I'm looking for a good combo reflector/tail light in one unit to mount on my road bike's rack. What is everyone's favorite?
Good Reflector/tail Lights?
- Thread starter lectraplayer
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There isn't any good ones, just so so ones, their lighting abilities are sub par with other lights. I hate to say this but you shouldn't rely on reflectors, or what's called passive lighting, you need to concentrate more on active lighting. I'm not trying to be a smart **** with my answer but take special notice of something the next time you're out driving your car at night and go down a street of parked cars and see how many of those cars tail lights beam back at you with their reflectors. Please note I am not saying never to use reflective stuff, what I'm saying is not to rely on it. Most reflective stuff won't even come into view, if at all, until the car is almost on top of you which could be too late, this is why road workers are now going to an LED vest.
My lighting is as this (not saying you need to do this, it's just what I do); my rear lights (yes, plural) consist of a Light & Motion Vis 180 (not the Micro Vis 180) which is my main light mounted on the seat bag that at night it's on steady mode (more on this later); my second light is a Cateye LD600 mounted vertically on my seat post (vertically because it really stands out from the side) which is on flash mode; my third light is a Planet Bike Super Flash Turbo mounted to my helmet and it too is on flash mode. Then for reflective stuff I wear Road ID leg bands, a cheap Home Depot brand neon green mesh reflective vest, and there is reflective tape on the helmet but this is all but useless due to the helmet angle to car headlights, my shoes have reflective diamond in the back, and my saddle bag has a reflective beading on it.
After spending time over 40 years riding and driving at night and seeing various bicycles with rear lights I think having 3 or more lights is better than just one real bright one. 3 or more stands out like a Christmas tree, in fact the most noticeable bike ride I ever saw was a guy who had 13 rear lights, none were seriously bright but he really stood out. He had 5 lights mounted on each rear stay, and 1 each on his seat post, seat bag, and helmet. If someone missed that guy and hit him from behind they should be deemed legally blind and have their license taken away!!
This flash and steady stuff is again just something I do, there is no proof that what I do is better or worse. European countries have mostly banned flashing tail lights because their studies show that a motorists has a difficult time ascertaining the distance between themselves and a cyclist; but American and Canadian studies showed that a flashing tail light attracts attention faster...hmm, what to do? I know, I'll do both! The guy with all the lights I mentioned above had all of his on flash.
My lighting is as this (not saying you need to do this, it's just what I do); my rear lights (yes, plural) consist of a Light & Motion Vis 180 (not the Micro Vis 180) which is my main light mounted on the seat bag that at night it's on steady mode (more on this later); my second light is a Cateye LD600 mounted vertically on my seat post (vertically because it really stands out from the side) which is on flash mode; my third light is a Planet Bike Super Flash Turbo mounted to my helmet and it too is on flash mode. Then for reflective stuff I wear Road ID leg bands, a cheap Home Depot brand neon green mesh reflective vest, and there is reflective tape on the helmet but this is all but useless due to the helmet angle to car headlights, my shoes have reflective diamond in the back, and my saddle bag has a reflective beading on it.
After spending time over 40 years riding and driving at night and seeing various bicycles with rear lights I think having 3 or more lights is better than just one real bright one. 3 or more stands out like a Christmas tree, in fact the most noticeable bike ride I ever saw was a guy who had 13 rear lights, none were seriously bright but he really stood out. He had 5 lights mounted on each rear stay, and 1 each on his seat post, seat bag, and helmet. If someone missed that guy and hit him from behind they should be deemed legally blind and have their license taken away!!
This flash and steady stuff is again just something I do, there is no proof that what I do is better or worse. European countries have mostly banned flashing tail lights because their studies show that a motorists has a difficult time ascertaining the distance between themselves and a cyclist; but American and Canadian studies showed that a flashing tail light attracts attention faster...hmm, what to do? I know, I'll do both! The guy with all the lights I mentioned above had all of his on flash.
I think that is a very good solution, Froze. I use two, one flashing one steady, I may take your model and add one more.
13 might be a bit much even for me, the king of on-board **** and gizmos
13 might be a bit much even for me, the king of on-board **** and gizmos
DiNotte lights are popular around here for daytime riding. The tail light is bright enough to be seen from 1/4 mile behind on a sunny day. It has three flash modes: one is a slow on/off, the other two are "low/high" patterns. The new ones have Li-Ion batteries built-in, mine has a separate Ni-MH rechargeable AA pack.
Not the cheapest light, if daytime visibility is important to your safety, a good one to consider.
Not the cheapest light, if daytime visibility is important to your safety, a good one to consider.
There are a lot of really bright tail lights on the market that can be seen from a 1/4 of mile in bright sunlight that are less expensive than the Dinotte, my L & M Vis 180 is one example, as does the new Serfas TL80 which is a bit brighter and less expensive than my Vis180! In fact the lower powered Serfas TL60 for $60 was actually found to be brighter than the Dinotte 300L that cost $200...really? then see this: http://bikinginla.com/2013/03/24/guest-post-a-review-of-high-intensity-rear-lights-for-improved-safety-day-or-night/ And if the TL60 is brighter than the Dinotte imagine how much brighter the Serfas TL80 is.
One thing I forgot to mention about light patterns, during the day I run only my VIS 180 when on busy streets or highways on the flash mode because my rational is that a motorist can see me easily and ascertain their distance from me with no problem, the problem is in getting them to wake up to see me so flashing mode will attracted their attention.
