surgtech1956

I'm looking at getting one of the following lights - NiteRider Sol, NiteRider MiNewt 250 Cordless, Light & Motion Vis 360 or Cygolite Expillion 180. I don't plan to do much night riding, just occasional dusk or dawn(daylight savings), there are some street lights. I want to be visible to traffic, plus see the road. Any recommendations or thoughts? Thanks

TerriB

I can tell you what NOT to buy; that would be the NR MiNewt 250 Cordless. Purchased about 3 months ago, used once and provided good lighting. Recharged light, pressed on button, light does not stay on...only flashes for milisecond each press of the button. Contacted NR company; return light for service. NR has nice lights when they work, however, you can't rely on them to work and consequently must always have a 2nd non-NR branded back-up light. Have heard excellent things about Cygo-Lites; many former NR owners use them.

doctor j

I have the Expilion 250. I use it on my helmet for after-work rides during the winter. Got it for Christmas 2010.

I have a Magic Shine 900 on the handle bar. The Expilion is the light I can aim through corners, and it adds to the total beam on straight section.

Before dark, I use the beacon mode to draw attention, and it works.

Generally, I can run the Expilion on medium or low and get plenty of light.

Thus far, it has been reliable.

I don't have any experience with the others. I am pleased with the Expilion.

ChrisO

I've also got the MS900/Expilion250 combo. I had purchased the Cygolite with the hopes of replacing the MS light (I really am looking to get rid of the external batteries/cables of the MS light).

I do like the Expilion a lot, and although it's noticably dimmer than the MS 900, it's still plenty bright for most conditions. Throwing out more light than a MS is a lot to ask afterall.

The lack of cables/external batteries is nice and it's easily portable. IF you're looking at the expilion 180, I'd give the 250 a look too.

I had an old Niterider lightset with the big water bottle battery. It was a great light- real bright and good ride time (battery life). I only stopped using it because the battery was so cumbersome. Can't really speak for any of their newer lights though.

pdlamb

It's been a few years since I bought a big rechargeable light, partly because I've had such good service with the two Cygolites I've bought. Good value, good lights, good run-time, good water-proofing (necessary for commuting), work well -- what's not to like?

I wore out the SLA battery on my first light, and they had replacement parts available for purchase. It's still going with the new battery, as far as I know, since I gave it to my daughter. Ran the newer one just last night, it's still going.

cyclist5

I use a Serfas TSL 250. It's just as good as Cygo-lite but I think it's like $10 cheaper at $120

DaveZ

I am using the NR 250; only had it a few months. So far, so good. Plently of light. I keep it on low except fot the couple miles of bike trail.

Looigi

I use a Planet Bike 2W blaze for dawn/dusk and collision avoidance, ~100+ lumens and run of 2AAs. Dedicated rechargeable lights are good for serious night riding, but if the battery isn't charged, you're hosed. With the AA Blaze, the batteries last quite a few hours (depending on high , low or flashing) and you can just stick in a new set in when needed. I get cars flashing their highs at me even on heavy overcast days using the Blaze in flash mode.

For more extensive nighttime excursions, I use a 700 lumen rechargeable with a Blaze as a backup.

cyclist5

The Serfas has a removable battery so you can hang on to a couple and swap them out as needed.

And what kind of 700 lumen light do you use?

jmonsw21

I've got the NR 250 cordless too and I just dropped it. IT JUST BROKE! RAH!!!! When I hook it up to the charger it lights up red and green but it won't turn on at any point. I would suggest fitting some kinda casing around it. I literally just dropped it from a little bit above hip level when I pulled a shirt out of my bag and didn't realize it was there. Learn from my errors!

trestlehed

TerriB wrote: I can't speak for the cordless NR lights, but I have had and currently have a couple NR's that work great, are light weight and always work flawleesly.
Currently I have the Niterider Minewt usb plus (110 lumens) and the new Minewt usb 150 (150 lumens). I'm always amazed how much bright light can come out of such a small, compact and lightweight system. I've never had any gripes about these lights.

Keep up the good work Niterider!

thcri

Has anybody ever tried the Trek Ion Rechargable? Our LBS has one but it is rated at 15000 candles but most rate theirs in Lumens. If I convert the candles it is way out there.

vmaniqui

check out this flashlight: https://www.dealextreme.com/p/flood-t...nt-3-aaa-26800

for the price you can't go wrong and for it's brightness, it's even better. i would say it's about 150-200 lumens (or more). i had 2 of these and can't speak highly enough (because it's just economically sound).

no1mad 

Have no experience with any of them, but one of the local shops has both NR and the Cygolight Expillion. If weight is any kind of a factor in your decision process, opt for the Cygo.

vmaniqui

this is just a 1 watt rechargeable bike light. not worth it's price of $99. go to dealextreme.com and you will find cree flashlight that you can use as bike light. they are way cheaper but so bright. i don't work for them but have bought those lights and i just love them (especially the price).

vmaniqui

if you're limited to these lights, my suggestion is go with the light and motion. i have a L&M 120 and i like it a lot. light is so small, it is so light and the beam is on a bright side.

Pug

Competitive Cyclist has the NR on sale for $110.

bullschuck

You can also find some really good deals on some New Old Stock NR Trinewts around the internets these days. I plugged it into qbike.com and could find some reputable online shops hawking it for < $200. That's a steal for a Trinewt. If I didn't already have a Minewt 200 and an MS 900 and an old NiteHawk Halogen, I'd probably bite. My Minewt battery has been rock solid for years.

NotTheOne

I've got the NiteRider MiNewt 250 cordless and it's been great so far. I haven't used it in the rain yet, so we'll see how that goes. The light is bright enough for poorly lit sections of bike trail, but if I had the money I would have honestly gotten something brighter - but I do a LOT of nighttime riding.