Commuting - Light Replacement

Not long ago, I ran a thread and a post about replacing the safety lights on my bicycle. Note: I don't do a lot of night riding but wish to be ultra-visible, even during the day.

I had two safety lights which recently died at the same time and can't be repaired. They are:

1. The TREK discolite which clips nicely on my trunk bag, but I don't want to buy another that will fail in the same sudden way and time period.

2. The Vistalite Super Nebulus 5 which, although it is big, bright, and clippable to a knapsack or hydrapak unit, also died the same way. If I were to find a replacement, I need a light of the same clippable type or can be mounted to the back end of my bike rack. Mounting it on the seatstay doesn't work as I always ride with the trunk bag attached to the rack.

After doing some research, I began went looking for the Planet Bike Superflash as a solution to the first light that might be clippable to the TREK trunk bag. Despite it being listed as sold at the LBS shops I visited, none of them said they sold the Superflash. Although one of them sold the Blackburn Mars 2.0, a possible replacement for the Super Nebulus 5, I didn't buy it as the person helping me didn't seem to be answering my questions.

So now to my point:

Where would I be able to buy the Superflash?

Can the Blackburn Mars 2.0 be mounted on the back of a bicycle rack without it rattling loose and falling off? Would I need to have a BLACKBURN bicycle rack for this to work?

Would I be able to clip the Mars 2.0 on a knapsack or hydrapak unit?

Are the batteries easy to replace?

What else should I know?

What do you recommend?


I welcome your responses

The Mars is "stupid bright", and the clip is quite secure. I clipped mine to the strap on my saddle bag (little under-saddle cheapo Trek branded) for about two weeks without problems - on my mountain bike. I am ABUSIVE to that darn thing :). It also clips very securely to the loop on my Cannondale Backpack, again without problems.

However, I love it so much that it's now perma-mounted on my commuter. I think I'll pick up a Superflash here soon to try out, I really want to see if it's brighter than the Mars. Again, the Mars is just downright STUPID bright.

Batteries are reasonably easy to replace, considering that it is watertight. Just remove a couple screws and viola.

Anyway, there ya go.

Would I need to have a BLACKBURN rack so that I would be able to mount it on my TREK 850 bicycle?

I would doubt it. It comes with plenty of different mounts, and the clip itself is quite secure. You could take one with to pick out a rack and make sure, however.