Commuting - Request satisfaction reports on HID lights

I would appreciate followup reports from those who have now been using the HID lighting systems from L & M, Cateye, Night Rider, etc. I am leaning toward the Night Rider system so I am particularly interested in hearing from those owners, but would certainly welcome comments from anyone. I know they all very bright so what I am looking for is performance over time, bulbs, chargers, etc. Have any weaknesses shown up over months of regular use? Bulb failures? Charger issues? Also, has anyone had an opportunity to compare two of the systems side by side? Are all the chargers "smart" chargers? After months of use, are battery run times living up to the 3-4 hours advertised?

I use a headlight on my 40-45 minute commute EVERY workday morning so if I am going to spend the big bucks I want to feel pretty good about long term durability/reliability.
Thanks,
Raymond

I use a NiteRider HID and love it. No problems in 9 months of daily commuter use in Los Angeles over last fall, winter, spring.
Dut to randonneuring experience, I've now switched to the Schmidt SON generator and dual lights. No charging, less weight.
Ron

I have a Cateye stadium 3. I don't need to use it at the moment, but I used it non-stop between October-March. My commute is 9.5miles each way.

The charge is very quick. It take 3 hours to charge it for 3 hours use. It's an intelligent charger with a little red led that 'winks out' once the charge has completed. If you leave it running then it's not a problem as it'll stop charging, probably why it's a smart charger :)

To charge you open the battery unit (that is in the shape of a bottle and so will fit into a bottle cage) and then attach a small charging unit to it. The charging unit isn't bulky and is to carry.

When the battery starts getting low then, a red led will light up on the ballast unit. This is an indicator that you have about 10 minutes of light left.

I haven't reached the three hour battery time yet, I think the most I done was just over two hours on one charge. Normally I'd charge it once a day at work.

I've had no problems in it's 6 month use, it switched on everytime, the light was consistant and it held up well with torrential downpours and cold mornings/evenings. No water entered any of the units.

The only minus-side to it is the ballast. The small box of electronics that gives the bulb the voltage it needs. So you need to attach it to the frame of the bike.

It's a minor problem, but adds about 10 seconds to the placing on/taking off of the unit.

The build quality is very good and has stood up well to a few knocks.

The thing with HID lights in general is that when the battery starts to get low the whole light will turn off. It doesn't get dimmer. Therefore, it can be wise to carry a small emergency light - just in case.

I haven't seen the Niterider HID so I can't comment on that, or say that this is better or worse. But I'm very happy with it and would recommend it to people who want that extra bit of clear light with a very wide beam pattern.

Hi Rainman,

As you know, I've already written a lot about the Light & Motion ARC light. I'll add some comments based on longer experience now, too.

I've had the thing for about ten months. I still love it. Here are the things I like:

(1) Brightness. Can see where I'm going. Cars give me a whole new world of RESPECT.

(2) Light pattern: very nice. To about 40 yards straight out in a relatively narrow cone of clear visibility, about half-a-lane wide at distance, with a very wide peripheral pattern of light.

(3) Color: the bluish tint makes it a bit easier for me to interpret objects at a distance and at the side.

(4) Well-designed handlebar mount. The light pivots in two dimensions, and can be turned horizontally by hand while riding. Yet, there is enough resistance to horizontal motion that the light will hold its position even on rough trails. The mount can be removed from the handlebar quickly with a few turns of a thumbscrew. So, it's easy to use the light on other bikes.

(5) The battery strap: there is a strap which holds the battery in the bottle cage, so the battery's locked in place no matter what you ride over.

(6) The battery's small, and relatively light.

(7) Run times: as advertised, even now. 3 hrs on high, 3.5 on lower power. Perhaps a bit under these times in very cold weather, but not much if so.

(8) Compact design: the light and ballast are one and the same. The only other part is the battery.

(9) Light warning: the light warns with a blinking light in the rear when the battery's low. It shuts off automatically.

(10) Quick charge: from empty to full in 4 hrs, less time with a partial charge to full. Smart charge prevents frying even if the battery's left on for way too long.

(11) Can use just the handlebar light even to ride offroad at night.

(12) Mount has a dedicated breakaway piece to prevent damage to the light or the other parts of the mount in a crash. The breakaway piece is replaceable, and the light comes with extra breakaway pieces.

(13) Customer service has been great. I lost a part, and L&M mailed it to me for free, no questions asked.

Things I don't like, or which even if I don't care about could be improved:

(1) Expensive.

