Commuting - Super bright AA blinkies?

Here's the deal. I have a NiteRider HID headlight and the NiteRider blinkie that uses the same battery. This is a GREAT super bright blinkie, BUT it is a more or less fixed mount, ie, you can't quickly move it from one bike to another. The headlight you can. Since I alternate bikes I just use Lightman strobes and $10 Performance/Nashbar 5-LED blinkies when I ride my other bikes. The Lightman strobes are pretty bright, but not like the NiteRider. Does anyone have personal experience with both the NiteRider taillight and other blinkies who has found something really bright? I don't have a problem paying for a good blinkie, in fact, I would happily pay the $60 for another of the NiteRiders, but again, with the wiring and screwed on mount it is not easy to move. Seems like there might be something, even if it uses 4 AAs, that would be more portable. Even short run time of an hour or so is sufficient since I keep chargers and home and work. I have been disappointed with $20-25 blinkies from Cateye, Specialized and a couple of others I can't remember. Most don't seem significantly brighter than the $10 ones from Performance/Nashbar, and the latter have sturdier, more convenient mounts/clips. I prefer clips which I can clip to seat bag, jersey pocket, helmet, etc. Any suggestions?
Thanks,
Raymond

Rainy, I've always gone with super-cheap 5-LED blinkies and attached them with cable-ties and strips of old tire tubes. These are very bright indeed. In fact, it's been my experience that as long as the batteries are fresh, they are visible more far away than could ever be necessary. To keep them bright, I use rechargeable alkalines which can be recharged as often as necessary.

If you're concerned that's not bright enough, simply buy several and mount them near each other. If you find they are still not bright enough, you have great backups and you haven't spent more than a few bucks.

These might not suffice for you, but I can't imagine needing anything brighter!
These are visible at 1/2 mile. The batteries seem to last forever, but like I said, I recharge them frequently to maintain optimum brightness.

I prefer clips which I can clip to seat bag, jersey pocket, helmet, etc. Any suggestions?
Thanks,
Raymond

Raymond, check the PlanetBike link in FrugalBiker's post. The next light down on the webpage is the $30 4 LED Sport Spot. Looks like what you want. I've been using a PB DualSpot for the past year, pretty impressive for the money - very dependable, good battery life, great fastening clamp, almost enough light for my commuting situations. I just bought a PB Spot 3 with 3 LED's for a little more light for the bike path part of my ride.
I've also had a BLT Doppler for over a year, which is the same as PB's BRT Spot. Very small, lots of light, sometimes goes a little wonky when it gets wet.

I always have 2 lights on the bike just in case.

Pete,
I used to think the inexpensive 5-LED blinkies put out plenty of light, and for the money they are hard to beat and adequate. But in the last few months I have overtaken 2 or three commuters with similar lights that I didn't pick up on until I was fairly close. What I mean is that I may have seen very faint flashing, but didn't realize it was someone on a bike until I was within 50 yds or so. Until then it just didn't register with me as something to pay attention to. This got me thinking "If I am on a slow moving bike with plenty of time AND conscious of other bikes and don't really "see" the light, how is a much faster moving car who is definitely NOT thinking about cyclists ever going to see it in time to have it register?" On the other hand, the NiteRider flasher can't be missed from literally a half mile or more away. I do use at least two blinkies, sometimes 3, actually a Lightman Strobe or two and a blinkie, but I REALLY have confidence in the NiteRider's visibility.

Those blinkies give a very directional light, so you have to be sure that they are pointing staight back. When they are attached to backpacks I have noticed they are pointing up in the air when the person is riding. They are then hardly visible to people approaching from the rear.

http://www.performancebike.com/shop/Profile.cfm?SKU=17696
They seem to be just like the cateye el400, except the entire case is transparent for side visibility and it's red. 2 of them on the back should be pretty bright.

Niterider also sells a QR mount for their front lights, I wonder if you can take the light mounting plate off and screw the mounting plate for the taillight onto it.

I once heard someone say they had a LM dual lamp system and pivoted one of them backwards, people saw him a mile away, thought he was a car in the wrong lane. It might be absurd but what about getting a real cheap trailrat and putting a red lens on it, stick it on the seat post backwards, 10 watts of red halogen should be near impossible to miss hehehe.

Pete,
I used to think the inexpensive 5-LED blinkies put out plenty of light, and for the money they are hard to beat and adequate. But in the last few months I have overtaken 2 or three commuters with similar lights that I didn't pick up on until I was fairly close.
Might be low batteries. But you must feel confident about your lighting systems.

