NiteRider Pro 2200 Race front light review

NiteRider’s Pro 2200 Race front light boasts a 5,200mAH battery pack and a 2,200-lumen output from its three head-unit mounted LEDs. It costs £300 / $374.99.

The battery pack (328g) and head unit (111g) casings are made from Dupont fibreglass-reinforced nylon, meeting the FL1 and IP64 dust and water resistance standards.

Straps are fitted to the battery pack for mounting and it has a rubberised, curved section to help it grip your bike’s frame without causing damage.

Included is a tool-free 35mm-diameter compatible handlebar mount (75g) with angle adjustment, which the head unit clips onto. A strapped helmet mount, plus an extender cable to connect the battery and lamp, are supplied.

There are seven modes – four constant and three flashing. The Race battery offers a claimed run time of 1hr 30 minutes at full power.

A four-LED traffic-light style indicator on the head unit shows remaining battery charge in eight increments.

NiteRider Pro 2200 Race performance

Attaching the NiteRider’s mount to the bars is easy and quick thanks to its tool-free clamp.

The head unit slides onto the mount, clipping in place. This makes removal and installation speedy and simple.

Its relatively wide clamping band (23mm) could interfere with other accessories also mounted to your handlebar, but the out-front head unit positioning helps keep the bar uncluttered.

The head unit’s mount plate is hinged, which means the light can be angled left or right. Up/down adjustment is limited to rotating the mount on the bar.

Thanks to the head unit’s low weight, it remains stable on rough descents.

Using plastic clipped, rather than Velcro, straps, the battery pack stays put once it’s attached to the frame. The clip straps continue to work even when they’re covered in mud, unlike Velcro.

A long cable (700mm) increases potential battery-mounting points, and the pre-installed Velcro cable tidy straps help keep it neat and out of the way.

On the trail

This mountain bike light has an impressive throw down the trail, providing good levels of illumination and making high-speed or rough, straighter sections of trail easy to ride confidently.

The LEDs emit a gentle green and white hue that’s easy on the eyes. Although they don’t make the forest pop with saturated colours, there’s more than enough definition to pick out trail obstacles.

There’s plenty of power on tap; its output feels as if it exceeds NiteRider’s claims without creating colour bleaching or hotspots.

On power alone, the Pro 2200 is well suited to being used on its own, but the beam’s spread limits its usefulness.

When riding tighter, twistier trails, the beam’s rather narrow width makes spotting lines on the exits of turns tricky, while also reducing orientating context on straighter ones.

Not only is its spread limited, the cut-off from light to dark is sharp. This makes the beam’s shape better suited to use as a helmet light, where the concentrated focus is directed where you’re looking.

Operation is simple, and the traffic light battery indicator is easy to read even on the move. However, the small mode button is tricky to reach and use when riding rough terrain.

While the traffic light battery indicator is good, not doubling up the LEDs as a mode indicator feels like a missed opportunity.

How long does the NiteRider Pro 2200 Race’s battery last?

Set to its highest 2,200-lumen output, the NiteRider Pro 2200 Race’s battery lasted 1.42 hours, shorter than NiteRider’s claims by five minutes.

NiteRider Pro 2200 Race bottom line

Thanks to a long beam throw, good LED colour and easy-to-understand functionality, riders who stick to straighter trails will appreciate the Pro 2200 Race's performance.

However, the beam’s shape limits its effectiveness in tight switchbacks, making it better suited to helmet mounting as a secondary light with a more powerful bar-mounted counterpart, although this is a costly option.