Argh...! Couldn't Resist the DiNotte Tail Light on Sale at Nasbar

[varuscelli]

Well, shoot. This is another sad day for my wallet but a happy time for night riding.

Nasbar has the DiNotte Tail Light on sale for $129.95 plus an extra 20-percent discount that can be applied to orders over $100. I'm afraid this tail light has fallen into a range that I'm willing to spend.

Just in time to frighten the neighborhood kids (and their parents) on Halloween. :eek:


Bwa-ha-ha-haaaaa...! ;)

[stevesurf]

Well, shoot. This is another sad day for my wallet but a happy time for night riding.

Nasbar has the DiNotte Tail Light on sale for $129.95 plus an extra 20-percent discount that can be applied to orders over $100. I'm afraid this tail light has fallen into a range that I'm willing to spend.

Just in time to frighten the neighborhood kids (and their parents) on Halloween. :eek:


Bwa-ha-ha-haaaaa...! ;)This is absolutely awesome - it turned out to be $110 shipped! Wow!
FYI this light is so bright you need these special glasses to ride behind someone with the Dinotte:

http://superherouniverse.com/superheroes/images/x-men/xmen/cyclops_small.jpg

[russ3706]

Wicked deal! Good move! To anyone else who has been putting off ordering one of these as I have for months, and spent countless hours reading and researching and looking at every beam shot they could find for this thing to talk yourself into buying it, order it now when you can get it for $110, as its by and far the best deal I have seen on it, and it comes with everything and then some!

I just got mine last week with the 10% off coupon, wish i would have known they were going to do 20% off! If the lazy *** in charge of their product descriptions at Nasbar would get their **** together and fix their pictures and description to accurately describe what you get, they would sell MANY more units. I mean you would think they would figure it out by now with all the calls or emails im sure they get, as I too used the live help chat a few times to find out what all it came with, and it still wasnt clear depending on who i talked to. I would have bought mine sooner had i known i would be pleasantly surprised with what it came with:

Light Engine w/ 2 O-rings
New Mount w/ 2 smaller O-rings for it
2 battery packs w/ 1 pouch and velcro stap
4 AA NiMh
Charger
Helment Mount (which really adds to the options of mounting it on other bikes, like putting it under the rack so my rack mounted bag doesnt interfere...)


So glad i took the plundge, this light is freakish! I find every reason i can to have an excuse to go ride at night just to play with it and be amazed when i look behind me haha!

All in all, major kudos to Nashbar for including a lot in their package, i dont even think you get the helment mount, extra battery holder, and extra O-rings even if you order straight from dinotte (at least it doesnt say and isnt pictured), and for getting it all to your door for $50 cheaper! And major kudos to dinotte for making such a narly light! (but who hasnt heard that before lol...)

[mulchie]

Good going, Al. Worth every penny. Get one for the kid, too!
And welcome to the night!
(p.s. I got the basic maha and the fenix! You are a convincing fella and when I'm not on the bike I have to take the dog on loooong walks through fields and woods and down country roads where the cars do zip. Now that it's coming on to winter here in the north, it's going to be dark around 4! Yikes. Oh, and then there's work! There's that, too. No lights involved. No more spending for me. ;-) deals or no deals.

[hankbrandenburg]

I just put the Li 600 headlight and tail light combo on my commuter bike. You won't be sorry - the system ROCKS!

Just trying not to think about the credit card bill ... ;)

[dekindy]

It is way too bright even on the lowest setting for riding in groups so I hope you are planning on riding in the back of the group all the time or riding alone. It seems like they could add lower settings to accomodate group riding.

[brainsan]

It is way too bright even on the lowest setting for riding in groups so I hope you are planning on riding in the back of the group all the time or riding alone. It seems like they could add lower settings to accomodate group riding.

Just point that thing to the ground if you are riding with a group.

[stevesurf]

It is way too bright even on the lowest setting for riding in groups so I hope you are planning on riding in the back of the group all the time or riding alone. It seems like they could add lower settings to accomodate group riding.It's kind of interesting that we don't realize that the pure strobe effect of the lower cost blinkies can even be more damaging that a light of higher intensity. If you're riding in a group on a path, you just shut it off. When you are back on the streets, for any type of ride, especially in the streets of NYC where drivers actually aim for you, it is an excellent deterrrent!

