How to Choose Bike Lights

This product is not available.
Small but mighty, this NiteRider headlight delivers up to 1,150 lumens to help your safely navigate your ride. It's easy to mount and remove from your handlebars, thanks to its quick-release tab.
Shop similar products
Imported.
View all NiteRider Bike Headlights| Best Use | Cycling |
|---|---|
| Bulb Type | LED |
| Number of Bulbs | 1 |
| Max Light Output (Lumens) | 1150 lumens |
| Headlight Mounting | Handlebar |
| Rechargeability | Rechargeable |
| Charge Time | 2.5 hours |
| Batteries | 1 lithium ion |
| Integrated Battery | Yes |
| Battery Life on High | 2 hours |
| Battery Life on Low | 15 hours |
| Battery Life Flashing | 13 hours |
| Weight | 4.59 ounces |
Adding a review will require a valid email for verification
The light works well and provides good visibility in dark conditions, but the mount is less than optimal. In basic street riding, the light has detached from the mount multiple times and flown off my handlebars - leaving if scratched up and surely reducing it's lifecycle. I'm already in the habit of regularly checking the light while riding to avoid any more tumbles when I should be focusing on the ride. I've tested NiteRider mounts at other stores and found plenty with similar attachment issues so I'm thinking this is more of a design flaw than one-off.
Although this provides ample light when riding, it has fallen off of the mounting (while riding on bumpy roads) and 3 times in a month, forcing me to stop to retrieve the light.
Just had a mountain bike crash while using this light, it flew of the mount. Luckily found the light since it was on at the time. It does not "click" in place when you slide it onto the mount, you have to physically push the lever up to get it to click and set into the light's notch, otherwise the light just slides back off. Even after "clicked" in, it does not take much to remove it. Definitely don't leave the light on the mount when not turned on, you'll probably not find it if you crash during the day unless it is sitting in the middle of the trail. I am also still testing how long this light lasts... have mostly used it on medium, and it still dies after only a couple hours. Doubt "high" or "medium" mode last as long as it states. Does light up the trail nicely while it is attached and working at least.
I like the light for it's compact size but the battery life is worse than on older models. On high it's claimed to last 2h, I did get 35 minutes on high, fully charged. Will return.
I bought this for around $50 because I wanted a front light that was high quality and would last for a while. While I'm sure this light is both of those things, I was surprised to run into a few inconveniences that I wouldn't expect on a high quality light designed for the handlebar. The attachment feature works great. The different setting are well thought out with three power levels, and then a flashing and emergency/walking level. You do have to do a bit of holding and clicking to get to flashing and emergency/walking. Two issues: The quick release is made of plastic, so it is a plastic 'spring' mechanism which holds the light in place. Obviously, plastic doesn't have a ton of natural spring to it, so it does not click into place on its own and must be manually clicked in every time. Of course, it's not clicked in or locked in any way, just moving a piece of plastic that I'm sure could move on its own out of place while riding. The light did fall off on the first bump of my first ride and got roughed up because I had assumed it would click in. The second issue is that the battery life isn't particularly great. It might provide 1150 lumens, but only for a short time since it went dark on me twice while riding the first two weeks. So you have to use it on the lower power settings if riding for more than 30 minutes (rough estimate, I didn't time it). I will probably be returning this item when I get around to it. Have been using daily for a few months.