The ultimate in bright long lasting HID lights is also available in a helmet mounted system. Small & light enough to be mounted comfortably on your helmet. Put the battery in your jersey pocket & enjoy 4 to 6 hrs of burn time while blasting the trails. The LEDs burn up to 80 hrs.
Submitted by
Doug Surowiec
a Racer
from New Brighton, PA
Date Reviewed: May 15, 2006
Strengths: Very bright and reliable
Weaknesses: The battery cord that I mentioned in my previous review.
Bottom Line:
After 4 years the unit's power board failed after water got inside due to riding in a bad storm. I am still on the original bulb, but have a spare. Niterider fixed for $20!!
Similar Products Used: Niterider Digital Evolution
Bike Setup: Jamis Eureka, K2 Mod 3.0
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Submitted by
Bonkler
a Cross Country Rider
from Hurley Mountain NY
Date Reviewed: May 11, 2006
Strengths: Nice lights....When the HID works!
Weaknesses: Delicate, $115 HID bulb... Company claims in product description "...Engineered for maximum performance and durability". I take heavy exception with the durability claim!!!!!
Bottom Line:
The bottom line on this "durable" Cyclone light is I was walking into my office today with a night ride planned for afterwards. I'm sitting here, charging my battery and wanted to see if it had finished charging.. I plug it in, attempt to turn it on and I get the HID bulb sputtering to start, which then fails over to the LED. This light has never been dropped, I've never crashed while using it and it has been sitting in a drawer unplugged for much of the time I've owned it. Since Nite Rider only offers 30 days warranty on bulb replacement, I'm now facing a $115 replacement bulb for a $330 light I've used 6 times since I got it last October. What a crock, these cases may be durable but the vital organs, aren't by any stretch. Simply put, they don't stand up to normal use and you should consider another light with a better track record. I give 2 flaming Chilis for overall because when this thing works, its a white hot light...Just don't take it out for any meaningful ride, it won't hold up to the "wear and tear".
Similar Products Used: Jet Starfire, Nite Rider Storm HID
Bike Setup: Full susp. 2 wheels, 29 speeds, 2.25" tires... Its a lightweight armored Ellsworth vehicle
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Submitted by
Mike
a Cross Country Rider
from Alabama
Date Reviewed: April 10, 2006
Strengths: Bright lite when it works.
Weaknesses: The worst connectors I've ever seen. Niterider puts burden on customer for their mistakes, making the customer pay all mailing (to/from) costs and waiting time. I used to believe in Niterider but NEVER EVER AGAIN!!!
Bottom Line:
Niterider listen up! You have a well known flaw in your Moab and should do everything to make good on your product reliability. Your reviews, my friends, and my own person experience with the MOAB makes me sick to my guts as a fellow cyclist who enjoys the sport and company. To NITERIDER, STOPPED LOOKING AT YOUR BOTTOM $ LINE BY OFFLOADING SHOTTY PRODUCTS TO US CYCLISTS ... PLEASE ... WE ARE MORE DESERVING!!!
Strengths: *Very bright *Scares pedestrians and drunks!!!! *Beam patteren is nice and even with a nice fade out to the sides *Led provide good back up if you run out/ forget to charge/ or for working *Charger gets it done quickly
Weaknesses: *Big on your helmet and sticks out father than probaly needed *Cord entering battery has marks in in from where the casing was cutting it- no problems yet, just be carful *Cost
Bottom Line:
I am blown away every time I go riding with it and have had no problems. Allows you to see every trail feature and is very difficult to out run. Good beam pattern and light color. Highly recomened!!
Similar Products Used: Nite Rider Digital headtrip
Bike Setup: Giant XTC 1
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Submitted by
Doug Surowiec
a Racer
from New Brighton, PA
Date Reviewed: November 14, 2005
Strengths: Brighness, Durability*
Weaknesses: *Wires are vulnarable where cord goes into battery. New Flight and Moab are not hardwired at all, NICE!
