NiteRider MiNewt Older Lights

3.57/5

(14 Reviews)

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Product Description

At first glance you’ll notice the MiNewt is like nothing you have ever seen. From the stylishly designed aluminum headlamp to the matching power module case, everything about the MiNewt shouts “limited edition”. By using highly efficient reflectors, the ultra bright Luxeon LED is able to deliver a nice and even light pattern void of rings or halos, this combination also allows for up to 3 times higher peak intensity than the competition. The MiNewt incorporates a one of a kind low battery indicator into both the headlamp and battery case that you’ll have to see to believe. What about burn times? How about an amazing 6:00hrs! If one MiNewt isn’t enough for you, then you’ll want to opt for the MiNewt Dual for twice the light output. All of these features are packed into a feather light package able to fit in the palm of your hand weighing an amazing 227g/8 oz. The MiNewt will redefine the way you view lighting technology.

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Reviews 1 - 14 (14 Reviews Total)

User Reviews

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Value Rating:

Submitted by todd z a Racer from chula vista, ca

Date Reviewed: December 9, 2011

Strengths:    Easy to use, very bright. The minewt 600, on the lowest setting I had people telling me they thought I was a car.

Weaknesses:    The run times are way off. I couldn't get more than 3 hours out of them on low.

Bottom Line:

The run times are way off. I could only get 3 hours out of them on the lowest setting, during two 24 hour events. I called niterider. They asked me to do a "static" test at home. I did that, the run times were off again. That's 3 times now. So, I called them back again and they asked me to do another "static" test at a different setting. Really? Are you kidding me. I gave up on them and never called them back, kind of worthless in my opinion. I now own 5 of these...with the diminished run times, that's what you need to get through the night in a long event.

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Duration Product Used:   3 months

Price Paid:    $100.00

Purchased At:   on line

Bike Setup:   Guru Chrono..sorry, a roadie, but had to share.

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Submitted by arnieman007 a Racer from Bristol, IN USA

Date Reviewed: March 16, 2011

Strengths:    Bright

Weaknesses:    Failed on First Trip. Had to send it back and it's a 10+ day turnaround. This is horrible for an out of the box problem. Customer Service is TERRIBLE! Avoid this company like the plague!

Bottom Line:

Don't buy from these guys if you want service.

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Duration Product Used:   Less than 1 month

Price Paid:    $175.00

Purchased At:   Colorado Cyclist

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Submitted by caltrop_3 a Weekend Warrior from Indianapolis, IN

Date Reviewed: January 5, 2011

Strengths:    small & brite

Weaknesses:    battery pack does not hold a charge long in storage

Bottom Line:

I have NOT had good luck with NiteRider products.

I had two Evolution Smart's that failed and now the MiNewt 350. The MiNewt batteries do not hold a charge very long when stored, a few weeks at best.

That's the problem with push-button stuff. It is always on and if it is not designed right the drain on the battery will be high causing it to discharge rapidly even when OFF. If you discharge a LiIon battery to far it will never charge again. Again, if the electronics are not designed right the battery will be ruined.

I DO NOT like the new NiteRider design where everything is in the battery pack. It was better when the controls were on the lite that way when you disconnect it there is absolutely no drain on the battery.

My NiteRider experience:
1) Evolution Smart - bad out of the box. Cable short somewhere. It would work sometimes and not other times.
2) Evolution Smart - battery / charger problems. Never ran more than 10 - 20 minutes even on low.
3) MiNewt 350 - bad battery packs. I have two packs and both have failed.

My recommendation - DO NOT BUY NITERIDER!!!

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Favorite Trail:   -

Duration Product Used:   3 months

Purchased At:   warranty replacement

Similar Products Used:   Evolution Smart

Bike Setup:   multiterrain

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Submitted by Lawrence Lee from Sunnyvale, CA

Date Reviewed: October 16, 2007

Strengths:    Pure white light. Incredibly bright and incredibly tiny. Light weight. Low Profile: Does not add bulk to the handlebar. Simple O ring bar mount installation. Well crafted. Ruggedly made. Niterider technical support is great.

Weaknesses:    Beam is neither a spot nor wide angle. Can be hard on the hands getting standard o-ring mount in place. Harder to remove. Pricey at retail.

