Commuting - Nite Rider Trail Rat

Ok this is weird. I installed a new bulb in my Trail Rat last week but this morning was the first time I had used it since the new bulb. I was riding along at 4:30 this morning feeling so good about the nice temps and my really nice bright light when it went out. No warning no blinks or nothing. The battery was fully charged but the headlight just died. MMM this was scary cause its really dark and there are not just a few spots where the holes in the road could cause a pinch flat or crash. I slowed down and eased to the center of the lane. No cars behind me for at least a mile when all of a sudden the light just came back on. Now this headlight was originally equipped with a 10 watt bulb but I replaced it with a 15 watt and yes its a regulation NiteRider bulb so now what could have caused this? Did it over heat the circuitry in the headlight itself and then when it cooled off came back on? When it went out I hadn't hit any bumps nor was I riding on a rough road surface. I jiggled the light and gave it a couple of semi gentle whacks and it wouldn't go out again. Its just weird I tell ya. Any ideas (besides having another headlamp as a backup mounted on the bike.

I vote that a connection was loose.

I vote that a connection was loose.

erm, "When it went out I hadn't hit any bumps nor was I riding on a rough road surface. I jiggled the light and gave it a couple of semi gentle whacks and it wouldn't go out again."



Anyways, I have no idea but good thing it came back on :o

erm, "When it went out I hadn't hit any bumps nor was I riding on a rough road surface. I jiggled the light and gave it a couple of semi gentle whacks and it wouldn't go out again."



Anyways, I have no idea but good thing it came back on :o

Guess I'll have to try it again on Monday but I'll have a back up mounted too. Let me tell ya it was pretty freaky when it went out and then came back on just like nothing was wrong.

Ok this is weird. I installed a new bulb in my Trail Rat last week but this morning was the first time I had used it since the new bulb. I was riding along at 4:30 this morning feeling so good about the nice temps and my really nice bright light when it went out. No warning no blinks or nothing. The battery was fully charged but the headlight just died. MMM this was scary cause its really dark and there are not just a few spots where the holes in the road could cause a pinch flat or crash. I slowed down and eased to the center of the lane. No cars behind me for at least a mile when all of a sudden the light just came back on. Now this headlight was originally equipped with a 10 watt bulb but I replaced it with a 15 watt and yes its a regulation NiteRider bulb so now what could have caused this? Did it over heat the circuitry in the headlight itself and then when it cooled off came back on? When it went out I hadn't hit any bumps nor was I riding on a rough road surface. I jiggled the light and gave it a couple of semi gentle whacks and it wouldn't go out again. Its just weird I tell ya. Any ideas (besides having another headlamp as a backup mounted on the bike.

I have 2 10w NRTRs w/a UVTL and 2 PBSF blinkies. Also, a Cateye Opticube Sport as a last resort bailout...haven't had to use it, yet. I swap the HL usage week to week w/t one I'm NOT using as a HL to power the taillight as it only uses 1% of the battery power on flash mode.

The scenerio you described is very similar to what happened to me, except mine didn't come back on. NR replaced the HL w/no charge, but I got a second one, anyway. That's a VERY scarey feeling I didn't care to repeat. My homeward commute is between 11:30PM and 1:00AM as I work 2nd shift. Same reason I run SMPs...reduce commuting issues to a minimum. But, I agree it was probably a loose connection.

I have a trail rat as well, and ran into a connection issue - did the same thing.

I had a really good experience with nite rider repair service. Took a few weeks, but they repaired the connection for a nominal fee ($10 plus postage), On their website, their warranty/repair info is http://www.niterider.com/warranty.shtml

They did a nice job - for a few bucks, its saves you some time. The Tech actually called me to let me know what was wrong. In my book - A+ in service.