Brightest LED red (rear) light?

[Jose B. Ruivo]

Hi All,

My present reference is the Cateye LD-600.

I'm curious about the S-Sun SS-L120R, though. Has anyone tried one of this yet?

How does it compare to the LD-600, both in terms of:
a) brightness, and not least important
b) viewing angle?

I'm basically looking for something as bright as the Cateye LD-600, but, preferably with a much
better viewing angle. Is the S-Sun up to the challenge?

Thanks,

Jose B. Ruivo

 

[Chris Zacho "Th]

I dont think there is anything brighter (tail light wise) than the CE D-600. Short of taking a
halogen headlight and painting it red!

I have this marvel on my MTB (for commuting) and it actually puts out enough light to cast a shadow
of my rear tire on the ground.

"May you have the wind at your back. And a really low gear for the hills!"

Chris Zacho ~ "Your Friendly Neighborhood Wheelman"

Chris'Z Corner http://www.geocities.com/czcorner

 

[James]

NiteRider used to have a 36 LED rear light that wired into 6 and 12 volt systems. I have one that I
wired into a non-NiteRider brand system & it works wery well.

Even better is LED based tail/brake lights commonly used for tractor/trailors. I have 2 mounted on
the rear of my commuter bike wired for full power (brake light mode) flashing ~5 times per second.
They only draw 0.3 amps but are visible even in very bright daylight conditions. They also have a
very wide visible angle, > 80 degrees in any direction.

The ones I'm using are Truck-Lite brand LED Super 44 S/T/T and were $15 each on EBay. The flasher is
homebrew, wired to a 12V battery.

There is a photo on the web at: http://academic.evergreen.edu/g/gutholmj/bike/bike-light.jpg

In article <[email protected]>,
[email protected] (Jose B. Ruivo) wrote:

> Hi All,
>
> My present reference is the Cateye LD-600.
>
> I'm curious about the S-Sun SS-L120R, though. Has anyone tried one of this yet?
>
> How does it compare to the LD-600, both in terms of:
> a) brightness, and not least important
> b) viewing angle?
>
> I'm basically looking for something as bright as the Cateye LD-600, but, preferably with a much
> better viewing angle. Is the S-Sun up to the challenge?
>
> Thanks,
>
> Jose B. Ruivo

 

[Mack Mad]

I have one of the Night Rider taillights and people I ride with absolutely hate to ride behind me
when I am using it.

"James" <[email protected]> wrote in message news:not-a-valid-address-
[email protected]...
> NiteRider used to have a 36 LED rear light that wired into 6 and 12 volt systems. I have one that
> I wired into a non-NiteRider brand system & it works wery well.
>
> Even better is LED based tail/brake lights commonly used for tractor/trailors. I have 2 mounted on
> the rear of my commuter bike wired for full power (brake light mode) flashing ~5 times per second.
> They only draw 0.3 amps but are visible even in very bright daylight conditions. They also have a
> very wide visible angle, > 80 degrees in any direction.
>
> The ones I'm using are Truck-Lite brand LED Super 44 S/T/T and were $15 each on EBay. The flasher
> is homebrew, wired to a 12V battery.
>
> There is a photo on the web at: http://academic.evergreen.edu/g/gutholmj/bike/bike-light.jpg
>
> In article <[email protected]>,
> [email protected] (Jose B. Ruivo) wrote:
>
> > Hi All,
> >
> > My present reference is the Cateye LD-600.
> >
> > I'm curious about the S-Sun SS-L120R, though. Has anyone tried one of this yet?
> >
> > How does it compare to the LD-600, both in terms of:
> > a) brightness, and not least important
> > b) viewing angle?
> >
> > I'm basically looking for something as bright as the Cateye LD-600, but, preferably with a much
> > better viewing angle. Is the S-Sun up to the challenge?
> >
> > Thanks,
> >
> > Jose B. Ruivo

 

[G.Daniels]

buy two or more and stack onto an aluminum strap bolted to whatever the cycle has

 

[Russell Seaton]

[email protected] (g.daniels) wrote in message news:<[email protected]>...
> buy two or more and stack onto an aluminum strap bolted to whatever the cycle has

Agree. Having two or three or four or five Vistalite Eclipse bright tail lights would be about the
best you can do. Mount a couple slightly to the side. Mount them at different heights. All blinking
at the same time out of sequence will get you noticed. The Vistalite Eclipse is usually on sale for
$16 mail order.

I've ridden with people using the NiteRider rear light. It is very bright. But for getting noticed
by cars I think having multiple almost as bright Eclipse lights blinking would be better.

 

[Jose B. Ruivo]

On Tue, 24 Feb 2004 02:36:41 GMT, James <[email protected]>
wrote:

>NiteRider used to have a 36 LED rear light that wired into 6 and 12 volt systems. I have one that I
>wired into a non-NiteRider brand system & it works wery well.

So brightness is excelent , I assume.

How about wide angle visibility?

