REAR LIGHTS



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Bill & Gerri

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ALL:

I ride most of the time on roads and am always looking for a better rear light.

I found what looks like a great light on the jc whitney auto web page. When I got it I found I could
have ordered it direct from the maker as well. It's called the 'MEGA ROAD STROBE", made by CMI.

The light measures 3" by 5". It has 15 small strobes and three lighting methods, slow flash, fast
flash and steady. This guy runs on 4 AA battreies and is very bright.

The web site is www.cmi-befirst.com and the cost is 13.99 plus shipping. Check it out.

Bill

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Bill your unit has 18 Red LEDs (not 15), if it has only 15 then 3 are broken. CMI is NOT the
Manufacturer, just a company who imports them and then sells them. I realize their website claims
they are the Manufacturer, but they're not (would I lie to you). And $13.99 is too much $$ unless
the 4 Batteries are rechargeable NiMH, then the price is almost okay.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------

"Bill & Gerri" <[email protected]> wrote in message news:[email protected]...
> ALL:
>
> I ride most of the time on roads and am always looking for a better rear light.
>
> I found what looks like a great light on the jc whitney auto web page.
When
> I got it I found I could have ordered it direct from the maker as well.
It's
> called the 'MEGA ROAD STROBE", made by CMI.
>
> The light measures 3" by 5". It has 15 small strobes and three lighting methods, slow flash, fast
> flash and steady. This guy runs on 4 AA
battreies
> and is very bright.
>
> The web site is www.cmi-befirst.com and the cost is 13.99 plus shipping. Check it out.
>
> Bill
>
>
>
>
>
> -----= Posted via Newsfeeds.Com, Uncensored Usenet News =----- http://www.newsfeeds.com - The #1
> Newsgroup Service in the World! -----== Over 80,000 Newsgroups - 16 Different Servers! =-----
 
Joshua Goldberg wrote:
>
> Bill your unit has 18 Red LEDs (not 15), if it has only 15 then 3 are broken. CMI is NOT the
> Manufacturer, just a company who imports them and then sells them. I realize their website claims
> they are the Manufacturer, but they're not (would I lie to you). And $13.99 is too much $$ unless
> the 4 Batteries are rechargeable NiMH, then the price is almost okay.
> -----------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> "Bill & Gerri" <[email protected]> wrote in message news:[email protected]...
> > ALL:
> >
> > I ride most of the time on roads and am always looking for a better rear light.
> >
> > I found what looks like a great light on the jc whitney auto web page.
> When
> > I got it I found I could have ordered it direct from the maker as well.
> It's
> > called the 'MEGA ROAD STROBE", made by CMI.
> >
> > The light measures 3" by 5". It has 15 small strobes and three lighting methods, slow flash,
> > fast flash and steady. This guy runs on 4 AA
> battreies
> > and is very bright.
> >
> > The web site is www.cmi-befirst.com and the cost is 13.99 plus shipping. Check it out.
> >
> > Bill

$7.50 at American Science & Surplus (http://www.sciplus.com). These are pretty good lights, I have
them on two of my bikes.

Lorenzo L. Love http://home.thegrid.net/~lllove

"Why of course the people don't want war... Naturally... That is understood. But, after all, it is
the leaders of the country who determine the policy and it is always a simple matter to drag the
people along, whether it is a democracy, or a fascist dictatorship, or a parliament, or a communist
dictatorship. Voice or no voice, the people can always be brought to the bidding of the leaders.
That is easy. All you have to do is tell them they are being attacked, and denounce the peacemakers
for lack of patriotism and exposing the country to danger. It works the same in any country."
Hermann Goering
 
American Science & Supply has it for $7.50. www.sciplus.com and search for item 91603. It was
dropped from their inventory for quite a while but appears to have returned.

I'm unaffiliated with AS&S.
 
Ask and you shall recieve. The next post has the item number. Thanks anyways.

