I’ve donated a few surplus rear lights to friends (a couple of old LED cateyes and a Plant Bike/Smart Superflash) so it’s time to invest in some new rear lighting for the dark times ahead.

I’ve got a Mars 3.0 at the moment but would really like something more noticeable.

I could get another Superflash, but I quite liked the look of the Exposure Flare, cheapest I’ve seen it is a nudge over £30 delivered.

Any thoughts on what’s good this year/bargains?

TVM

new mars 3 is noticeably better than last years version.

Ah bugger I’ve just ordered a Mars 3.0, are they not much cop then?

Too slow!

Not that it isn’t any cop, it’s got good side visibility and seems really well made (compared with the Superflash, at least), just that it’s not nearly as bright as the Superflash and I’d like as many lumens as poss for the unlit commute home…

Tempted by the flash / flare combo – just not too sure about splashing money on a new light at the moment… 🙁

I’ve got a Mars 2.0 and a Smart 1/2 watt – personally I can’t see the need for anything brighter than the Mars 2.0

When it’s on the random light sequence it’s very noticeable and the warranty is great.

Two ‘Holy Hand Grenades’, a 1/2 Watt, soon to suppliments by a further 1/2 Watt rear dynamo light… is there an upper limit to rear light brightness?

Tesco value rear for 3.99 IIRC. Waterproof and bright and long lasting too. I got fed up moving it between bikes so just bought one for each. It’s as good or better than anything else I have seen.

I’m tempted by the rear light from DX, looks a bit mental! And would free up a batery as a spare.

Other than that I go for the “more the merrier” approach.

If you buy the cheep cateye LED sets wehre the frotn and rear are identical in all but colour, then swap the lenses over you get a red LED in a clear case (Lexus style innit!) and a white LED in a Red case, turn them on and it all looks the same. One of those either side of the big reflector on the back of the pannier.

A blackburn Mars on my seatpost angled slightly up from horisontal.

And I usualy have some small white LED’s on my bags sternum strap to illuminate me a bit.

Smart Polaris for me. Smallish, always seem to work and the batteries last forever, neither of which has been true of some of the more expensive ones I’ve had.
Plus I don’t think super bright rear lights help with visibility anywhere near as well as reflective clothing does.

I got one of these:

cateye light…..

and it’s very bright.

One of these on my seat post

and one of these on the rear stays

and Altura nightvision clothing, especially in these dark wet nights and mornings when fuktards don’t demist car windows before setting out….

I got a Fibre Flare it definatley gets noticed and is quite funky and less than £30. It also clips to my backpack so only need one light for all my bikes

Would you mind me asking where the flare can be found for around the 30 quid mark?

This one for me this year

Best I’ve found is ~£32.39 from Shiny Bikes
http://www.shinybikes.com/product.php?productid=18754

Would love it if they were cheaper anywhere else!

I think one of these and a Fibre Flare would do the job nicely…

I got the Fibre Flare at my LBS and they give me 10% discount so it was £27 (sorry requires good LBS!)

I have the deal extreme rear and its far far brighter than the smart 1/2 watt i have. the switch is a faff though.

Fibre flares are good, I have one for impromptu pub stops or trips to the cashpoint etc…. £30 from my LBS

Fibre Flare here as well, again on discount from my LBS (£25), that usually lives on my rucksack where it’s very noticeable to drivers of higher vehicles looking down on it.

Got a Cateye 5-LED job on the seatpost and I’ve just supplemented it with an Exposure Flare (thread about the Flare/Flash here: http://www.singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/exposure-flash )

The Flare is bonkers bright. The other light that always gets good marks is the Smart Lunar R1 which is about £18, that’s a 1/2 watt LED which is also blindingly bright.

The smart half watt is a stupid design.
Anyone who rides in real “weather” will experience the water ingress problems. They’ve put the switch right in the line of fire of most back wheels.. fair enough some folks run a mudguard.. but not all of us do.

Way round it of course is just a piece of tape over the switch every time you change the batteries as it is an effective bright flasher.

I’ve gone for the RSP Astrum, about £13 twin 1/2 watt. Bracket isn’t the greatest, but time will tell. Damn bright

@grim168 – do you know the SKU of the DX light, out of interest?

Exposure Flare here

I have the magicshine mj818 rear light and loved it, extremely bright, I use it in daylight too.It is well made but needs a little fettling to make battery and light unit totally waterproof and you need to fashion something to clamp onto to get the angle right, see mtbr forums.
I was unlucky as mine gave up the ghost after 30 hours use and I am waiting for a replacement.

B&M Toplight mounted securely to a Topeak MTX seatpost rack. Cateyes for the kids bikes mounted to the seatposts.

Niterider Cherry Bomb

After doing some “in-shop” testing last year, I reckoned this was (a) very bright and (b) had the best beam spread.

Dangerboy, here you go http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.42077

Smart have got a couple of good ones:

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=56546

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=42472

They have a strobe effect setting syncronised with the more standard LED’s that are also in the unit. Very visible, yet still low profile.

+1 exposure flare! cracking little light! well waterproof easy to take on/off, easy to turn on/off, bright, light?!??! want any more reasons to get one!?!?!??!

That DX light is just ridiculous – I love it!
So, it’s between the Magicshine MJ-818 from DX and the Exposure Flare from Shiny bikes. Very different lights – I’m torn, but leaning towards the Flare.

Thanks all!

you don’t have to be lit up like blackpool to get noticed…

put 1 light on your seat post/seatstay and 1 light on your back/bag/helmet.

the 2 lights will move together, but not quite perfectly, and the imperfect movement is very eye catching.

EBC catalogue came in post this morning fibre flare £29.99
for me that would be a pick up when passing – no idea if they charge postage

L & M Vis 180 Here, Kin Awesome
And a Vis 360 on the lid.

No excuse for not seeing me!

Thanks all, I’ve ordered the DX light to start with, if it’s no good I can use the battery as a spare for my front light…

ATGANI – Member
L & M Vis 180 Here, Kin Awesome

how awesome and why? – I’m looking for a properly reliable all winter/wet capable light… all the normal options pack up to easily with water ingress imo, and become unreliable in the cold (switching themselves off at random)
what level of use have you had from this new £90 bit of rear lighting kit? – how capable in the wet?
I’m prepared to shed out for it if it’s upto the job, but not convinced the USB recharge port isn’t going to be it’s downfall for wet ingress.

Darn, I just ordered a new helmet lamp from DX, I wasnt tinking about a rear light, for £38 the rear light looks fantastic.

MisterT

Strangely enough my Vis 180 has been returned due to water ingress. Being a sealed unit, there’s no way the water can drain.

I suspect the rubber cover over the USB port is to blame. Oh, and the rubber clamp is an awful design and allows the light to rotate 90 degrees when it’s raining.

This one from the USA looks looks powerful from the videos I’ve seen on youtube and on the Amazon buying page.

http://ecom1.planetbike.com/3034.html

http://www.amazon.com/Planet-Bike-Blinky-eXtreme-Bicycle/dp/B000KBEH1W/ref=lh_ni_t_

The price on Amazon is $23.99, I assume they ship to the UK? Not sure what the total price would be though.