Electronics, Lighting, & Gadgets - Nightrider

Does anybody here ride with Nightrider lights? If so, which one? If you don't ride with one, but know a lot about them, which one would you suggest and why? Thanks.

I use the Trinewt.. Good light, the wireless option seems to be a waste of money.. 3.5 or 7 hour burn rate.. I can run the light in standard mode 90% of the time.. High beam is only necessary in a few spots or off-road..

Has anybody tried the Dual MiNewt X2?

I have both dual and single Minewt X2's. The dual is great if you don't need an extended run time. High only gets you about 1.5 hours, but low will double that and is still enough for most conditions.

They will sometimes need vertical adjustment after harsher bumps, but it's not a constant issue.

I find myself using the single more often since adding it, fwiw. I find it great for riding in areas with some area lighting. I can turn it to high for when I need it to see by but run low otherwise and get a nice amount of run time out of it while still being very visible.

If you need longer burn time of 2+ hours, and are relying on the bike's light to see by mostly (instead of having lots of street lights to light your way) you might look elsewhere than either of the X2's.

Dinotte makes some great lights and has more options.

I have the Tri-Newt and it works great for night riding. I primarily use it to ride the Santa Ana River Trail. It is bright enough to cruise at 20MPH; however, there are so many odd people walking around wearing all black.

As for the wireless unit, I think the only benefit for one would be if you decide to mount the light on your helmet. I just place the battery on the top-tube with the power button towards the seat. This position works perfectly for turning it on and off. The only issue I have with this setup is that my thighs will hit rub the battery if I stand.

I bought the light on Ebay with the MS Cashback and I will have gotten it for like $250 or so.

I have a NiteRider Sol but the issue is the battery (Li-Ion)......I just don't use it enough and the battery doesn't like sitting around unused for any length of time.
Now it won't charge properly and replacing it costs too much (in my opinion) so I went with the DiNotte AA rechargeable system. If the batteries go south, no biggie, just buy a few at the local Costco and I don’t have to replace it with a proprietary battery system.
The DiNotte approach is better suited for my needs as I only night ride due to the time change which lasts a few months out of the year here in SoCal.

I got the CygoLite Rover II XTRA led (http://tripxamerica.com/?p=165) could not be happier with it. The battery back fits in my water bottle cage, and last for a the time advertised on their site. Its also reallly bright...

My tri-newt began acting up a few weeks ago, yesterday it died. I had owned it 12 months. I could not find my receipt. Niterider said they would fix it under warranty, a short in the battery is suspected. I mailed off the light, the battery, and the charger yesterday, they expect a two week turn around time with shipping (6 to 7 days in thier hands, 6 to 7 total days shipping there and back?).

The bummer is that I am so accustomed to high lumen 5 AM commutes I am unwilling to commute using a cheap backup light. *sigh*

Does anybody here ride with Nightrider lights? If so, which one? If you don't ride with one, but know a lot about them, which one would you suggest and why? Thanks.

I've owned halogens in the past. The company is a good company but they have made some missteps. Their product is very well constructed but pricey. For the price you'd pay for any of their current offerings (not clearance price but full retail) you can do much, much better. Go look at the Magicshine thread. It's just not worth buying anything else at this point. It's hardly worth building anything:eek:;)

I've owned halogens in the past. The company is a good company but they have made some missteps. Their product is very well constructed but pricey. For the price you'd pay for any of their current offerings (not clearance price but full retail) you can do much, much better. Go look at the Magicshine thread. It's just not worth buying anything else at this point. It's hardly worth building anything:eek:;)


Truly a case of building a better mouse trap. Develop a decent design and then let economies of scale bring it down to a low price.:thumb:

I bought a Dinotte 800/400 package yesterday, and it arrived in my mailbox today. Now I can do a head to head comparison of Niterider and Dinotte when Niterider sends my trinewt back. Not a fair lumen to lumen comparison (500 Niterider and 800 Dinotte), but I can critique the construction and functionality of the two systems.

On todays club ride, the roadies seem to favor the minewts, but I don't think any of them are commuters. They don't know what to make of my uber-lumen tendencies, since they almost always ride in a group. But I bet the commuters understand. I had to tone down the Dinotte 400r taillight, its too bright for group rides on any of the flash or higher steady modes.

Nice thing about the Dinotte 800 handle bar lamp / 400 helmet lamp combo package, I am pretty sure I will always have a front light from now on - I can't see both failing at the same time. And with my tri-newt returned, I am confident I will never miss a commute again due to darkness.

Magicshine? I thought about it, but good products and good service from well established companies tend to attract me better.

I bought a Dinotte 800/400 package yesterday, and it arrived in my mailbox today. Now I can do a head to head comparison of Niterider and Dinotte when Niterider sends my trinewt back. Not a fair lumen to lumen comparison (500 Niterider and 800 Dinotte), but I can critique the construction and functionality of the two systems.

On todays club ride, the roadies seem to favor the minewts, but I don't think any of them are commuters. They don't know what to make of my uber-lumen tendencies, since they almost always ride in a group. But I bet the commuters understand. I had to tone down the Dinotte 400r taillight, its too bright for group rides on any of the flash or higher steady modes.

Nice thing about the Dinotte 800 handle bar lamp / 400 helmet lamp combo package, I am pretty sure I will always have a front light from now on - I can't see both failing at the same time. And with my tri-newt returned, I am confident I will never miss a commute again due to darkness.

Magicshine? I thought about it, but good products and good service from well established companies tend to attract me better.
Sounds like a dig. You could buy 3 or 4 MS900s for the price of the trinewt, and I don't know how much the dinotte costs, but I'm guessing >$200. Your prerogative, but you make it sound like the logical mind would never buy an $85 (from all accounts brighter) light.

Sounds like a dig. You could buy 3 or 4 MS900s for the price of the trinewt, and I don't know how much the dinotte costs, but I'm guessing >$200. Your prerogative, but you make it sound like the logical mind would never buy an $85 (from all accounts brighter) light.

Not meant to be a dig, but I see your point. I knew what I was buying in terms of quality and service with Dinotte, and that meant a lot to me. My recent interaction with Niterider warranty service seems to be going quite well, that also means a lot to me. Interchangeable parts between the front and back of the bike is a great thing with Dinotte. I am glad that magicshine exists, especially at that price point. But my experience with the other brands made me willing to pay more.

Not meant to be a dig, but I see your point. I knew what I was buying in terms of quality and service with Dinotte, and that meant a lot to me. My recent interaction with Niterider warranty service seems to be going quite well, that also means a lot to me. Interchangeable parts between the front and back of the bike is a great thing with Dinotte. I am glad that magicshine exists, especially at that price point. But my experience with the other brands made me willing to pay more.

Fair enough. And I hope Dinotte and Niterider see things like this. It encourages the high standard of customer service. It's the same reason I buy Park tools. They've really taken care of me in the past.

My tri-newt began acting up a few weeks ago, yesterday it died. I had owned it 12 months. I could not find my receipt. Niterider said they would fix it under warranty, a short in the battery is suspected. I mailed off the light, the battery, and the charger yesterday, they expect a two week turn around time with shipping (6 to 7 days in thier hands, 6 to 7 total days shipping there and back?).

The bummer is that I am so accustomed to high lumen 5 AM commutes I am unwilling to commute using a cheap backup light. *sigh*

Niterider has my trinewt back in my hands today, with a new cord on the light. It definetly fits into the battery way more snug after the repair. An excellent warranty experience, all in all. I can't help but notice that the turn around time was exactly two weeks to the day - just like they said, when you factor in post office holidays.