Tom
 
Yeah I noticed they dropped them too...before xmas. FWIW there are 3 different models in the market,
all 3 appear identical on the outside. I have not tried the ones from Sci-Plus yet, but one model I
have seen the the Red LEDs appeared Yellow/Orange and was not very noticeable from 100 feet away.
The one I have is powerful and I use NiMH rechargeables. There is one other model being sold as the
Real-Lite that appears the best of the 3...(yes better than mine) but it also costs lots (retail),
like in the $48.00 area. Weird part tracking down the Real-Lite source was all my Wholesale
inquiries end up in South Africa.

I was going to list the wholesale prices for the 3 models, but it would not be fair for small
retailers to have consumers know what they really cost.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
"ChrisC" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> American Science & Supply has it for $7.50. www.sciplus.com and search for item 91603. It was
> dropped from their inventory for quite a while but appears to have returned.
>
> I'm unaffiliated with AS&S.
 
Mounts again So far I have come up with only one design that sorta works, but until I either find
someone to CAD it for me it will remain my secret hehe What it looks like is a T Mending Plate
(upside down). You drill out 5 holes in the plate, 3 for the lamp and 2 for the bolt used to attach
it to the bike frame. The lamp holes = one in the center so you can use a slot screwdriver to unlock
the rear case and change the batteries. The other 2 holes correspond to the 2 center magnets...they
will drill out easily. You then use a neprene washer, set around the case back hole...case back of
the lamp and facing skyward...like the locking screw (back) is on the table. You insert the bolt so
the flat head of the bolt is on the inside of the case when it is closed and the bolt threads are
sticking out and skyward. You repeat this for both bolts. Add a second neoprene washer and add a
metal washer too. Then insert the 2 bolts into the mending plate and add 2 more washers and 2
wingnuts and tighten. The top of the mending plate to have 2 holes drilled and you carefully bend
the top of the plate till it almost touches the lower part of the plate and the 2 bolt holes are
lined up. You slide the bent part over your bent/bike seat back rail and then using 2 washers and
One bolt....tighten as much as you can...add some rubber to the bent frame to reduce movement and
scratching the frame.

When I did this (above) it worked fine (till) I hit a bump and the plate moved upward....excellent
if you wanna be seen by passing aircraft. The workaround this was to use 50 lb. fishing line and
wrap it around the wingnuts and tie it tight to the seat base...then it stopped moving.

Oh Yeah...IF you want the lamp to face the cars behind you and your seat back is low, bend the T to
the angle you want.

I really have to work on building a better mount from Aircraft Grade Aluminum...the T Plate I used
is Steel and weighed more than the lamp.

My Rube Goldberg way of thinking has also made me think that the best and easiest path would be to
buy a clear plastic case and insert the lamp into this case. The case being fitted with a plastic
mounting bracket. I have resisted the urge to ask a shop to construct such a case for me..no point
in having my sanity questioned too often in one month. hmmmmm are those bars on my windows?
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------
"Bill in Indiana" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:dyR6a.264002$vm2.202882@rwcrnsc54...
> Their shipping charge makes it more than what you can get it for at Meijer Dept. Store. (If you
> have any of those around you) Plus, I have had a hard time mounting it on my Greenspeed. I will
> have to make a mount.
>
> Bill-West Lafayette IN
 
Sounds like waaaay to much messing around for me. I'd rather spend the time riding than trying to
figure out a Rube Goldberg light package. Although it's nice to do things just the way you want
sometimes, I took the easy way out.

I ride a Ryan Vanguard and Duplex, I use a Vistalite Super Nebula 5 on the rear of my rack and two
Vistalite Total Eclipse on the top of my seat frame. I run all of these in flash mode and it is
quite an eye catcher. Once in the fog (wide shoulder luckily) one of the guys from work said he
thought is was a cop car on the side of the rode, I could actually here the traffic slow down.
Although this is not the cheapest way out (about $43 at Nashbar today), it is a small price to pay
to be noticed.