Bottom Line:

There's no category for the MiNewt Dual but thats what I bought at Amazon (source Performance Bike). Got it for $149 since its discontinued, being replaced by the MiNewt X2 Dual. I don't like the new MiNewt X2's Titanium finish color or the $230 they can charge. But for $150 this was an outrageous deal. I still see the MiNewt single beam selling on the web for $150-180

First off I see many people complaining about the o-ring mount. To me this is one of the strong points of this design. Niterider please don't change it. I've owned a Vistalite setup before and I had two of the plastic quick release mount clamps break rendering the whole thing useless. If the O-ring breaks you can get them from a hardware store or for now free from Niterider. The new Niterider ones even have a molded on tab to ease o-ring installation.

My old Vistalight mounts made the light housing sit up so high on the bar that it ruined the clean look of the handlebars. By contrast the Niterider mount is low profile and the housing so attractive in the matte black aluminum finish that I never take them off my bike.

The light is pure white and the illumination pattern is uniform. Don't stare into the beam, It'll hurt your eyes. The flashing mode is great and I use it during the morning and at dusk to get the attention of drivers. During the day I even have cars defer their merging until I passed them by. Maybe the flashing made them think I was a bike cop. With the flash mode on you can see the beam reflection on traffic reflectors and signs a hundred feet ahead. Impressive.

Each of the housings has a blue\red LED to indicate battery condition. Some have complained about the brightness of the battery's blue LED but if you mount the battery to the underside of the bar or tube you won't see it.

The water resistant connectors are high quality and the cabling is durable and thick.

The battery is tiny, no bigger than my Garmin Edge305 cyclometer. The whole setup is lightweight. I wish the run time were longer (1hr30min or 3hrs). but hey my total commute is only 50 minutes so that's fine.

The new MiNewt X2 is supposed to be twice as bright but this model is in my opinion plenty bright enough and certainly brighter than my Vistalite standard.

Besides I saved almost $100 dollars and got the black housings I preferred. For less than the price of the Minewt X2 single I’ve got two LED beams that can be stacked or spread for maximum coverage/intensity.

Also you can always order the upgraded LED assemblies from the company since the battery assembly hasn't changed.

An outrageous deal for $150 for that price it earns 5 chilis for value. One wish would be to be able to switch one of the LEDs to save power, but honestly I never did that with my Vistalight system anyway.

Highly recommended at this price to anyone who wants a solid reliable, lighting system for commuting.

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Favorite Trail:   Stevens Creek Trail, MV

Duration Product Used:   Less than 1 month

Price Paid:    $149.00

Purchased At:   Amazon (Performance Bike)

Similar Products Used:   VistaLite NIGHTSTICK CODE 25

Bike Setup:   Ultimate Commuter Bike: 2002 Schwinn Mesa DSX. Garmin Edge 305. Crank Bros platform pedals. Topeak QR Beam Rack. Trek Rack Trunk. Cateye TL-LD1000 Rear Flasher.

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Submitted by Dredge Johnston a Weekend Warrior from Dublin

Date Reviewed: September 12, 2007

Strengths:    Strong light, good run time (4-6 hours), great flasher mode. Stays cool even after 2 hour rides. Smart charger.

Weaknesses:    short cord...meant only for stem mount. Blue indicator glow on light and battery is too bright for dark nights-stretched section of old innertube over, now can retain night-vision. Could use a better mount (newer models have addressed this), o-ring mount a hard to install or larger one slips when hitting road bumps. $$

Bottom Line:

Great light for pre-dawn rides. Medium focus spot perfect for riding at full speed (18-26mph) on rural roads and paved trails in pitch black. Wider general light allows side vision and to be seen. Smart charger makes it easy to take care of. Great flasher mode makes being seen in urban areas easy. (Pedestrians walking in same direction turn around to see what is coming because everything for 100+ yards is flashing).
Much more focused and useful than cygolight...that prevented riding confidently over ~16 mph at night.
Gave only 4 Chilis due to price. $120 for a light just seems a bit too dear...but i've kept it, so maybe i'm not too bright.

