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Last year, this light was called the Niterider Pro 700 Race and it retailed for $500. This year, with the same form factor and weight, the output is more than doubled to the Niterider Pro 1500 with 1500 lumens of claimed output. And the retail price drops from $500 to $350. This is the main reason why 2012 is such a great year for lights. Customers are simply getting more for less money.

The only real downside to all this progress is run time has dropped to 1.5 hours at full power compared to 2.5 hours last year. But there is a 'Standard' version as opposed to this 'Race' version. That one sports a bigger battery and bumps up the weight by about 150 grams. The good news is it's perfectly reasonable to run this light at half power most of the time. At medium level, this light lasts 3 hours. Then the user can just boost it to full power when needed.

So this unit is like a boost of energy for Niterider. It hits the sweet spot of light ouptut and affordability at the the enthusiast level of night riding. It is perfectly useable for aggressive trail riding by itself or paired with another light.

The light head has not increased in size over the years so it does get quite hot. It is now dissipating much more heat than before so adequate airflow is necessary is required when this light is used at the highest level.

Specifications:
  • Price: $350.00
  • Claimed Lumens: 1500 Lumens
  • Light Head Weight: 108 grams
  • Installed Weight: 496 grams
  • Run Time: 1.5 Hours
  • Measured MTBR Lux: 115 Lux
  • Measured Lumens: 1100 Lumens
Mounting:

Handlebar mounting is done with Niterider's beefy center mount. This 70 gram mount rivals the 108 gram light head in mass so it is a bit of overkill. But it puts the light right in front of the stem face plate and it can be aimed left to right and it can be removed easily.

Helmet mounting is included and the light can be aimed a little bit on the up and down direction.

Related Links
Mtbr Lights Shootout Main Page »
2012 Bike Lights Shootout »
Backyard Beam Pattern Comparisons »
Trail Beam Pattern Comparisons »
Light Meter Measurements »
Mtbr Lights Reviews »
Mtbr Lights Forum »

MTBR Light Meter Measurements:

This light claims 1500 lumens and we measured 1100 lumens in an integrating sphere. It's not bad but we would have been more pleased to see 1200 actual lumens to be in the range of industry averages for claimed vs. actual lumen output.

On the Mtbr Lux Meter, this measured in at 115 lux. That is very close to the Light and Motion Seca 1400 at 113 lux (claimed 1400 lumens). The Lupine Wilma TL is also at 113 lux (claimed 1100 lumens). Of these three lights, the Niterider 1500 is the cheapest at $350

Light Meter Charts and Comparison Table »

Strengths:
  • Excellent brightness at $350
  • Good lens optics and good beam pattern
  • Helmet and bar mounts are included with the system
  • 110 % brighter than last year and 30% cheaper.
  • Not too bright, not too dim.
Weaknesses:
  • 1.5 hour run time at high is short for the 'Race' model. But it can run well on medium and there is a 'Standard' model
  • Small light head can get quite hot
Bottom Line:

This a great light from Nitetrider that is light with excellent brightness. This is probably their best light since it is the most useable and versatile. One of these on the bars and one on the helmet would be a sweet package.

The beam pattern is wide and it looks great on our backyard beam pattern below. On the trail beam pattern you can see that it has nice width and nice throw, making the green 200 yard marker visible.

Beam Pattern Photos:



Backyard Beam Pattern Comparison Page »



Trail Beam Pattern Comparison Page »

Value Rating:

4.75 out of 5 Stars

Overall Rating:

4.75 out of 5 Stars

Related Links
Mtbr Lights Shootout Main Page »
2012 Bike Lights Shootout »
Backyard Beam Pattern Comparisons »
Trail Beam Pattern Comparisons »
Light Meter Measurements »
Mtbr Lights Reviews »
Mtbr Lights Forum »