Submitted by
Josh Glover
a Weekend Warrior
from Sturbridge, MA, U.S.A.
Date Reviewed: May 9, 2002
Strengths: Fairly inexpensive compared to other Nite Riders Good quaility ligt, very brite Light goes where you look Long lasting battery
Weaknesses: Long charge time without an automaic charger No other weaknesses yet
Bottom Line:
Bottom line this light is great. I've had it for about 1 year and i haven't had any problems with it yet. I paid about $120 at my local bike shop, i thought the price was a little steep at first, but after riding with it i realized that it was well worth it. The battery lasts very well and the whole pakage is very nice. I'll give it 5 chillies. Thats all for now!
ANYONE WHO SAYS THAT THE CORD IS TO SHORT, YOU MUST BE PUTTING IT IN A BAD PLACE!
Bike Setup: Custom Cannondlae M400 frame, LX group set, Mavic 517's, Psylo XC
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
Terry Hutt
a Weekend Warrior
from Running Springs, CA, USA
Date Reviewed: May 3, 2002
Strengths: Instant, bright light, whereever you look, whenever you want. Very reliable. Excellent value for money. Battery is very convenient and is holding up well for a non-digital NiMH.
Weaknesses: Battery/light connection is very tight. Needs some kind of fastening to attach the cable to the back of the helmet.
Bottom Line:
On sketchy trails or fast downhills my Cateye halogen can't quite do the job so I switch this on. Unlike the Storm and Stadium lights it comes on instantly and doesn't get incredibly hot.
A helment mounted light is a must have for 'painting' inattentive motorists, looking at route slips, and reading road signs.
Although the specs state you get 2:25 hours from the battery with a 10w light, I have found I get more than 3 hours and that's after more than 50 charge/discharge cycles. I actually have two batteries and they're both holding up very well.
Fact is, this is a very simple, (relatively) cheap, no-frills, high-power light. It doesn't take up a water bottle cage, it doesn't weight much (mine weighs 17oz), and it's very reliable.
Submitted by
Alexander
a Cross Country Rider
from Folsom, CA
Date Reviewed: October 9, 2001
Strengths: * Bright light * Not too heavey * Easy to use * Very small battery pack * Simple and durable * Looks cool!
Weaknesses: * Very expensive (for my budget) * None so far. Read my review on Pro 6
Bottom Line:
I use this light once a week on my weekly night rides in combination with handlebar Pro 6 light. As far as I'm concerned this is a must-have for night rides: you've got to have a light that lightes up the trail as your head turns! Even though it's very expensive I'd buy this light again. 5 chilis for quality, 4 value ($$$!).
Bike Setup: Concorde Road Bike / Mixture of Campy and Dura-Ace components
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
Kirk Pedrick
a Cross Country Rider
from Sicklerville
Date Reviewed: February 5, 2001
Strengths: Bright white light, and a decent beam.
Weaknesses: Little tough to stap onto the helmet, but nothing that would prevent me from getting it again.
Bottom Line:
Great light. It'll run for almost 2h45min on a single charge. Yeah, it's a bit pricey, but so are all those batteries for the cheapo lights that don't even put out 1/2 the power. Save your pennies and get one of these.
Bike Setup: Cannondale 800/Rock Shox jett/ LX / Rolf wheels
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
Glenn
a Cross Country Rider
from Calgary Alberta, Canada
Date Reviewed: September 25, 2000
Strengths: No frills solid design. Totally water proof. For being half the size of a pack of cigarettes the battery packs a punch ( Nimh ). I got close to 3 hours of run time. Very bright white light.
Weaknesses: Switch is hard to find and difficult to press while riding. These light systems are very expensive.
Bottom Line:
The Headtrip has been outstanding everytime. I would recommend a Headtrip for the helmet and a bar system with variable wattage and a remote switch.
Niterider lights are expensive but worth every penny you pay. Obviously we are very vulnerable while riding in the mountains at night, you don't want to sacrifice your light system. Nightrider....expensive, but the BEST !
Strengths: Light Weight, Compact Battery, Price-compared to digital systems, Helmet mounted light enable you to see where your looking.
Weaknesses: 10w alone is probably not enough, but combined w/ a bar-mounted light its great.
Bottom Line:
While I wouldn't use the light by itself off-road (commuting/on-road would be fine), this light makes a great addition to a bar-mounted light. Especially nice when combined with one of thier 15w bar lights. I like having a little more power on my bar than my helmet.
