Vistalite VL-300 replacement

[winjim]

I think we can all agree that rear light technology reached its zenith in 1992 with the introduction of the Vistalite VL-300 and that any supposed advances since then have been unwelcome and unneccessary*. However, after 27 years my faithful unit seems to have finally packed it in so I'm reluctantly seeking a replacement. I would like it to be as close as possible in design and function to the VL-300 which does introduce some constraints.

• Something with multiple LEDs rather than a single bright dazzling one.
• Dim, for heavens sake, or at least dimmable.
• Wide and visible from an angle. I don't like my single LED lights which will destroy your retinas from one very specific direction but can't really be seen from the side.
• Doubles as a reflector. Reflectors are awesome.
• Attaches to a reflector mount or can bolt on to one of those adaptors from SJS which have an M5 (I think) thread. No rubber band seatpost mounted nonsense.
• Battery power or easily removable and rechargeable. Would probably prefer AA or AAA.
• Maybe meets all current regulations to stay within the letter of the law, but I'm flexible on that. The VL-300 didn't 27 years ago.
• Knight Rider mode is awesome but not essential.

So any ideas?



If anyone's interested in the fate of the VL-300, or thinks it can be saved, here's what's happened to it:


Switched off, a single LED lights dimly. The circuit board is marked 'sw' here.

Switched on, the other four LEDs light brightly. Same with flash and Knight Rider mode, just the four.

*Although to be fair I'm pleased that front LEDs are now white instead of green

 

[Milkfloat]

You could of course stick with your retro attitude and buy a replacement Vistalite VL-300 , yours for just £50 https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Rare-199...-Reflector-Green-LED-Bike-Lights/283618138010

 

[winjim]

You could of course stick with your retro attitude and buy a replacement Vistalite VL-300 , yours for just £50 https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Rare-199...-Reflector-Green-LED-Bike-Lights/283618138010

I had considered it, I do love this light. I'm not sure what 'used mint' means for a 27 year old light though. And that green front...

 

[raleighnut]

Cateye 610, great light



Bloody hell, that's a big picture.....................The lights not that big honest.

 

[Tenkaykev]

Cateye 610, great light

View attachment 488270

Bloody hell, that's a big picture.....................The lights not that big honest.

That's because the light in your photo is really close, while the one in winjims photo is far away...

 

[winjim]

Cateye 610, great light

View attachment 488270

Bloody hell, that's a big picture.....................The lights not that big honest.

That does look like a good light, but the mount doesn't look ideal. I see you can get a rack mount, but mine doesn't have the wide plate for it, and I worry that with the width and the weight of the light, it might wobble about a bit too much. It's a maybe though. If anyone knows of a cateye mount that would attach to a standard reflector mount that would be useful.

That's because the light in your photo is really close, while the one in winjims photo is far away...

That's one reason I like reflectors. You interact with them dynamically, so they give a better sense of perspective.

 

[raleighnut]

That does look like a good light, but the mount doesn't look ideal. I see you can get a rack mount, but mine doesn't have the wide plate for it, and I worry that with the width and the weight of the light, it might wobble about a bit too much. It's a maybe though. If anyone knows of a cateye mount that would attach to a standard reflector mount that would be useful.

That's one reason I like reflectors. You interact with them dynamically, so they give a better sense of perspective.

 

[winjim]

View attachment 488308

Yes, I've nowhere to attach the wings.

 

[raleighnut]

Yes, I've nowhere to attach the wings.

Cut em off, a good single bolt fixing through the centre hole should be secure.

 

[Alexander Crump]

I'm in the same boat. My first mountain bike lights were an amber Vista Light in front and a similar red one in the back (early version with only three LEDs). I purchased replacements during the '90s, and currently have a red one in the rear with four LEDs. I did have a white strobe in front but it did not last very long. All of these were the same Vista-Light shell with either white (clear) amber, or red lenses. They have a single thumb screw with an indexing pin to keep the light mounted straight.
I like how these lights are designed to simply mount on the standard reflector brackets, front and rear. Everything now has to be mounted either to the seat post or onto the person. I have a rack mounted over the rear wheel with a reflector bracket on the back of that. I want something that will mount on these brackets.

 

[dingdingwikki]

Same here, my first bike lights in the 90's were Vistalite's. Back before white LEDs were a common (and affordable) thing, I had a red one in the back, and IIRC the front had a white reflector but the lights were actually green.

I once on campus in grad school had a bike cop stop me and give me a hard time b/c apparently CA motor vehicle code says that front lights are supposed to be white. I gave him a hard time back, telling him that the only white bike lights I could (back then) get were incandescent, which drained batteries way too fast, so an array of green LEDs was brighter and therefore much safer. And besides, I did at least *have* front and rear lights (unlike many people), and I was even wearing a damn reflective vest, and he was being ridiculous complaining about me.

Anyway, I love the mount of the Vistalite. I have a milk crate on the back of my bike, atop a rear rack, and the light is directly mounted to the crate. I drilled some holes, including a smallish one for the screw that goes into the light, and larger one to reach the control button from the inside of the milk crate. It's a great setup, but:
* The red plastic reflector cover eventually fell off. I replaced it with the white cover from the old front light I hadn't used for years, but that eventually fell off too, and I have no more Vistalite covers.
* It would be nice to upgrade from ~25 year old LED technology to something brighter. But I really want something that mounts like this does, and it's gotta be AAA or AA battery based, b/c I'm not going to be screwing and unscrewing it all the time to deal with USB charging.

Anyone have any suggestions?

 

[tamarinera]

Totally in the same boat! My VistaLite 300 just quit working for no reason. Corrosion I guess. I disassembled it, there's some crud on the small yellow bulby thing (I'm not an electrician nor an EE), and wiping it off did not revive the light.

I did fine one VistaLite 300 for sale on Ebay at a reasonable cost, and will wait a month for delivery and hopefully it will work. Otherwise, I don't see anything with a single screw mount (for a 1980s rear bike rack), battery operation, flashing mode, and that is not going to blind everyone else on the road.

Having had cataract surgery already, I'm sensitive to bright lights. Luminosity inflation is killing me, and daytime red flashers annoy the heck out of me. I'm so glad to have found others who appreciate a quality, reasonable flasher.

 

[Rinec]

Hi, Sorry to bother you but I'm having trouble finding out how to post on this site. Would you know of any sites where I could buy a just a cover for my vintage Vistalite VL 300????

 

[Pat "5mph"]

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[Rinec]

Thanks Pat"5mph"