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[url= http://www.hopetech.com/page.aspx?itemID=SPG210 ]So how much would you pay for a rear light?[/url]
[url= http://www.exposurelights.com/product/000026/redeye-(long-cable)/ ]About half that for the same functionality?[/url]
IIRC they predicted it'd be around £100, the first shots of it on the net (here or BR I canne remember) suggested it was a front light.. which I still thought was expensive.
£95 seems a lot. I paid £36 for my Exposure Redeye mk2 which I thought was enough, although it is pretty good and does flood the road behind me with red light. I definately feel safer with it on. Not sure there's any reason to go over £40 really.
Interesting question though. Commute takes me on a mix of urban north Bristol and unlit twisty A & B roads.
Can see the benefit of a super reliable, super powerful rear light for day and night use.
Plus I already have a pair of Exposure front lights..
I use a smart 1/2W rear light bought for about £8 and it easily bright enough for commuting and has lasted for 18month in all weather. Why spend so much on a rear light.
I saw that at the show, didn't realise it was going to be nearly £100 though! 😯
Exposure Flare for me on the rear couple with a Cateye and a Fibre Flare on the backpack.
Toying with the idea of buying the Exposure Twin Pack + re-charger + batteries for £76 from Wiggle, that'll give me an additional front to go with my existing Diablo and 2 Flare rears - no excuses for a SMIDSY then!
I have an old £9 Specialised branded rear that has about 9 LEDs in a row that flash at different rates that refuses to die after 7 years of soakings & various mud coverings, a £3 Deal extreme that is really good, both on the seatpost & a Blackburn that was free with a front commuter light on the back of my helmet.
The key to all lights (and especially rears, as the rider isn't using them to see) is not how they perform in isolation, but what happens when a half-asleep BMW driver with his own bright headlights gets you in his sights.
The light needs to hold its own in that situation to ensure they really have seen you.
I have currently got:
(1) twinkly tesco LED on lid
(2) Smatrt 1/2 watt Lunar on backpack
(3) Cateye "handrenade" on seatpost
If I was going to spend that much on a rear light I'd probably look at one of the Reelight products.
£5.50 from Tesco. Got a couple at different angles. I get fed up of paying 20 quid or something, only for it to fall off and break, or not be waterproof, or just not work one day. So sticking with Tesco ones as a disposable.
Shirley a few cheap leds mounted in various locations is a better solution. a lot cheaper than £95 as well
[url] http://www.singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/anyone-tried-this-rear-light-from-dx [/url]
The DX one looks good.
I've seen a few of the fibre flare jobs out and about the past few weeks. They don't seem that bright to me.
Fibre Flares get through batteries quite quickly and I don't think many riders think to test rear lights - I've seen so many cyclists out with barely visible lights cos they simply haven't bothered to check.
My FF mounts onto my bag where it's nice and high up so a bit more eye catching to bus/lorry drivers. They don't like getting a soaking though, a mate had one on his seatstay and it died after only about 6 weeks from being used in the rain. The rubber end caps aren't impervious.
Oh, for batteries, I buy AAA and AA in bulk from 7dayshop, they're really cheap (although they don't last as long as Duracell or equivalent).
I use a smart 1/2W rear light bought for about £8 and it easily bright enough for commuting and has lasted for 18month in all weather. Why spend so much on a rear light.
dEF all you need.