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Favorite Trail:   Okanawa Decline

Duration Product Used:   3 months

Price Paid:    $120.00

Purchased At:   performance

Similar Products Used:   misc dry-cell, cygolite night-rover

Bike Setup:   Specialized Allez Sport

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Submitted by Arthur Johnson from Arizona

Date Reviewed: July 30, 2007

Strengths:    small and easy to use. its just a plain simple light that works wonders on the trail for basic and agressive riding. its easy to install and take off.

Weaknesses:    charging time, but if you keep on top of charging it when you need to its not a problem.

Bottom Line:

you get what you pay for, which is not a bad thing, this is a small but surprisingly powerful light, great for handle bar or helmet mount.

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Duration Product Used:   3 months

Price Paid:    $140.00

Purchased At:   performance bike

Similar Products Used:   mag-lite and 2 small hose clamps

Bike Setup:   all mountiain freeride

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Submitted by Doug Greenall from Melbourne, Austalia

Date Reviewed: June 30, 2007

Strengths:    Very compact, light, strong light body, LED

Weaknesses:    Power botton a bit fidgity. took a litte time to mount light on bars. Bit $$$, but what's the price of safety??? Brighter = Better = $$$$

Bottom Line:

This light is by far the brightest commutter ligh I have ever used. Makes me ride real fast in traffic. Only issue i have really had is with the power button. Somtimes the button sticks, or does not register when i press it. But apart from that, it's a freakin sweet light. GO BUY ONE!!!!

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Favorite Trail:   You Yangs

Duration Product Used:   3 months

Price Paid:    $190.00

Purchased At:   Gran Prix Bicycles

Similar Products Used:   nothing as bright

Bike Setup:   Trek 9.8, Pace carbon forks, Middleburn crankset, Hope Mono Mini front brake, Paul Components rear V, White Industries ENO rear singlespeed hub.

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Submitted by David Hatley a Cross Country Rider from Sydney, Australia

Date Reviewed: June 4, 2007

Strengths:    Very light and compact, good battery life, adequate light

Weaknesses:    Mounting is a bit fiddly, but is quite secure when done.
No helmet mount, cord is a too short.
Indicator light is too bright.

Bottom Line:

A very good light for commuting, and would be adequate for cross country riding.
Because of its size it would be ideal as a helmet mounted light, if Niterider made a helmet mount for it. It needs to have either a longer cord, or have extension included to allow more flexibility in battery mounting.
The battery indicator light is bright blue, and is brighter than it needs to be, which does not help with night vision.

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Duration Product Used:   Less than 1 month

Price Paid:    $190.00

Purchased At:   eBay

Similar Products Used:   Various Halogen systems

Bike Setup:   Commuter

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Submitted by Richard a Cross Country Rider from Mentor Oh USA

Date Reviewed: March 18, 2007

Strengths:    Nice light for price

Weaknesses:    Impossible to remove from handlebar quickly. Their "quick release" consists of a stupid rubber "O" ring. You need a tool to remove it. Very inconvenient.

Bottom Line:

Come up with a better handlebar mount and one more system would have been sold (to me). Needs a longer connecting cord so the battery can be mounted someplace besides on the stem. My stem is too short to mount it as securely as I would want it. Could use a helmet mount.

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Duration Product Used: Tested or demo'ed only

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Submitted by Matt from Gainesville

Date Reviewed: January 26, 2007

Strengths:    - Long battery life
- White, LED light
- Very secure, versatile mounting hardware
- Attractive aesthetic
- Very light weight

Weaknesses:    - Charge indicator too bright
- Doesn't come with helmet mount
- Somewhat inconvenient to put on and take off

Bottom Line:

At one point, mine accumulated moisture in the lens housing after a short ride in the rain. It's not supposed to do this, and NiteRider sent me a new light housing - they were courteous in the process, with only a hint of hesitation. A few uses later, the moisture was completely gone before I even received the replacement unit. There was some variation in the pattern and brightness between the two housings in a side by side test, but the differences were pretty minor. I disassembled the new unit in order to clean the interior of the lens glass - it had a spidery film that wiped away.

Another small gripe is the choice of charge indicator color. Why must the battery unit glow blinding blue during use rather than a more subdued red? I don't know. This is why police cars have tactical red lights in the interior, so that you can see without losing your night vision.

