A small light with a solid feel, the NiteRider Lumina 1200 Boost kicks out a powerful beam for its compact proportions.
The light has a bright white hue and a good reach. There is reasonable peripheral visibility but the brightness does fall away at the sides quite rapidly – or at least it appears to. The central beam is so strong that I suspect the periphery just appears darker in contrast. It’s worth noting the Lux measurement of 280 at five metres, which is a serious level of fiercely channelled light.
The directness of that beam can make it feel a little like you’re riding down a tunnel, but this is when it’s in the highest Boost setting, and of course it can be run at a lower lumen level.
Running the light on full triggers a lot of memories of mountain-bike night riding and it is ideal for transforming dark singletrack into day, but unlikely to be the default mode for general road use. Unlike most of the other lights also on test, this model doesn't have any cut-outs in the housing to provide side illumination. It’s probably not a deal breaker, but it is a feature that I’ve come to expect in a road-specific front light.
The Lumina 1200 has seven modes: Low, Medium, High, Boost, Fast Flash, Pulse Flash and Walk. The maximum-power Boost mode can be accessed smoothly and quickly from any of the other modes by simply double-clicking the on/off button, which is a handy shortcut.
A further useful feature is a lockout operation that ensures the light isn’t switched on by accident when stored in your bag – press and hold for eight seconds to lock and unlock. It is charged via a standard micro-USB cable.
The bracket is a classic clamp style that is tightened easily by hand even when wearing gloves, and the light body slides onto the mount with a reassuring positive click. The mount swivels side to side so you can angle the light to suit your own riding preference, or move it temporarily to avoid dazzling another rider – very handy.
A helmet mount is available separately, although the Lumina’s relatively high weight (187g – including bar mount) makes this is a light that I'd prefer to keep on the bar.
The NiteRider is well made and its Boost mode means it’s equally at home off-road as it is on the urban commute. Therefore, it’s versatile across a mixed-terrain collection of bikes. Would it be my first choice for the road? Probably not, because for the equivalent cost there are other lights that (in my opinion) have a better beam pattern, but it is compact, well-featured and high quality.
How we tested
With winter on its way, now is the time to review your bike lights setup and invest in a new set if your lights are weak or you're in need of an update.
So we've put nine sets of the best front lights for around £100 to the test.
Other lights on test:
- Blackburn Dayblazer 1100
- Bontrager Ion Pro RT
- Cateye AMPP 1100
- Exposure Sirius MK9
- Knog PWR Road
- Lezyne Macro Drive 1300XXL
- Magicshine Allty 1000 DRL
- Ravemen PR1200
Product
| Brand | niterider |
| Price | 169.00 AUD,100.00 GBP,110.00 USD |
| Weight | 187.0000, GRAM () - including mount |
Features
| br_lightType | front |
| br_integratedBattery | yes |
| Features | Lumens: 1200 Lux (5m at full beam) 280 Run time (full beam): 60 minutes IP rating: N/A Battery capacity: N/A Modes: Seven including Pulse, Fast Flash, Walk and Boost |
