Anybody using those? I'm thinking about purchasing this light,but I'm not sure if they are good enough for using in the trails. I'm not planning on doing long night rides . I only intend to use them to extend rides a little beyond sunset time and to ride back home trough bike paths and fire roads. Long time ago I had the NiteRider blowtorch HID that I used for the ocasional 24 race. How would you compare both? I'm sure light technology has improved a lot in the last 15 years or so... Anyway, I guess I'm trying to decide if the Lumina 1200 is good enough to use on the trails or if it is only useful for road/commute.
NiteRider Lumina 1200 Boost
Pilas
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Anybody using those? I'm thinking about purchasing this light,but I'm not sure if they are good enough for using in the trails. I'm not planning on doing long night rides . I only intend to use them to extend rides a little beyond sunset time and to ride back home trough bike paths and fire roads. Long time ago I had the NiteRider blowtorch HID that I used for the ocasional 24 race. How would you compare both? I'm sure light technology has improved a lot in the last 15 years or so... Anyway, I guess I'm trying to decide if the Lumina 1200 is good enough to use on the trails or if it is only useful for road/commute.
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I have two 1100 boosts and they are well made and work fine. They are cool white led's, I am going to try a more neutral light to see if I can get better contrast. Mine are good for about 3 hours at half power FWIW.
I just got it, but haven't tried it out on the trails yet. I'm using it mounted on my helmet and it seems kind of heavy but definitely seems bright enough. For the trails I'm going to use to in conjunction with a handlebar-mounted light, but for urban rides I'd probably use the Lumina only.
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The 1200 is a decent bar mounted light for the purpose you mentioned. It's too heavy for helmet in my opinion. A 1200 on the bar and 850 micro on the helmet is a nice combo for inexpensive single cell all in one lights.
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Makes a much better bar light. Get an 850 micro for the helmet. Much lighter.
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For your intended usage this light should work fine. I don't own a Lumina and am not a big fan but they seem to be well liked by their owners, are inexpensive, and backed by a solid company with excellent customer service. Personally not being particularly impressed their beam pattern from riding with some Lumina users and from testing I've seen here's some links I think might be of value to you. First one is to a testing site that shows runtime vs. output and important if your considering the Lumina 1200 or any other single cell self-contained light. Initial output may be fine but dims gradually (or rapidly in the case of most of the Lumina lights) as battery charge diminishes.
We Test Lights | Lumina 1100 Boost Test and Review
If you plan on using the light helmet mounted and want self-contained (not my preference) I would Look at the Bontrager Ion 1300 ($100) + helmet mount ($20). I'm currently testing this light and it has a much more stable output throughout it's runtime + excellent output + a much smoother beam that's a little wider (compared to any Lumina I've seen).
http://forums.mtbr.com/lights-night-riding/bontrager-ion-1300-a-1086506.html
If you plan on using your light bar mounted I'd look at the Ravemen PR 1200/900 ($90/$75) or Ituo Wiz20 ($120). The 2 Ravemen lights have very nice beam patterns that work excellent for bike paths and off-raod. Wiz20 makes a little more power, has adjustable beam via changeable optics and programmable presets. Having 2 battery cells gives all these very stable output till the very end of their charge which is over 2 hrs for all of them.
https://www.rakclighting.com/collections/ravemen-pr-series
http://forums.mtbr.com/lights-night...cat-review;-updated-2017-raveman-cr-900-google-page-ranking-1200-a-1056844.html
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07DQHC972/ref=s9_dcacsd_dcoop_bw_cr_x__a_w
Mole
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1,442 Posts
I've been using Lumina's for years...started out with 600 lumen model, had a 750 and now a 900. I'm in New England and only use them in cold fall/winter temps using helmet mount. They are fine for my tight, wooded singletrack rides of about 2hrs. Been meaning to get a 'micro' version for helmet and put the bigger one on bars for better results but have done fine so far without. Good company, will repair and send back at a reasonable price if you have issues.
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I have 2 Lumina 900 Boosts I bought for myself and my daughter, in case we bumped up against darkness this season. First season we didn't get caught out there. I use one (alternating between the 2) for winter commuting now. BRIGHT WHITE light. But again, it's only commuting on a dark bike path. Not ripping down some tightly treed singletrack.
Great build quality and inexpensive.
After going through all the usual all-in-one economy lights, I definitely like the NiteRiders the best. Some of the others, which will go unnamed, cannot be fastened to my 35 mm mountain bike bars, and take a huge amount of force to slide them off the bar mount. The NiteRiders have been great so far, and their battery longevity has been stellar (despite the shitty reviews that are continually posted/linked at this site).
That said, if I can grow a pair so I can get out in the mountains at night and not worry about the cougars, bears, zombies and spirits, I will spend some more serious cash and buy a nicer set up. Something a little more in the cork sniffing category.
Great build quality and inexpensive.
After going through all the usual all-in-one economy lights, I definitely like the NiteRiders the best. Some of the others, which will go unnamed, cannot be fastened to my 35 mm mountain bike bars, and take a huge amount of force to slide them off the bar mount. The NiteRiders have been great so far, and their battery longevity has been stellar (despite the shitty reviews that are continually posted/linked at this site).
That said, if I can grow a pair so I can get out in the mountains at night and not worry about the cougars, bears, zombies and spirits, I will spend some more serious cash and buy a nicer set up. Something a little more in the cork sniffing category.
