Submitted by
Donald Gillies
a Weekend Warrior
from San Diego, CA, USA Date Reviewed: September 27, 2007
Duration Product Used:
More than 3 years
Price Paid:
$50.00
Purchased At:
UC Cyclery, San Diego, CA
Strengths:
- very bright - good niterider replacement when i lost mine - uses standard AA cells - recharges quickly - useful as a flashlight (but can get hot) - affordable mounts ($5/ea) for 2nd, 3rd, 4th bike - outstanding value
Weaknesses:
- on rough terrain, can fall out of holder. fixed by adding some electrical tape to mounting channel.
Similar Products Used:
What can I say ?? I misplaced my NiteRider, and rather than pay $180 for another one, decided to try this one. I am extremely impressed. It is very unfortunate that this product, which is an outstanding value, has been discontinued.
Bike Setup:
Road bikes, mainly.
Bottom Line:
At any price under $90, it's a bargain. Now that it's discontinued, it may be a screaming bargain ...
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Brent Tennison
a Cross Country Rider
from Lake Forest Date Reviewed: January 4, 2005
Duration Product Used:
2 Years
Price Paid:
$49.00
Purchased At:
JAX BICYCLES irvine
Strengths:
Great Light; Very Bright; Doubles as an excellent flashlight
Weaknesses:
handlebar mount is VERY cheap and not-well-designed!!!!
Similar Products Used:
none
Bike Setup:
Specialized Enduro Expert mountainbike - XC, Freestyle, Street
Bottom Line:
THE LIGHT IS GREAT, BUT THE MOUNTING SETUP IS AWFUL!!!! If I were buying a light for another bike today, I would buy this light but create or buy a different mounting bracket.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
DieselDan
a Weekend Warrior
from South Carolina Date Reviewed: March 10, 2003
Favorite Trail:
Hunting Island State Park, Colleton County backroads
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Price Paid:
$42.00
Purchased At:
Bike Doctor
Strengths:
Bright, stable, quick to recharge.
Weaknesses:
High beam seems to be a gimmick.
Similar Products Used:
Specialized Astro 2.4, Bell halogen
Bike Setup:
Diamondback Sorrento, Univega sport touring bike
Bottom Line:
Excellent night for night riding on roads, but I haven't tried it off road yet. The high beam doesn't seem to be much brighter then low beam. The light quickly recharges. I have had no problems with the mounts for this light, and extra/replacent mounts are easy to aquire at my LBS.
Good begginer light and lightweight.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
nebuchadnezzar
a Cross Country Rider
from boulder, CO Date Reviewed: February 19, 2003
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Price Paid:
$50.00
Purchased At:
Bicycle Village
Strengths:
easy to attach & detach from bike; bright enough for riding in traffic; recharges quickly, lasts long enough.
Weaknesses:
mounting mechanism is junk.
Similar Products Used:
niterider digital
Bike Setup:
singlespeed crosscheck
Bottom Line:
this light appears to be perfect until you go out and ride your bike with it. if your ride happens to include anything bumpier than freshly-paved highway, the light will hop right off the handlebar mount. most recently when mine did this, the plastic broke at the point it attaches to the bar mount. it now is a $50 rechargeable flashlight since it can't be re-attached to the bike.
not recommended.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
derf anon
a Cross Country Rider
from Los Angeles Date Reviewed: July 18, 2002
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Price Paid:
$50.00
Strengths:
Decent lighting in brite mode for night street riding when there is no ambient lighting. Convenient small package. Easily quickly removed for charging. A 2nd light can be taped to top of helmet in a pinch. I've got 2 of these lights used on one bike for over a year. Looks sharp.
Weaknesses:
Light slides onto mount which is attached to bike. This slide mount has gotten sloppy so that the light bounces around somewhat. Now I have to use rubber bands to prevent bouncing. The attachment system still works otherwise.
Light can only be seen by motorists directly in front. There is no light showing to the sides of the cyclist, so use plenty of reflectors or reflective tape for side visibility at night (and hope motorist has lights on).
Similar Products Used:
Homebuilt 20-50w lights using 12vdc low voltage outdoor lighting.
Bike Setup:
Recumbent
Bottom Line:
Astro 5.0 is good enough lighting, at high beam, for nightime transportation on city streets for speeds up to c. 13 mph. Low beam good enough for being seen on neighborhood streets, and good enough where there's no ambient lighting, but slightly slower speeds.
