[Closed] Advice on Rear red light for road (obviously)

I like my Knog Blinder

Lezyne Micro Drive. Everyone who sees mine is impressed by it although some find it too bright to follow.

Phart lights from On One, cheap and bright enough without being dazzling.

very happy with my Lezyne Zecto - USB rechargable, very bright and lots of settings

Moon Shield.

Lezyne Micro Drive is very bright and clear light, usb and the flash mode meaans I can get several days before recharge.
The macro front I got as a deal with the rear light is fantatsic but you get less than an hour on high before it indicates low charge.

Moon comet. Bright, tucked away on saddle rails,sturdy fixings

The 'holy hand grenade' is where it's at

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Moon Comet is good, as is the Shield.

I've got a Smart Lunar R2 and a Cateye something or another; the one with the 5 leds in a row...
I use the Cateye on solid and the R2 flashing. I've got Duracell rechargeables for both and charge them every few weeks.

Holy hand grenade is the best

Smart r2 is good too

When you can get a Smart Lunar 1/2 Watt, R1 or R2 for £8.50-£11 I'm not sure I'd bother with chinese ebay specials!

I just want one that remembers the last mode I used, and switches off without cycling through every other function first!

If you commute on dark roads (ie no street lighting, rural or open roads) you'll want something bright. Especially for misty and foggy days.
I was using a Magic Shine MJ 818 last year and will be this year. Very bright!
[url= http://www.magicshineuk.co.uk/magicshine-mj-818-rear-light-85-lumens.html ]MJ 818[/url]

Thanks all. Lots to look into before winter really kicks in.

Two minor problems with the Hand Grenade....
Bulky
Not USB rechargeable

Apart from that, it's very, very good!

I got a Smart R1 based on recommendations and I love it. Has two 1/2 watt LEDS that stay on constant, and a mega-bright 1 watt LED flashing. Comes with seat stay mount as well as the usual seatpost mount too. Only problem is, it's not quite waterproof and starts playing up after a long day in the rain!

Moon Comet. Twinpack with the matching front which is also an excellent 'be seen' light too.

I got a hope district3 when halfords sold off all their stock. Christ it's bright!

Lezyne micro drive here, USB charging, several settings including flashing. Bright and good battery life.

I regularly get moaned at for my Hope district being too bright, which means it's working well in my opinion.

tomhoward - Member
I got a hope district3 when halfords sold off all their stock. Christ it's bright!

Plus 1

CatEye rears are consistently good, and seem to last better than most other brands I've tried. USB recharcahble not an issue; use rechargable batteries if you're that fussed, as a pair of AA/AAAs are dirt cheap and last for weeks.

Asuggestion if you use canal towpaths or similar; don't use a mega-bright light, as someone following/overtaking you will be dazzled by them, and there's no need for something that bright on such paths.

I use TL-LD600s (IIRC) as a back up, but find longevity very poor. USB rechargeable is certainly more user friendly, definitely a nice to have on a commuter light. I really liked my Flare, slightly crap connectors aside, and it fell off eventually. Now got a Leyzene rechargeable jobby, and underwhelmed by that.

Still not found the holy grail!

Exposure Flare with a Red Eye Micro in the rear port of the Joystick, seems to get results as far as cars passing noticeably slower and wider goes.

exposure tracer with a flare saddle rail mount ... 🙂

It's LD650s I use, which quickly submit to water ingress.

I'm tempted to get another Flare, battery life was good at least, and the saddle mount looks good.

Exposure Trace for me - nice and weather resistant, good bracket and very visible.

Exposure TraceR is the rear light that stands out most when I'm in the car and see the usual cyclists commuting on my way home.

Exposure Flare on pulse mode (constant light with a brighter flash) and a moon comet here. Both have lasted very well this last year. Just make sure that you keep them charged as when they go flat the loss of light is not gradual like incandescent bulbs.
When it's properly dark I have Mini LED lights from Aldi attached to my helmet and pannier so that people can see me over/around the hedges.

holy hand grenade just lasts. mine have been through 7 or 8 winters. big, good all round vis, reliable.
got given a knog blinder a few weeks ago, and am actually very impressed. bright, good clasp.
i've had blackburn mars ( v. poor, failed quickly ), smart R1 1/2 and 1Ws ( not bad, but they're all steadily packing up due to corroded contacts ) and a few other nameless ones. all have been outlasted ( out shone? ) by the hand grenades that have lived on the backs of packs for years. simple, long lasting with AA batteries, well sealed.
you want two rear lights really. harder to know when your rear has failed.
i also have a leyzene zecto pro, which is a nice bit of kit, but more for it's usefulness to be thrown in a pocket for town or whatever, and it covers two bases, as it can be used as a front or rear light. good side vis too.

Phaart from on-one. Cheap, bright and cheap. Really struggling to see how anything else would be better, rechargeable would be good but it's not needed new batteries yet after a years use.

I run a knog blinder rear, usb charging and waterproof enough that is survived two winters without mud guards. nothing I've previously tried lasted more than 2 months of grit salt road spray including my exposure. On the whole very pleased with it though the usb had seen better days and won't last another winter I think.

I did come across a cyclist running something which looked a lot like it might have been a see.sense. Rear a week or two ago and it was the best rear light I've seen as a driver. It took the form of an ovaloid with an illuminated outer ring about 50-70mm across by maybe 100-125 high. Instantly visible but not too bright so as to glare. It also provided an identifiable position in the mist rather than a vague aura as many too bright lights do in the same.

Unfortunately I didn't get chance to ask him what he was running what with being in a car so the brand I mention is a guess.

When you can get a Smart Lunar 1/2 Watt, R1 or R2 for £8.50-£11 I'm not sure I'd bother with chinese ebay specials!

+1, and blackburn Mars is good too IME.

I've got themagicshine light, and its very bright and angled downwards by the seatpost so you're followed by a big red circle of light. Added bonus it came with another battery and a Y splitter cable just as my front battery was starting to die!

I'm going for another pair of phaarts on my commuter, with a smearing of silicone grease on the inside seals to keep them dry

mudguards make a big difference as well, a constant spray of water from the back wheel onto the light when it's switched on is going to kill the expensive ones just the same as the cheap ones

I have a Moon Crescent. Might not be suitable for serious road use but it's fine enough for my use as an MTBer that might stray onto road for sections at night or getting home. Small enough to fit in pocket and just clip on when ready to ride on road (otherwise it gets muddy on the trails). Charges via USB.

£10 to £15 in the UK.

I got a chinese rear from ebay last year...was about 3 quid and as well as 5 bright led's it has the option of 2 laser lines which are about 3 feet apart on the road at side of and behind bike .Not much good with street lighting but great when its really dark on country roads I use for commute.

i use one of these on my camelback...
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on the frame i have one of these...
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the one on the frame is about 9 years old and still works perfectly even though its been in the washing machine a couple of times

+ another for phaart. £2 last year couldn't complain. Care needed when disassembling but last well don't eat batteries and don't seem to suffer to bad in the elements.

Also the smart ( Velcro strap LEDs ) £5 a pair. Nice and easy to swap between bikes last fairly well on a watch battery very good water seal and nice and small.