I don't think a person needs to throw gobs of money at this, unless they have gobs of money and money doesn't matter. All I did was buy a light, use it for a while then when a better one came out I bought it and added it to the bike, then a better one came and added it to the other 2 lights. You can add as you go like I did, or buy 2 or 3 all at once. So get one nice light like the Serfas TL 60 or TL80 depending on what you can afford and add it the light you now have making the new and brighter light your main light. Actually I cheated a small bit, the Planet Bike Super Flash Turbo has a very badly designed clip, and being bad it came off of someones bike and I found it laying in the grass, the clip seems to work really well though on my helmet because the back plastic strap on the helmet is thicker than some bag strap and the clip is longer than the plastic strap so it clips closed and won't come off.
One thing I forgot to mention about light patterns, during the day I run only my VIS 180 when on busy streets or highways on the flash mode because my rational is that a motorist can see me easily and ascertain their distance from me with no problem, the problem is in getting them to wake up to see me so flashing mode will attracted their attention.
I don't think a person needs to throw gobs of money at this, unless they have gobs of money and money doesn't matter. All I did was buy a light, use it for a while then when a better one came out I bought it and added it to the bike, then a better one came and added it to the other 2 lights. You can add as you go like I did, or buy 2 or 3 all at once. So get one nice light like the Serfas TL 60 or TL80 depending on what you can afford and add it the light you now have making the new and brighter light your main light. Actually I cheated a small bit, the Planet Bike Super Flash Turbo has a very badly designed clip, and being bad it came off of someones bike and I found it laying in the grass, the clip seems to work really well though on my helmet because the back plastic strap on the helmet is thicker than some bag strap and the clip is longer than the plastic strap so it clips closed and won't come off.
I'm looking for a new tail light myself. Do any of you have experience with buying them online? I know you can find better prices online, I'm not sure of the quality. I would ideally prefer something that I could change the battery on so I don't have to buy a whole new one when the battery dies. For some reason the first one I had could not be opened, it was really weird, like seriously glued shut.
Froze, thanks for posting the link to that excellent review. Was pleased to see the DiNotte 300L won the top rating, but the $60 TL60 looks to be almost as good from a performance standpoint. If I ever need to replace my 5 year old DiNotte, will take a closer look at the Serfas lights.
I'm biased to go back to DiNotte though, just because of the excellent service I've gotten from mine. Several guys I ride with have the new 300L, and it's pretty slick. The extra money, amortized over 5 years or more, really doesn't amount to much on a per-mile basis.
We could argue forever about which of the top lights is a better value, like arguing whether an expensive winter jersey, GP4000 tires or Dura-Ace components are "worth the money". The important point of the review was to encourage all cyclists to get a bright taillight and use it in the daytime...a point I totally agree with.
I'm biased to go back to DiNotte though, just because of the excellent service I've gotten from mine. Several guys I ride with have the new 300L, and it's pretty slick. The extra money, amortized over 5 years or more, really doesn't amount to much on a per-mile basis.
We could argue forever about which of the top lights is a better value, like arguing whether an expensive winter jersey, GP4000 tires or Dura-Ace components are "worth the money". The important point of the review was to encourage all cyclists to get a bright taillight and use it in the daytime...a point I totally agree with.
I've had some good luck lately with a pair of Lezyne lights.
I've got one with 3 leds on the back, which also has a mode which is both flashing and solid (2 flashing leds, one on solid mode).
The front one is more then enough to dodge stuff at 20km/h.
The only disadvantages so far are that both units can't have their batteries replaced, but Lezyne makes units with replaceable batteries (which themselves replace some more moneyz from the wallet.
).
Also not that crazy about Li-Ion batteries being damaged by freezing temperatures... <_<
If not used on full, the batteries can last quite a while.
I've got one with 3 leds on the back, which also has a mode which is both flashing and solid (2 flashing leds, one on solid mode).
The front one is more then enough to dodge stuff at 20km/h.
The only disadvantages so far are that both units can't have their batteries replaced, but Lezyne makes units with replaceable batteries (which themselves replace some more moneyz from the wallet.
). Also not that crazy about Li-Ion batteries being damaged by freezing temperatures... <_<
If not used on full, the batteries can last quite a while.
Lots of good discussion.
...though my intetion is certainly not to use just that one light. I've found one reflector light that is decently capable. I can see it from a half mile away or more on a bright day. ...then again, I call myself paying attention.
I, too, like to have at least öne light flashing, and one (that may be at a lesser intensity) solid, so that motorists can gauge distance and location better.
...though my intetion is certainly not to use just that one light. I've found one reflector light that is decently capable. I can see it from a half mile away or more on a bright day. ...then again, I call myself paying attention.
I, too, like to have at least öne light flashing, and one (that may be at a lesser intensity) solid, so that motorists can gauge distance and location better.
I remember a large reflector unit that had a single led on the middle that was attached on a rack...
Spanninga makes some of those, I think they are Dutch or something.
http://www.spanninga.com/products/rearlights/
Tires with a reflective surface seem to be very visible when illuminated and there are also these reflective stickers that you can put on the bike...
Spanninga makes some of those, I think they are Dutch or something.
http://www.spanninga.com/products/rearlights/
Tires with a reflective surface seem to be very visible when illuminated and there are also these reflective stickers that you can put on the bike...
How important do you guys think flashing is? It seems to greatly hinder gauging distance. Do you think it would be better to just have a brighter solid light so they know where you are?
Dancing Lady, we all have our opinions, but I would say both a solid light and a (preferrably brighter) flashing light. The flashing light draws attention while the solid light "marks your location" and gives eyes something to focus upon. ...though if I had just one light, I would run it solid.
The problem (at least for me) is when you have nothing but flashing lights. From a motorist's point of view, all that activity actually conceals the rider by confusing my eyes. I have actually just about pushed several cyclists who thought they were being safe because of this.
As a "for schnitz and giggles" experiment, I stuck a single LED in a standard low profile reflector, and it was supprisingly bright.
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