(2) It would be nice to use the same light on the helmet or the handlebar. (I think there's an adaptor for the ARC, but I don't know for sure.)

(3) I would like some kind of cowling for the road, so that the light would direct less light upward. That would make things easier on pedestrians. Perhaps the cowling could have a reflective surface, to put more light back on the road. I'm thinking about making one if I have the time.

(4) There was a period during which the light wouldn't start about one time in five. But following the reset directions with the light always got it lit the second time. I cleaned the contacts-- not that I think this was the problem-- and now the light starts every time.

I haven't seen the NiteRider light, so I can't compare them directly.

As much commuting as you do, I think you'll be happy with an HID light.

Cheers,

One other thing: the light is either the same brightness as when I bought it, or slightly dimmer. I can't tell for sure.

I've used it a lot since last fall.

After reading Merriwether's great reviews (earlier) and looking at other reviews from cyclists, I sprung for the ARC HID light from Light + Motion. I ordered it from Colorado Cyclist, where it was selling for $300.

I purchased the light mostly for my commute, when the days start getting shorter, but also for night rides just for fun. I wanted the brightest light available, for safety and visibility.

I've only used it a few times so far, but I'm very satisfied. It's very, very, bright -- but I don't think I'd feel comfortable riding with less. Cars are very respectful at night. I think they appreciate that I make myself so visible. Often they will wave me through a stop sign even when they got there first.

If anyone has any other questions about the light, PM me.

Bottom line: Pricey, but one of the best available. I'm very happy with it.

Others probably offer this as well, but Nite Rider makes a retina-melting tail light that integrates very nicely into their head light system. I added the Nite Rider tail light to my commuter and perceived or at least imagined that cars stayed further back from me and became aware of me sooner than they had before. I ride at night across some very busy sections of Los Angeles, and worry much less about my tail light getting lost in the clutter than I did when I had just the clip on "blinkie."

I'll give another thumbs up to the L+M helmet mount HID system. I've had mine a few months, and it's been great. My only complaint is that the battery life is not what was advertized. I get about 2-2.5 hours, on high, no the advertized 3 hours. But oh well, small gripe. Get one and you won't be sorry.

I would appreciate followup reports from those who have now been using the HID lighting systems from L & M, Cateye, Night Rider, etc. I am leaning toward the Night Rider system so I am particularly interested in hearing from those owners, but would certainly welcome comments from anyone. I know they all very bright so what I am looking for is performance over time, bulbs, chargers, etc. Have any weaknesses shown up over months of regular use? Bulb failures? Charger issues? Also, has anyone had an opportunity to compare two of the systems side by side? Are all the chargers "smart" chargers? After months of use, are battery run times living up to the 3-4 hours advertised?

I use a headlight on my 40-45 minute commute EVERY workday morning so if I am going to spend the big bucks I want to feel pretty good about long term durability/reliability.
Thanks,
Raymond



What up RainmanP


The NiteRider Storm H.I.D is #1 of all the above brands. My wife and I both have this system, I think we're the only people in Brooklyn, NY with the H.I.D systems. Have a friend that has the Cateye H.I.D, now She wants a NiteRider Storm. :)

This is my 3rd Summer using the Storm system, and no problems at all. I'm still using the same bulb, and the battery run times are living up to the 4+ hours as advertised by NiteRider. The light rules at night, my wife and I get a lot of attention too, after all this is a beautiful blue/white light. Motorist respect us on the streets, and people be like WOW! WOW! http://smilies.crowd9.com/cwm/cwm/eek5.gifhttp://www.smilies.okipages.com/s/contrib/tweetz/scared.gifhttp://smilies.crowd9.com/otn/shocked/Wow1.gifhttp://www.smilies.okipages.com/s/otn/shocked/tdo12.gifhttp://www.gamers-forums.com/smilies/otn/shocked/eek.gifhttp://smilies.networkessence.net/s/otn/shocked/ylamazed.gif, but some people be hating on us cause we look nice. http://mysmilies.creativesell.net/ups/razor_wind/madani.gif

Everything can be seen very good at night with the Storm, all street signs glow, and everything else that can produced a reflective glow. I give the Storm a perfect 10 in beauty, performance, bulb life, 4+ hours of burn time, 13.2V Micro-Brute Charger.


Bottom line:

Get the the NiteRider Storm H.I.D sytem. :cool:


Check out this thread I started a while ago, it has some good infomation and pics.

The Ultimate Bike Light Setup, with Pics! (http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?s=&threadid=28170)


Peace. :beer:

Ringo