Thank you,

Jose B. Ruivo

 

[Jose B. Ruivo]

On 24 Feb 2004 07:18:44 -0800, [email protected] (g.daniels) wrote:

>buy two or more and stack onto an aluminum strap bolted to whatever the cycle has

Could be a solution, but one I was trying to avoid . . .

Thank you,

Jose B. Ruivo

 

[Jose B. Ruivo]

On Mon, 23 Feb 2004 20:37:05 -0500 (EST), [email protected]
(Chris Zacho "The Wheelman") wrote:

>I dont think there is anything brighter (tail light wise) than the CE D-600. Short of taking a
>halogen headlight and painting it red!

Right, but if you deviate a few angles from right behind the LD-600, the visibility of it greatly
decreases . . . Therefore my question.

Thank you,

Jose B. Ruivo

 

[Jose B. Ruivo]

On 24 Feb 2004 12:31:28 -0800, [email protected] (Russell
Seaton) wrote:

>Agree. Having two or three or four or five Vistalite Eclipse bright tail lights would be about the
>best you can do. Mount a couple slightly to the side. Mount them at different heights. All blinking
>at the same time out of sequence will get you noticed.

Most likely will get me arrested too )

Thanks,

Jose B. Ruivo

 

[Cat Dailey]

"Russell Seaton" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> [email protected] (g.daniels) wrote in message
news:<[email protected]>...
> > buy two or more and stack onto an aluminum strap bolted to whatever the
cycle has
>
> Agree. Having two or three or four or five Vistalite Eclipse bright tail lights would be about the
> best you can do. Mount a couple slightly to the side. Mount them at different heights. All
> blinking at the same time out of sequence will get you noticed. The Vistalite Eclipse is usually
> on sale for $16 mail order.
>
> I've ridden with people using the NiteRider rear light. It is very bright. But for getting noticed
> by cars I think having multiple almost as bright Eclipse lights blinking would be better.

I also found a set of helmet lights for the back of the helmet. It's a set of 4 tiny led's that run
off of a battery that you attach to the chin strap. They just hold in place with a double sided
tape. Since I ride to work at 4 am, I want lights every where I can stick em!

Cat

 

[David Damerell]

Jose B. Ruivo <[email protected]> wrote:
>Right, but if you deviate a few angles from right behind the LD-600, the visibility of it greatly
>decreases . . . Therefore my question.

My collection of tail lights includes an LD-260, which is not one of these super-bright rear LEDs
(which are pure overkill; you can see even the nastiest rear lights hundreds of feet away) but does
seem to have much better wide-angle visibility than most rear lights (which you correctly identify
as the real issue). I'm also pleased with the B&M Seculite which the dynamo drives.
--
David Damerell <[email protected]> Kill the tomato!

 

[Jose B. Ruivo]

On 25 Feb 2004 14:28:43 +0000 (GMT), David Damerell
<[email protected]> wrote:

>My collection of tail lights includes an LD-260, which is not one of these super-bright rear LEDs
>(which are pure overkill; you can see even the nastiest rear lights hundreds of feet away) but does
>seem to have much better wide-angle visibility than most rear lights (which you correctly identify
>as the real issue). I'm also pleased with the B&M Seculite which the dynamo drives.

Thank you for the suggestion David!

Regards,

Jose B. Ruivo

 

[Steve Knight]

>Right, but if you deviate a few angles from right behind the LD-600, the visibility of it greatly
>decreases . . . Therefore my question.

that's why I like my xenon flasher it has about 180 degree visibility. can be seen in daylight and
is very bright.

--
Knight-Toolworks & Custom Planes Custom made wooden planes at reasonable prices See http://www.knight-
toolworks.com For prices and ordering instructions.

 

[Mark Vieselmeye]

David Damerell <[email protected]> wrote:
: Jose B. Ruivo <[email protected]> wrote:
:>Right, but if you deviate a few angles from right behind the LD-600, the visibility of it greatly
:>decreases . . . Therefore my question.

: My collection of tail lights includes an LD-260, which is not one of these super-bright rear LEDs
: (which are pure overkill; you can see even the nastiest rear lights hundreds of feet away)

Just being visible isn't enough -- it has to get people's attention. I have a VistaLite Eclipse and
several reflectors, and I still had the unpleasant experience of hearing a car lock up its wheels
directly behind me. It was raining, so it wasn't ideal conditions, but not unusual for a winter
commute. You have to consider all the added reflections off the road and windshield, and it's easy
to see how a driver could overlook a little blinkie light. I think using several lights is the way
to go. I've also added several more reflectors and bought a bright yellow jacket.

