I doubt you'll get an argument there fella. It was very crap indeed. Those were literally the only lights available at the time.
At the time I'd just built my first bike. A Wilson BMX. Reynolds 501 frame, Landing Gear, Pro Class wheels, Wilson 501 bars and Seatpost, Dia-Compe brakes. It was beautiful. Was I going to stick a set of those on it?
What do you think? 
Those were literally the only lights available at the time.
No, they were not!
I used to do a 20 mile round trip on a Grifter XL (!!) to race my RC car nearly every Sunday through the winter, coming home at 6pm. Part of my journey was a totally unlit dual carrigeway (I used the path) through some woods between Hucknall and Kirkby (Annesley Woods??? Not sure now)
And I needed lights I could a) See by b) Didn't got me a fortune in batteries.
Solution?
Timely (...if a slight hijack) - I've run my front dynamo light in anger for a week now, and it's been great. Although the cabling will be a bit of a faff (the reason I'm still using battery LEDs for the moment), what's big in the world of dynamo rear lights? What's going to give me the biggest bucket of (red) sunshine for my 0.6W?
Well I use the Supernova, but I think you can only use that with the matching front. Any of the Busch and Muller lights are well regarded, and they have reflectors in them so they work really well. As far as the cabling goes, it might be less awkward than you think if you can follow a rear brake or gear cable.
Indeed - I've got a B+M front light, and don't really like any of their rear lights (too big - either intended for rack or gurard fitting). The SuperNova E3 rear light looks ideal, but it does say it is specific to Supernova front lights......gggrrrrrr 
Blimey! I've just had a flashback to when the only lights available looked like this
Blast from the past! - those huge batteries either leaked, went rusty or flat in 5 seconds which ever came first
I think the supernova rear takes a DC voltage feed from the supernova front light, which is why it isn't compatable with other systems ( unless you supply your own DC voltage ) and it also means it uses the front's standlight function.
I have the E3 triple on the front, and am now considering the rear to add to the bike as well.
I run a B&M Seculite Plus on the back of my bike - a single bright LED with standlight. Claims to be light enough to fit to a mudguard but mine is on a rear rack. Has lasted many winters - I turn my lights on in September and turn them off again in April.
I back it up with a flashing LED - just to be sure.
I think the supernova rear takes a DC voltage feed from the supernova front light, which is why it isn't compatable with other systems ( unless you supply your own DC voltage ) and it also means it uses the front's standlight function.
Yeah, that is correct - surely it's not beyond someone to take the AC supply from the front light and do the conversion in an LED rear light? Having just invested in the B+M front light, I don't really fancy shelling out again (though I do lust after the E3 triple front/E3 rear combination...... ;-))
Trout to the forum, perhaps......
fwiw. its not worth spending loads on rear lights. just buy several cheap lights. more light is better then one big bright light.
i use a variety of Smart 1/2W and a cateye grenade and a couple of the cheap (£2!) flashy things from tesco
If you're worried about water ingress, try one of these:
You may of course be opposed to Knogs frightfully sexist advertising though. Terrible!
may I be the last to suggest that super-bright is not helpful, front or back ?
oh, and get some of the reflective ankle straps - the uppy/downy pedalling motion really stands out.
+1 or this?
..... Far too many people round here rely on dim lights and reflective kit - by far the ones that get widest avoidance are those who're piercingly brightly lit.
I don't think the suggestion was 'dim' lights - people riding with only a couple of those emergency back up lights are nuts BUT you don't *need* to spend huge amounts on commuter lights. Katie and I spend a lot of time riding around together so I get to see what our different lights look like from a distance - the dynamo powered lights on the Bromptons are show up as well as anything when coupled with some reflective.
Don't rely only on flashing - it makes it difficult to judge distance and speed. Flashing on the back as a secondary, or in half light, is ok but only on the front in an emergency.
Fairly low end, but quality, LED lights (Cat-eyes from around £30) are now fine on front and our 5 year old Vistalight Total Eclipses are great on the back. On the rest you're paying for construction and long lasting rechargeables.
What you really want to *avoid* is huge amounts of unfocused light - front or rear - which is what a lot of homebrew/chinese/off road focused lights will give you. There was a guy I used to end up behind sometimes with some hugely overpowered single LED rear (might have been a Dinotte) pointing straight back that would leave me nearly blind for 30 seconds after I passed him.
Personally I'm now on an Exposure front and rear with a Vistalite total Eclipse as a secondary rear (if i run the front down enough to have to go to flashing I can use this on it's own) plus reflective ankle bands and some silver scotchlite on my helmet.
Funny you should say the normal lights are a poor design, I've had one of these
Cateyes for must be 8 years.. was main commuting light, now is on my pack. Not as bright as the Smart I now have on the bike, but seems pretty bombproof to me.
The only rear light I've killed was a Blackburn Mars 3, left the cheapo batteries in over the summer and they leaked.
I think it also depends on the visibility you are looking for as well.
To me, if you in an urban setup, then you'd get better visibility from a large wide angled light which can be seen from all around.
For me though, I benefit more from a focussed beam I think. My commute is mainly along straight-ish unlit roads where cars are approaching from a considerable distance ... I want them to see me from a long way away. At the moment, the 1/2 watt smart lights fit that bill perfectly for me.
Cycling home with a friend of mine, he peeled off and I carried on. He said he could see the light really well for about 1/2 a mile away ... which is what I wanted.
Evans were doing a good deal on the exposure flare recharge pack - excellent lights. As mentioned above back it up with some cheapish lights in other places, I have 3 upfront and rear, plus hi viz vest.
simons_nicolai-uk, i read it, and i disagree. i drive a van for a living (often at night), and you know what happens when i see a really bright light on a bike? shall i tell you? i SLOW DOWN! yeah, it can be annoying, but it doesn't lead me to speed up and plough into the cyclist!
of course, i commute with several lights, some bright, others less so.
