"...I don't pretend for a second to possess the technical know how to compare this light to that one but what I can tell you is that it's damn bright, and bright enough to ride mountain bike trails flat out at night." REVIEW BY CRAIG BAYLIS, ENDURO PULSE

Bike light technology has come along way over the years.  I remember just 6 years ago buying what I thought was my first serious light with the intention of hitting the trails after dark. After plunging 100 clams on a tiny light, powered by 3 AAA batteries it was only good for lighting up my front tread, crawling along at 4km/h and nothing else.

Shoot forward to 2010 and here you can pick up a pure mountain bike light for under $200 with a claimed output of 900 lumens and burn time of 3 hours. Now I don't pretend for a second to possess the technical know how to compare this light to that one but what I can tell you is that it's damn bright, and bright enough to ride mountain bike trails flat out at night.

A Nitelights kit comes complete with everything to get you into night riding and to mount the light either on your handlebars or hemlet. The battery comes in a fabric pouch that simply velcro's around your stem. The weight of the battery at 211 grams is a little on the higher side from some dearer competitors but the weight is barely noticeable when your flying down a trail or railing the corners. If you choose to mount the light on your helmet there's an extension lead to either throw the light in your jersey pocket or mount on your frame.

The light itself mounts onto the handlebars by a rubber o-ring. The kit comes with two different sizes to suit the various bar widths. I found that after using the lights on my road bike all week when first changing to the mountain bike the light was slipping all over the bars on a technical rocky descent. Not the best place to have your bike feel like a disco! After some frustration and a trail side electrical tape repair it wasn't until I got home that I realised I still had the larger o-ring on board. Next ride on the same trails with the smaller o-ring and there was no movement at all.  It pays to read the manual first!

Nitelights are imported into Australia by a Canberra based company who started selling the lights tent to tent at the 2009 Scott 24 Hour. Whether your looking for your first set of serious lights for a teams 24 hour or a second set to work with your existing the Nitelights are a competively priced bright light.

Thumbs Up
» Price. Under $200 for a serious bike light
» Quick and easy mounting system
» Battery indicator light on the back of the light unit. Illuminates red when only 30 mins of battery life is left.

 
Thumbs Down
» Battery weight a little porky.

The Stats:
Claimed light output of 900 lumens
Light weight: 107 grams (including built in handlebar mounting bracket, cable and o-ring)
Battery weight: 210 grams (including pouch to mount under the stem or on the frame)
Total weight: 317 grams
Price: $176.00

More details: www.nitelights.com.au

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