NiteRider Pro 700 Race LED Li-ion: The Pro 700 Race gets a new lightweight 4 cell Li-Ion battery pack that cuts 100g off the system weight, while still offering up to 32hrs of run time. Both models? light output and run times are adjustable with our... Mtbr Bike Lights Shootout - over 50 bike lights reviewed, photographed and measured here.
Submitted by
Spokaned
a Weekend Warrior
from Spokane, WA. U.S.
Date Reviewed: September 29, 2011
Strengths: Light weight, powerful, and well made. It is also very adjustable. Niterider works well as a system.....I have a headband which allows me to use it for camping. hiking, or even just walking the dog after dark.
Weaknesses: None so far....maybe the fact that a year after I purchased it, they came out with an updated version featuring over twice the lumens for the same price.
Bottom Line:
This is a great light with plenty of adjustability. I have the low setting (of six total) at 50 lumens and the highest at 700. This allows for lower (non blinding light) which is great for the parking lot before and after rides. Charging is quick and the charge lasts plenty of time. This caliber of light is for riders who appreciate good stuff that really works well. Not cheap, but you get what you pay for.
Similar Products Used: Old Niterider dual (circa 1992) and a Niterider Rage HID 2007.
Bike Setup: '08 Specialized Enduro Pro.
Overall Rating:
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Submitted by
Phil
a Cross Country Rider
from Sydney, Australia
Date Reviewed: June 20, 2011
Weaknesses: I have just had to use the Nite Rider after sales service/Waranty. To fix a well knowen manfacturing failt in my light. The experience was very poor and will end up costing me a large amount of money to have the problem fixed. IT IS VERY CLEAR THAT NITE RIDER ARE UNWILLING TO STAND BEHIND THEIR PRODUCT. BE AWARE BEFORE YOUR BUY!!!!!
Submitted by
mountainbikeloco
a Weekend Warrior
from Berkeley-ish, Ca
Date Reviewed: January 19, 2011
Strengths: Light weight, customizable, bright even spot, amazing run time
Weaknesses: So far I haven't been able to find any.
Bottom Line:
I have always wanted a light set, but never been able to justify the price tag. Luckily for me, Santa Claus was listening this year and hooked me up with this amazing light set. When the rain finally cleared, I couldn't wait to get out on the trails, and I was not disappointed.
These lights are fantastic; the quality of the light produced is very white, crisp and clear, so obstacles are well defined. Further, the runtime on these lights exceeds manufacturer estimates. I fully charged the lights and hit the trails for a two+ hour ride, and since the manufacturer claimed a 4-hour run on this setting, I kept them on the highest setting the whole time. Since NiteRider recommends discharging the battery completly after the first use, I left it on for the 30min drive home, watched TV for another 2 hours and the lights were still burning when I went to bed. Awesome.
I also like the customizable software, which is not overly necessary, but handy.
I love these lights and am now addicted to night riding. Though, they are so bright that you will freak out hikers, which doesn't bother me at all.
Similar Products Used: This is my first set of serious lights beyond a dinky commuter cateye I used to have.
Bike Setup: SC BLT on I9 wheels with XTR crank and X0 gears, Avid Elixer CR brakes
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Submitted by
Xcmobile
a Cross Country Rider
from Chula Vista
Date Reviewed: November 10, 2010
Strengths: Light output. Battery life.
Weaknesses: Battery a little heavy
Bottom Line:
Very nice high output light. I did receive a wrong extension cable with my lights but a call to niterider had a correct one sent to me without any hassle or charge. Manufacturer recommends that you fully discharge the battery after inital use. I rode a 2hr night ride then got home lowered the setting to second lowest setting and lights were still on next day 12hrs later. Its the same battery that comes with the 1400's but this one is only one bulb hence the amazing runtime. The light doesnt have a bright hot spot, it is more of a flood light that for me works great on the trails
Bike Setup: Running this light with 1400 pros on handlebar.
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Submitted by
Aurorabucky
a Cross Country Rider
from Seattle, WA
Date Reviewed: October 12, 2010
Strengths: Awesome fit and finish. Awesome brightness, beam pattern, battery life, functionality, programability.
Weaknesses: Expensive. Connections are stubborn if secure. Considered heavy. Flashy for urban use.
Bottom Line:
Initial Review:
Thanks to Tree Fort Bikes for the quick delivery and excellent price!
Product was delivered in the Niterider carrying sack they've been known for which seemed to be packed by hand. Unpacking everything, intial fit and finish were impressive.