Bottom Line:
Super bright very reliable unit, with the exception of the cord that comes out of the battery (don't wear around waist in fanny pack or your pedal stroke will bend the wire back and forth until it fails). Had to send mine back to Niterider for a broken positive connection, fixed free tho. Ordered extra battery from LBS so now have two.
Weaknesses: Completely unreliable. Do not buy this light.
Bottom Line:
If you are trying to commit suicide, this is the light for you. After a few weeks of operating as promised (4+ hours per charge), this light sometimes will not run 1.25 hours per charge, even after charging all night. I commute to work each day on my bike, and during the winter it is completely dark at 6 am and 5pm, so I wanted the best, brightest light, without regard to cost... what's a few hundred bucks if it keeps you out of the hospital, right? This light is going to put me INTO the hospital, the way it behaves. Do you know that today, on a FULL CHARGE, it went out after about 15 minutes? Then, when I turned it on again, it behaved normally for the rest of the ride home? The battery meter doesn't work (the manual even ADMITS that this might happen... what's up with that?), the power meter will go red without any notice, signaling imminent death of the light. As for off-road use, I wouldn't DREAM of taking this light on the trail; there is NO WAY... it is dangerous enough on the road. N-R service is lame in that they want me to mail them this light, while they work on it... without providing a loaner. So how am I supposed to commute all the while (I'm told 3-4 weeks) they are trying to fix my light? Unacceptable. I will never buy a night-rider product again. Their product is garbage, and their customer service policy is misplaced. Buy at your own risk. I have to give these the lowest possible rating... any safety device that isn't safe, deserves a low rating.
Similar Products Used: Cheapie AA-powered battery lights.
Bike Setup: Various; Road, Fixie, MTB
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Submitted by
Pat G
a Cross Country Rider
from Rio Rancho, NM
Date Reviewed: September 21, 2005
Strengths: Great burn time, easy to recharge
Weaknesses: Light is heavier than others, makes the helmet kinda uncomfortable
Bottom Line:
You can find the Non LED model selling for $250-$325. I've raced em in 24 hour races, and used em on my helmet in Afghanistan. Outstanding!!!!!!! Go to any race and see what kinda support NiteRider has, outstanding!!
My brother has the Lights n Motion HID light. I've used it a few times for comparison The light and mount for the helmet is considerably lighter, but the beam stinks, and the mount get's loose quickly.
My only gripe is the weight of the light, it makes the helmet mightly uncomfortable on long night rides. Keep an extra bulb in your pack, I've replaced a couple, but it's only because I abuse my equipment so bad.
Submitted by
Tommy Fuchs
a Cross Country Rider
from Houston, TX
Date Reviewed: July 27, 2005
Strengths: Bright, long burn time, LEDs
Weaknesses: Battery weight, Cable connections
Bottom Line:
I have had this light for about a year now and it spends more time at NiteRider than on my head. The light itself seems to work fine but the batteries have been another story. The batteries flake out after a few uses and I have to send them in to NiteRider. A friend of mine has the same repeated issues. The last time we sent our batteries in there was a gap in the cord sheathing where the cable comes out of the battery case. The customer service at NiteRider has been great but it still doesn't make up for the problems I have had. All that money for a part-time light.
Strengths: -bright -aditional LEDs for emergency -fuel gauge -strong (smacked in a tree branch- not a scratch)
Weaknesses: Flickering light at both lower settings
Bottom Line:
To be honest I liked the Storm more. I ride with a friend who's using my ex- Storm and the beams are totaly different. Storm has more yellowish light comparing to Cyclone's has blue/ white light. Also the beam at higher setting doesn't seem to be much stronger than the Storm's. It's just different. Wider and not so concentrated which is good for climbing but worse when descending. My rides don't last more than 3hrs so 3 power settings aren't needed in my case (4+ hrs at 13.5W are no problem). Charger is superb and hassle free, plug in- plug out. I had/ have problems with flickering light at 10 and 12W. NR says it should fix itself after some use. It's getting better but not as much as I'd wish for. I'm thinking of sending it back. Cable connectors are also OK, again dividing it into three parts (light unit- cable- battery) is not necessary. Light unit- battery would do. The light is strong. It survived a heavy smack into a branch without any signs. I had no problems switching it on and the fuel gauge is a useful feature. To be honest I thought it'll be much stronger than the Storm but it's not. Still no comparison to ordinary halogens.
