: | L&M Vega | | Bike Setup: | Giant TCR-1 Ultegra | | Bottom Line: | I really liked this light, but Niterider seems to have some reliability issues. | Value Rating: Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
singleandtracking
a Cross Country Rider
from Bay Area, California
Date Reviewed: July 26, 2008 | | Favorite Trail: | skyline | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Price Paid: |
$220.00 | | Purchased At: | REI | | Strengths: | Brilliant bluish light. Dual head lights provide nice coverage and the stupid rubber band allow quick and easy refocusing the light beams. Brighter than their own Halogen. | | Weaknesses: | Quality control. One light is dimmer than the other. The second set was worse. The rubber band don't fit well and fall off if not constantly tightened. | | Similar Products Used: | Paid premium at REI but they take back anything I don't like. I tried everything they have in store and settle for this Nite Rider. | | Bike Setup: | Specialized Stumpjumper Pro Carbon. | | Bottom Line: | Make my story short, I had the Nite Rider Halogen 3" from this Luxeon LED. Turned out the Halogen light, great, turned on this LED, the Halogen disappeared.
Decided to contribute this story because once again tonight a couple oncoming riders cursed me for blinding them; I felt sorry for a girl the night before who almost crashed because she thought I was an on coming car.
I do night ride deep in the woods in absolute darkness, so this light is a necessity since I got no ambient light. But gas is 5 bucks, so I have to ride my bike home as well after my woody excursion thus the unfortunate encounters with the street cyclists. Damn oil speculators. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
bonzo2007
a Cross Country Rider
from Chicago
Date Reviewed: July 2, 2008 | | Favorite Trail: | Lakeshore to Milwaukee | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$180.00 | | Purchased At: | Performance | | Strengths: | Bright enough for 20mph on dark roads. Fantastic strobe elicits complaints from oncoming riders. | | Weaknesses: | O-Rings are clean, but suspect for failure. The switch requires a 5 second press-and-hold to go from on to strobe. During this time the light turns off and you are left one-handed in the dark. | | Similar Products Used: | Light and Motion Vega | | Bike Setup: | Giant TCR-1 Ultegra | | Bottom Line: | I returned my recently purchased L&M for the Niterider after reading the MTBR light shootout. With 4x the light output for $60, it was well worth the premium. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
djs`
a Weekend Warrior
from Yucaipa, CA, USA
Date Reviewed: June 15, 2008 | | Favorite Trail: | local hills | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$220.00 | | Purchased At: | Redlands Cyclery | | Strengths: | I love the brightness and the flexibility of the two lights. The battery life is decent. | | Weaknesses: | I've only used the lights a few times. I've recharged the battery maybe twice. The bike sat for awhile and I tried the lights. The low battery indicators were red. I recharged the battery till it was blue. Mounted it on the bike. Turned on the lights and the battery indicator was blue, but NO lights. I reconnected, tried all settings, etc. NO luck. That sucks! | | Similar Products Used: | other battery models | | Bike Setup: | cross country - front bar mounts | | Bottom Line: | It sucks that the blubs appear to have gone bad so quickly! Both of them. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
WRADFORD
a Cross Country Rider
from Perth, WA, Australia .
Date Reviewed: June 15, 2008 | | Favorite Trail: | Forsythes mill /any singletrack. | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Price Paid: |
$300.00 | | Purchased At: | TBE | | Strengths: | Bright ,robust ,look cool,lightwieght. | | Weaknesses: | $$$$$$ | | Similar Products Used: | VISTA HELOGEN,CATEYE STADIUM 3 HID. | | Bike Setup: | GIANT ATX HARDTAIL,MARZOCHI Z2 ATOMRACE SHOCK, DEEP V VELOCITY BACK RIM. | | Bottom Line: | I RUN MINEWTS ON MY MET HELMET DIRECT WITH THE ORINGS,THEY STAY NICE AND LOW,OUT OF THE WAY OF BRANCHS.ALSO RUN TRINEWT ON BARS, LEAVE IT ON, AND USE MINEWTS FOR FASTER SECTIONS AND DOWNHILL,DON`T NEED HI BEAM MUCH,LIGHTS COMBINED LOW BEAM IS PLENTY OF LIGHT.WHO NEEDS 800 LUMENS ALL THE TIME? VERSITILE LIGHTS ARE WHAT YOU WANT FOR NIGHT RIDING AND THIS COMBO DEFINTLY GIVES YOU THAT,GREAT LIGHTS. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Matt Currey
a Cross Country Rider
from Gilbet, AZ
Date Reviewed: April 8, 2008 | | Favorite Trail: | Alla re good | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$220.00 | | Purchased At: | Performance online | | Strengths: | Bright for a small light, short charging time | | Weaknesses: | Battery mount | | Similar Products Used: | Older Cygo dual beam lights | | Bike Setup: | Cannondale Rush 4 | | Bottom Line: | Lights are right and with the dual set up the light pattern can be customized to suit your needs | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Gary Higgins