- mark

 

[Russell Seaton]

[email protected] (Jose B. Ruivo) wrote in message news:<[email protected]>...
> On 24 Feb 2004 07:18:44 -0800, [email protected] (g.daniels) wrote:
>
> >buy two or more and stack onto an aluminum strap bolted to whatever the cycle has
>
> Could be a solution, but one I was trying to avoid . . .
>
> Thank you,
>
> Jose B. Ruivo

Why? Isn't the point to get noticed as quickly and easily and from the most angles the goal of
rear lighting? It may not be a fashion statement to have an assortment of lights blinking
everywhere on your bike, but at night I doubt it matters. One reason I like to use both a
handlebar light and a helmet light is it can be noticed easier. I can move my head around and move
the helmet light. Moving lights, as in side ot side and up and down, is not a normal thing for
drivers to see so they will notice it. Unlike a fixed handlebar headlight which will fit the
preconceived notions of lights.

 

[Frkrygow]

Russell Seaton wrote:

> Isn't the point to get noticed as quickly and easily and from the most angles the goal of rear
> lighting?

It seems your sentence structure is a bit out of whack, so I'm not sure exactly what you meant, but:

With rear lighting (and reflectorizing) the goal is _not_ maximum visibility. (Similarly, the goal
in choosing tires is not to have the absolute minimum rolling resistance, and the goal when buying a
frame is not to have the absolute minimum weight.) There are always tradeoffs. The goal is to have
the appropriate balance between advantages and disadvantages.

I imagine the degree of rear lighting one uses is likely to decrease with the length of the trip,
and increase with the rider's "fear of the rear." Timid riders with only a short distance to ride
may haul a ten pound battery to power their rear spotlights and stobes. (They may even imagine some
thrust from those photon drives!) Audax riders, OTOH, ride hundreds of miles at night using much,
much smaller lights and feel fine about that.

Each makes his own value judgement based on his own situation - including his own level of
confidence. But there's no sense trying for the absolute best. After all, only one person in the
world actually has it.

--
Frank Krygowski [To reply, omit what's between "at" and "cc"]

------------ And now a word from our sponsor ------------------ Want to have instant messaging, and
chat rooms, and discussion groups for your local users or business, you need dbabble! -- See
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[Jose B. Ruivo]

On Wed, 25 Feb 2004 16:57:01 GMT, Steve Knight
<[email protected]> wrote:

>that's why I like my xenon flasher it has about 180 degree visibility. can be seen in daylight and
>is very bright.

Good! Where can I see it? Who makes it/sells it??

Regards,

Jose B. Ruivo

 

[Jose B. Ruivo]

On 25 Feb 2004 18:10:47 -0800, [email protected] (Russell
Seaton) wrote:

>It may not be a fashion statement to have an assortment of lights blinking everywhere on your bike,
>but at night I doubt it matters. One reason I like to use both

It may confuse some motordrivers, distract them, and actually make it harder for them to concentrate
on both avoid you, others obstacles on the road, and still drive safelly where they want to . . .

There is a reason why blinking (bicycle, and other) signal/presence lights are illegal in some
countries. I known the issue is debatable, but I'm not interested in opening up that debate, not
here, not now, please.

Regards

Jose B. Ruivo

PS - I couldn't love more a steady helmet light, too!

 

[Russell Seaton]

"frkrygow" <"frkrygow"@omitcc.ysu.edu> wrote in message news:<[email protected]>...
> Russell Seaton wrote:
>
> > Isn't the point to get noticed as quickly and easily and from
> > the most angles the goal of rear lighting?
>
> It seems your sentence structure is a bit out of whack, so I'm not sure exactly what you meant,

What I meant was isn't the point of rear lights on a bike to get noticed by cars so you do not get
run over. What point do you think rear lights on a bike have?

but:
>
> With rear lighting (and reflectorizing) the goal is _not_ maximum visibility. (Similarly, the goal
> in choosing tires is not to have the absolute minimum rolling resistance, and the goal when buying
> a frame is not to have the absolute minimum weight.) There are always tradeoffs. The goal is to
> have the appropriate balance between advantages and disadvantages.
>
> I imagine the degree of rear lighting one uses is likely to decrease with the length of the trip,
> and increase with the rider's "fear of the rear." Timid riders with only a short distance to ride
> may haul a ten pound battery to power their rear spotlights and stobes. (They may even imagine
> some thrust from those photon drives!) Audax riders, OTOH, ride hundreds of miles at night using
> much, much smaller lights and feel fine about that.

Do you know what a Vistalite Eclipse light is? It is one of those very small, yet very powerful LED
lights. About the size of a film cannister. Powered by two AAA batteries. Very lightweight. No 10
pound batteries. When I do brevets I have two Vistalite Eclipses and 1 Cateye rear red blinking
lights. And a reflective vest. And these brevets are on lightly traveled rural roads I am somewhat
familiar with. For unknown brevets I would get 3 or 4 of the Vistalite Eclipse lights. The Cateye is
a bad light. The object of rear lights is to get noticed.

The original question asker mentioned some ultra bright rechargeable battery powered lights. If he
is after that kind of rear lighting, then spending the same money for even better noticability with
4 or 5 Vistlite Eclipses makes lots of sense.

>
> Each makes his own value judgement based on his own situation - including his own level of
> confidence. But there's no sense trying for the absolute best. After all, only one person in the
> world actually has it.