Disintegrating light

[J4CKO]

Just interested to see if anyone else is having this problem, I bought a Cateye Single Shot plus a couple of weeks back to light my way through the dark months.

It seems bright but I noticed a couple of chips around where the bracket clips into the casing, they seemed uniform so I thought it was a rough moulding, however on closer inspection tonight it appeas to be disnintegrating, as per the photos so its going back to (the excellent) Cyclestore.co.uk.

I think its a combination of a heavyish light on an inadequate bracket mounted on a very rigid bike, ridden over some very rough tarmac, bit it is touted as a commuter light, it should cope with some serious vibration without falling to bits.

Feast your eye on this, come to think of it, wtf is it doing to my wrists !

Also, any suggestions for something that wont fall apart ?

 

[fossyant]

I lost a cat eye that self destructed - did end up buying two more -though..... send it back !!!

I'll recommend Cree type LED torches and a bike mount - loads cheaper and brighter.

 

[Mr Pig]

I'll recommend Cree type LED torches and a bike mount

Where do you get those? I need a new front light.

I've got a set of big double lights that are very effective but the rechargeable battery has died. Rather than buy another battery I'm just going to buy an LED light, I'm not planning on doing much nigh time riding other than to and from work.

 

[BentMikey]

Fenix is what you're after. Search for glowgadgets on ebay.

 

[dondare]

Now there's a funny thing
http://www.bikeradar.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=12588528

I use a Cateye singleshot plus; I guess I'd better keep an eye on it.

 

[dondare]

I've had this problem with another large Cateye light, I ended up supergluing the light to the bracket but if my singleshot starts breaking up then it's back to the shop for a replacement.

 

[cheadle hulme]

Fenix is what you're after. Search for glowgadgets on ebay.

I'm a big Fenix fan, but the 3w Cree torch from Tesco has the same LED. It's heavier and not as well made as the Fenix, but it is only £10 and fits in the fish holder thingy.

 

[Molecule Man]

CatEye are dreadful when it comes to casings and fixings in my experience. I have lost one of their back lights which bounced out of the bracket because the plastic had been worn down so much by road vibration that there was no grip anymore, this was after only about 6 months use! I had to get another light urgently so I ended up getting the same, but I have to shim the bracket with Scotch tape to keep the light in place.

I also had one of their bright, single LED, front lights, where the battery casing is opened by unscrewing the lamp (EL530?). This became unusable because the plastic flanges that hold the lamp against the battery casing wore out, again after only a few months use.

I do a fairly ordinary commute, ten miles each way through SE and central London, so I'm not impressed.

I quite like the Trelock front light I've got now, the LS735. It's nice and bright, looks as bright as the CatEyes, though there are also problems with the bracket which wears down and needs shimming, but it only cost ~£17 from Decathlon.

 

[BentMikey]

I'm a big Fenix fan, but the 3w Cree torch from Tesco has the same LED. It's heavier and not as well made as the Fenix, but it is only £10 and fits in the fish holder thingy.

Yup, I agree, I've mentioned the Tesco one several times on here.

 

[swee'pea99]

Two things re lights: one, do you want to see, or just be seen? Two, the bracket is always the weakest link. If like me you want only to be seen, I reckon there's no beating a £5 flasher off ebay, then araldite the bugger in place.

 

[upsidedown]

The AyUp mounting is a great piece of design, the light sits in a cradle and is secured by a big rubber strap that clips over the light, not much to go wrong.

I also lost a rear Cateye that bounced out of the mounting, not impressed.

 

[J4CKO]

I need to see and be seen, my route takes in a busy A road for a mile, then country lanes for 5, then a mile of lit resedential streets, one bit of the country portion is very dark so the Single Shot Plus looked like the best solution.

Might go mad and spend another hundred quid if it get something robust and possibly even a bit brighter.

I also have a standard halfords 3 led flasher duct taped to the bars cos that ejects itself and has been run over on one occasion, so the duct tape keeps it on. I have 2 on the back as well, Cateye mounted on the stem and on the right of my rucksack I have adapted a pocket and inserted an old Led flasher, my job in computing reinforces the need for built in redundancy !

Cateye really need to address their mounting brackets, my back one is also Cateye but is lighter, even so the bracket feels half hearted and flimsy, ok for occasional use or those who buy a bike, lights and everything and keep it in the garage, but for those of us who actually use our bikes, it needs to be dependable and strong. I will trade some weight for strength and longevity, its a pity as the Single Shot plus seems really good, bt with the underspecced bracket and high weight it makes me think that a seperate battery is the way to go.

 

[Molecule Man]

Cateye really need to address their mounting brackets, my back one is also Cateye but is lighter, even so the bracket feels half hearted and flimsy, ok for occasional use or those who buy a bike, lights and everything and keep it in the garage, but for those of us who actually use our bikes, it needs to be dependable and strong. I will trade some weight for strength and longevity, its a pity as the Single Shot plus seems really good, bt with the underspecced bracket and high weight it makes me think that a seperate battery is the way to go.

It's not just the quality of the plastic that's a problem, they could solve a lot of problems with some of their front lights if the fixing was under the centre of gravity of the light rather than at the end so there's less wobble putting strain on the bracket.