Strengths: -Yeah, so this light is freekin bright. Not the brightest per say, but wow, nice white, bright light! -LED is a nice feature -3 light settings with long burn time -fast charger -nice carrying case to keep it all together -nice wide beam pattern
Weaknesses: -Price of course, but that's HID for ya. -Heavy battery pack.
Bottom Line:
OK, here's an honest-to-goodness positive (and long) review for the Niterider Cyclone.
After hours upon hours of light research, this is what I ended up with; one tight, highly functionable little unit.
I chose this system over others primarily for the LED system. In a pinch, they can provide enough light for safe travel, which is a great feature IMO. I've only got about 3 hours total run-time so far, and will probably be using it less as summer progresses, but WOW, HID makes all the difference when on the trail. It's actually taking time for me to adjust to the amount of light thrown out. I find myself getting "lost in the light" if that makes sense.
Other's in my group are using the L&M HID system and in comparison, the Cyclone has a wider beam pattern.
One of my main concerns before buying were the negative reviews I read or heard about Niterider products. One being that the product doesn't work, (or has issues) and the other being the lack of customer service. To me, these are pretty big issues. Well, after speaking directly to Cyclone users, I bit the bullet. So far, everything has worked like a dream.
Here's a customer service story for you: Upon my first charge, the charger indicated "green" and ready to go in about 4 hours. I was under the impression that the initial charge time would be 10-15 hours. Curious, I fired the light up and everything worked. Concerned about the first, initial charge, (thinking that something could be wrong) I emailed Niterider. Guess what? They actually responded, by saying nothing to worry about and that run time will increase after about 4-5 charges> (It took a couple days, but they responded.)
Bottom line? Everything is working so far, customer service is doing their job (so far), and I've entered the realm of HID.
Anyone on the fence with the Niterider Cyclone should heavily consider this system. Granted, should something arise, I'll be back to re-evaluate my review.
Similar Products Used: First HID system for me. Prior, I was using a Performance 10 watt. helmet mount with a Vista Lite 5 watt. handle bar mount. Not nearly enough light for the riding I'm doing.
Bike Setup: There's nothing to see here, move along...
Strengths: Bright, charges fast, very durable, Did I say bright, several different light settings and the Led's for fire service roads rock. Did I mention bright.
Weaknesses: None that I have found yet. I had a set of the Light in Motion and sold them when these came out, no regrets. I found that the LIM would slip around on the bars I could only figure that they were a little top heavy for the mounting bracket that came with them.
Bottom Line:
I have used these lights in several Adv. races such as the SPQ, NGAR,etc & 24 hour races like the Southern Lights and 24 HOA etc... they continue to rock. And they are great for warming your hands on chilly nights.
Favorite Trail: What ever I'm riding at that time.
Duration Product Used: 1 Year
Similar Products Used: Cat Eye, Light in Motion, Older Night Rider models.
Bike Setup: Trek Fuel 100 and Lightspeed Owl Hollow
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Submitted by
Shane Adams
a Weekend Warrior
from Dalton, GA
Date Reviewed: February 8, 2005
Strengths: Very Bright, reasonably light, Love the LED's for Adventure Racing and Endurance events to save battery life.
