New Headlight - DiNotte 200L-AA-S

Put a new chain on the Specialized (SRAM PC 991) after yesterday's ride. It was due after 2,700 miles on the old chain. After removing the old chain and laying it side-by-side with the new chain, it was easy to see that the old one was stretched at least 1/4 inch. I put the new one on, made a slight adjustment to the rear deraileur with the barrel adjuster and it was good to go.

I got up early today to try out my new headlight. Four laps on the Jones Beach bike path, 25 miles or so, for about 1 hr and 20 min. There are no street lights along the path so it important to have a good, bright, reliable light for these dark morning rides.

I replaced my defunct NiteHawk 10 watt halogen with a new DiNotte 200L-AA-S led.


On the left is the old halogen and the big, heavy, SLA (sealed lead acid) battery. On the right, the DiNotte led batteries and battery pack.

The new light seems to be at least as bright as the old one. The difference in weight is tremendous! The whole DiNotte package (light and batteries is only 200 grams) is probably only about 20% of the weight of the battery alone from the old system. It worked great on this ride and the light was strong for the whole 80 minute ride. It seems to be well-made, the aluminum body also acts as a heat sink for the light.

Benefits of the new light:
light weight
easy mounting and easy to move between bikes
easy-to-find AA rechargeable batteries
handlebar and helmet mounts (included)
three beam intensities
2+ hour runtime
backlit power switch
waterproof light unit


Here is the light (turned on) and battery pack mounted on my handlebars. Only 200 grams so hardly noticeable. Check out the cool blue backlight on the power switch!

The light mounts with a silicone rubber O-ring stretched from a groove on the back of the light, around the bars, and then looped back over the front of the light. Benefits of this mounting system are that it can be installed and removed without tools and it works great even over cables and oddly shaped bars.


O-ring mounting system.

So, after one ride, I'm really happy with the DiNotte. It was a little pricey but its gotten great reviews online and really fit all of my criteria for a new light. I would say the only concern so far is with the longevity of the rubber O-ring mount. Two are supplied with the light. I'll see how they hold up after a winter of riding.

On a different note, I found this little video clip of the Highlander. I think it was done the year before I started doing the ride but it gives a little idea of what the ride is like. Check it out!