A pretty good light overall, and a decent value. If I had to do it over, I'd get the MiNewt dual, as I don't need the extended battery life possible with the single.

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Duration Product Used:   6 months

Price Paid:    $160.00

Purchased At:   REI

Similar Products Used:   None. This is my first bike light.

Bike Setup:   MTB commuter with occasional off-road use

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Submitted by Roger Browne a Racer from Oxford

Date Reviewed: November 26, 2006

Strengths:    The first thing you notice is just how small this light and its compact battery are. They are as the name says Mi-Newt! I bought this light as a communter. If you wanting to ride trails at break neck speeds in the forests then i reckon your going to have to dig much dipper into your pockets. For getting from A-B down un-lit country roads this is a supurb setup. Good battery lenght and a no messing charge set up.

Weaknesses:    The mounting is a little fiddly. It works by the use of rubber rings which hook around your bar. This system is light weight and does attach to all bar sizes. A study quick release bracket would be nice.

Bottom Line:

A fantastic compact unit, ideal for a helmet mount back up for trail riding, but not as a main. Great light for the communter as its so light weight and un bulky. Good run times and no messing charge. I'm well impressed so far!

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Favorite Trail:   Anything fast or technical

Duration Product Used:   Less than 1 month

Purchased At:   Internet

Similar Products Used:   Old halogen Vistas, and lots of Cateye battery lights

Bike Setup:   Too many bikes to mention.

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Submitted by loren bolton a Weekend Warrior from great falls, montana, usa

Date Reviewed: November 19, 2006

Strengths:    very small, very light and very affordable compared to most other lights

Weaknesses:    not the brightest of all light but it is the brightest of all led lights

Bottom Line:

this light is amazingly small and provides a great amount of light for a single LED. It is very lite and will last for a good 3 hours on high. It even has a low battery indicator. It also recharges fairly quick. It is the fastest and easiest mounting light of all lights. If your looking for a light and don't need to light up the whole vally then this light will be perfect. It also makes a very good headlamp because its so small and lite that you can mount the light and battery on your helmet and don't have to mess with cables running down to your water pack.

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Favorite Trail:   big sky ski resort

Duration Product Used:   3 months

Price Paid:    $150.00

Purchased At:   kniker biker

Similar Products Used:   trail rat 2.0

Bike Setup:   freeride and all mountain

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Submitted by Tim a Cross Country Rider from Waterford Mich. U.S.A.

Date Reviewed: November 3, 2006

Strengths:    Weight,(8oz)., ease of use, setup, price, run time, (6 hr. at half power, 3 hr. at full) It is enough light for the commute at half power.

Weaknesses:    brightness.

Bottom Line:

I use this light for the commute to and from the trail. By itself in the trail it is a bit weak. But for My commute it is just awesome! It is 8 oz. complete when mounted on the bike. This is almost 12 oz. lighter than the trailrat! If You have younger eyes than Mine or ride with others then I think it would be adequate. When I hit the trails by Myself I switch on the H.I.D. It can be aimed almost anywhere. If You use Mary bars (like I do) this is important! I gave it 4 chilis only because it is not bright enough by itself in the trails.This might be due to leaf coverage(fall riding), making it hard to see the trail itself?

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Duration Product Used:   Less than 1 month

Purchased At:   Cycletherapy

Similar Products Used:   Niterider trailrat. Niterider H.I.D. helmet mount.

Bike Setup:   Oswald 29"

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Submitted by Jerry Harrison a Weekend Warrior from Edmonds, WA USA

Date Reviewed: November 2, 2006

Strengths:    No fuss battery, plug in and forget, charges fast, red indicator light when battery reaches 15% power remaining. Easy on and off. High, low and flashing mode. Led bulb should last forever.

Weaknesses:    Not as bright as the trail rat.

Bottom Line:

Good little light, battery lasts and lasts.

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Favorite Trail:   the one I am on

Duration Product Used:   Less than 1 month

Price Paid:    $149.00

Purchased At:   Bicycle Center

Similar Products Used:   Trail Rat

Reviews 1 - 14 (14 Reviews Total)

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NiteRider MiNewt Older Lights

Product Description

User Reviews

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