Christophe Noel
Expedition Leader
With the Overland Journal adventure bike team headed to the 24 Hours of Old Pueblo, I thought this would be a good time to review another lighting system for the year. This newest Pro light from Nite Rider is frequently reviewed online, so I'll put a little overlander spin on this review.
Nite Rider Pro 1400
In a nutshell, the Pro 1400 is a two-lamp, fully programmable, Li-ion, rechargeable light system capable of 1400 lumens of retina searing light. It's also the most sophisticated lighting system on the market.
The 1400 is a serious piece of hardware. Pulling it from the box, I was instantly aware of the build quality. That sorta eased my buyer's remorse. The $850 MSRP price with spare battery is brutal. I was also slightly overwhelmed by the complexity of the system and it's many components. The unit comes with the lamp, battery, wall charger, battery tray, charging block, helmet and bar mounts, various small parts and a USB cord.
USB cord? Yep. This system, like the other Pro series lights, is compatible with Nite Rider's D.I.Y. software system. This allows users to connect their light to a PC (Mac users are outta luck) to customize the light output settings to their needs. This is where it gets highly complex. Each lamp can be independently, and almost infinitely, adjusted between 0 and 700 total lumens. It's difficult to quickly explain the full potential of the custom settings, but suffice it to say, this system has the ability to produce any beam of light you ask of it. Those settings are literally at your finger tip with the touch of the single, illuminated button atop the lamp body.
The lamp itself is impressive. Serious engineering went into the heat management and LED reflectors. Six small LEDs atop the lamp serve as light and battery management indicators. The mount is tool-free, and as solid as any light mount I've used. I like that it positions the lamp in front of the bars, and not atop the bars. That's just a safer location.
The battery system is slick. The battery mounts to the bike frame via a velcro affixed tray. This allows for quick detachement of the battery without having to fuss with velcro straps. I purchased a spare battery to make battery changes quick and easy.
For the overlander, this system is perhaps overkill. The battery system alone is not svelte. So, off the bat you're probably toting more weight per lumen than ideal for a multi-day trip. However, with the light set to 150 lumens for both lamps, your battery economy reaches more than 40 hours. If your backcountry trips include a few hours of late evening miles, that could be a week's worth of light or more on one charge. I can't see using this system for anything other than epic, week long bikepacking trips.
It's an impressive system. Is it worth the asking price? Maybe.
Nite Rider Pro 1400
In a nutshell, the Pro 1400 is a two-lamp, fully programmable, Li-ion, rechargeable light system capable of 1400 lumens of retina searing light. It's also the most sophisticated lighting system on the market.
The 1400 is a serious piece of hardware. Pulling it from the box, I was instantly aware of the build quality. That sorta eased my buyer's remorse. The $850 MSRP price with spare battery is brutal. I was also slightly overwhelmed by the complexity of the system and it's many components. The unit comes with the lamp, battery, wall charger, battery tray, charging block, helmet and bar mounts, various small parts and a USB cord.
USB cord? Yep. This system, like the other Pro series lights, is compatible with Nite Rider's D.I.Y. software system. This allows users to connect their light to a PC (Mac users are outta luck) to customize the light output settings to their needs. This is where it gets highly complex. Each lamp can be independently, and almost infinitely, adjusted between 0 and 700 total lumens. It's difficult to quickly explain the full potential of the custom settings, but suffice it to say, this system has the ability to produce any beam of light you ask of it. Those settings are literally at your finger tip with the touch of the single, illuminated button atop the lamp body.
The lamp itself is impressive. Serious engineering went into the heat management and LED reflectors. Six small LEDs atop the lamp serve as light and battery management indicators. The mount is tool-free, and as solid as any light mount I've used. I like that it positions the lamp in front of the bars, and not atop the bars. That's just a safer location.
The battery system is slick. The battery mounts to the bike frame via a velcro affixed tray. This allows for quick detachement of the battery without having to fuss with velcro straps. I purchased a spare battery to make battery changes quick and easy.
For the overlander, this system is perhaps overkill. The battery system alone is not svelte. So, off the bat you're probably toting more weight per lumen than ideal for a multi-day trip. However, with the light set to 150 lumens for both lamps, your battery economy reaches more than 40 hours. If your backcountry trips include a few hours of late evening miles, that could be a week's worth of light or more on one charge. I can't see using this system for anything other than epic, week long bikepacking trips.
It's an impressive system. Is it worth the asking price? Maybe.
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