Fifty Plus (50+) - Cateye selling product with known defect!!

How does this strike you?

This is the online manual for my new light.

I was out riding this am early and my light started flopping around as I hit bumps.

Came home and started investigating and found the following. Loctite says not to use it on plastic - the screw is metal and the receptacle for the screw is plastic.

By the way - it is a bit challenging taking things apart and tightening a screw in pitch black, with only the light for light!

Sigh - and I just ordered another one!!

What's so defective about that? It's a pretty common warning for most parts used with vibration. The hitchmount used to carry a bike rack on a car also has the same warning. Common sense says that one must check parts form time to time.;)

That's why I don't buy or recommend Cateye.
I had a Cateye headlight on my commuter bike a few years ago. It would wiggle every time I hit a bump. After about 6 months the mount broke. I looked at it and saw that the mount was very thin plastic. Too thin to last for very long on the bike of the typical commuter. I ditched it and bought a Planet Bike light.

What's so defective about that? It's a pretty common warning for most parts used with vibration. The hitchmount used to carry a bike rack on a car also has the same warning. Common sense says that one must check parts form time to time.;)

Gotta disagree.

It is one thing to check parts from time-to-time. I do that. It is another thing to sell a product that is known (and designed) to fail. It should be designed not to fail, and then one should check it from time-to-time.

Maybe a big yellow embossed stencil on top of the light - "This light mount will vibrate loose, check mounting screw frequently."

I stopped using Cateye bike computers when I found they were just too easy to reset. You'd go to check your mileage and everything would disappear because you hit the wrong button. Poor human engineering.

I use Planet Bike lights because the models I use share the same mounts, they work in the rain for the most part (I always carry an extra light in the backpack), and they are bright enough.

I'm not surprised by the poor engineering of the mounts. I used a Light and Motion LED light for awhile until the mount broke off completely. Very poor! Piece of crap, so much for L&M!

L.

I've used a variety of Cateye LED lights - I've appreciated that most of the mounts work for most of the lights. This summer, I did note my headlight bouncing up and down a little on bumps on a ride to work. Indeed, that previously-mentioned screw was loose. Now that I am aware of the issue, it's not a problem.

Even my expensive Use Exposure lamp will come loose if you do not tighten the fixing screww tight enough. Difference is- my lamp is all metal--I tighten as hard as I can and it has not come loose once. Just tightening the clamp for the bars on some lamps and I have stripped the threads. Metal into plastic does not work unless there is a metal nut bonded into the plastic.

And this is a surprise? Name one corporation that has released a problem free product.

And this is a surprise? Name one corporation that has released a problem free product.

Generally, when discovered, they correct the problem through a recall or redesign, rather than publishing how the consumer should correct it themselves.

Suppose GM wrote in a manual - "We find that with significant use the wheels fall off of your car. Please be sure you tighten the wheel nuts after significant use."

I find the acquiescence to shoddy uncorrected design and the emphasis on the consumer correcting the problem by responders to the OP to be - well - - - amazing!!

I've had a screw loose for as long as I can remember and I'm just fine just fine just fine. :D



"Generally, when discovered, they correct the problem through a recall or redesign," My experiences with Ford Motor Co. in regards to these issues greatly influenced my move to driving Toyota vehicles over 10 years ago. All companies manufacture or design defective units. It seems to me that some companies put their lawyers to work on protecting their pocketbooks and other companies put their engineers to work on resolving the issue and then satisfying all the affected customers. I prefer to do business with the later.

I've had a screw loose for as long as I can remember and I'm just fine just fine just fine. :D



"Generally, when discovered, they correct the problem through a recall or redesign," My experiences with Ford Motor Co. in regards to these issues greatly influenced my move to driving Toyota vehicles over 10 years ago. All companies manufacture or design defective units. It seems to me that some companies put their lawyers to work on protecting their pocketbooks and other companies put their engineers to work on resolving the issue and then satisfying all the affected customers. I prefer to do business with the later.

LMAOROF!

Using Toyota as a model of dependability and is pretty funny stuff. Recall , Recall,Recall!.............

I've had a screw loose for as long as I can remember and I'm just fine just fine just fine. :D



"Generally, when discovered, they correct the problem through a recall or redesign," My experiences with Ford Motor Co. in regards to these issues greatly influenced my move to driving Toyota vehicles over 10 years ago. All companies manufacture or design defective units. It seems to me that some companies put their lawyers to work on protecting their pocketbooks and other companies put their engineers to work on resolving the issue and then satisfying all the affected customers. I prefer to do business with the later.

Loctite might help you.

For the tiny screws in anything use a drop of clear nail polish in the threads or use loctite plumbers teflon paste sealer on the threads for a secure hold that can be removed when needed.

Denver, I always carry at least a small flashlight when out riding at night, for just the reason you encountered. It's a major pain trying to fix a broken light when that light is the only one you have. Recently, I've been especially pleased with this little light. It's on my key chain all the time. It even has a tiny switch to hold it in the "on" position.

http://www.photonlight.com/pages/Photon-Lights.html?Source=Google_photon&gclid=CIiYiOGjkqUCFdJL5Qodfwk6Qg

Denver, I always carry at least a small flashlight when out riding at night, for just the reason you encountered. It's a major pain trying to fix a broken light when that light is the only one you have. Recently, I've been especially pleased with this little light. It's on my key chain all the time. It even has a tiny switch to hold it in the "on" position.

http://www.photonlight.com/pages/Photon-Lights.html?Source=Google_photon&gclid=CIiYiOGjkqUCFdJL5Qodfwk6Qg

Strange as it may seem, I had already ordered a 2nd identical light to mount on the bike for just such a reason - and for a better view of the trail. So, I will mount the defective light and be sure my multi-tool has a Phillips Head screwdriver.

My utility road bike also has two separate lights, as above. Different brand, though. These were internet cheapies - $10 - and they work better than the cateyes.

I stopped using Cateye bike computers when I found they were just too easy to reset. You'd go to check your mileage and everything would disappear because you hit the wrong button. Poor human engineering.

You don't even have to touch the computer for that to happen. My Cateye would periodically reset, and of course always during a ride where I wanted the totals. Getting it going again is a cumbersome process, but one I had to memorize. I finally replaced it with a Garmin.

I stopped using Cateye bike computers when I found they were just too easy to reset. You'd go to check your mileage and everything would disappear because you hit the wrong button. Poor human engineering.

The 2006 vintage Cateye Astrale was still correctly showing the 13,000 miles I had put on my Corsa until I changed the battery last year (newer ones aren't supposed to lose the odometer total even then). It takes a push on the button on the back side of the computer to reset the odometer and a push of two buttons at once to reset anything else. I'm not sure how anyone would accidentally reset anything on it.

The 2006 vintage Cateye Astrale was still correctly showing the 13,000 miles I had put on my Corsa until I changed the battery last year (newer ones aren't supposed to lose the odometer total even then). It takes a push on the button on the back side of the computer to reset the odometer and a push of two buttons at once to reset anything else. I'm not sure how anyone would accidentally reset anything on it.

With my Cateye (V2C) the total mileage didn't reset when it acted up; just the data for the current ride. It would be beep, and be on the screen for setting the time and time format. Once I did the settings, it would come back just as it would be if I had ended a ride and saved it, but the current ride would be lost, not having been added to the totals.