NiteRider is an American brand headquartered in San Diego, California that is dedicated to designing high quality performance lights for extreme sports that are waterproof, very bright, lightweight and hands free. We got an opportunity to review one of NiteRider’s Urban Commuter light combos containing the Mako 250 front light and the CherryBomb 35 rear light, and here’s what we think.
The NiteRider Mako 250 is one of the brand’s entry-level front lights, and is powered by a single, ultra-bright LED that provides a 250 lumen beam of light. In a market where most of the entry-level lights are of the “to be seen” category, Niterider has come up with a budget version of it’s front light series that not only allows the cyclist to be seen, but also to see. The Mako 250 is a light that hits the sweet spot of being easy to operate and is also easy on the wallet with its low cost.
The CherryBomb 35 that comes equipped with NiteRider’s DVF (Daylight Visible Flash) technology that enables the light to be spotted even in daytime has a multi-directional collimator lens that disperses the bright red light into the sides as well as the rear of the rider for en-hanced visibility. There is also a built-in reflector that enables the rider to be spotted even when the light is off, thereby improving rider safety.
Although low-cost, the Mako 250 is a well built high-powered light that operates with two replaceable AA batteries. The batteries are included with the pack, and have a life of up to 12 to 30 hours based on the mode of operation. It offers three basic modes; namely the High mode, with a reach of up to 40 feet, a Low mode with a reach of up to 25 feet and an intermittent flash mode. The rubber switch located on the head of the light serves as the ON/OFF and Mode change switch. It can be mounted on the handlebar by a rubber strap, which seems to be un-necessarily complicated to use, and seems quite primitive in design.
The CherryBomb 35 features a IP64 water-resistant outer casing, and runs on the power of two replaceable AAA batteries that come included in the pack. The light features two flashing modes (High and Low) and two steady modes (High and Low) and boasts of a visibility of up to 1 mile (1.6 km) and a life of up to 100 hours. The light can be mounted on the seat post by a rubber strap, that also seems a bit old-fashioned, but still functional, and can also be clipped on to bags and clothing by its innovative clip design. Clicking a tiny button placed on the top of the light controls the ON/OFF and Mode switching operations.
Overall Rating
The NiteRider Mako 250 front light and CherryBomb 35 rear light combo is an ideal buy for recreational riders and urban commuters, and for those who wish to get some good quality lights at a wallet-friendly price. Priced at Rs. 2,299 (as on 16th April 2019), this combo is a steal for every rider.
Prices are subject to change by the brand, without due notice.