[snowranger]

Thanks for the heads up. Anyone know why I got charged sales tax in CA? There are no nashbars here.

[dekindy]

It's kind of interesting that we don't realize that the pure strobe effect of the lower cost blinkies can even be more damaging that a light of higher intensity. If you're riding in a group on a path, you just shut it off. When you are back on the streets, for any type of ride, especially in the streets of NYC where drivers actually aim for you, it is an excellent deterrrent!

This is true. For group riding I turn my blinkies down to the lowest intensity pattern so that all the led's are not flashing at once. I may even only turn on one instead of both since this is probably adequate for group riding where everyone has at least one good rear light, and some have two like me.:D

[dekindy]

Just point that thing to the ground if you are riding with a group.

Even if you point it down it is still too bright. And why purchase that powerful a light and then make it dimmer if all your night riding is done in groups. Riding in back all the time is really the only solution to keep from blinding other riders and it gives the group better visibility.

IMHO two tail lights for redundancy and high visibility is more than adequate for solo night riding and costs $100 less. I also have a Knog Frog on my helmet for good measure.

[snowranger]

The 140 is more than enough for night riding. I am thinking that it would be good for day time running lights.

[Ziemas]

Thanks for the heads up. Anyone know why I got charged sales tax in CA? There are no nashbars here.

There is probably a Performance, and they are the same company.

[varuscelli]

Part of my thinking on the different tail lights that I have is that I mostly ride alone at night. I do want the best visibility for myself/my bike that I can get and I think that when I'm riding alone, the DiNotte is very likely the best I can get to ensure visibility. Given the number of hours I am putting in riding at night (and my projected time doing that) I really do want to do everything I can to ensure my own safety, and my decision on the DiNotte tail light is a safety-based decision.

In the grand scheme of things, if you get in a situation that puts your life in danger, the extra money spent on safety is likely very good money spent. It's another form of life insurance. I'd much rather spend a bit of extra money to give myself an edge in safety than think about (or actually face) the consequences of an accident that might have been avoided.

At the same time, I have three to four bikes I'd like to set up for at least adequate night riding (two for me, one for my wife and one for my daughter, who might accompany me on an occasional night ride). I'd like to be able to leave at least one tail light on each bike all the time and not worry about having to remove brackets, switch lights, whatever the case may be (at least, not any more than necessary).

As it stands, I think I'm pretty close to covering the bases to help make all of our night rides as safe as I reasonably can and all of our bikes safer bikes to ride at night. Since I'm the one doing about 99 percent of my family's night riding -- and since I'm becoming a very frequent night rider -- I decided to step up the level of safety with my own bike. I'm also thinking that because of brightness issues raised by some when riding in groups (like dekindy has mentioned), if I ride with my wife and/or daughter, I'll probably NOT use the DiNotte unless I'm riding to the rear. But on family rides, that's where I like to be most of the time. And if not using the DiNotte, I can throw on a Super Flash and I'll be reasonably well set.

To me, that all seems part of a reasonable approach to safety in terms of night riding.

[ViperZ]

Most times I use a Super Flash or Planet Bike 7 for pack riding and general commuting. It's bright enough, and is easy to install and remove. I even have to aim my Super Flash down for our pack rides.

I'm not sure why I bought the 140L, other than I just wanted one, I certainly don't feel as if I needed one as I find even the PB7 is good enough.

Regardless, that's a good price on what is the iconistic "Killer Tail Light"

[lgindoff]

I just ordered the DiNotte Tail Light on sale for $129.95 minus the 20% discount so delivered it cost $114. I can't wait for the added protection. Thanks for the heads-up as part of this posting.

[Sir Bikesalot]

Yeah I noticed the Dinotte on sale too, but I'm afraid I won't be able to mount it ideally since I use a seatbag. How do you guys with seatbags mount the thing?

Edit: Hell with it, I'm ordering one anyway. A friend of mine just recently told me my 2 Superflashes did not look that bright at night. I was like WTF, really??? I'll just move those to my panniers ;)

[mulchie]

If you've got panniers you've got a rear rack. Just put the DiNotte upside down on the rear rack (heat issue) in other words with the bottom-side up and the light under the bar and double-loop the O-ring. Works perfectly. I put the battery in my pack, though it would easily fit elsewhere. No muss solution and it never moves. My mars, which is hardly detectable now, goes on the rear pack loop.

