Opinions on headlamp

[li10up]

I currently have a Cygolite headlamp that has a huge bottle cage battery. It lights up the road really well but I'm wanting to get a headlamp that has a small battery. I've been looking at the NiteRider MiNewt Mini-USB Plus. Do any of you have this and if so, what do you think about it? I would be using it for road riding. Thanks.

[Becky]

I have a first-generation minewt which, IIRC, uses the same or similar LED as the mini-USB version. My minewt's light output is ~115 lumens on high.

I like it. It's very lightweight, and easily helmet-mounted. Nice tiny battery too. It's pretty bright, and is enough for "to see" lighting at slower speeds and/or areas with some ambient light. That said, I wouldn't go barrelling along at 20+ mph with it- it's not bright enough for that. I use mine as "to be seen" lighting year-round on my commuter, and as "to see" lighting during the summer. When it's dark-dark, I switch to the Trinewt because I feel more comfortable with more light and it allows me to travel faster without fearing that I'll out-run my light.

Could you mount your Cygolite on the bars and the minewt on your helmet?

[SheFly]

I agree with Becky - I love my MiNewt, but I wouldn't use it for long/fast road rides as it's not bright enough. I have used it for 'cross practices and local small rides, but also wouldn't use it at all for any MTB riding.

Commuting may be ok too.

That said, it is definitely convenient! I love the small battery. Nite Rider also makes a TriNewt which is brighter - you may want to check that out (same small bettery).

SheFly

[Eden]

I have a Minewt x2 for commuting. I like it a lot. It's small, bright and easy to mount. Right now I only have to use it in the evening, so I only have to charge it once every couple of weeks. It's bright enough to see by even when there's no street lights, but no, I wouldn't go charging around with abandon. I tend to slow down quite a bit. In general, unless it is complete darkness I use it on its low setting.

[Becky]

FWIW, my TriNewt battery is the same width as my MiNewt's, but almost twice as long. Just in case that matters....

[divingbiker]

I use a Dinotte 200L for commuting. I tried the Minewt, but the flash setting on it was too flickery for me; the Dinotte's flash is slower. I never ride with it in solid mode, because I don't need it to see, only to be seen. But it's plenty bright, and very easy on and off the bike. It uses 4 AA batteries, so I always have spares, even if my rechargeables go dead.

[pinkbikes]

You may like to have a look at these.

http://www.ayup.com.au/index.php

They have taken the Oz market by storm because they are lighter, brighter and easier to mount than nearly anything around. Weighs quite a bit less than the MinNewt but throws out 320lumens+. (MiNewt 110+)

I have used them on the road (one set) and MTB (helmet and handlebars) and wouldn't use anything else. Plus they come in damned pretty colours, which is always important!

They have quite a good export market in the USA - and the dollar is probably looking after you at the moment compared to ours, so that may bring the price to somewhere reasonable. Not sure on the pricing relative to the NiteRider products in the USA, but here in Oz it is the best bang for your buck that you can buy.

[Eden]

One thing about super bright lights.... If you will be doing a lot of riding where it is truly dark, then you may want one like that. If its pretty well lit and you need it for the dark parts in between or to be seen with, then super bright lights can be a bit obnoxious... you really blind people with them, especially if you are bike path rider - be sure to aim them very well. If they are on your bars, point them at the ground. If you have your light helmet mounted, be sure to look away from other riders. By all means, use a helmet light to alert drivers, but don't blind them either. A quick flash should be all it takes.

[PscyclePath]

I'll put in another plug for the Dinotte 200L, this is a nice, bright light (200 lumens) but also very small, compact, and versatile. Plus, they've got a sale going on at Nashbar ;-) As divingbiker mentioned, they run on 4 (rechargeable, preferably) AA batteries, and will run 2 3/4 hours in bright mode on a single set of batteries.

One of my riding buddies just upgraded from an L&M Vega to the Dinotte, and is really happy with it. I'm currently running an L&M Stella 200N, and the Dinotte is just as bright and a little more flexible as to where you can mount it. On the other hand, the Stella has a little wider beam when you get out in the really pitch-dark places.

Me, I'm extremely happy with the Stella. It was about $30 more than I could get the Dinotte for, but also gives me a 5-hour run time, full-on, on a single charge. I ride a lot at night, and that was a big deciding factor for me, at least...

[crazycanuck]

Pinkbikes, it's great to have another ay-up convert here!

[pinkbikes]

Pinkbikes, it's great to have another ay-up convert here!

Ooh yeah! I'm with you all the way crazycanuck! I just love them! I actually first got them to start riding trails at night before my first Dusk 2 Dawn race. I was a bit worried I'd scare myself silly riding trails at night but after the first half hour with everything I owned clenched up tight, I actually found I was enjoying myself. And the Ay-Ups were the reason. They were just so confidence-inspiring to ride behind!

DH actually bought the first ones they had (the Luxeons) not long after they first started making them (supporting the local manufacturer and all). But shortly after that they upgraded to the Crees and offered a sweet upgrade deal to recent buyers, so he upgraded and I inherited! Since then I've done a few races they've sponsored, so I have had access to buying their secondhand (only raced for 12 hours by funny people on mountain bikes) lights at reduced prices, so I upgraded the lamps only at a pretty savage discount. I have pretty gold on my helmet and racing green on the handlebars. Sometimes wish I'd waited until they started making the loud pink ones!

I did nearly blind my riding mates the first time I wore them and stopped for a chat though! It's hard to get out of the habit of looking people in the eye!

Can't believe I used to ride behind a horrid old Cateye lamp with two D-cell batteries in the bad old days! What was I thinking!?

[crazycanuck]

Last friday I went out to play with my lights in preparation for the 12hr next weekend. I had one on my helmet & one handlebar mounted.

I found the helmet mounted light on its own is plenty!!! I even had another chick comment that she could see my lights from a distance.

Never again will I buy another set of Cateyes!!!

[pinkbikes]

Good luck with the 12 hour. I assume it is the Alcoa? I read of it online.

I'll think of you almost finished as I start our team off in the Tre-X on Sunday morning. I'm doing the swimming leg (it's a cross country triathlon).

I'd better start doing some more night riding - our next 12 hour is February at Canungra.

[uforgot]

Last friday I went out to play with my lights in preparation for the 12hr next weekend. I had one on my helmet & one handlebar mounted.

I found the helmet mounted light on its own is plenty!!! I even had another chick comment that she could see my lights from a distance.
Never again will I buy another set of Cateyes!!!

I have a helmet mounted light too and it puts out more light than my handlebar mounted one also. The best part is that I paid around $10 for it on Steep and Cheap.

[li10up]

Thanks for the input and suggestions. I know the owner of the LBS so maybe he'll let me try out the MiNewt on one night ride. We typically ride at an avg. speed of 16-17mph with some speeds in the low 20s so I need a light that lights the road well enough to see - but I'm also trying to keep the price down. The MiNewt is inexpensive but I don't know if it would do the job. Taking out, recharging, and replacing four AA batteries sounds like a bit of a hassle to me. The MiNewt can be charge from a USB port so if I forget to charge my battery I could do so from work.