Niterider Lumina Max 2500 review

The Niterider Lumina Max 2500's all-in-one form factor (224g) is made from Dupont-branded fibreglass-reinforced nylon with a ribbed aluminium heatsink. It meets the IP64 dust and waterproof standard, and its 2,500-lumen maximum output is emitted from one single lens.

The size-adjustable tool-free bar mount (42g) attaches to the light with a sliding clip mechanism. It makes fitment and removal easy, plus it’s compatible with 31.8mm and 35mm handlebar diameters.

The Lumina Max 2500 has two illuminated top-mounted buttons, one to toggle the light into a higher power setting and one to switch to a lower power. These double up as mode indicators. Also present is an eight-stage traffic-light style battery indicator.

Run times range from 18 hours in its lowest 80-lumen setting to 45 minutes in boost mode. It has eight modes; five constant and three flashing. A single USB-C port is located on the underside of the light for charging.

Niterider’s NiteLink tech is also included, where the Lumina Max 2500’s buttons can be used to control a compatible rear light wirelessly.

Niterider Lumina Max 2500 performance

The Lumina Max 2500 lives up to its 2,500-lumen output claims, with the central portion of the light’s beam pattern having an intense focal point.

This means technical features within that focal point are well-lit and easy to spot, but if the beam was more spread out, it would feel like it had less power.

Along with the rather concentrated nature of the beam, its shape is rounded and has increasingly harsh side cut-offs the closer to the light’s source you look.

On the trail, this lack of up-close beam spread made tackling sharp switchbacks or twisting singletrack tricky because lines on the exits of turns or the peripheries of the trail remained in the dark.

Context on the trail was very limited, and speeds on technical sections needed to be reduced to stay safe when riding at night.

Wider, more open sections with fewer turns were dispatched with ease, however, with the light providing more than enough power to see.

The beam pattern felt well-suited to mounting on a helmet, where its intense focal point would work, to accompany a more powerful bar-mounted light.

However, the all-in-one form factor and weight could be prohibitive for lid mounting, despite Niterider selling compatible mounts.

The beam’s yellow/white hue made it easy on the eyes, with little to no harshness or bleaching of colours on the trail, even in the focused, central portion of the beam. Contrast and definition weren’t lacking, either.

Its two-button operation is simple and easy to understand – one increases power, the other decreases it.

These buttons are illuminated and double up as mode indicators. There’s also a traffic-light style battery charge indicator that’s quick and easy to interpret, even on the move.

In our run-time test on full power, the light lasted for just 41 minutes, four minutes shorter than Niterider’s claims.

Benefitting from tool-free fitting and a fairly narrow clamp width, the mount is easy to swap between bikes and doesn’t take up much space on the handlebar.

It is quite tall, however, and in a crash the light’s body is likely to be in harm’s way. The slide-clip mechanism makes the unit easy to put on and take off the mount, though.

Despite the thumbwheel clamp making it easy to securely fasten the mount to the bar, over rough terrain the light tended to bounce or vibrate.

Although it never shifted its position, the bouncing caused its beam to shimmer, which could be distracting for some.

Niterider Lumina Max 2500 bottom line

Thanks to illuminated buttons, uncomplicated mode operation and a tool-free bar mount, the Lumina Max 2500 is an easy light to live with and simple to learn how to use.

However, a focused beam pattern – that’s better suited to helmet mounting – means technical trails aren’t as well lit as they could be given the power on offer. For the cost and weight, there are better lights out there.