If in doubt, park the bike and observe it from a distance.

I like to combine reflectors with rear lights for better effect.

The Vistalite Eclipse (7-LED with 2 AAA batteries) and Super-Nebula (5-LED and a reflector with 2 AA batteries) are probably the brightest easily available on the market. There is a MEC taillight that looks almost the same as the Super-Nebula and is almost as bright (but not quite), but it costs less than half the price. IMHO, even the most powerful Cateye taillights aren't as bright as the above three.

But if you want the real best, look for http://www.reallite.com . It seems to be a copy cat of some light sold in truck stops and the like, but with a bike-specific mounting hardware. Never seen it live, but heard a lot about it.

Thanks for the note, Michel. You know, I actually bought something that looks exactly like that Reallite! Now the unit I bought was from some oddball little catalog and was cheap so it was probably just a cheap imitation. Even with 18 LEDs it just wasn't very bright. It also had only a magnet mount, and changing batteries required a screwdriver. As I said, though, I imagine it was a cheap imitation.

Even with 18 LEDs it just wasn't very bright. It also had only a magnet mount, and changing batteries required a screwdriver. As I said, though, I imagine it was a cheap imitation.[/QUOTE]

I use the RealLites also. I just mounted one on the rear rack of each of my bikes. What you have probably is the same, just without the bike mounting adapter. The RealLites come with the magnets still in place. They aren't as bright as the NR, but they do have a large surface that seems to catch people's eye. At the least the chief of police stopped in at our LBS after seeing me to see what that "huge taillight" was.

Another possibility might be the NIGHT SUN tail strobe, it comes as a AA option. It was originally designed as part of their police equipment but is now available to the public. I've seen complaints on the web about NightSun's customer service and I haven't tried it yet, but I'm considering it.

I second mgagnonlv on the 7-LED Vistalite Eclipse. It is the brightest I have found. My only gripe is that changing the batteries can be a bit trickey. You have to bend the battery clips a little to get the cells to seat correctly.

Dan

I have the Niterider tail light and have it on during daylight rides after being right hooked by a van a few months ago in bright daylight! I've thought about losing the heavy battery and substituting a 13.2 volt rechargeable battery source:



10 each AA cells at 1.2 volts would slightly underpower the Niterider tail light, but I suspect would still be quite bright. Would have to find a suitable way to carry the battery pack and the right connector for the Niterider cable. My only concern is that the circuitry for the tail light is in the head unit, and the flasher just might not work! Would have to find a way to check it out prior to building the AA battery pack light source.

Here is the AA and AAA battery pack link:

Portable 12 Volt battery pack (http://shop.store.yahoo.com/takeadvantageback/12volbatpac.html)

I own and have used several different taillights in the past few years, and in my experience those 5-LED blinkies have a performance/price ratio that is unmatched by any other manufacturer. That said, I found some significant pros and cons in my years of using them. The pros are that they are very bright, are highly water-resistant, have several different flashpatterns to choose from, last quite a long time on batteries because they use AA's instead of AAA's, and are low priced. The cons, in my experience, are that they are too directional (less then 60°, practically no visibility off-axis) which make them less safe then other models on the market (such as Vistalite Eclipse). The mounting bracket is designed such that you slide the light in from the side. This sometimes causes the light to flip down on bumpy rides, partially due to the weight of the AA batteries and the rigidity of the plastic. Also, the mounting clip can not be replaced (unlike other models on the market) so once it breaks there is practically no way to fix it. And when it falls, it usually ends up in four parts: dome, batteries, housing and mounting clip. I have other lights that have fallen numerous times and never broke, just some scratches here and there. All these cons have made me stop using this light (I should say 'this type' of light, as they are sold under different names) as my primary taillight.

I'm currently using the Cateye LD-600 and the Trek Disco Inferno (rotating them every now and then). Now if you are talking brightness, you are talking these two lights. I can say with practically no hesitation that no other battery operated lights rival their brightness, not even the Vistalite Eclipse (which I also have). They are truly the brightest stand-alone taillights on the market today.


http://www.nashbar.com/nashbar_photos/medium/CE-LD600.gif
Cateye LD-600

The Disco Inferno is especially a sight to behold. With it's transparant aqua looking dome and large magnifying optics, it is one of the most distinctive lights available.

http://www.gbcycles.co.uk/PIX/MAIN/latrdiscoi-m.jpg
Trek Disco Inferno

If you guys would like to know more about these lights, feel free to ask me. :)

I'm currently using the Cateye LD-600 and the Trek Disco Inferno (rotating them every now and then). Now if you are talking brightness, you are talking these two lights. I can say with practically no hesitation that no other battery operated lights rival their brightness, not even the Vistalite Eclipse (which I also have). They are truly the brightest stand-alone taillights on the market today.

