one4smoke

... or some other?

Durability, mounting ease and efficiency, functions, price, customer service...

Which do you prefer?

TimothyH

I prefer Light & Motion.

DomaneS5

I have two sets of Niterider head and tail lights that perform well. USB charging only takes 30 minutes for tail light and an hour for head light. I've been using them for 4 years now. I have the 750 and 900 model headlights. Only negative with Niterider is the headlight will interfere with Cateye wireless bike computers. I had to purchase wired Cateye (Velo 9) units to run with lights. I use MapMyRide app on smart phone, but I like to have the bike computer stats for odometer, etc... in case GPS craps out, which happens on occasion.

ksryder

Niterider headlights -- great lights, crap mounts.

No complaints with my Cygolite hotshot taillight. I've had it for 3-4 years?

Skipjacks

I've never used Niteriders but I hear good things

I use 4 Cygolites though and love them. I have no desire or need to try anything else.

I have 2 up front, a 460 lumen blinker with a directed beam and a 100 lumen blinker with a wide beam. The 100 gives me lateral viability. The 460 makes me visible from a mile straight away

Same in the back. 150 lumen directed blinker and 50 lumen wide angle.

All 4 have held up well. I've had them each between 1 and 4 years. All still hold a change well. They all are very visible in daylight. The mounts have all held up well. And if I ever lost one either due to the battery dying, the LED dying, or just falling off the bike and being crushed in traffic, they aren't terribly expensive to replace.

MEversbergII

I've had good experience with my Cygolite so far, though this time of year I don't do much riding in the dark.

jideta

Cygolite
Once lost the on/off button cover, they promptly sent it out to me no charge.
Rear light is crazy bright!

dim

I have 2 cygolites ... the older 50 and the new Hotshot Pro 200 .... the 200 is the brightest back light I have seen (the Dinotte is brighter but I have not seen any in my area)

My 50 is a few years old and my wife uses it ... you can see it from a mile away

Eric S.

I've been using Niterider for a few years, first a rather big 250 lumen light, then smaller Luminas (220 and now 650. Battery life on the 220s is starting to slip). They're a good company, too - I dropped the 250 and cracked the lens; they fixed it and sent it back for no charge. Later on I boogered up the USB port on one of the Lumina 220s and same deal - fixed it and sent it back for free.

Also, I always buy "older" lights (though still brand new). I got the Lumina 650 for $30 new on eBay.

mrt2you

one thing to keep in mind is the new cygolite tail lamp mounting brackets SUCK.
they used to have a nice clamp on part that went around the seat tube or the other special order seat stay bracket. there was a nice clip on the back of the light that slid into the slot on the bracket. they now sell a crappy bracket with a rubber band like thing that wraps around the seat tube or the stay that replaces the other brackets.
i just bought a 200. didn't like the mount bracket so i emailed cygolite and they sent me a "CLOTHING" bracket that is exactly like the old bracket NO CHARGE.
the first pic is the new light with the old bracket on it slid into the old seat tube bracket. the 2nd pic is the new crappy rubber band bracket. the 3rd pic is the old bracket on the old light..

Al_in_NH

We have 3 cygolite tail lights and 3 head lights. We use them almost every day. I ended up buying a USB charging block to keep them ready to go. We have one headlight that wont hold a charge for more than a couple of days when not in use, but other than that, they have been very reliable and we cannot complain about the run time. The new clamp shown above is a bummer though...

dim

here's the attachment from Cygolite if you don't like the rubber strap:



https://shop.cygolite.com/product.sc...&categoryId=-1

canklecat

Light & Motion headlights. The mounts are meh. I replaced mine with a Two-Fish mount. Any flashlight type strap mount would work, since it's a tapered cylindrical barrel shape. But the light quality is great. Less bulky than comparable lights, maybe a bit more aero. Good runtime per charge, long battery lifetime, and steady output per charge. It's what I use on my road bikes for nighttime rides up to 2-3 hours. And the plastic USB port covers break off too easily, but I haven't lost mine.

NiteRider headlights are pretty good -- and the mounts aren't bad. The shape wouldn't lend itself well to the Two-Fish or flashlight type replacement mounts. But the Lumina Micro 750 is a compromise in many ways. It's more of a 500 lumen light with turbo mode. At full output it's at 750 lumens for only a few minutes, after which the output decreases sharply and steadily. Unlike the L&M Urban 500, the NiteRider output decreases steadily until it's barely visible. Reportedly the non-Micro types have steadier output and longer runtime. But I'd consider the Lumina Micro suitable only for an hour, for commutes or errands. I use it on my hybrids for short rides. The USB port cover is much better designed than the L&M.

Cygolite Hotshot taillights -- best bang for the buck. Lightweight, good mounts, and the clip holds securely on my Serfas Speed Bag light loops. (I wouldn't trust the flimsy, dinky loop on my Lezyne Road Caddy bag, but that's the fault of the bag, not the Hotshot.) I have two, an earlier SL 50 and newer 150, for my road bikes. After a couple of years the battery runtime decreases so they'll need to be recharged after every use. When new I can go about three rides per charge.