a Weekend Warrior
from Geelong, Victoria, Australia
Date Reviewed: January 28, 2008 | | Favorite Trail: | Great Otway National Park Mt Sabine Fire Trail | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$369.00 | | Purchased At: | local shop, I haggled like a demon!! | | Strengths: | Engineering and small footprint. The bi-coloured LED (blue: ok/red: low battery) is novel, but TOPEAK also has these. | | Weaknesses: | Regarding the rubber gimbles; I too have my doubts about the durability of these. If you believe, as I do, they may be a reliability problem, try this. Get a pack of small cable ties. Create a small circular loop with each of 2 cable ties. Place one loop in the front groove of the lamp body. Place a second loop in the groove on the rear of the light. Join them thus: thread another cable tie through this loop and the one on the front groove and tighten a little. ADJUST THE LIGHT: Adjust the downward angle of the light for riding. When you're happy with the angle, tighten the cable tie fully. For extra brutal strength, use 2 cable ties. THIS SET UP WILL NOT BREAK AND WILL REQUIRE TO BE CUT APART TO FREE THE LAMP with no damage to the lamp body itself. | | Similar Products Used: | CygoLight Halogen. Wiring is way too long; light reflector poorly designed (multiple 'rings' around hot spot) | | Bike Setup: | GIANT 2007 CRX ZERO road | | Bottom Line: | Murderously expensive for what it is, but effective all the same. Compared to other lights (admittedly inferior in terms of light quality and engineering), the HI operation duration is a bummer, but most people, including me, don't ride for more than an hour and a half at night for safety! | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Chad Johnson
a Cross Country Rider
from Flagstaff, AZ
Date Reviewed: December 1, 2007 | | Favorite Trail: | anything AZ | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Price Paid: |
$100.00 | | Purchased At: | Landis | | Strengths: | Great light and brightness on both settings | | Weaknesses: | I guess the o-rings could be a problem, but they have not given me a fuss yet, haha. | | Similar Products Used: | My Petzl. Not really a close comparison. | | Bike Setup: | K2 Lithium | | Bottom Line: | My buddy had the single and I was in love with it. I got a DEAL from Landis (50% off) when buying a Rockhopper there, and couldnt pass these up!! Our night ride trail has a little bit of everything, from climbs, to light downhill. I have plenty of light 95% of the time, but wouldnt mind a little more when riding fast downhill. Thats when I kick it up to the highest output, but during the rest of the ride, the low setting is just fine. I plan on getting the single with a helmet mount when I can afford it, and then I think I will be set.
I love this light, and would buy them again. If the o-rings become an issue, they sell replacement packs for cheap, and I wouldnt have a problem buying more. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Rosa
a
from Los Angeles, CA, USA
Date Reviewed: October 24, 2007 | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$200.00 | | Purchased At: | Open Road | | Strengths: | Light and bright. | | Weaknesses: | On my third ride (I commute with a touring bike) one of the O ring like mounting braces snapped (broke) sending both lights into the spokes, almost made me lose control of the bicycle. I returned it to my bike shop and wrote to the company who has not replied (about 2 months now). I could have been seriously injured if I had had a car behind. I wonder how many of these break and if they will redesign the mounting system. | | Similar Products Used: | various | | Bike Setup: | Bianchi Alfana and Diamonback apex | | Bottom Line: | Maybe it was a fluke, but the risk of the rubber brackets breaking and getting into thye spokes is too great in traffic. I would reconsider this product if they change their mounting brackets. I also thought the company ignoring my email was not the best public relations move. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Todd
a
from Portland, OR USA
Date Reviewed: October 24, 2007 | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$180.00 | | Purchased At: | REI | | Strengths: | I'm a bike commuter and during the winter I do a fair bit of my ride in the dark. My favorite feature of this light is the ability to separate the beams, so instead of one light, you get two distinct beams with a seperation between them. I think this helps drivers notice you and estimate your speed and distance.
The other thing that I enjoy about this light is it's safety, blink mode. These lights really get you noticed during the daytime. To the point where cars and trucks get out of your way. When I use these lights during the day, I invariably get positive responses from motorists and pedestrians.
