Muscles Not Motors – Sept/Oct. 2010 Gear Guide

By
Ryan James Leclerc
Posted August 28th, 2010

The gang and I recently finished a post-work mountain bike ride in the dark and had to resort to a style of riding we call Brail Trail. As we were making our way out of the woods, a realization hit me just like the low-hanging branch that soon followed: light season is here. If you’re a biker and you don’t have a high-powered light system, you’re missing out, so please allow me to enlighten you with three excellent options for nighttime riding.
PRINCETON TEC PUSH
If you commute on your bike, good for you, but if you give it up later in the summer or fall just because it’s dark after work, shame on you. All you need is a high-powered bike light, and you can keep commuting until the snow flies, or heck, even while the snow flies, if you happen to be one of those super hardcore, diehard types. See and be seen, and keep on riding with the all-new Push by Princeton Tec, a sleek self-contained bike light ideal for nighttime commuting. The Push delivers 100 lumens of light using a single Maxbright LED to illuminate the road ahead, plus it features unique side-light tubes that emit flashing red light resulting in a 260 degree sphere of luminosity that makes you visible from the front as well as the side. Combined with a rear flasher, which is highly recommended and in some states required by law, you can be confident that motorists will see you regardless of the direction they’re coming. The Push can switch between high, low, or flash modes, and the side flash feature can be disabled when not needed. At the low setting, the 105 gram Push provides 63 hours of burn time using three AAA batteries. $49.99. www.princetontec.com.
LIGHT & MOTION SECA 1400
Mountain biking is another activity that doesn’t need to be compromised simply because the sun starts to set at a disheartening hour. As long as you’ve got a super-high-powered rechargeable light system, your post-work rides can continue until the snow flies, or heck, even while the snow flies if you’re just plain crazy. If riding into a snowstorm in the dark is your thing, good for you, but if you don’t have a light that is powerful and also waterproof, shame on you. The Light & Motion Seca 1400, with a maximum light output of 1400 lumens, is both super powerful and waterproof, and at just 500 grams it is also lightweight. Built with L & M’s all-new BiConic reflector, the Seca 1400 features an improved beam pattern which sculpts the light for a better center punch down the trail, while offering improved peripheral and foreground illumination. The Seca 1400 charges in only 2.5 hours and allows you to manage your battery life with multiple settings: low (10 hours of run time), medium (5 hours), and high (2.5 hours at 1400 lumens!), as well as flash mode and race mode, which skips the medium setting and toggles between low and high. Stick it on your handlebar or attach it to your helmet with the included mounts and light up the trail like a search and rescue helicopter. $699. www.bikelightingsystem.com.
NITERIDER MiNEWT .250 CORDLESS
If you’re a commuter who mountain bikes or a mountain biker who commutes and are looking for one light to do it all, good for you, but if you think that finding an affordable light that is great for both is easy, shame on you. Fortunately, you’re reading this column, and you’re about to discover the NiteRider MiNewt.250 Cordless. With an internal lithium-ion battery that can be charged in 4.5 hours through either the wall or your USB port at the office, the MiNewt.250 has a commuter’s needs in mind. With an ultrabright LED bulb capable of blasting 250 lumens at its highest setting, it also has the necessary light output required for cruising singletrack. It also delivers exceptional light quality thanks to the Borofloat glass lens that maximizes light transmission and has an efficient reflector resulting in a superior beam pattern. The 190 gram MiNewt.250 Cordless makes managing your battery life easy with a low-battery indicator, a flash mode, and three light levels: low (4.5 hours of run time), medium (3.5 hours), and high (2.5 hours at 250 lumens). A quick release mount for both your handlebar and helmet lets you choose from whence the light will shine. $129. www.niterider.com.