Bontrager Flare 1 is an excellent value in a taillight that takes AAA batteries. Three modes, bright, not too bulky or heavy, only around $15. It's on my hybrid.

Blackburn 2'Fer and/or Click for helmet lights. Compact, lightweight, wide range visibility.

Cygolite thumbscrew type mount headlights have a reputation for fussy mounts.

MEversbergII

I got my hotshot in a set with the headlight back in April and it came with that clothing clip. Honestly not hugely fond since the clip isn't all that tight. It'll hold on OK, but when I sling it from the PALS on my backpack, it can get slipped up and off too easily when I set the pack down somewhere. Almost left it behind at the grocer last time I biked that way.

jgwilliams

Exposure for me all the way. But since that isn't what you asked ... the build quality of Niterider lights is certainly good and solid. As Fred commented, they will interfere with your wireless computer if you have one and I feel that the battery on my Lumina 750 was rather on the small side - YMMV. I thought the quality of the mount was ok, though nothing special. If you want flashing mode on the Lumina 750 it's a right pain to get to and I also don't like the way a single press will turn it on but you have to hold the button for ages to turn it off - never worked out the logic of that. On all of these faults my Exposure Strada shows how it should be done.

mrt2you

you will need a "CLOTHING" clip to attach the light to this bracket.
rubber band bracket on the left. clothing bracket on left. the brackets are rotated 180* from each other in the pic.
the brackets are held on to the light via the tab, seen in the pics, in the middle of the bracket. take a small pick, lift the tab and slide the bracket from the light. or you can swap them via the small screw at the holding the bracket pivot point. if you do this they will be much harder to remove from the bracket to charge the light.
once installed the clip end of the bracket, facing down on the table in pic, just slides into the seat post bracket in quoted pic and is held securely once it is fully slid in.
i got a FREE "CLOTHING" clip from cygolite after i emailed them about it.

jlockwood98

As you can see from the discussion above, your lighting choice may be determined more by the mounting brackets than by the light itself. I've used both Nightrider and Cygolight for years, and have not had any performance problems with either light.

For daytime rear strobe lights on my road bikes, I cannot use a seat-post mount due to the placement of my saddle bags. I have several models of rear Cygolites because they provide a seat-stay mount in addition to a seat-post mount. Some brands only provide a seat post mount. (I avoid attaching lights to clothing, backpacks or saddle bags, as they will rarely be pointing in the correct direction).

For the front lights, I find the Cygolite Zots have a slightly longer rubber band than the Nightrider Swift, so they tend to fit better on ergo-shaped handle bars.

For dedicated night riding, I still use Nightriders (various Lumina models -both helmet and handle-bar mounts) on my gravel and mountain bike.

Anyway, I think its important to consider your mounting options, particularly for the rear lights. Best if you can take your bike to a shop and try the mounting options.

hybridbkrdr

Sigma Roadster. Even at 16 Lux, it's enough for me. Bought it from xxcycle from France (to Canada). I would still buy one today if I wanted a bike light. The way it comes attaches to the bike and comes off is really cool. And, it takes 2 batteries.

ironwood

I've had a Cygolite Expillion 170 for a number of years. It is now obsolete, and 170 lumens doesn't seem much compared with what is available, but it gives enough light and still works after I don't know how many rechargings. But now I have a Kasai dynamo hub and Edulux light on the bike I usually ride, and it's much simpler to always have power. For me it is worth the extra money.

Altair 4

A little late to this, but I have a Cygolite Metro Pro 950. I like the light - good throw and spread. I'm less thrilled with its mount. There is the section that actually surrounds the handlebar and that's fine. But where the light slides onto the mount is attached by a screw to the base. Mine has a tendency to wander left or right, no matter how much I tighten the screw. I like the mounts from my old Planet Bike light better.

MEversbergII

Not seen that issue myself (yet). Have you tried a shim of some kind between the clipping part and the gripping part?

My main issue with the mount is the thumb screw is huge. Sort of would rather it had a hex-head screw mount or something - since the light itself comes off, I'm not sure why the mount needs anything readily removable like it is. Mine also likes to size up, apparently, as I wasn't able to get it off the other night to move it elsewhere.

TimothyH

It isn't what the OP asked for but I agree.

My main light is an Exposure Strada 1200, now discontinued and replaced by updated Strada models.

They are a considerable investment but worth every penny.


-Tim-

Altair 4

I'll have to try that shim idea. Maybe a small piece of inner tube material might work. I know what you mean about the thumb screw - it does limit where you can place the light on the bar. I haven't had the seize problem (but then again, I haven't tried to move mine lately, so who knows?).

MEversbergII

Yeah, a flat bit of tube is exactly what I had in mind.

I may have simply cross-threaded mine; low priority but I couldn't get it to unthread when I tried turning it with my hands the other day. Wanting to move it more inboard in the short term. Long term I'm thinking about replacing it - recycling the Metro 700 to my helmet as a helmet light, and getting something a little brighter for the bars (maybe a Metro 1000, maybe something like the L&M commuter series or even the Kryptonite brand lights).