The lighthead is matte black and made of a high quality plastic. The wire connection to the headset is very solid. Same goes for the wire connection to the battery mount. Battery fit into the mount is snug-secure. Headset to battery connections take a little effort to attach and detatch because of a beefy rubber seal = GOOD. The cable is almost a little long already without the extension cord. Besides the lamp, battery, charger, and bike battery mount, the user is given the choice of their "universal mount" or a helmet mount. The universal mount is offset so that the light is fully in line with your stem and is REALLY SOLID.
I've seen other bike light mounts, and they always require some fiddling or adjustment on the fly to keep them where you want them. Not so with this mount - it makes my previous experiences with mounts seem like a joke.
The red rubber button for mode/on-off selection has a chewy feel with a click once it is fully depressed and is easy to operate on the fly.
The charger seems well made, though it's really bent on making you excited about your battery and its charging progress with a myriad of little animated lights of blue, red, orange and green.
There is a complete and total lack of slop anywhere on this system. Not so much as a mold injection line.
Initial Tests:
I found my battery about half charged, which after an hour or so came to full.
As the MTBR review said of the PRO 600, the beam pattern is excellent with a wide bright spot in the center gradually fading until you see a soft halo at the sides. I was surprised in fact how do-able even the 150 lumen setting looked with this pattern
moving at a good clip (that's an 18 hour run-time!!!). For me, the spot-like beam fills a lot of my peripheral vision - maybe not enough for single-track night riding alone, but perfect for the road. The color temperature seems to be a pure white and not too cold. I've seen a lot of LED beams from bicycling ahnd mountaineering lamps, and this is the best LED color temperature I've seen yet.
The DIY software however is what makes this lamp so versatile. Other than the factory uneditable setting, the user gets 4 "programs" that can be independently configured and saved to the lighthead. Each program contains 6 settings of standard operation where the user can determine the number of lumens for each (software shows your runtime), and 6 settings for flash patterns. One flash setting is user-defined. On the lighthead, one can switch between programs in about 30 seconds of monkeying with the red button. One switches between the lamp and flash setting-families by holding the red button down for 3 seconds.
Commute:
During my first test commute, auto headlights seemed downright amber next to mine and frankly not a whole lot brighter. This was
a real comfort as it said to motorists "I AM A ROAD VEHICLE". For the second half of my commute, the sun had risen so I switched the lamp to the Niterider default flash mode. The universe reminded me that no light makes you foolproof as some guy almost backed out of his driveway into me. However seeing my beam still visible on the ground with the sun very well up gave me some confidence that I was doing about everything I could to be seen.
My commute home was uneventful except that I aimed my light less down and more level to get better visability to drivers. In flash mode, signs half a mile away were flashing under early evening overcast conditions.
In further uses:
Noticed that some cars get irritated when my light isn't aimed down quite enough and they'll flash their brights - still don't have the angle right! In the future I may use a 350 lumen setting for normal riding and switch to 700 when weather gets hazardous. Also it would be easy enough to make a lighting profile that goes from high directly to low letting me turn my "brights" on and off.
Autos DO give me noticeably more respect with a strong light. Cars at night seem to sit at stop signs for
as long as it takes for me to approach and pass and try to figure out if I'm a motorcycle moving at 50mph, or a bicycle moving at 25mph.
Functionally, there is no noise from the light over bumps nor is there any migration of any of the pieces even after taking a rough rocky trail with 100psi tires and a rigid fork.
The "fuel gauge" seems to be calibrated right-on with the advertised run-times except that there is a lot of light bleed between the four indicator lights. If one is blinking, the adjacent squares appear to blink. One must look closely or more likely learn to recognize what constitutes an "on" light (bright green) from an "off" light (dimmer green). The red button and fuel gauge DO
get the bicycle a lot of stares when standing in line to get on/off a ferry (Seattle area). If you want to be under-the-radar and not draw attention, this is not your light. If you like drawing attention, make sure you take this off your bike when you chain it up....maybe even the still-flashy battery mount.
I cannot ride fast enough to "outrun" this light. Night is day.
Other Uses:
In addition one can get the "explorer headband" with I anticipate will fit on my mountaineering helmet so I can get dual duty out of this beast. :) Long regulated run times are a real luxury on a climbing trip. In my case, the DIY software should allow me to set up a program that works for climbing - a few 100-300 lumen modes for continuous operation (so it doesn't overheat) combined with a 700 lumen burst for finding crevasses and routes, and an emergency beacon mode using the SOS option in case
there's trouble. Keep in mind the $500 Petzl Ultra is 350 lumens!
Summary:
I could see single-track people using this on a helmet with a wider light on the bars. Tourers would love the quality
construction and long battery life. This light is pricey, and is probably on the really top end of what a commuter would need.
However, the night is now irrelevant for me on the road.
If you want to drop the hammer, this is a great light!