The Disco Inferno is especially a sight to behold. With it's transparant aqua looking dome and large magnifying optics, it is one of the most distinctive lights available.

[If you guys would like to know more about these lights, feel free to ask me. :)



That Trek Disco intrigues me with it's 330 degree display. Since I own the Cateye LD-600, tell me how that Trek Disco compares to it, also the price. If any will thing will light me up better I'm all for it.

I also use the Vistalight Supernebula & like the brightness & long battery life. I have several & use some mounted on my racks with zipties or clipped on my person. I also have a yellow lab who is "prone to wander" & I always clip one onto her collar at night when we go down by the lake or out in the woods. It's easily seen from several hundred yards away & it really helps me track her down quickly without a lot of calling.
Don

I tried the Trek Disco Inferno. It was nice and bright, but mine was almost totally water permeable. The first rain storm killed it.

...I actually bought something that looks exactly like that Reallite! Now the unit I bought was from some oddball little catalog and was cheap so it was probably just a cheap imitation. Even with 18 LEDs it just wasn't very bright. It also had only a magnet mount, and changing batteries required a screwdriver. As I said, though, I imagine it was a cheap imitation.

From what I have read, the Reallite is basically the same as one of the other ones: Reallite removes the magnet and install a bike-specific mount.

Amongst 18-LED taillights, I have heard of Emerson and of 2 other names I'm aware that one is as good as the Reallite and that one of them is noticeably dimmer, but I can't be more specific. I'm aware that some electronic-parts mail-order catalogues or websites post some 18-LED based taillights for sale. So it looks that one or two overseas manufacturers makes them and that surplus stores buy a boatfull once in a while.


A few other general comments:

- Get fresh batteries. The Super Nebula, for example, is rated at 100 hours. I estimate that in above freezing temperatures, the light is very powerful for 30-40 hours and dims slowly after that. Lights show for 200 hours before dying completely, but batteries should be replaced more often than that if one wants to be seen.

- Some of the small Cateye taillights use N-batteries. I don't know how is the market in U.S., but in Canada (in Québec at least), N-batteries are expensive and very hard to find (I even scrapped a calculator because of that). For ease of replacement, I prefer AA batteries by far, although AAA batteries are not too bad either.

Regards,

I too have heard about water-resistance problems with the Trek Disco Inferno. I rode in a couple of downfalls but haven't had any problems so far. It could be because I have mounted it on my seatpost where the saddle might minimize waterdrops on the light. Either that, or sheer luck? I also read about severe water-resistance problems with the Cateye LD-600 over at Mtbreview.com. In both cases I believe the problems are related to the battery cover. The Trek doesn't have any gasket seals and doesn't need them because the housing is already completely enclosed. You would literally have to pry it open to get inside. The battery cover however also doesn't have any seals, so that may be the problem? Perhaps the cover can become a little loose after extended use, leaving small gaps that the water can enter through. I've been using mine for like 8 months now and it still shuts tightly. Always make sure the cover is completely closed.

Anyway, the Trek has 5 LED's that point in five directions for 330° of visibility. Of course, between each LED is a 'gap' that has no direct light, but since the whole light is transparant it has quite some visibility off-axis. Each LED is positioned inside a special lens/reflector that helps cast an output that is just slightly less bright then the Cateye, which is quite a performance considering that the Cateye has all it's LED's (also with their own magnifying optics) pointing straight backwards. So the Cateye is brighter directly on-axis whereas the Trek is generally better visible (thus safer) because it covers a much wider angle.
The mounting bracket looks a bit like the one from the Vistalite Eclipse. It's adjustable so you can mount it on different diameter seatposts and such. Personally, I don't really like it. The adjustable band doesn't feel tight and so doesn't inspire a lot of confidence. Fortunately, you can attach the slide-in bracket to the traditional round one-piece brackets such as those made by Cateye and Smart (Smart lights btw are branded as Planet Bike in the US).
If I would have to choose only one, I would go for the Trek because of the wide angle coverage. As for the price, I believe that it retails for around $25 in the US.