Recommend me a rear light to use when I’m on road.
I currently use a cateye TL-LD600 5 LED thing but the mount is a right pain, it rubs the inside of my leg no matter where on the post it’s mounted.

Thinking of getting an exposure flare. Any good?

anything else worth looking at.

cheers

There is a new cateye bracket available that stops the leg/mount interface. Much cheaper than a new light 🙂

http://www.zyro.co.uk/product-category/Light-x0020-Spares/id/CA5342280.aspx

Really 🙂 where do I find them then?

I still wouldn’t mind a light with a bit more ummph though

Any Cateye stockist should have them/can get them.

Do like the look of the flare though.

I have just bought a RSP Astrum from ebay. It has 2 x 0.5w LEDs and is super bright. I saw another commuter with one on his bike and was extremely impressed so I bought one. If anything it might be a bit too bright!

Smart lunar R1 1watt it’s blinding, and gives out loads to the sides. They’re pretty small. can be seen from a mile away or something. A friend has the half watt one and that’s bright enough!

I just use £5.50 tesco ones cos I tend to lose or destroy rear lights one way or another. £5.50 is enough for it to be a disposable item I don’t have to care about. They’re bright enough I guess and have a belt clip so I can stick it on my topeak saddle pack. put a couple on at different angles?

another vote for the smart lunar, its really good especially in fog

Smart rear lights work for me.
Better off with several lights than one if the intention is to be seen

Can you mount the Cateye on your seatstay instead?

Just got a Flare – it’s awesome.

Fairly happy with my Exposure Flare although the rubber bracket doesn’t exactly inspire confidence.

Fell off once already in it’s first week on the commute, I’ve looped another o-ring over the seatpost to stop it dropping off again.

It’ll be a pain in the arse to swap it around bikes and an additional bracket is a bit pricey at a tenner, considering.

Nice and bright though, even when it’s dangling off my seatpost…

So smart 1 watt or flare,but which is better?. Only one way to find out………FIIIIIIIIIGHT.

Just found a pic taken buy a guy who has both. It looks like the Flare is MUCH brighter.

The Flare is big and very eye catching without dazzling.

I have an RSP 2 x 1/2 watt jobbies. One of the LEDs is dead and it still only lasts ~3 hrs on rechargeables.

i’m using a Cherry Bomb which is brighter than the Smart jobbies that i also like

Smart one Here Cherry Bomb Here, no problems using both in rain

on and on

The brightest rear light money can buy ?

http://www.bikelightingsystem.com/vis180.html

no one for multiple £5.50 tesco jobbies at different angles for less money and more overall visibility and easily replacable when they go wrong? That’s what I’m doing anyway…

Another vote for the smart light here. Great value and realy bright.

How about a FIA Spec F1 rain light:
http://motorsportcables.com/rain_light.htm

You need a power supply, and I think it’s about £100 but it’s F1!

We sell both smart and the cherry bomb. Thvie Bomb sells well in excess of the smart after a short demo. Great light.

I just trimmed my Cateye mount. I have the LD610 and cannot fault it

just read the crc reviews for the cherry bomb. 🙁

Smart 1/2 watt here for commuting – very impressive for the money. The 1W one must be insanely bright.

I like the smart 1/2 watt lunar.

That goes on my pack, and is combined with Cateye Ld1100 (handgrenade) on seatpost, tesco twinkler on the lid and flashing wrist and ankl;e straps).

All that seems to work on unlit lanes through winter.

Tip to stop your lights dying: fit some mudguards.

exposure flare

Running an Exposure Red Eye for unlit roads running directly from a Smudge-made quasi-Piggyback – brutally bright to the point where cars cross to the other side of the road to pass. If the Flare is as bright – which it seems to be – then it’ll be pretty effective. There’s an MBR test on the Exposure site tho, which says the Flare goes through a set of rechargeables in just three hours.

Slight tangent, but the mini-Red Eye on a Joystick is a brilliant night ride back-up/emergency light set, though I ended up using accessory cord double zip-tied onto the Red Eye then fixed to the Joystick to stop the thing disappearing into the depths of my pack/under the fridge/telly/into the Hoover/being eaten by rats etc.

Otherwise I’ve found the Backburn Mars 3.0 and 4.0 pretty good – you can pop the back off easily now to dry if moisture does get in, they’re decently bright too. A little suspicious of the 4.0 as it only has one main red LED so a simple bulb failure will stop it working completely unlike a multi-LED set-up. Blah.

Have to point out that my comments above were for the ‘Fibre Flare’ thigy. Very nice if you can fit it on your bike.

I just trimmed my Cateye mount. I have the LD610 and cannot fault it

+1

I’m also concerned that lots of folks seem to think the brighter == better. Particularly the fact that some of these lights are beyond the maximum brighteness permissible for a rear car light. These silly bright rear lights? on flashing mode? Might as well go shine a laser in the driver’s eye and hope he doesn’t hit you.

Since having the Flare (on pulse) I’ve definitely noticed I’m getting a bit more space and consideration on the commute.

Could be down to driver perception – well kitted out, safe and serious cyclist “better give him room then”.

Or driver is half blinded and I’m riding like an idiot…

I’m also concerned that lots of folks seem to think the brighter == better. Particularly the fact that some of these lights are beyond the maximum brighteness permissible for a rear car light. These silly bright rear lights? on flashing mode? Might as well go shine a laser in the driver’s eye and hope he doesn’t hit you.

I think it depends on circumstances. If I’m riding over the Snake Pass at midnight, I’d rather have a very bright light that someone might see at a distance before they scream up to me at 80mph. If I’m riding in town then I wouldn’t use a really bright light. Anyone aware of any instances of bikes being struck by cars after being dazzled by their rear lights?

In reality, what seems to happen is that the car driver does a ‘wtf is that’, slows down and passes with lots of space to spare. No-one’s ever come close to hitting me. With a conventional rear light, people seem happy to skim past you with a foot to spare – I know which scenario I prefer.

I’m not saying very bright rear lights are a universally good thing, but in some situations – fog is another one – they have their uses. You just need to use a modicum of common sense.

And personally, when driving, I’d rather be able to spot a cyclist well in advance and put up with a little extra glare. Compared to oncoming 4×4 headlights, it’s nothing.

Topeak Redlite 2 is pretty good.

Brighter rear light better in urban environment as it has to compete with a multitude of other light sources. Brighter light also better on unlit country roads as range is better. Given the power of car / street / dashboard lights, I can’t think of a scenario where a bike light is better if less bright.

Flashing mode helps greatly to ID the source as a bicycle too.

I’ve had an exposure flare for a week, seems a really good light.

I also have a fibre flare attached to my bag which I really rate as well.