All the lights mounted up reel nice also, only had to shim up the seat frame with some heater hose
for the clamp to fit tight. Rack had a place to mount the Super Nebula so everything came out like a
factory job.

So........ my $0.02 worth........ spend some money, get all or some of the lights above (or
similar), I don't think you will be sorry. And it will help get the economy moving also....... well
maybe not.

Bill Ryan Vanguard, Duplex

"Joshua Goldberg" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Mounts again So far I have come up with only one design that sorta works, but until I either find
> someone to CAD it for me it will remain my secret hehe What it looks like is a T Mending Plate
> (upside down). You drill out 5
holes
> in the plate, 3 for the lamp and 2 for the bolt used to attach it to the bike frame. The lamp
> holes = one in the center so you can use a slot screwdriver to unlock the rear case and change the
> batteries. The other 2 holes
correspond
> to the 2 center magnets...they will drill out easily. You then use a
neprene
> washer, set around the case back hole...case back of the lamp and facing skyward...like the
> locking screw (back) is on the table. You insert the
bolt
> so the flat head of the bolt is on the inside of the case when it is
closed
> and the bolt threads are sticking out and skyward. You repeat this for
both
> bolts. Add a second neoprene washer and add a metal washer too. Then
insert
> the 2 bolts into the mending plate and add 2 more washers and 2 wingnuts
and
> tighten. The top of the mending plate to have 2 holes drilled and you carefully
bend
> the top of the plate till it almost touches the lower part of the plate
and
> the 2 bolt holes are lined up. You slide the bent part over your bent/bike seat back rail and then
> using 2 washers and One bolt....tighten as much as you can...add some rubber to the bent frame to
> reduce movement and scratching the frame.
>
> When I did this (above) it worked fine (till) I hit a bump and the plate moved upward....excellent
> if you wanna be seen by passing aircraft. The workaround this was to use 50 lb. fishing line and
> wrap it around the wingnuts and tie it tight to the seat base...then it stopped moving.
>
> Oh Yeah...IF you want the lamp to face the cars behind you and your seat back is low, bend the T
> to the angle you want.
>
> I really have to work on building a better mount from Aircraft Grade Aluminum...the T Plate I used
> is Steel and weighed more than the lamp.
>
> My Rube Goldberg way of thinking has also made me think that the best and easiest path would be to
> buy a clear plastic case and insert the lamp into this case. The case being fitted with a plastic
> mounting bracket. I have resisted the urge to ask a shop to construct such a case for me..no point
in
> having my sanity questioned too often in one month. hmmmmm are those bars on my windows?
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------
--
> ----------------------
> "Bill in Indiana" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:dyR6a.264002$vm2.202882@rwcrnsc54...
> > Their shipping charge makes it more than what you can get it for at
Meijer
> > Dept. Store. (If you have any of those around you) Plus, I have had a hard time mounting it on
> > my Greenspeed. I will have
to
> > make a mount.
> >
> > Bill-West Lafayette IN
> >
> >
>
>

