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Submitted by
Josh Glover
a Weekend Warrior
from Sturbridge, MA, U.S.A.
Date Reviewed: May 9, 2002 | | Favorite Trail: | Vietnam | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Price Paid: |
$120.00 | | Purchased At: | Bicylce Alley | | 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 | | Similar Products Used: | N/A | | Bike Setup: | Custom Cannondlae M400 frame, LX group set, Mavic 517's, Psylo XC | | 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! | Value Rating: Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Terry Hutt
a Weekend Warrior
from Running Springs, CA, USA
Date Reviewed: May 3, 2002 | | Duration Product Used: | 2 Years | | Price Paid: |
$100.00 | | 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. | | Similar Products Used: | Nightsun (caught fire), Zefal (cheesy), Cateye halogen (good) | | Bike Setup: | Serotta | | 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. | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Alexander
a Cross Country Rider
from Folsom, CA
Date Reviewed: October 9, 2001 | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$130.00 | | Purchased At: | pricepoint.com | | 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 | | Similar Products Used: | None | | Bike Setup: | Giant XTC-SE1 | | 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 ($$$!). | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Jeff
a Racer
from Chesapeake, VA
Date Reviewed: February 19, 2001 | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$139.00 | | Purchased At: | Conte's Bike Shop | | Strengths: | Surprisingly bright light and duration of well over 2 hours | | Weaknesses: | No automatic shutoff on charging and cable needs to be a little longer. | | Similar Products Used: | Battery based systems | | Bike Setup: | Concorde Road Bike / Mixture of Campy and Dura-Ace components | | Bottom Line: | This would be a great buy if the charge shut off automatically. Overall, I am still pleased with the light. | Value Rating: Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Kirk Pedrick
a Cross Country Rider
from Sicklerville
Date Reviewed: February 5, 2001 | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$139.00 | | Purchased At: | Colorado cyclist | | 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. | | Bike Setup: | Cannondale 800/Rock Shox jett/ LX / Rolf wheels | | 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. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Glenn
a Cross Country Rider
from Calgary Alberta, Canada
Date Reviewed: September 25, 2000 | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | 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. | | Similar Products Used: | Nitehawk, Nite stick | | Bike Setup: | Oryx True Temper Gold Hardtail. Atom 80 Z2. Full XTR 8 spd. Formula Evoluzione Disc. Mavic wheels | | 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 ! | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Joe
a
from Chula Vista,CA
Date Reviewed: June 26, 2000 | | Duration Product Used: | Tested or demo'ed only | | 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. | | Similar Products Used: | Digital Headtrip and Dig. Pro-12 Extreme (my current set-up), Dig. Night-Owl
| | 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.
| | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Thomas Musante
a Cross Country Rider
from San Mateo, CA,, USA
Date Reviewed: May 2, 2000 | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Strengths: | 10 watt light... very stong great on dark roadways... | | Weaknesses: | wire gets in way and is not set down on the helmet or anywhere else | | Bottom Line: | A great product that really makes you visable to motorist and other people | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Russell Seaton
a Weekend Warrior
from Kansas City
Date Reviewed: May 2, 2000 | | Favorite Trail: | paved roads | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Strengths: | Simple on/off switch. Reliable. | | Weaknesses: | 10 watts isn't nearly as good as 15 watts. | | Similar Products Used: | Niterider Digital Headtrip and Niterider Pro 6. | | Bike Setup: | road and mountain bike | | 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. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Scott Bays
a Cross-Country Rider
from Bonneau, SC
Date Reviewed: January 7, 2000 | | Favorite Trail: |
tsali, thompson loop | | Duration Product Used: |
3 months | | Strengths: |
Quality product, light weight | | Weaknesses: |
None (manual charger) | | Similar Products Used: |
Vistalite Nightstick | | Bike Setup: |
Cannondale Raven | | 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. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
BigAl
a Cross-Country Rider
from Ogden, UT
Date Reviewed: November 19, 1999 | | Favorite Trail: |
Skyline Trail | | Duration Product Used: |
1 Year | | 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. | | Bike Setup: |
GT XCR-1000, full XT | | 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. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Mongo
a Cross-Country Rider
from Sausalito, Ca
Date Reviewed: November 6, 1999 | | Favorite Trail: |
Drakeshead estero | | Duration Product Used: |
less than 1 month | | 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! | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Tony Wei
a Racer
from Piscataway, NJ
Date Reviewed: October 18, 1999 | | Favorite Trail: |
Mahlon Dickerson Reserv | | Duration Product Used: |
6 months | | Strengths: |
Size, brightness, reliability, build quality, NiMH battery. | | 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. | | Similar Products Used: |
NiteRider Digital Pro 12E | | Bike Setup: |
Cannondale Super V-1000. | | 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. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Joke
a Cross-Country Rider
from Berkeley
Date Reviewed: April 2, 1999 | | Duration Product Used: |
3 months | | Strengths: |
small battery
long run time | | Weaknesses: |
tight beam pattern
charging is guesswork | | Bottom Line: | good stand alone commuter light. expensive. need bar mount for off roading. best battery pack in the industry, but no smart charging. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
thos
a weekend warrior
from usa
Date Reviewed: February 18, 1999 | | Bottom Line: |
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. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
LoFe
a racer
from Lusby, MD
Date Reviewed: December 23, 1998 | | Bottom Line: |
Have had mine for a month or two now. Gets lots of regular use as a commuter light (offroad commute, too) and as a work-in-the-yard-after-dark headlamp. Love the weight and the run time (right around 2.5hrs). Definitely notice the difference between it (@10w) and my 15w NiteRider setups...but it's not so much as to be a big drawback. As a helmet mount (esp. combined with a 15w bar-mount) it's a great system for singletracking. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
¤Kordoroy¤
a weekend warrior
from NYC
Date Reviewed: December 21, 1998 | | Bottom Line: |
This was my first set of lights. from what i can tell, they are well worth the price, i paid $110 at my bike shop. on my first ride with them, they even outlasted a fellow riders Nightrider digital bar mounted lights. in total they lasted me well over 2 hours, abour 2 hours and a half, maybe more. the lights take sommetime getting use to (10minutes), but once you get it setup right, it if plenty of light to ride in darkness. good product, great price | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Ron B.