A helmet-mounted light gives you the ability to see where you're looking, not just where your bars are pointed. The more twisty the trail, the more useful a helmet-light becomes. Once you have used a helmet/bar light combo, its difficult/scary to go back to just the bar mount.
I have heard other riders, who ride a lot on the road, say they think that the helmet light makes them more noticable to traffic. Its mounted higher and the movement of the light when you turn your head gets people's attention.
Both the regular Headtrip and the Digital Headtrip are great lights. Either light would make your night rides easier and faster.
Submitted by
Russell Seaton
a Weekend Warrior
from Kansas City
Date Reviewed: May 2, 2000
Strengths: Simple on/off switch. Reliable.
Weaknesses: 10 watts isn't nearly as good as 15 watts.
Bottom Line:
I had some troubles with my Digital Headtrip. Niterider fixed them up and receives outstanding marks in customer service. My Digital problems were what everyone else experienced, light goes to 6 watts after a few minutes in cool weather.
The regular Headtrip is 10 watts. Its weak compared to the 15 watt Digital Headtrip. But of course does give more run time than the 15 watts. When the 10 watt Headtrip is used with a handlebar mounted 15 watt Pro 6 light, then it is adequate. Alone, the 10 watts require too much concentration on the road. Mentally fatiguing.
Recommend getting a Pro 6 unit for the handlebars in combination with the regular Headtrip. Or buy a 15 watt bulb ($20) and put it in the Headtrip instead of the 10 watt bulb. Battery run time drops to 1.5 hours but if that is all you need then great. If you need longer run time then get a second NiMH battery ($90) or leave the 10 watt in and get a Pro 6 unit ($130).
Mine has been durable enough. Button is easy and simple to use. Push on, push off. Nothing to go wrong. This is a nice feature of a light when you are out in the dark. Reliability is good. Battery is light and easy to put in a jersey pocket or fanny pack. Runs through helmet vents. New style of velcro helmet strap isn't much better than the other one. Just more complicated looking. Both still snag on the helmet pads. Charger does not have a timer built in. But its not too hard to just plug it in overnight and unplug in the morning.
I recommend Niterider products. The non-digital products. I'm still leary of the digital products.
Similar Products Used: Niterider Digital Headtrip and Niterider Pro 6.
Bike Setup: road and mountain bike
Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Scott Bays
a Cross-Country Rider
from Bonneau, SC
Date Reviewed: January 7, 2000
Strengths: Quality product, light weight
Weaknesses: None (manual charger)
Bottom Line:
Nightrider can be a bit pricey but it seems your paying for quality and that I don't mind. My longest ride with the unit so far has been 2:05 and it was bright as ever.
Submitted by
BigAl
a Cross-Country Rider
from Ogden, UT
Date Reviewed: November 19, 1999
Strengths: Light weight, plenty bright for me. Can point the light where you want.
Weaknesses: You have to keep checking the battery to make sure you don't overcharge it.
Bottom Line:
Excellent product, haven't had any problems yet. Good for riding trails that aren't too technical or you're very familiar with. I would use an extra light for a technical or unfamiliar trail. The battery pack is so light, you barely notice the weight. Once you get used to night riding, you ride just as fast as you do in the day.
Submitted by
Mongo
a Cross-Country Rider
from Sausalito, Ca
Date Reviewed: November 6, 1999
Bottom Line:
The first night I took it out the bulb went poof! As my body bounced down the hill, I was thinking Man this niterider sucks!. But after the three hour walk home, I had time to remember all of my friends niteriders were totally bombproof and so I still give it three chilis. If any niterider employees are reading this post, please slap your quality control manager for me. Thanks!
Weaknesses: A bit pricy. Thelight on the helmet makes it front heavy and make the helmet shift forward. I guess that'll happen to any helmet mounted light.
Bottom Line:
A life saver. When my primary handlebar mount lights (read my review of NiteRider Digital Pro 12-E)crapped out on me the Headtrip took over and saved the day (actually the night at 4:15 AM) during one of my 24-hour endurance races this year. Won't race without it. The battery back fits perfectly in my hydro pack.
Combine the Headtrip with a bar mount, and you won't be sorry. Rode with some friends with real nice bar setups, and they all agree that the my combo is the route. The Headtrip gives off plenty of light, lets you look around, down, up etc. and it is lightweight. Got the Pro 6 and Headtrip set up for $220 from Speedgoat, and I am much happier than my friends with the $300 top of the line bar mount only.
Hello, and thanks for all the helpful DIY information on this board.
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