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Joshua Goldberg wrote:
>
> Mounts again So far I have come up with only one design that sorta works, but until I either find
> someone to CAD it for me it will remain my secret hehe What it looks like is a T Mending Plate
> (upside down). You drill out 5 holes in the plate, 3 for the lamp and 2 for the bolt used to
> attach it to the bike frame. The lamp holes = one in the center so you can use a slot screwdriver
> to unlock the rear case and change the batteries. The other 2 holes correspond to the 2 center
> magnets...they will drill out easily. You then use a neprene washer, set around the case back
> hole...case back of the lamp and facing skyward...like the locking screw (back) is on the table.
> You insert the bolt so the flat head of the bolt is on the inside of the case when it is closed
> and the bolt threads are sticking out and skyward. You repeat this for both bolts. Add a second
> neoprene washer and add a metal washer too. Then insert the 2 bolts into the mending plate and add
> 2 more washers and 2 wingnuts and tighten. The top of the mending plate to have 2 holes drilled
> and you carefully bend the top of the plate till it almost touches the lower part of the plate and
> the 2 bolt holes are lined up. You slide the bent part over your bent/bike seat back rail and then
> using 2 washers and One bolt....tighten as much as you can...add some rubber to the bent frame to
> reduce movement and scratching the frame.
>
> When I did this (above) it worked fine (till) I hit a bump and the plate moved upward....excellent
> if you wanna be seen by passing aircraft. The workaround this was to use 50 lb. fishing line and
> wrap it around the wingnuts and tie it tight to the seat base...then it stopped moving.
>
> Oh Yeah...IF you want the lamp to face the cars behind you and your seat back is low, bend the T
> to the angle you want.
>
> I really have to work on building a better mount from Aircraft Grade Aluminum...the T Plate I used
> is Steel and weighed more than the lamp.
>
> My Rube Goldberg way of thinking has also made me think that the best and easiest path would be to
> buy a clear plastic case and insert the lamp into this case. The case being fitted with a plastic
> mounting bracket. I have resisted the urge to ask a shop to construct such a case for me..no point
> in having my sanity questioned too often in one month. hmmmmm are those bars on my windows?
> ----------------------------------------------------------------------------
> ----------------------
> "Bill in Indiana" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:dyR6a.264002$vm2.202882@rwcrnsc54...
> > Their shipping charge makes it more than what you can get it for at Meijer Dept. Store. (If you
> > have any of those around you) Plus, I have had a hard time mounting it on my Greenspeed. I will
> > have to make a mount.
> >
> > Bill-West Lafayette IN
> >
> >

You are pretty much guaranteed to find more at American Science & Supply worth ordering.

I also use a T plate to mount it on my gas power assisted Tour Easy, a big structural reinforcement
T plate made for building framing, cut down to size. The 18 LED flasher, moped license plate and a
big reflector are all mounted on this 1/16 inch thick steel plate bolted to the back of the rack.
The flasher is held on by just one screw, the little one in the center. With the magnets, that seems
sufficient even with motor vibration. At least it hasn't fell off yet.

On my BikeE, it is attached to the back of a seat bag with a steel backer plate on the inside
of the bag.

I got a third one that I'm going to put on my upright rain bike one of these days.

Lorenzo L. Love http://home.thegrid.net/~lllove

"A people living under the perpetual menace of war and invasion is very easy to govern. It demands
no social reforms. It does not haggle over expenditures on armaments and military equipment. It pays
without discussion, it ruins itself, and that is an excellent thing for the syndicates of financiers
and manufacturers for whom patriotic terrors are an abundant source of gain." Anatole France
 
I mount my Sciplus rear lights using velcro. I hang a four inch piece of wood ruler stock from the
top seat brace of my Bikee with a couple of plastic ties. Stick the positive velcro to the wood and
the negative to the back of the light. Easy to remove to replace the battery. Great light! You can
see it in daylight. It's also available sans magnet and bracket from Sheldon Brown for a much higher
price. Caveat emptor!

BentJay
 
Their shipping charge makes it more than what you can get it for at Meijer Dept. Store. (If you have
any of those around you) Plus, I have had a hard time mounting it on my Greenspeed. I will have to
make a mount.

Bill-West Lafayette IN
 
"Bill in Indiana" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:<dyR6a.264002$vm2.202882@rwcrnsc54>...
>
> I will have to make a mount.
>
> Bill-West Lafayette IN

I bought two of these lights last fall. They're great! To mount them on my BikeE seatback I visited
a auto/boat upholstery shop, described my mounting problem to the owner, and asked him if they could
come up with something using velcro. He sewed four patches of the velcro hook material to a doubled
panel of thick upholstery cloth about 3 1/2" x 12", then sewed this panel to the seatback mesh at
the top of the seat. The other half of the velcro is glued to the backs of my two lights. He also
made another smaller panel with two velcro patches and sewed that to the fabric on the back back of
my bike trailer. Works great! I can have one or two lights on the seatback, or one on the seatback
and one on the trailer, and they're easily removable when I have to park my bike in some public
area. Total cost, $20 for his labor and materials.