Thanks to all of you for sharing your thoughts. I did get the light and tried it last night. I was pleasantly surprised. More than enough light to navigate the trails. The only negative is the fact that you only get 1 hour of light while on Boost mode, so you can't really do any long night rides. I suppose you can turn the setting to low while climbing, and switch to Boost for descending...
I used mine with the handlebar mount. I think it would be too heavy to use with helmet mount. It may be a good idea to combine with a smaller helmet one as suggested previously on this thread...
I used mine with the handlebar mount. I think it would be too heavy to use with helmet mount. It may be a good idea to combine with a smaller helmet one as suggested previously on this thread...
Thanks for the suggestion. I don't do night rides on the mtb very often, so I'm thinking right now it will be 'good enough' but I'll see how I like it after a couple of rides.
I'm wondering if there is a way to put in a better battery to extend the shelf life??? Also, do you feel the Boost 1200 gives you a wide enough beam for the handlebars?
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My guess is you would be fine using the 1000 lumen high setting for most trail situations. That alone would give you an extra 30 min.+ you still can use low on the climbs and boost if you feel the need for more light.
Mole
Thanks Mole, that makes sense. I'm fairly new to this whole mountain biking thing so this will be my first winter having to night ride. I live in South Florida where the local trails are relatively flat, not a whole lot of climbing! They are, however, rather narrow, curvy and lined with trees and bushes so I want to make sure I get a light that covers me without breaking the bank.
Based on my experience yesterday, this light will work fine. If you use it on your handlebar, be aware that it is a bit more difficult while cornering at night. It may help to have an additional helmet light so you can see where you are looking, versus seeing only what the handlebar is pointing at.
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I saw this on the Niterider Lumina 1200 site.
Mole
Wondering if any of you 1200 owners that also own older Lumina's have noticed a difference? I also saw some beam shots that looked to have a wider and smoother beam but haven't been able to find them again (sorry).
Mole
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2,773 Posts
You stated how you intend to use the light, however consider that you may enjoy the night rides and end up spending more times on different trails.
This is my first season doing night rides. I have a Lumina 950 boost helmet mounted and an E-Lume 1200 on the bar. The setup is plenty of light. The 1200 bar light is very bright, however it induces shadows as it is a horizontal light for the most part. Having a complimentary light on the helmet can help reduce shadows due to the increased angle of light beam.
Having never used lights before I feel my combination actually works well. The Lumina has a great round spot beam with a dimmer flood that further extends beyond the spot. Neither beam is 'narrow' so to speak. The Serfas seems to do a good job of lighting up the width of the trail nicely. Perhaps because it is bar mounted and more of a horizontal illumination it appears to be a wider spread than the Lumina.
I can run the pair of lights on low for climbing. Medium for medium quick paced singletrack and I switch to full power on faster descents.
My rides last around 2 hours to 2.5 hours and the first 30 to 45 minutes haven't required a light yet. Come next week the entire ride will probably require a light. So far the lights haven't seemed to be nearly dead by the end. I assume that with changing the power levels throughout the ride will allow me full 2.5 hours of use.
Both of my lights take about 2.5 hours to fully charge using a 2a charger from full dead.
My rides are typically only single track dirt. I have done 2 or 3 road bike rides on a bike path. Actually yes, 2 rides with just a helmet mounted niterider which is perfectly fine. And one ride with both lights mentioned above.
Niterider does have a special requirement to enable boost mode, at least my 950 boost does. You must quickly double-press the button to engage Boost. Not a deal breaker but is something you should be aware of. On is low, then press for medium, press for high, then double-press for Boost. The next click drops it back down to high.
One last thing to consider. The Lumina will interfere with my wireless CatEye bike computer when bar mounted. The Serfas can be bar mounted without interfering with the bike computer. If you happen to have a wireless computer you may wish to test for interference before your first night ride.
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Yup. Boost mode sucks the life out of it quickly. Only run the lumens you need to see well. Climb on low, and if you take a quick break, shut them off or at least turn to low. My friends have them and never use boost mode. Get an 850 micro for your helmet. They are inexpensive and will help see while you turn your head as another poster said. I feel bar and helmet are the perfect combo on the trail. I wouldn’t ride without both. Never have.
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I have the Lumina 900 Boost taillight combo and two clips, one for my road bike and one for MTB. Mostly for the dawn/dusk hours. Works great on the road bike, pops out of the mount(I tried both mounts) on bumpy MTB trails.
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I hear ya...Big difference between cougars/bears vs zombies/spirits! I see plenty of wildlife in CT but none have fangs and claws that will rip your head off. That would def factor into my decision to ride at night if I was in your area.
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I actually don't think it's that bad, wildlife-wise. I have researched the issue as well as I can, and I have found no evidence that the risk of an encounter is worse at night than during the day.
On a ride I did last night I bumped right up against darkness. I got out late and was pushing myself hard from the word go. During the ride I got more freaked out over seeing a wheelbarrow and shovels sitting the middle of nowhere than anything else. I had visions of some freaky dudes waiting to pounce on me and use the tools to dig my grave. LMFAO!
On my way out, I saw about 3 groups of 2 coming in with lights. They all looked super stoked. I need to challenge my comfort zone on this I think.
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