When it comes to commuting, being seen is critical and NiteRider has delivered with the Lumina 650.

 

When you take it out of the box, it feels cool, strong.  The metal casing has some heft to it, clearly this is one light that is not going to fall to pieces if it takes a nosedive off of your bars. Included in the sturdy casing is a rubber gasket cover that seals out moisture and dirt from the USB port.  That USB port is critical.  The charging of a light is one of those things that needs to happen on a regular basis, so having the ability to use a USB cable is especially helpful at work if you notice that you are low on juice on the way in.  There is no need for a second charger.

The unit itself is incredibly bright, with four different power levels. These will give you from 1:30 to 18 hours of light.  In practice, I was charging it less than once every 2 weeks from a regular 20 minute evening commute.  I never ran out of power.

There is also a flashing mode. I tend to use this most. While the flash mode does not do a great job of showing you the road, it is very valuable to catch the eye of oncoming traffic.

The clip on the light goes around the handlebar and holds it securely in place.  It has a simple screw mechanism for installation or removal.  The light itself slides onto the holder and clicks into place.  I have heard of others having the light fall of the handlebar, but I never had this problem. I would assume that this would be more of an issue on the trails.  It should be easy enough to wrap a large rubber band around the light if you believe that vibrations could work it out.

 

Niterider video:

 

Unofficial video: 

 


Manufacturer: Niterider


Rating: 9 out of 10


Pros: Strong power, heavy duty casing, plenty of operating modes


Cons: Some have said it can fall off but I have not had that problem


Configuration:


Verdict:  A "must buy" for commuters


Website:  Niterider

 

Joomla template by a4joomla