These served me very well on my 1200 mile tour last fall, on a couple days when I couldn't make it
to my next campground before dark.

Pamela - BikeE RX
 
Andrew...the rear light we're talking about has a 24 square inch footprint...those Zipties would
have to be pretty big to mount such a lamp and the rope is a nice thought, but the Zipties and rope
will cover the Lens...which kinda makes many of those 18 LEDs useless.

IF U have a tailbox (I do) on my CLWB, I put one Flasher inside a Clear Ziplock Sandwhich Bag and
velcro'd the back of the bag to my tailbox and glued a strip of steel on the inside of the box for
the Magnets to bond with.
----------------------------------------------------------------
"Andrew Douglas" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Guys, mounting stuff like this is really easy. You don't need to over-engineer it.
>
> I always carry with me several pieces of 1/8" braided nylon cord (colorful, looks like teeny tiny
> thin mountain climbing rope, comes in spools, very strong... you need to burn the end when you cut
> it to keep it from fraying). I carry a few different lengths, up to about four feet long.
>
> This stuff is very useful. I use it for many, many things. My Pharobike fits in my car, and it's
> held upright with this cord, run from the bike to the grab handles over the back doors. Every item
> attached to my bike that doesn't come with a bracket in the first place (i.e. all but computers,
> bells, mirrors, etc.) is affixed either with zip ties or this cord. If I need to temporarily
> secure ANYTHING to the bike, I use this stuff.
>
> It forms much of the mounting system for the carbon M5 tailbox on my Wishbone.
>
> All you need to do is get creative with making a harness for the light (pretend you're tying
> ribbon around a package). Tie it to your seat. Simple. Light. Secure. The best part is, you can
> just untie the light and take it off when you don't need it, or if you're parking the bike and
> don't want it to get stolen.
>
> Even simpler is to just use zip ties. Do the same thing... use multiple zip ties to make a harness
> for the light so it can't slip out.
 
"Joshua Goldberg" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:<[email protected]>...
> those Zipties would have to be pretty big to mount such a lamp and the rope is a nice thought, but
> the Zipties and rope will cover the Lens...which kinda makes many of those 18 LEDs useless.
>

Nope. When I saw your note I pulled mine out and spent about ten minutes doing two harnesses, one
rope and one ziptie. I'm emailing you photos. Anyone else who wants to see what I'm talking about
can email me at [email protected] (I don't check a.r.b.r. all that regularly).
 
Nice pics of the Ziptie harness, but still no plan to keep the Flasher in place and not facing
down. The (T Mending Plate) keeps the flasher in place, maybe a merger of the T Plate with Zipties
might work
----------------------------------------------------------
"Andrew Douglas" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> "Joshua Goldberg" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:<[email protected]>...
> > those Zipties would have to be pretty big to mount such a lamp and the rope is a nice thought,
> > but the Zipties and rope will cover the Lens...which kinda makes many of those 18 LEDs useless.
> >
>
> Nope. When I saw your note I pulled mine out and spent about ten minutes doing two harnesses, one
> rope and one ziptie. I'm emailing you photos. Anyone else who wants to see what I'm talking about
> can email me at [email protected] (I don't check a.r.b.r. all that regularly).
 
I also use lots of reflectors and a white PFD strobe from West Marine. It blasts in the fog. The big
?, is it legal??? Haven't been stopped yet. It's really bright.

Lon HepCat
 
LA

Here in NY it would not be legal. V and T law states that you can not have a white light facing
rearward except for emergency vehicles. Something to that effect anyway.

Bill Ryan Vanguard, Duplex

"LA" <[email protected]> wrote in message news:[email protected]...
> I also use lots of reflectors and a white PFD strobe from West Marine. It blasts in the fog. The
> big ?, is it legal??? Haven't been stopped yet.
It's
> really bright.
>
> Lon HepCat
>

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