Long, Steve
Todd,
I bought one of the NR digital headtrips a number of years back and the
battery it came with, the deck of cards style, was reliable and
dependable. After abour three years, the runtime dropped down to around
55 minutes on the full 15W setting so I bought one of their new smart
batteries from them. I had many of the problems reported with that smart
battery. The light would just shut off for no reason on rides sometimes.
Niterider pretty much replaced my whole system in an effort to fix the
problem and they did it all for free. Yet my system was long out of
warranty. They re-did all the connections in the light housing, replaced
the cords and the housing for the battery itself yet it would still shut
down for no reason. I finally concluded that the new shapped smart
battery just didn't work well with the old system (or at least the
converter cord that allowed running an older style system with the new
battery) and bought a new Smart Evolution. I sold the old system, and
fortunately, NR does still offer batteries that should work well with
that system. When I was looking to buy a new battery, they didn't sell
that deck of cards shaped battery at that time. Maybe they figured out
that they still needed that "deck of cards" battery style.
So, after getting the new system, I haven't had a single problem with it
and the newer battery I bought to work with my old system still has
around 96% runtime in it. Basically, that gives me over three hours of
runtime with my two batteries. That's enough that I don't have to bring
a charger to work with me. I can commute 45 miles (total) and still be
fine on runtime.
In short, they seem to have worked out those bugs with that newer smart
battery and they did it, at least in my case, with class and style. I
couldn't have asked for better support than they gave me.
If you look at they new connections that they use and compare them with
the Light & Motion, they are far supperior and very heavy duty. Their
designs are versitile and allow ease of use. I think one of the problems
I had with the Light & Motion light that I'd bought was that it didn't
allow for easy removal from the helmet mount which I really needed.
Anyway, just my two bucks worth.
________________________________
From: obra-bounces@list.obra.org [mailto:obra-bounces@list.obra.org] On
Behalf Of Todd.Dye@CH2M.com
Sent: Monday, September 18, 2006 2:42 PM
To: tokarev1@ix.netcom.com; obra@list.obra.org
Subject: Re: [OBRA Chat] lights and such
Keith,
I don't want to scare you completely away from NiMH batteries, I just
wanted to give you fair warning that they aren't perfect like the
marketing department would have you believe. Most likely the problems
you've experienced with your niterider system are with the crappy
electronics not so much the NiCad battery. I ran a digital niterider
with a NiMH battery and have a number of friends who have also, and
we've all had problems like you mention. Hopefully niterider has gotten
those issues corrected, but it would take a lot of convincing to get me
to try another one.
I have an 18 mile round trip commute with about 4 of those miles in city
traffic, and the rest a mix of moderately traveled roads and some really
narrow dark country lanes with next to no traffic. I've got lots of
hills to deal with including a 19% grade 45mph roller coaster with a
stop sign at the bottom. It's such a varied mix of conditions I really
get a good feel for what does and doesn't work.
When I'm not running a HID, I use a Dinotte Ultra 3 Watt LED, and I like
it a lot. The 3W doesn't cut it at speeds above 25 mph, but I'm not
comfortable at those speeds with my 10 W or 15W halogen either. I'd say
the 3 watt LED is comparable to about a 10W halogen, maybe a little
less. The Dinotte Ultra 5 watt LED puts out a bit more light with a
wider beam pattern, and is probably more comparable to a 15W halogen
with a flood pattern. It doesn't project as far as a 15W halogen with a
spot beam.
The nice thing about the Dinotte lights is that they run on 4 AA NiMH
batteries. The beauty there is that you can carry an extra set of
batteries in your pack an extra set of AAs as a backup with minimal
weight penalty. And the battery packs are so small compared to a big
water bottle battery. I Velcro the battery under my stem and it's
completely out of the way. I like running the Dinotte in spring and
fall when it may not be full on dark in both directions on my commute,
so I'm not carrying the extra weight and bulk of the HID when I don't
really need that much light. It's also great for late evening training
rides in case you don't get home in time since it's so non-intrusive on
the bike and fits easily into a jersey pocket as well.
The other thing I really like is that since the Dinotte uses 4AAs, if
your batteries take a crap, you can get replacement NiMH batteries (and
spare charger) for really cheap (maybe $20 to $25) compared to replacing
a $80 to $100+ water bottle battery. I've got a charger at home and
one in my office, so I'm always able to charge batteries and run spares
since I've got a boatload of spare battereis for my digital camera.
When I'm using the HID, I put the Dinotte in my pack as a backup.
You are the only one who knows how much light you need for the
conditions you ride in. Some people are happy with the $20 throw away
LED lights out there and others insist that a $500+ HID is a must.
If you can find a shop that will let you test out some lights in person
that would be your best bet. Take two systems out at a time if they'll
let you and switch back and forth.
-Todd
________________________________
From: obra-bounces@list.obra.org [mailto:obra-bounces@list.obra.org] On
Behalf Of Keith A. Prior
Sent: Monday, September 18, 2006 1:17 PM
To: obra@list.obra.org
Subject: Re: [OBRA Chat] lights and such
Thank you everyone who has responded.
My main reason for switching to NMHi batteries is to not have to use
that dreadful
60 pound water bottle size battery. But some have mentioned that their
old clunker
NiCad batteries have outlasted a drawer full of the newer NiMHi
batteries and that
makes me rethink this whole switch.
I do need a light that can really light up the road as I often commute
through Washington
park and its REALLY dark up there during the fall winter months and you
need positive
ground illumination. Also when bombing down Cornell rd with wet glasses
and headlight
glare you really need the road illumination.
I have been happy with my 15W halogen that I run on flasher (dont get
cute) mode but oooh..
that battery!!
For the most part my NiteRider NiCad works good except for the big
honkin' battery and that little
lying charge indicator. You would be amazed how many times I have that
on charge all night
and I get up in the morning, turn it on and it reads a full charge then
I turn it off, get ready
and go out the door to find it showing RED. AGHH!!!
-K