This rear rack mounted light any good?

[Blue Hills]

Despite an earlier post about standardsing on Cateyes for normal lights, I have had to take the rack mounted light off one of my bikes.

I could buy the Cateye rack mount adaptor but wondered about this.


http://www.clasohlson.com/uk/Asaklitt-LED-Rear-Bike-Light/31-1927

I like the fact that it uses AAs and seems to have a big reflector.

I would usually be using it with a second rear light on the seatpack, though not when the bike was fully loaded as it would be obscured, even if there was room left for the seatpack. In tend to put extra flashers on the panniers when doing that.

Anyone used it?

Is it reliable?

Waterproof?

What's it like changing the batteries?

I remain bemused by the small number of big battery run rear rack lights. I have problems with lots of them.

 

[raleighnut]

Go for the Cat-Eye mount, much less hassle and accepts any of their lights. (I've got 3, one on each rack)

 

[Blue Hills]

Yes, I think you are probably right.

I don't know what it is about dedicated rack lights for tourers.

I like the big integrated reflectors, but so often, even with quality German makes, they have a range of faults:

Poor battery life

Batteries that shake lose

They leak

Changing batteries either involves a dodgy snap fit (see above re loose batteries or leaks) or a small bleedin screw - just what you need on a dark muddy road.

It's almost enough to make me lose my faith in Germans.

Thanks for the advice.

 

[Blue Hills]

Related question (will post in a separate thread if it gets buried)

Anyone know the differences between/relative merits of these two mounts?


http://www.wiggle.co.uk/cateye-rear-carrier-mounting/

http://www.wiggle.co.uk/cateye-rear-multi-mount-bracket/

I have always used the first but have just discovered that there's that second thingummybob.

 

[SatNavSaysStraightOn]

all of our bikes and racks have the top mount... sadly not all of our pannier racks take the top one...
the advantage of the bottom one is that it would fit my OH's rack without us having to have made a custom job to mount the top one onto before mounting the whole thing onto the rack... and it would fit the touring bikes racks without us having to screw the light onto the rack permanently. You may have just solved a problem for me - thank you.

(now goes off to put that into wish list to keep track of it...)

 

[Blue Hills]

Glad to help - I only discovered it today.

Am just wondering if it has any disadvantages.

I gather you have figured out what makes it so universal or are you just accepting their claim?

>>and it would fit the touring bikes racks without us having to screw the light onto the rack permanently.

One feature I gather it has from reading somewhere is that you can deploy some sort of screw to keep the light on the mount and bike.

Though I don't think deploying this is mandatory.

And I'm assuming it wouldn't be totally secure. Just an option.

 

[SatNavSaysStraightOn]

Looking at the multitude of holes and extra holes that comes with it so that you can attach it to the rack I can see how it would work better than the other one which only has the 1 fixed width set of holes to use...
At the moment the light is attached to my current pannier rack via the sole option I had - and is screwed on permanently which I hate because we only have 3 of these lights and 6 bikes...

 

[SatNavSaysStraightOn]

this is the problem we have with our touring bikes...

and we made a topeak adaptor that fitted the rack upside down, fit the cateye mount with the use of adrill... now the 2nd mount may well actually fit properly in the first place which would solve the problem on at least one of the bikes!

 

[Blue Hills]

I would hope so with all those holes!

all the best

 

[wintergreen]

I have a couple of these lights and am happy enough with them, one is just a regular light, the other is motion/light activated (I did put tape over the light sensor so its now just motion sensitive).
They are a combined light and reflector and come with a rack mount bracket along with regular brackets to attatch to seat posts etc.
http://www.ribblecycles.co.uk/sp/ro...ith-reflector-rear-light/cateligh748000000000

 

[Blue Hills]

I didn't know there was a "dumb" version of that light - I am assuming that it is discontinued.

Apart from the fact that it uses AAAs, I have always liked the look of that light but am afraid that Cateye wrecked it by trying to make it too clever. I trust myself to switch a light on when setting off, expect it to stay on, and trust myself to switch it off at the end. That auto system is asking for trouble I am afraid. Like too much bike stuff these dzys, Cateye has tried to add superfluous added value. I just want a relatively strong light (not a macho eye burner) which is well sealed, reliable, efficient, and which has an easy battery change.
Thanks for the reply, all the best.

 

[summerdays]

I've always used the smart lights and their rack bracket on my bikes, and found them to be pretty reliable.

 

[SatNavSaysStraightOn]

I would hope so with all those holes!

with all those holes you would have thought that the first one would have fitted, but it didn't!

 

[Gez73]

That's the smaller of the two Cateye mounts. I use a re-useable cable tie to secure the light just in case. Could only find a white cable tie but the light has to come off the mount to access the batteries. Works a treat on my Topeak Super Tourist DX rack.
Gez

 

[the_mikey]

Despite an earlier post about standardsing on Cateyes for normal lights, I have had to take the rack mounted light off one of my bikes.

I could buy the Cateye rack mount adaptor but wondered about this.


http://www.clasohlson.com/uk/Asaklitt-LED-Rear-Bike-Light/31-1927

I like the fact that it uses AAs and seems to have a big reflector.

I would usually be using it with a second rear light on the seatpack, though not when the bike was fully loaded as it would be obscured, even if there was room left for the seatpack. In tend to put extra flashers on the panniers when doing that.

Anyone used it?

Is it reliable?

Waterproof?

What's it like changing the batteries?

I remain bemused by the small number of big battery run rear rack lights. I have problems with lots of them.

I have one on the rack of my folding bike, seems to work ok, the on/off button is in a weird place though, I've not had the batteries shake loose, changing batteries is a faff though.