The MiNewt Mini-USB is the first bike light to feature a Li-ion battery capable of being charged from the USB port of your PC or wall outlet, providing the ultimate in charging flexibility! Weighing in at an incredible 175g, the mounting options are virtually limitless. Although light on weight, the Mini is no slouch on power. Incorporating a high powered LED the Mini pumps out over 110 lumens and has a run time of 3 HRS! Never in the history of LED bike lighting has this level of technology and performance been offered for less than $100.
Submitted by
geber11
a Weekend Warrior
from LAKE TAHOE
Date Reviewed: June 4, 2010
Strengths: Durable, small and light. stays in position with the rubber o-ring attachment, easy to install and easy to adjust even when riding. Bright enough for commuting probly not night time trail. Use on helmet in conjunction with brighter handlebar mount for trails. Can use USB port to charge it. I Left it mounted to bike in garage all winter and it still works great, holds a charge and still bright.
Weaknesses: Snow accumulates in recessed lens. You have to unplug the light from the battery pack or it will drain the battery over a period of time like two weeks even when the light is not on.
Bottom Line:
Good light for the money, I placed a plastic bag over the light to keep the snow out of the lens area. Make sure to disconnect the battery cable as it uses battery power even when the light is not on. Battery meter only indicates charge status when plugged into charger, red or green light on battery switch. I used a plastic presto valve cap to plug the hole in the battery when light is unplugged because it is exposed to weather when mounted under the stem.
Submitted by
dpastore22
a Cross Country Rider
from GA
Date Reviewed: November 15, 2009
Strengths: plenty of light, weight, price, battery life, long battery cord
Weaknesses: for some reason it didnt inlude helmet install instructions, I had to go to their website.
Bottom Line:
For the money I dont think your going to find a better LED light. Simple to use, once you get the instructions. Overall this light is bight, my partners light died on the trail and the MiniNewt provided plenty of light for both of us - no lie. I had two guys riding with me with older non-led versions they got on sale years past and both are buying the MiniNewt. Great light - great battery!
Strengths: Small light head, small light battery, USB charger. The ability to leave the wall charger at home and keep the USB charger at the office makes this a great little commuter light.
Bottom Line:
Not wild about NiteRider lights due to their earlier reputation. Several riding buddies had them and were always having issues. This was several years ago. I bought JetLite for night time MTB and have never had an issue.
In regards to this light. I don't consider it to be a night time light. Its bright, but it wasn't intended to be something you ride 25-30 mph with. It works great in the spring / fall when commuting in low light. Doesn't reach out there as far as I would like it to for night time riding. It is very bright if it is pointed right at you but easier to miss from the side. This is the only real issue as far as commuting. I like the light to be over kill, cars see you better that way. It's 120 lumens, it's not supposed to be super bright; designed to be small and light.
For the price you simply cant beat this little light.
Submitted by
gto2000five
a Cross Country Rider
from Bremerton, WA USA
Date Reviewed: November 1, 2009
Strengths: Bright and lightweight. Easy to put onto helmet or bike.
Weaknesses: Might need one more if you're doing trail riding.
Bottom Line:
Great light for commuting. I can definitely see everywhere I'm going. It could only be better if I had on mounted on my handlebars as well as my helmet. Lightweight battery and light make it easy for helmet mounting. Very durable metal housing. Could only be better if it was cheaper.
Submitted by
illcomm33
a Cross Country Rider
from Colorado Springs, CO
Date Reviewed: October 31, 2009
Strengths: Bright, lightweight, easy to mount, USB rechargeable, 3.5 hour run time, Niterider quality
Weaknesses: On this light? No way.
Bottom Line:
Bottom line is if you commute, and do so in the dark, buy this light. It has really made my morning/evening commute a whole lot better. Cars see me and I can also see the road. It kicks out a tremendous amount of light for such a small package and seems to run forever. I have the new battery with the charging indicator...a nice feature and would recommend you look for it when you buy yours.
This light is easy to mount and has just enough power cable to do so (battery and light mount to bar and stem. Super clean and easy to do so).
NOTE: I use this as a COMMUTER light but could see it being a nice backup bar or helmet light for night-riding. Haven't tried it though...Seriously...just go buy this light. You won't be disappointed.
Submitted by
Rzar
a Cross Country Rider
from Tucson, AZ
Date Reviewed: July 29, 2009
Strengths: light weight,small, durable, Easy to install. Bright
Weaknesses: None that I have found so far.
