robertkat

I'm looking to get my bike set up with some good lights so I can commute. These look pretty nice. I'm curious if anyone has these. Are they worth it? Is the light beam enough, or would the double set be better?

https://www.niterider.com/prod_minewtx2.shtml

ax0n

In my opinion, eschew LEDs. I have the NR Evolution (not the Evolution Smart) which is a less expensive, brighter halogen with about 2.5 hours of run time.

Halogen is the ticket for compromise lighting (cost vs. performance). If you want the brightest you can get, then go HID. Personally, I'd go with a double halogen setup before I went HID because the halogen bulbs are a lot cheaper to replace if and when they burn out. Even HID burns out, and it's expensive to replace.

Industrial

Half of my daily commute is at night. On top of that, half of that is in pitch black darkness. I use the dual minewt setup and even stock, they were more than enough for me. I upgraded the LEDs in my set to the newest, most efficent models(Seoul p4, required soldering 2 points, very easy) and I get roughly 2x more light than stock. This is overkill for commuting and I now run my lights in dim(which is about the same light output as the stock LEDs in bright) most of the time unless I'm showing off. My runtimes have been around 1.5 hour on bright and 3 hours on dim with the stock leds and after my upgrade. I've cycled the battery pack at least 40 times and so far no change in battery life. The battery pack/control unit is very quirky when turning the light on, off or changing to strobe but once the light is on, it stays on. I've ridden through pouring rain with the lights on and they worked like a charm. I'm very pleased with this light setup.

It really depends on your commute which light setup will work best for you. I think a single minewt would be sufficent if your commute is through streets with street lamps. The stock LEDs and reflectors are plenty bright but it doesn't have much of a flood. It's a very bright small circle of light and a lil splash then nothing at all. Dual minewts are nice because you get either twice the light output or ~twice the coverage area depending on how you point them. If your commute takes you through trails, I'd recommend you get a single minewt and a dinotte helmet light.

HIDs and halogen are now relics IMO. The newest seoul p4 and cree xre LEDs are extremely bright and efficent.

edit: It looks like the 2008 model you linked already has either cree or seoul LEDs based on their claim of double the light output. My lights are 2007 models with Luxeon LEDs(stock). Aside from just the raw light output difference, the bright spot on the latest generation LEDs is about twice as big. I'm not sure if they changed the reflectors for 2008.

ax0n

I was JUST in a bike shop and compared all of the brand new NR models side by side.

If you need the run-time associated with LED's that's one thing, but it's the only advantage the MiNewt will have, other than cost.

barlows

I just built an LED light with 3 of the Seoul P4 LEDs, and invested less than $160, including battery, controller, everything. It took about 10 hours to build, and the performance is great. Not to mention, for that price the controller is completely programable. I found all of the steps and parts list at https://myfwyc.org/bikeled/DIY_LED_Bi...ing_Guide.html.

The new LEDs are far and away more efficient than HID or Halogen, and don't have the high replacement cost of HID, not to mention WAY longer bulb life. And with 720 lumens on the highest setting (1 amp draw), that 3 LED light is on par even with the HIDs for brightness. Don't let folks steer you away from the better LEDs without taking a look for yourself.

Steve

Industrial

I don't have the best camera or the best halogen light for comparison purposes but this should give you a good idea how bright the sorry little LEDs really are. Pictures taken in my covered patio which is completely dark(overcast tonight). My camera is just one of those compact sony cybershot things. It really does a horrible job in picking up anything other than the brightest spots in nightshots. All the pictures in real life would have a large area of dimmer light spill that the camera does not pick up. The distance to the backwall is roughly 15 feet. I used a brand new ryobi one 18v flashlight for comparison. It's one of those lights that come packaged with a cordless drill, pretty handy around the house.

MiNewt:


18v Ryobi one worklight with a fresh battery:


This picture taken at a construction site. The reflective tape looking stuff is a bit more than 100 yards away. Keep in mind, my camera sucks. The light is much brighter than this picture shows.

freako

Dollar for watt halogen are the best buy. You would have to spend upwards of $300 for a LED to get the brightness of a $100 halogen! In fact Cygolite makes a 16 watt halogen for $100. Of course if you can build one yourself as Barlows mentioned than that may be the better route-though it is one ugly light.

Industrial

First thing on their page is...a LED light. Don't think for a second that this company developed their own LEDs either. Everyone in the industry is using either the Cree XRE or Seoul P4 now.

Schwinnrider

The MiNewt looks like a good choice. I might suggest you also look at the DiNotte Ultralight. You can get one that uses rechargeable AAs OR Li-ion batteries. Their 5W light has just been redesigned and now they claim 200 lumens. I have one of the earliest 5W DiNottes that put out 120 lumens and it's really bright. I like the rechargeable AA choice, because batteries are cheap to replace once they won't take a charge.

edzo

the MiNewt X2 is all the light you'll ever need, unless you MTB at night...it doesn't quite have enough side wash for fast singletrack if mounted on the bars. on head it is great.

don't listen to the naysayers...this light is the business. led tech is very good

I have HID systems, halogen, and LED systems and i use the MiNewt X2 all the time
now because it is tiny, light, and throws a load of light

jbarros

well, I don't have much to compare it to, aside from my $18 cat-eye I had before. But the minewt is enough for my commute home at night with no fear. I've had motorcycles that didn't put out as much light, and I only need to charge it once a week, so I let it sit on the charger over the weekend, and don't worry about it during the week.

-- James

freako

I do a lot of touring and just plain riding as well as in a car. I have yet to see a bright LED, that's not to say their not out there; but their just too expensive for most riders to afford so their not being bought like halogen's are. In fact I rarely see a HID light!!! Again money plays into the equation. 95% of the lights I see on the road are dim halogen or LED lights and both styles are self contained battery units because they are the cheapest, followed by 3% brighter halogen with seperate battery, and 1% HID, and 1% generator lights that are also very dim in appearance. Heck, most cyclists I see don't even use a light!! My local LBS's, of which there are 6, don't even stock HID or the expensive brighter LED's because they cost too much and no wants to pay the money thus their special order only. I find it odd that someone will spend $5,000 on a bike either not use a light at all or buy a $30 dim light.

znomit

+1 on the minewt. I have the new x2 model. Was out riding with it on low power last week, didn't need any more!
You could not make a halogen or HID with the features this light has(reliability, weight, runtime, strobe and dim modes).

LEDs are actually pretty cheap, 12bucks will get you a Q5 cree and an optic. Expect to see prices come down soon once the novelty value wears off. The big problem is the LEDs are doubling in brightness every year almost, so your light quickly becomes out of date! Have just doubled the brightness of my el530 cateye by replacing the LED! Try that with a halogen.

barlows

+1 what znomit said. I just built that light 2 months ago thinking that the Seoul P4s were top dog, now the Q5 Crees are out. Too easy to get caught in the upgrade loop though. There's either enough light or there isn't.

Steve

BigMacFU

I've decided flashlights can be the cheapest, yet more powerful alternative to any "bike light," except maybe for HID's, the HID flashlights are just as expensive.