Weaknesses: EXTREMELY POOR CUSTOMER SUPPORT SO FAR. Maybe problems with first batch of lights. I order 3 of these lights one for me and two other buddies. So far 2 have been replaced. Currently, they want me to send my light back and go without a light until they sort my NEW light out. My other riding partner just had a new one shipped to him and he will send his old light back. I guess it depends on who you get in customer service.
Bottom Line:
The bottom line is that I love this light for what I do, mostly Adventure racing and endurance events. The light is awesome, the problem is my "flickered" from the first use. This is my first HID system so I gave it some time to see if it would improve. It hasn't, it has gotten worse, alternating between a bright white light and a red-tinted light that is very distracting. My other riding buddy had a problem with a faulty switch and his was replaced with a new light. So far I am very dissappointed in Nite Riders customer service (or lack there of). I will post an update when the situation is resolved. I would expect more from a company charging nearly 5 bills for a light.
Strengths: Fast charging, long burn time. INCREDIBLE beam strength. Battary strength guage on the lamp on/off button. This would be a great hunting light...wink, wink, nudge, nudge.
Weaknesses: High price, heavy battary weight compared to Li-ion. Will we be seeing this as a future upgrade option? And will your average non-Gates-related citizen be able to afford it?
Bottom Line:
So far I have no negative comments about this product except for the exhorbitant price. How do manufacturers expect us poor college students to ride hard if we can only afford ramen after purchasing their lights? I purchased this light for 24 hr races, and have used it mostly for night road training since. I would recommend this light for anyone wanting a hands-down, dog scaring, car stopping, people staring light. I actually use this light paired with a NiteRider Digital Pro 12-LCD dual beam bar-mounted light. I find that pairing the two different beam colors helps negate the "deadness" of the terrain contours one experiences with the blue-white HID beam, and with the combined power of the two, it is darn near impossible to over-run your light path. I havn't had any problems with the light going out due to impact like I've been reading about in the reviews for the Flamethrower. This is probably due to the extra shock absorbption from the riders' body. I would like to try two HID's (1 helmet mount/1 bar mount) just for kicks, but I don't know that I'd trust a bar-mounted HID setup for serious offroad abuse. During the first few rides the extra weight on the helmet kept pushing my lid down until I realized that I had the mount too far forward. Once I moved it further up (back) from the front it no longer had as much leverage and I don't even notice it now. Bottom line is: I love this light! (Just not the price)
Similar Products Used: 10W Gary Fisher single beam system (bar mounted)
Bike Setup: Too many to list all. Mostly ride Specialized Epic Marathon disc for mountain and my Gunnar Crosshairs for road/cyclecross
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Submitted by
matt broehl
a Cross Country Rider
from federal way Washington
Date Reviewed: June 21, 2004
Strengths: This light is a very nice light that is very bright and it, has nice features that you can actually use. The on and off switch is really nice and is not hard to work. People that say that the switch is a problem they are the ones with the problem. When they say the light turns the trail into day they are noth messing around i would never used a halogen light again.
Weaknesses: Nothen yet. All the riders i ride with are jealous because my cyclone is brighter than the niterider storm HID that they just bought about 2 months ago.
Bottom Line:
I work at a bike shop and am 17 years old and detail cars on the side and make good money so i dont mind spending the money on a light that makes the world of differance the night rides. I got it for cost but the light is truly a awsome light with amazing crip blue light that burns for 4 hours. A couple rider buddys have the storm which they are really satisfied with their lights also. But the are jelous because when they bought their lights the cyclone wasnt out yet intell about a month later. The cyclone is a little brighter. And has more features also. The charger is so nice it automatically cycles the battery when it need to be and is a nice charger the does it all for you so you dont have to worry about over charging it it does it all for youalong with the automatic discharge also. Bottom line if you want a BAD ASS light then this is your light. YOU WILL NOT BE DISAPOINTED
Similar Products Used: A five watt peace of S*** vista light that condensated inside the bulb even after i tryed everthing the the vista light manufactor told me to try silcone which didnt work but they are cheap and look so yellow compared to the HID.