Bottom Line:
I use 2 of these, one on the bar and on my helmet. I use it for xc riding and they seem to be bright enough. I have even crashed a few times with them and no damage. I have also ridden in the rain with no issues. It seems they have fixed the plug problems on the new models. I have timed the lights and they were bright for about 3 hours 10 minutes, then started to dim considerably.
The install was a breeze, both bar and helmet mounts. I also use these for road riding and feel petty safe up to 30 mph, then I start to "pass the beam". Bottum line, great intro into night riding, druable, light weight. I am not sure about the life of the battery. I hear they only last about a year.
Similar Products Used: vista lights, nite rider trail rats
Bike Setup: stumpjumer 29fsr
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
Natedogz
a Cross Country Rider
from NorCal
Date Reviewed: March 10, 2009
Strengths: Very lightweight, compact (even the li-ion battery is tiny), kit includes EVERYTHING you need....helmet mount, bar mount, light, battery, extension power cord (to put battery in your pack or on bike frame downtube...I've never wanted or needed to use it though), wall charger, USB cord (for charging from any USB port ie. your computer at work) and then ready to ride that night! New Nite Rider power plugs are 1000 times better than the previous style...they are just simple male/female round contact plugs with rubber seals for rain and dirt. Pretty long runtime....only ran it completely out of juice on an extra long night ride. It lasted about 3.5 hours, but the last 45 minutes was not very bright...but bright enough to get back out of the trail. Fortunately other riders had some backup lights that we all shared. Everybody's lights were running out that night. Pretty long runtime....only ran it completely out of juice on an extra long night ride. It lasted about 3.5 hours, but the last 45 minutes was not very bright...but bright enough to get back out of the trail. Advertised run-time is 3 hours.
Weaknesses: As my only light, it could be a bit brighter.
Bottom Line:
I bought this after borrowing a cheapy bar light for my first night ride...after one ride I was hooked! The ideal setup is two lights, one on helmet to look around tight switchbacks etc. and one on the bars to always look ahead and low to help add depth perception to rocks and roots by casting some shadows.
Pretty long runtime....only ran it completely out of juice on an extra long night ride. It lasted about 3.5 hours, but the last 45 minutes was not very bright...but bright enough to get back out of the trail. Fortunately other riders had some backup lights that we all shared. Everybody's lights were running out that night.
This is a great light made even better by the new style Nite Rider power plugs, and the kit has everything you need in one box to mount it on your helmet or bars....awesome value and great performance!!! Now I just have to decide on my second light and move this one to my helmet.
Similar Products Used: Borrowed cheapy $30 bar light for my first night ride, this light is far superior.
Bike Setup: 08 Specialized Rockhopper Disc 29er with some mods.
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
Abneycat
a Cross Country Rider
from Calgary, AB
Date Reviewed: February 24, 2009
Strengths: Very light
Nice, even beam is as powerful as claimed
USB charging ability is convenient
Weaknesses: Plastic is potentially too flimsy
Poor switch performance in the cold
No charge indicator
One light setting
Bottom Line:
Overall, I have mixed feelings about this light. Things like it having no charge indicator and only one light setting really aren't a big deal.
Performance when the light is on and working is great. The pattern is a bit narrow, but very well distributed.
Were it not for my experiences with this light in the cold, the review would be a lot more favourable. Here's why:
1. Helmet mount snapped in the cold. Without the helmet mount, the beam isn't wide enough to get any good use off-road, I found.
2. Battery shell cracked on one side where it holds the velcro, while attaching to the bike in the cold.
3. Switch is unreliable below -10c!!
4. The rubber glued to the bottom of the light mount to keep it from sliding around slid off.
I also feel that the run times are misleading. The light certainly does not work for the claimed 3 hours at full power. It lasts between half to 2/3rds of that, with good beam strength.
For the price, this light could be nice for a commuter or leisurely hop around a trail, but I would suggest completely avoiding this light if you intend to use it in cold conditions. It will fail you.
Strengths: Produces claimed lumens, good battery life, very even beam pattern, easily mounts, multiple charging options
Weaknesses: Only 2 settings ON/OFF, could be slightly brighter
Bottom Line:
This is a great light for commuting, as a headlight, or as your first "real" bike light purchase. The lamp unit is very small and takes up little space. Very easy to mount, especially with the two different cord lengths. A light can always be brighter, this one is no exception, but it is a clean bright light. I don't have a need for multiple modes, but some people might not like the simple ON/OFF.
