Niteye B20

The B20’s head unit is nicely made, with a battery power indicator light, and attaches via a bayonet-type quick release, which remains on the bars. Waterproofing is rated as IPX6, meaning it should handle rain and even a high pressure hose.

The 4.4Ah battery has a stretchy case, with lots of velcro to keep it firmly attached. Connectors were a little fiddly, and hard to work with gloves on.

In use, output was really good, with a powerful hot spot, then a wide beam. The intensity of the light on tight singletrack was fine in a straight line, but needed to be a little wider on twisty stuff, especially as it can only be bar mounted. A nice touch was the shroud over the top of the unit, meaning that when riding out of the saddle, you didn’t get blinded by the light… (sorry, had to get that one in somewhere).

The wired remote promises much, but has a few niggles. Firstly, it’s too big. At around 6.5cm long it feels very obtrusive on the grip, and regardless of where it was mounted, accidental bumps caused inadvertent flashes and power cycles. If you use grips that have a flange on the inside of the grip, the remote will not sit flat against the bar. It restricts the light to just being used on the bar, which with a unit this compact is a shame. Finally, and quite subjectively, it simply felt ‘wrong’ having something attached to the grip.

Overall: The wired remote has a few issues in use, but light output and settings all worked well.

Review Info

Mark Alker

Singletrack Owner/Publisher

What Mark doesn’t know about social media isn’t worth knowing and his ability to balance “The Stack” is bested only by his agility on a snowboard. Graphs are what gets his engine revving, at least they would if his car wasn’t electric, and data is what you’ll find him poring over in the office. Mark enjoys good whisky, sci-fi and the latest Apple gadget, he is also the best boss in the world (Yes, he is paying me to write this).

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