[BarracksSi]

Aw, hell, I got it too, plus the headlight. We'll see when I finally have it in hand.

I'm probably going to order the daytime amber light from DiNotte directly, too, along with a Y-cable or two.

[tsl]

I did not resist the sale either. I had to order a bunch of other stuff anyway.

[gear]

I thought it was a great deal and ordered one even though I already have one. I can mount this on my other roadie so I don't have to switch tail lights anymore, makes a good backup too.

[dekindy]

varuscelli - Good summary. Ride in the rear with the family, that is what you want the visibility for anyway. I just know that when my buddy came to our group ride with his Dinotte tail light, my group are all experienced and extremely safety conscious-most have two rear lights, the light overwhelmed them on low and pointing downward. When many of them saw how bright my Blackburn 2.0 and 3.0 were, they got them for better visibility. Most of them had older Cateye's.

I may do my first solo ride tonight. I might change my tune but for now I am going with a Mars 2.0 on saddle bag, Cateye LD600 on seat post, and Knog Frog (blue) on helmet. I have another Mars 2.0 that I could pin to my jersey pocket. For now, I am putting the Mars 3.0 on the shelf until I either replace it or determine why batteries are only lasting a few hours.

I had two tail lights on each bike but since I never ride the backup unless I can't ride the new bike, I have removed all the old bike's tail lights.

[chuongdoan]

I got the same deal a few weeks ago. As far as mounting it with a seat sack, what I did was attach the new mounting bracket using the largest O-ring directly around my seat sack. Then I attached the taillight to the bracket normally. You get plenty of clearance over the rear tire that way. If your sack is too big, then get a bigger O-ring. Magnum size.

[tsl]

Arrgh!

The following items are backordered and will automatically be sent when available:

DN-TL DINOTTE TAIL LIGHT SYSTEM Quantity: 1 ST

[Schwinnrider]

tsl---Oh no. You're stuck in Nashbar backorder hell with me. I ordered a 600L on SEPTEMBER 11 and it's still backordered. The customer service guy I've been dealing with at Nashbar is really cool, but he doesn't have any idea why the lights aren't in stock. When I ordered, I was told the lights would be in stock at the end of September. Then it was October 3. Then no date was given. Now I'm told sometime betwen October 22 and the end of October. The only reason I'm resisting buying directly from DiNotte(as I did with a 200L and taillight) is the price I locked in at Nashbar is too low. I have the 600L locked in at $320 shipped. For that price I can wait a while.

[varuscelli]

I remember the last time Nasbar had a price almost as low as this one, they sold out even more quickly (within about a day of the sale-plus-20-percent-coupon being announced). I'm betting they bought more of the tail lights for this go-round. And still they apparently sold every one they had in stock.

[seeker333]

Thanks for the heads up. Anyone know why I got charged sales tax in CA? There are no nashbars here.

Nashbar is owned by Performance, and they have retail stores in several states. This is their official excuse for charging sales tax on Nashbar orders, which have no retail stores anywhere now or ever, AFAIK - just the single distribution warehouse in OH. Evidently Arni Nashbar wrote the OH warehouse into the deal when he sold to Performance, otherwise Nashbar would no longer exist. Anyone remember Supergo?

Nashbar and Performance customer service is handled out of Beckley WV (unless its changed recenty). Tech service too - just 1 or 2 guys in Beckley.

I believe its a simply a convenient excuse for Performance to increase sales revenue 5-10%. Seems like an attorney/bike enthusiast would have taken this on by now. Is anyone forcing tax collection on internet sales? If so, I can't tell from all the other junk I've purchased.

[derath]

tsl---Oh no. You're stuck in Nashbar backorder hell with me. I ordered a 600L on SEPTEMBER 11 and it's still backordered. The customer service guy I've been dealing with at Nashbar is really cool, but he doesn't have any idea why the lights aren't in stock. When I ordered, I was told the lights would be in stock at the end of September. Then it was October 3. Then no date was given. Now I'm told sometime betwen October 22 and the end of October. The only reason I'm resisting buying directly from DiNotte(as I did with a 200L and taillight) is the price I locked in at Nashbar is too low. I have the 600L locked in at $320 shipped. For that price I can wait a while.