Submitted by
Suburban Thunder
a Downhiller
from El Segundo, CA, USA
Date Reviewed: January 7, 2009
Strengths: Light weight, good battery, smart charge, good light
Weaknesses: Beam is really too narrow to use as only light on the trails. But you can do it.
Bottom Line:
For the price this light is amazing. Perfect for commuting, actually it's a bit of overkill on the road. I used it on Sullivan last week for the first time. The climb was like a day ride without the heat. Coming down the single track I was a bit more cautious than usual, mainly because it was my first night ride in years. I mounted it to my bars and felt that it lit up everything in front of me that i needed to see. A second mounted to my helmet will be my next move because I felt that cornering was a bit blind. The ride was about 3 hours and the light never dimmed. You can always use more light, but I think with a second MiNewt on the helmet that it will be all most riders would need. I'm no pro, but I ride faster than most the guys I come across and its enough for me! There are better lights out there, but for the price.. 5 flamin moes!
Submitted by
SeanB05
a Downhiller
from El Segundo, CA, USA
Date Reviewed: January 7, 2009
Strengths: Light weight, good battery, smart charge, good light
Weaknesses: Beam is really too narrow to use as only light on the trails. But you can do it.
Bottom Line:
For the price this light is amazing. Perfect for commuting, actually it's a bit of overkill on the road. I used it on Sullivan last week for the first time. The climb was like a day ride without the heat. Coming down the single track I was a bit more cautious than usual, mainly because it was my first night ride in years. I mounted it to my bars and felt that it lit up everything in front of me that i needed to see. A second mounted to my helmet will be my next move because I felt that cornering was a bit blind. The ride was about 3 hours and the light never dimmed. You can always use more light, but I think with a second MiNewt on the helmet that it will be all most riders would need. I'm no pro, but I ride faster than most the guys I come across and its enough for me! There are better lights out there, but for the price.. 5 flamin moes!
Submitted by
rocwandrer
a Cross Country Rider
from maine
Date Reviewed: December 9, 2008
Strengths: lots of light for the $, good pattern, easy to install, light weight. 2 convenient smart chargers come with it, I leave the usb at work and the wall outlet at home.
Weaknesses: the lack of a "fully charged" indicator light. no blink or low beam setting. neither of these are a big deal for me, and for the price it is still a great light. no way of knowing how close the light is to fully discharged without timing it.
Bottom Line:
I think it is an an excellent value with no annoying quirks or bad parts.
good enough for:
1.) single speed commuting lighting
2.) being seen (especially when helmet mounted)
3.) Surprisingly, I found this light to be just barely good enough by itself for poking around in the woods at night, provided there is snow on the ground.
perhaps not good enough for fast downhills on the street, and definitely not good enough for quick off road riding without the aid of snow as a reflector.
Weaknesses: No Charging Indicator. Possible Issues With Moisture.
Bottom Line:
I'm impressed with this light so far. I use it on my helmet to compliment the MiNewt X2 on my bars. For my style of riding (XC on familiar trails) I can't imagine needing anything more than this setup. I wouldn't suggest it as my primary light unless I was using it soley for commuting and then I think it would be fine.
My only "complaints" so far:
1. No charging indicator. I can only assume it's charging when plugged in. Uses a Smart Charger, though, so no fear of over-charging.
2. Difficulty to attach to helmet mount. I was afraid I was going to break the mounting hardware but with a little work I finally got it to snap into place.
3. Possible moisture issues. When the charging cable is removed, a rubber flap covers the circuitry. Doesn't seem to stay in place very well and even when closed doesn't look very water-tight.
Submitted by
Bruzer
a Weekend Warrior
from Minnesota
Date Reviewed: October 17, 2008
Strengths: Light weight, small, good value.
Weaknesses: Once mount screw is loose hard to stay tightened.
Bottom Line:
I purchased this light at the LBS because it was sub $100. The MiniNewt is small and the battery is light weight. Mounted to the handle bars first, haven't used the helmet strap. Since my handlebars are not straight had to loosen the screw to make it swivel and had a hard time keeping the screw tight afterward. The light is bright enough to ride on streets and paved trails in the dark. Always could use more light, but have to pay more for the brighter NiteRiders.