a cross-country rider
from Oklahoma
Date Reviewed: November 6, 1998 | | Bottom Line: |
I have had the Headtrip for around a month now and have nothing but good things to say about it.First of all the whole system is very compact. People are amazed when I show them how small my battery pack is compared to theirs. When I tell them the run time that I get out of it they are really amazed. So far my run times have been in the 2 hour and 10-15 minute range (close enough to Niteriders claims for me).The light that the Headtrip puts out is a nice bright, white light with a fairly tight beam. I won't say that the Headtrip is the brightest head mount light out there but it is very close. Part of this though is because the Headtrip uses a slightly wider spot than other head mounted lights. I'd guess that the Digital Headtrip set at the 15 watt setting would be super bright on the trail.The Niterider quality seems to be on par or better than anything out there. I have had no problems with either the Headtrip or my Pro 6 bar mount system.Overall everybody that I have show my Headtrip to has been very impressed as have I. At all of the night rides I've been to the Headtrip has outlasted many of the other brands head mounted lights. I still have yet to go on a ride long enough to fully use the Headtrips battery charge (I know the total run times because I discharge the batter the rest of the way when I get home and have timed it) and even after an hour and a half of constant use the light has the same brightness as when it was fully charged. One guy at the ride tonight has a Vista light on order but is going to cancle that order now after checking out my Headtrip. Once he found out how small the battery was, it's run time, looked at the beam brightness and pattern compared to other systems and found out how much cheaper the Headtrip was compared to the Vista light he was very impressed.My overall rating of this product is 5 chillie's when compared to everything else on the market at this time, but you have to remember that nothing is perfect and every thing can be improved upon. This is why I'm only giving it 4 chillies. It really is a great product that must be considered by anybody looking into a head mounted system. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
mike
a cross-country rider
from CT
Date Reviewed: October 23, 1998 | | Bottom Line: |
I chose niterider over nitesun because Niterider is a high quality, bulletproof product that exceeded my expectations on light output. The non digital headtrip (10watt)casts a focused beam several hundred feet and provides plenty of light for technical riding. The battery fits in a camelback or a jersey pocket. I have a six d-cell maglite for hiking that doesn't even come close to the headtrip. I Added a handlebar mount pro-six and it's like riding with a car headlight. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
KENN
a weekend warrior
from NY,NY
Date Reviewed: October 15, 1998 | | Bottom Line: |
I bought my headtrip under long and deep consideration....about 10 mins.....but i also bought a 15 wt bulb becase i thought that it wouldnt be brite enough,,,,well lets just say do not ride against opposing traffic with your light on, ull cause an accident and make many enemies as well...if this is the brightness of a one light system i cant see why u would need a two light,,,,also...eventhough you'll look like a coal miner...wear it on your helmet....(you can put it on your bar with an additional bracket, which i also bought) but look at it this way...ul wanna see where ur head is pointed....not ur bike,,,,i mean ofen the two can differ i.e. watching another biker without lights bear down on you as ur going right into his/ her path...and if ushould fall off of ur bike then u dont have to worry about the wire pulling ..possibly damging the wire or the light it self...well NITERIDER >>>>even though its kinda expensive.....you get what u pay for.... | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Robert Van den Heuvel
a weekend warrior
from Los Angeles
Date Reviewed: October 5, 1998 | | Bottom Line: |
This non-digital system was a bargain at $110 here in the Southland; who needs multiple settings lower than 10w? Doesn't make ANY sense to me. The light output is adequate on streets but not quite what I would like on the trail, although still quite impressive for 10w. The battery pack is ultra compact and light, and the beam seems brighter than my NightRider SuperSport, which is the same thing in the massive 'D'-battery version (6 batteries in a plastic housing which vibrates and jumps around the bottle cage - not good). Helmet mounting is superior in my opinion. Casual off-road OK; for moderate terrain or speed I would get something brighter. Great construction, decent mounting system, incredibly easy to use... Good first light. | | Overall Rating: |
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