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review
Lights - front
Niterider Lightning Bug 3.0

Niterider Lightning Bug 3.0

7
by Shaun Audane
UPDATED Thu, Oct 15, 2015 04:24

First Published Nov 22, 2011

0
£14.99

VERDICT:

7
10
Don't be fooled by the cutesy looks, this little light packs a punch
Weight: 
35g
Contact: 
www.2pure.co.uk
How we test

At road.cc every product is thoroughly tested for as long as it takes to get a proper insight into how well it works. Our reviewers are experienced cyclists that we trust to be objective. While we strive to ensure that opinions expressed are backed up by facts, reviews are by their nature an informed opinion, not a definitive verdict. We don't intentionally try to break anything (except locks) but we do try to look for weak points in any design. The overall score is not just an average of the other scores: it reflects both a product's function and value – with value determined by how a product compares with items of similar spec, quality, and price.

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Much to the relief of the macho types and, I suppose, goths Nite Rider's Lightning bug 3.0 also comes in black, as well as white, red, blue and green… and the pink version tested here. Indeed a black one has alternated between helmet peaks and the Univega's prodigious WTB drops for the past twelve months, rescuing us when more sophisticated see-by systems got the sulks. Brilliant as a dynamo companion thanks to solid build and output quality, and it certainly captured the imagination of younger children who might otherwise ride without any form of illumination.

Styled in a cute insect caricature, the 3.0 is the biggest in the Lightning bug family, sporting three super bright LEDs powered by a CR2450 watch cell. Delicate internals sit inside a weather sealed silicone monocoque with looped legs that embrace the full zodiac of handlebar diameters before hooking tight to the sturdy plastic shell. Encasing the positive, centre-mounted switch within the protective jelly keeps the elements out and makes engagement easy in gloved or bare digits. Snow, rain, sleet and plummeting temperatures have made negligible impression. A torrential jet of water fired at point blank range for five minutes demanded some water displacer surgery but the hardy little bug was good as new given time to dry at room temperature with its battery removed.

Three simple, attention grabbing modes (high, low and flashing) return between fifty two and ninety seven hours with a cost implication of around £4 per annum used daily for an hour or so. Output is equally impressive-to around four hundred yards-even along pitch-black lanes on a clear night, dropping to three hundred, maybe three-fifty when things turn cloudy. High seems the best choice through town centres since flashing was often lost in the competing neon din of bars, taxi firms and takeaways but snared driver attention faster at roundabouts and junctions. Shop around and you can find it for a good few quid less than the list price too.

Verdict

Don't be fooled by the cutesy looks, this little light packs a punch

 

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road.cc test report

Make and model: Niterider Lightning Bug 30

Size tested: Pink

Tell us what the light is for, and who it's aimed at. What do the manufacturers say about it? How does that compare to your own feelings about it?

"Introducing the Lightning Bug 3.0 front light, these lights were designed with the same quality and attention to detail as our high end bike lights. Battery installation, mounting and operation can practically be done with your eyes closed.

Due to the ease of installation and their small size, they are quickly removed and stowed into your pocket. The 3 super bright LEDs ensure that you don't go unnoticed on the road"! Generally agree, although roadside battery exchanges aren't quite so easy in the back of beyond!

Tell us some more about the technical aspects of the light?

3 pronounced LEDS, switch and delicate internals cocooned in a protective silicone sandwich with intergral bug legs that loop around the bars and hook to the plastic outer shell. powered by a single watch type CR2045 cell.

Rate the light for quality of construction:
 
7/10
Rate the light for design and ease of use. How simple was the light to use?
 
8/10

A doddle- even on the fly wearing winter weight gloves but despite easy access to the tray, roadside battery changes weren't quite so effortless in the dead of night.

Rate the light for the design and usability of the clamping system/s
 
9/10
Rate the light for waterproofing. How did it stand up to the elements?
 
8/10

Generally very good but a time honoured slither of vaseline on the battery contacts wouldn't go amiss.

Rate the light for battery life. How long did it last? How long did it take to recharge?
 
8/10

Between 52 and 97 hrs or £4 per anum used daily.

Rate the light for performance:
 
7/10
Rate the light for durability:
 
7/10

Tougher than it looks.

Rate the light for weight, if applicable:
 
8/10
Rate the light for comfort, if applicable:
 
7/10
Rate the light for value:
 
7/10

Tell us how the light performed overall when used for its designed purpose

Cutesy animated features appeal to all ages-especially kids but depress the switch and those three LEDs pump out a very bright, business-like white beam that nags even the most myopic drivers to around 400 yards in flashing modes and three hundred steady. Perfect for pre standlight dynamos, ours have survived the odd winter spill without so much as a scuff to the hard plastic shells and the run times speak for themselves.

Tell us what you particularly liked about the light

Cute styling and great power to size ratio.

Tell us what you particularly disliked about the light

Nothing given the design brief.

Did you enjoy using the light? Yes

Would you consider buying the light? Yes

Would you recommend the light to a friend? Yes

Overall rating: 7/10

About the tester

Age: 38  Height: 1m 81  Weight: 70 kilos

I usually ride: Rough Stuff Tourer Based around 4130 Univega mtb Frameset  My best bike is: 1955 Holdsworth Road Path and several others including cross & traditional road

I've been riding for: Over 20 years  I ride: Most days  I would class myself as: Experienced

I regularly do the following types of riding: cyclo cross, commuting, touring, fixed/singlespeed, mtb,

 

Niterider Lightning Bug 30
NiteRider
LED commuter light
Commuter light
Shaun Audane

Shaun Audane is a freelance writer/product tester with over twenty-eight years riding experience, the last twelve (120,000 miles) spent putting bikes and kit through their paces for a variety of publications. Previous generations of his family worked at manufacturing's sharp end, thus Shaun can weld, has a sound understanding of frame building practice and a preference for steel or titanium framesets.
Citing Richard Ballantine and an Au pair as his earliest cycling influences, he is presently writing a cycling book with particular focus upon women, families and disabled audiences (Having been a registered care manager and coached children at Herne Hill Velodrome in earlier careers)

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