NiMh rechargeable batteries on my 2 lights are still working well and holding a good charge after over a year of use. Easy to recharge.
Don't know if getting replacement batteries or replacement bulbs will be cost efficient. Haven't needed to yet.
Having 2 of these (one to use while other is recharging) is a good solution for casual night riding. If I plan an extended night ride, I can take along the 2nd light in case the first runs down (plus an emergency flashlight). Convenient LED on this unit lets you know when battery is getting low - so get home fast.
My night riding consists of short rides, less than an hour. Have never run out of power even though I sometimes forget to switch lights.
Due to loosening sliding mount which has required use of rubberbands to steady, I slightly derate this light from an excellent solution for casual, short duration, night riding.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Mitch Blyumin
a Cross Country Rider
from Buffalo Grove, IL Date Reviewed: May 11, 2002
Favorite Trail:
Anywhere
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Price Paid:
$55.00
Purchased At:
Buffalo Grove Cyclery
Strengths:
Sweet light, looks cool, really strong, small package. Can also be used as a flashlight.
Weaknesses:
None so far.
Similar Products Used:
First light
Bike Setup:
2002 Gary Fisher Big Sur
Bottom Line:
Probably the strongest light that clips onto your bike. Good batteries(NiMH) plus comes with charger. I'm gonna get another one so it looks even coller and so I can show it off to my friends. 5's all across the board.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Alessandro
a
from Boston Date Reviewed: January 7, 2002
Favorite Trail:
Mt. Misery
Duration Product Used:
6 months
Price Paid:
$50.00
Purchased At:
Wheelworks
Strengths:
Small package, good illumination.
Weaknesses:
Weak locking mechanism on mount
Bike Setup:
Trek 6500
Bottom Line:
I think the problem with the mount is that people are tightening them too much. I have had the product for six months and have never had a problem with the mount except for the locking mechanism. As long as the button comes out fully when you mount the light you are A okay! It is a good buy for those who ride at night.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Michael Mathews
a Racer
from Fredericksburg, VA USA Date Reviewed: November 2, 2001
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Price Paid:
$50.00
Purchased At:
LBS
Strengths:
Fairly bright, relatively low cost, small total package.
Weaknesses:
Handlebar mount broke while tightening. LBS gave me a replacement but it broke the first time I tried to use it. Specialized is sending a replacement but I'm thinking about hose clamps.
The 1st 2 bulbs I had that were specified for the unit cost about $7US and burned out after a couple of weeks. I started using 6V flashlight bulbs that cost about$0.75 each and last many times longer.
Similar Products Used:
Vistalite 410, Specialized PreView Plus.
Bike Setup:
Specialized Crossroads Sport hybrid.
Bottom Line:
I really like the light. If only it had a decent handlebar mount and didn't eat bulbs so fast.
It's an excellent light for urban commuters but not suitable for off road use.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
John
a Weekend Warrior
from Bristol Date Reviewed: October 12, 2001
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Price Paid:
$45.00
Purchased At:
LBS
Strengths:
Rechargeable
Weaknesses:
Weak bar clamp, weak clip in action holding light to bar clamp
Similar Products Used:
None
Bottom Line:
Road only.. 10 watt high beam just doesn't cut it on a real trail at night. The flimsy plastic bar clamp broke while I was tightening it, not even from a crash, so I screwed it together with a machine bolt ( HA!! ).. Used it for 1 more ride after that and bought a real light system ( NightSun XC ). Remember, this light is ROAD ONLY. It's clamp system and balance (Battery/light combo) makes it unsuitable for a trail ride.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Larry Huro
a Weekend Warrior
from Streamwood Date Reviewed: September 5, 2001
Favorite Trail:
Hills
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Price Paid:
$50.00
Purchased At:
Spin Doctor Cyclewerks
Strengths:
Inexpensive,lightweight,BRIGHT,rechargable.
Weaknesses:
None yet found
Similar Products Used:
Specialized Vegas
Bike Setup:
Trek 1000 with Ultegra upgrade.Mavic Open Pro rims.Flite Gel saddle.SPD peddles.
Bottom Line:
Very bright illumination at either level.Lights up at least 60 feet in front. I ride a trail early in the morning at total darkness and have no problems seeing whats in front of me.It also has very good dispersion .For the money you can't go wrong.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
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