Cancel your order and talk to Rob @ dinotte. I originally purchased my 200L from nashbar. I then emailed dinotte with a question. Rob ended up giving me a deal which was good enough to save money even after returning the one to nashbar.

You gotta figure if Nashbar can afford to sell a 600L at $320, Rob should be able to match it.

-D

[Schwinnrider]

Cancel your order and talk to Rob @ dinotte. I originally purchased my 200L from nashbar. I then emailed dinotte with a question. Rob ended up giving me a deal which was good enough to save money even after returning the one to nashbar.

You gotta figure if Nashbar can afford to sell a 600L at $320, Rob should be able to match it.

-D


After sitting in backorder hell for a few weeks, I did call Rob. He said Nashbar's price was too low for him to match. He did give me a good deal on trading in my old 5W Ultralight, though. I sent in my 5W and $200 and he gave me a 200L and a taillight.

[derath]

After sitting in backorder hell for a few weeks, I did call Rob. He said Nashbar's price was too low for him to match. He did give me a good deal on trading in my old 5W Ultralight, though. I sent in my 5W and $200 and he gave me a 200L and a taillight.

Cool. The 200L is noticably better than the 5W.

-D

[Schwinnrider]

Cool. The 200L is noticably better than the 5W.

-D

I called Nashbar today to check status of the backorder. I was told that the new ETA was November 20. That was all I could take. I cancelled and called Rob. While he didn't match the price Nashbar had, he got close enough, gave me some free AAs for my other lights, and shipped it Express Mail for free. I have nothing but good to say about Rob and DiNotte!

[BarracksSi]

Cool. The 200L is noticably better than the 5W.

-D

Dang it... I had put the 5W Ultralight on my order, too...

Think I should leave it unopened and talk to Dinotte? I haven't yet ordered the amber light & cables from them like I've been planning.

[Schwinnrider]

Dang it... I had put the 5W Ultralight on my order, too...

Think I should leave it unopened and talk to Dinotte? I haven't yet ordered the amber light & cables from them like I've been planning.

Yeah. If I ever have to buy another DiNotte product, I would buy direct from DiNotte. I'll bet you Rob gives you a package deal---and at the minimum you'll get free shipping. The 200L is way brighter than the 5W, and the run time is longer. My 5W was an early production model, and the finish was brushed aluminum. The finish on the 200L is chrome anodizing, which looks much better.

[varuscelli]

Yeah. If I ever have to buy another DiNotte product, I would buy direct from DiNotte. I'll bet you Rob gives you a package deal---and at the minimum you'll get free shipping.

Yeah, I think there are a lot of good things to be said (and to take into consideration) when buying directly from the source rather than a third-party vendor. I'd be going that route myself, but the deal on the tail light saved me enough to justify buying from Nashbar. Luckily, mine shipped right away, so I wasn't in one of those holding patterns with the "out of stock" situation. That could get old fast, especially if that status stretched out more than a week or so. I hear almost nothing but good things from those who go directly to DiNotte for their purchases.

[Bicyxual]

My Nashbar Dinotte tail light just arrived and after a brief test in the basement...holy Christ, this thing is intense. I've been using a Fenix L2T with a red filter and the Dinotte smokes it. At first, the only noticeable difference I saw between the two was the Dinotte puts out a much wider beam instead of the small hot spot of the Fenix. Then I found it it was only on medium. LOL. Can't wait to test it tonight on the streets.

[snowranger]

Just got mine in the mail yesterday. Looks nice. Does anyone know if this is the 200 lumen version, and what the specs on the charger are? I am wondering if you can leave the batteries in them.

[varuscelli]

Well, mine was mailed on on Oct. 17 from Nashbar. Still haven't received it as of Oct. 24 mail delivery. I'm frowning . . . see? >>> :(

I'm guessing that ViperZ might turned the tables on me and has MY tail light . . . :eek:

[ViperZ]

Well, mine was mailed on on Oct. 17 from Nashbar. Still haven't received it as of Oct. 24 mail delivery. I'm frowning . . . see? >>> :(

I'm guessing that ViperZ might turned the tables on me and has MY tail light . . . :eek:

:lol: Nope, nothing in the mail today for me either... :(

[Sir Bikesalot]

Is the taillight being sold by Nashbar the same as available from Dinotte currently? I read somewhere there's an older (120L) version of the taillight. I could be confusing it with the headlight though.