. As far as the cabling goes, it might be less awkward than you think if you can follow a rear brake or gear cable.
That's what I do for my rear dynamo light, along top tube, then down rear brake cable. Mine is a homemade 1w red led light, sits on top of the mudguard, was dead easy to make, cost about 3 quid, but has no stand light, so I have a cateye backup. If I bought one I'd get a b+m one.
To the original poster, the people saying dynamo are totally right, modern dynamo hub systems are by far the best commuter lights you can get, at least if you need to ride on unlit roads so need something bright enough to see by.
Joe
If I bought one I'd get a b+m one
Yeah, but all the B+M ones have massive reflectors on them (to satisfy German regulations IIRC), which basically rules them out of seat post mounting. The E3 rear is just so neat - maybe homebrew is the way forward - care to ellaborate? Oh - and I thought the rear output was regulated to 0.6W - how do you use a 1W rear LED? (NB: may be a sensible answer here - genuine interest.....)
isn't a Smart 1w made up of two 1/2watt leds?
Vistalite total Eclipse
Great light. Had four of them, the best in class when they were released but all now sadly dead - was a pain undoing the screws to change batts tho
Vistalite total Eclipse
Great light. Had four of them, the best in class when they were released but all now sadly dead - was a pain undoing the screws to change batts tho
I picked a couple up on eBay for peanuts long after they were discontinued. Screws are a pain but that's the screw together construction with a decent seal is the reason they're so weatherproof.
The Moon Shield 60 looks like an interesting option:
http://www.wiggle.co.uk/moon-shield-60-rechargeable-rear-light/
I currently use a pair of Smart R1s. They've not been through a winter yet, but I've not had any trouble in the wet. I tried hard to justify the Flare, but it seemed a lot to pay when I could get a pair of R1s and a load of AAA rechargeables for less money. Plus the R1s come with better mounts.
What's wrong with having them mounted to a rack, it makes the most sense IMO.
What's wrong with having them mounted to a rack, it makes the most sense IMO.
That's fine, if you have a rack.... which, I don't.... and don't plan to (don't go far enough for panniers - tried them and didn't get on with them anyway, but that's another can of worms that's been kicked around enough)....
Can't say fairer than that! Looks like you'll have to pony up for a pair of Supernovas then.
Can't say fairer than that! Looks like you'll have to pony up for a pair of Supernovas then
Beginning to seriously consider it......... 
The E3 rear is just so neat -maybe homebrew is the way forward -care to ellaborate? Oh -and I thought the rear output was regulated to 0.6W -how do you use a 1W rear LED? (NB: may be a sensible answer here -genuine interes t.....)
My light is a red Cree led, soldered directly to a cheap bridge rectifier chip from maplin. Whole lot is glued to the back of a white plastic 20mm lens holder. The lens holder is glued into a piece of old alu seatpost. Two wires out the back for the power (i had a spare extension cable that came with my lights). It mounts on the mudguard top by kind of clipping between the two stays where they poke up, plus some gaffa tape as a backup.
On the back of my b and m lights, it has two sets of outputs. I think one is for a second front light, one is for rear light, can't remember which I used, but it appears to put out enough power - the dynamo is limited to 500ma, so it isn't running the led at full power, but that doesn't matter.
You could get a bracket like this: http://www.amba-marketing.com/products/136-buschmuller_rear_seat_bolt_dynamo_light_bracket.php
It lets you attach a rack light to your seat bolt. I used one with a B&M dynamo light for a while, works fine (though I now have a rack).
Thanks Joe - I will look into that a bit more. Getting the full Supernova set (would all colour match nicely ) is looking like the way to go IF I can be bothered to move away from rear recharagables....
I agree with Coffeeking. I used the Hope District all last winter and it's the only light I've had where cars slow down behind me and wait to overtake, don't know if they think it's a motorbike braking or are a bit dazzled but as long as they're slowing down it's good for me....
I, on my cycle, was behind a cycle yesterday with an array of flashing lights, some of which were the RSP ones I think.
They were so freakin' bright that it affected my eyesight for the worse. It is like one of those annoying cars with their rear fogs on, but worse as they are flashing
I am not sure these uber bright lights are sensible - I am guessing that the cars that slow down and pass slowly only do so because they can't judge the distance to your light properly and then are passing you with reduced vision, which isn't really desirable.
They may be going slower but if they can't see you properly then a slow car is still going to do a lot of damage if it hits you...
This nightmare scenario where car drivers are dazzled by high-powered rear lights to the extent where they become totally disorientated and plough into a cyclist that everyone's so concerned about?
Has it ever actually happened?
not that I know of, but the situation where the person behind is so p1ssed off at being blinded by someones rear lights that they stop the rider in front and put said lights out of commision was pretty close the other night.
Why have dazzling rear lights ?
I assume that a rider with such lights would not complain when a car driver fails to dip his lights from full beam when approaching them and would just accept the impairment to their night vision for the next 10 minutes or more.
I have to say, even the quite ridiculously bright rear light I run isn't anywhere near as bright and dazzling as the 21w bulb in the brake light on my car, or even the 10w bulb in the rear light.
Joe
Mars 3.0 for me as well had it for years now, it's super tough and last ages and is bright as ***k as well.
If I had to replace it I'd get a mars 5.0 or a flare, but it's not showing any signs of giving up.
I have the Smart 0.5W rear and whilst it is very bright the quality is poor, as they just aren't properly waterproof. There is a notch in the body to open the case, but the seals don't take account of this and water gets in, meaning the light will not change mode, and randomly turn on and not turn off etc. Would be OK with a good rear mudguard and under the saddle.
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