Thoughts on rear light

[winjim]

you are missing the point .... I'm not worried about the cyclist behind me, I'm very worried about the cars approaching from behind at high speed .... I travel on dark unlit roads

thats why I bought the cygolite hotshot .... you can see it from a mile away (plus I have a good blinky as a secondary backup)...

http://www.tredz.co.uk/.Cygolite-Ho...ht_85609.htm?gclid=CLrxiIKM6NACFde6GwodqUoOCg

there's a more expensive model that is a lot brighter:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/offer-listing/B01KILFH5S/ref=dp_olp_new?ie=UTF8&condition=new

But the darker the road, the less bright you need your light to be. Even a dim light is visible in pitch darkness.

My preference is for reflectors over lights. I find the way they interact with the car's headlights makes them stand out better than a light. Especially amber pedal reflectors and any on clothing which accentuate the shape of the rider's body. Make you look like a person rather than a thing.

My rear light is a 20 year old Vistalite 300 and is totally cool.

 

[mjr]

however, here in Cambridge, cycling may be a little different to cycling in Bristol....

Flatter, straighter roads and one of the few places where bikes are even more common so drivers REALLY should expect them?

 

[mjr]

What folk really need to do is to when choosing a rear lamp is to ride behind another cyclist who has said lamp fitted and see for themselves exactly how it functions; brightness, visibility at given distances etc.. I very much doubt if anyone actually does this as it's not uncommon for me to see rear lamps which cause me to squint because they are just TOO bright.

Two of my wife's bikes have the same lights as two of mine, so I have indeed ridden behind lights like mine. Doing so was part of the reason I bought an Axa Riff for one of mine, instead of their newer light.

 

[dim]

[QUOTE 4591666, member: 9609"]I don't think rear lights on a bike can be too bright, I wish mine were brighter

I did make a dashcam vid of my own lights, this was at twighlight and I thought they were adequate but not exceptional

[/QUOTE]

here's a video of the cycgolite hotshot (the smaller 2 watt version):

 

[summerdays]

here's a video of the cycgolite hotshot (the smaller 2 watt version):

What was it meant to prove, for me there is no way I'd run that particular sequence as it disappears for quite some time.

 

[stalagmike]

I went for a radbot 1000 from Tweeks in the end. Mainly because it has a sizeable reflector, a nice bright constant mode, and a bonkers flash mode.

 

[HLaB]

LOL my thoughts on a rear light is don't forget to charge them up. Put my rear light on my desk to charge it up and went for a shower but doh got involved in work and forgot too charge it up. It lasted fine on the half hour commute home and I never thought much of it but in the morning it switched on ok (or at least so I thought at the time but it must have been giving me a warning flash). After a 30secs it switched off and being nearly daylight I never noticed Note to self carry that spare light you bought!

 

[winjim]

LOL my thoughts on a rear light is don't forget to charge them up. Put my rear light on my desk to charge it up and went for a shower but doh got involved in work and forgot too charge it up. It lasted fine on the half hour commute home and I never thought much of it but in the morning it switched on ok (or at least so I thought at the time but it must have been giving me a warning flash). After a 30secs it switched off and being nearly daylight I never noticed Note to self carry that spare light you bought!

Nope. Reflectors.

 

[HLaB]

Nope. Reflectors.

Maybe in the eventuality I was caught out in But I still think a second backup light is better for the pitch black country roads (I'm just glad I wasn't caught out then )

 

[tincaman]

I have a very rural 11.5 mile commute (1 way) and have found Smart Lunar R2 to be idea for both day time and night time use. Unlike the R1 they do not suffer from water ingress. A set of 2x AAA rechargeables are good for about 10 hours use.

My only comment is the securing clips that hold the body of the light to the back casing is brittle when the lights have been out in temperatures below freezing.

Yes, I've had two R2's, they both broke the clips, which went brittle

 

[PpPete]

I've not broken clips on R2s - but I have had more than one switch failure - I think through moisture ingress. They seem to lock in flashing mode, which isn't great, but it could be worse.
What baffles me is how so many experienced cyclists set off on long rides where they know they will need lights - without a fully charged light and a fully functioning back-up.
Best bike has a dyno F&R but also has a Smart R1 or 1/2 watt (or clone thereof) on each seat stay. Bit OTT? maybe but they weigh naff all and I've lost count of the number of times I've lent one of those Smarts out to another rider on the same event because they find themselves with dead batteries, lost or broken light or something half as bright as an anaemic firefly.