4 hour recharge is very handy! | | Weaknesses: | My commute is 2 hours r/t. The battery life on this is 1.5-3 hours depending on high/low/blink setting. I'd appreciate the ability to do at least 2 hours on high. | | Similar Products Used: | None. | | Bike Setup: | Fuji Crosstown 1.0. 700 x 23 Michellen TransCity tires. Specialized BG Comfort Seat, Blackburn 2.0 tail lights | | Bottom Line: | A very good commuting light. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Dave
a Cross Country Rider
from Staunton, VA
Date Reviewed: September 30, 2007 | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$180.00 | | Purchased At: | EBAY | | Strengths: | Light weight, easy to mount, fast charge, easy to adjust | | Weaknesses: | Mounting strap lifespan? Less than 2 hours battery at full power. | | Similar Products Used: | Nite Rider Classic | | Bottom Line: | Good light for non-epic rides. Super light and simple. Compared to the output of my old Nite Rider Classic setup with 10w and 15w bulbs, it's not as bright or as heavy. But they have plenty of light for cruising singletrack in the dark. I like 'em. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Shawn Punga
a Cross Country Rider
from Silver Spring, MD
Date Reviewed: September 18, 2007 | | Favorite Trail: | Salamander @ the 'Shed | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$179.00 | | Purchased At: | REI | | Strengths: | Bright, even light pattern; 2 independent lights let you set them up with different light patterns; solid construction doesn't feel cheep, but doesn't weigh a ton; nice finish looks better than matte black like 90% of other lights out there; smart charger only takes 4 hours. | | Weaknesses: | Like others have mentioned, the mounting straps seem flimsy. And every time I take the lights off and put them back, they'll need to be readjusted on trail. Also, I wonder how those rubber straps will hold up after sitting in my car all day during the winter: will they get brittle and snap as I'm attaching them at the trail head? Battery time seems on the short side based on NR's specs, but I rarely ride more than 2-3 hours on lights during the winter anyway. And a $140 for an extra battery seems like highway robbery if you ask me since my wife only paid $170 for the entire setup. | | Similar Products Used: | Cygo dual something
NiteRider TrailRat | | Bike Setup: | S-works Stumpjumper, but does that matter here? | | Bottom Line: | This is my initial review as my birthday present just arrived today. I've only had to time set it up and take a spin around the hood and local trail in the woods. So far, the light is everything I hoped for, seems very bright, well designed (save for mount system mentioned above) and built. Compared to my other two lights, it's a huge improvement. I would recommend this light to anyone looking to move up from halogens, but doesn't want to deal with the expense and heat of HID based systems.
I'll post an update after I've got a few rides in with it. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Hurley
a Cross Country Rider
from Minneapolis
Date Reviewed: September 6, 2007 | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$179.00 | | Purchased At: | REI (during 20% off sale) | | Strengths: | Bought the lights when I read Niterider doubled the output. I'm really impressed with output of these lights. The lights have a great color to them. Makes my halogen Headlamp seem yellowish. One of the best things about LED is that the light has no bright or dead spots like a halogen light. This light has more than enough power for serious trail riding. The other great plus is the small size of the lights and battery. I use a 110mm stem and the battery tucks under it without sticking out the front. I haven't been able to prove out the 1:45 battery life. One cool feature is the unbelievable fast flash mode, very disco like. If you did use the light for commuting, they would really draw attention to you. | | Weaknesses: | Only weakness is the o-ring mounting. It seems a little under designed, but it works well at holding the lights on even on technical trails. | | Similar Products Used: | Niterider Evolution | | Bike Setup: | Titus Racer-X 23lbs | | Bottom Line: | LEDs are the future of lighting and now there at a point where they can be used for more than commuting. They're not as bright as HIDs, but they seem to be as bright as halogens without the uneven light pattern. Plus the lights will never burn out. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Trevor
a Weekend Warrior
from Denville, NJ, USA
Date Reviewed: September 5, 2007 | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$209.00 | | Purchased At: | Cycle Craft | | Strengths: | This product is so light and easy to install. You can pop 'em on when you need 'em. I can't even tell you how bright theses are. If you don't need extreme run times then this light is perfect it low setting is 150+ lumens!!! I can't forget to mention how cool they look! The indicator lights look crazy at night (gotta stop looking at the lights and actually pay attention to where I am going.) BTW Big Shout to CYCLE CRAFT in Parsippany - These guys know their stuff - Tell 'em Trev sent ya! LOL | | Weaknesses: | I wish the battery mounted easier. I don't have the perfect fit on my stem. Also the conector cable comes out a little too easy. This actually might be a benefit so you don't wreck your light during a fall. Might also be nice if the runtimes were a little longer 1.45hrs on full and 3.5 on low. But I never ride more than an hour or so in the dark anyway. | | Similar Products Used: | Blackburn Voyager 4.0 | | Bike Setup: | 2007 Cannondale Prophet 3Z - Stock | | Bottom Line: | Great product. You get what you pay for and maybe a little extra. These will deff. light up the single track and they look good doing it too! I wonder how I can incorporate a helmet mount with this setup? Hmmmm...
| | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
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