Commuting - Stupidly bright rear blinker?

This is a cateye (i think tl-ld 600)
I took 3 of them (old/ rewired, one with a broken bracket) and glued them together with a little angle so they point about 20 degrees to the side and one straight back.
All on (like the pic) they're really bright, all chaseing they're big and blinky, all Flashing they're seizure causing blinding.

I usually leave them constant unless it's raining.

Other, cheaper options...
Clamp or bolt a section of either PVC pipe or flat metal rail to your rear rack (or using a spare stem to the seatpost) and attatch 3 of whatever taillight. The wider the more visible but more obtrusive.

No matter what you use, if you have more than one it's way more effective.

Other, cheaper options...
Clamp or bolt a section of either PVC pipe or flat metal rail to your rear rack (or using a spare stem to the seatpost) and attatch 3 of whatever taillight. The wider the more visible but more obtrusive.

No matter what you use, if you have more than one it's way more effective.
You mean like this?

Note:
Green wood pole is version 1 from two years ago; white plastic pole is my current light set up.

Great, so now that I'm wanting to buy either a Cat Eye TL-1000, or a Performance (or BLT) Flare...I got to looking at headlights too. This thing claims to be equivalent to a 20 - 25W halogen light, and lasts for 15 hours without recharging! Too good to be true? I have visions of blinding cars while riding around with my artificial sun, but without having to recharge every 5 minutes. http://www.blt-lights.com/enduroray_nh420.htm

You mean like this?

Note:
Green wood pole is version 1 from two years ago; white plastic pole is my current light set up.


I-Like-To-Bike,

Have you been hit a few times in the past? ;)

Holy Smokes!!!

You mean like this?

Note:
Green wood pole is version 1 from two years ago; white plastic pole is my current light set up.
If I were a bl**dy-minded cager and saw your setup, I would aim the hood ornament straight at you.

Last night I mounted a Smart blinkie on my commuter, and compared it to the one that was already there. The latter I thought to be stupidly bright, but the Smart is positively moronic.

You mean like this?

Note:
Green wood pole is version 1 from two years ago; white plastic pole is my current light set up.

Actually i was thinking of a short horizontal pole right under the seat. With three lights side by side.

Oh, and my latest addition... a multicolored disco ball and strobe and an industrial strength bubble machine spewing a cloud of psychadelic soapy suds... hard to miss.

Actually i was thinking of a short horizontal pole right under the seat. With three lights side by side.

Oh, and my latest addition... a multicolored disco ball and strobe and an industrial strength bubble machine spewing a cloud of psychadelic soapy suds... hard to miss.


I hope you're not kidding, I'd love to see it. Post pics if it's true!

Actually i was thinking of a short horizontal pole right under the seat. With three lights side by side.

Vertical pole adds visibility to drivers of vehicles behind the first vehicle; an added safety feature especially appreciated in dense traffic on high speed roads.

Oh, and my latest addition... a multicolored disco ball and strobe and an industrial strength bubble machine spewing a cloud of psychadelic soapy suds... hard to miss.
The bubble machine will be easy to miss when it is dark. Get a blinky.

The bubble machine will be easy to miss when it is dark. Get a blinky.

Oh, i have several cateyes in sequence (there's a pic here somewhere)

the disco ball has a pair of flashy LED headlights pointed at it and the taillights light up the airborne bubbles. Usually only ride this rig on cruiser nights, but hard to miss.

I'd like to mention that no one here's yet matched Ringo's 3 niterider rear tail lights (57 stupidly bright LED's total).

You mean like this?

Note:
Green wood pole is version 1 from two years ago; white plastic pole is my current light set up.

???What version 1 of your setup wasn't good enough?? Wow your cagers must be clueless!

I'd like to mention that no one here's yet matched Ringo's 3 niterider rear tail lights (57 stupidly bright LED's total).


I knew you would say that.

Do you still have the location of those pictures? Every once in a while I think they need to come up again. For the newbies, that have not seen them. :) I like them too.

For real life comparison photos of some good tailights see this thread.

http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=68186&page=2&pp=25

start at post # 29

I have to admit slvoid knew this was coming.

???What version 1 of your setup wasn't good enough?? Wow your cagers must be clueless!
These are my "cagers" at 55mph. Except that half the times you'd only see their headlights because I commute during darkness year round in the morning.

Fire a couple of warning shots into the cars engine block area, most cagers will back off...

Just get a HID headlight, put a red lens on it and put it on the back. Or order the cop lights from Galls.com

I'm a fan of the Real-Lite (previously mentioned) and the white xenon blinker,
I've got a page on night bike riding (http://www.thirdwave-websites.com/bike/night-bicycle-riding.cfm) here FYI.

Just get a HID headlight, put a red lens on it and put it on the back. Or order the cop lights from Galls.com

I saw a 15w nightrider halogen light with a red lens and set up as a tailight once. I never got to see it work, but I have the same light with a clear lens and it includes flashing modes. I have never been able to find another, but now you got me thinking all I need is that red lens I have over the front of it. I've had it so long I don't need it as a headlight any more. Thanks for the idea!

When my 15 WATT HALOGEN tailight is complete I'll post pictures. :D

I'm a fan of the Real-Lite (previously mentioned) and the white xenon blinker,
I've got a page on night bike riding (http://www.thirdwave-websites.com/bike/night-bicycle-riding.cfm) here FYI.


I have used a Realight for at least a couple of years. Aside from being heavy and using batteries quickly it is an OK light.
Remarkably, the New Cat eye 10 led light that is the size of a D battery (and uses only two AA's) is MUCH, MUCH, brighter than the Realight,much, much, more side visibility, lighter weight and the batteries last longer. The tiny little Performance flare, the end of it facing back is about the side of the end of a D battery and has only three aaa batteries, is brighter than the New Cateye 10 led light. The Realight was top of the line When it first came out, now it is old outdated technology. I don't mean it's not good, but there is no reason for someone to buy one anymore. See my old post above for some comparison photos of some lights compared to a car tailight.

These days the new brighter led's and the new lenses over the led make all the older tailights obsolete.

My 15 watt halogen with a red lens is not as bright as the tiny 3aaa Performance flare from behind. But brighter from a 45 degree angle.


This is cheaper, lighter, brighter, uses far less batteries, and better when viewed from the side by almost 100% than the realight. sorry.... :o

http://www.performancebike.com/shop/profile.cfm?SKU=19999&subcategory_ID=4322

I agree. But getting that expensive little beast to stay on the bike is a whole 'nother matter. The clip design isn't effective on rough urban roads. When my replacement arrives I'll use more than the two zip ties I had on the first.

I agree. But getting that expensive little beast to stay on the bike is a whole 'nother matter. The clip design isn't effective on rough urban roads. When my replacement arrives I'll use more than the two zip ties I had on the first.

The Cateye came out of it's own bracket? Did you put it on anf off many times? Just wondering, mine is very very stiff, or at least it feels like it when I put it on or off by hand.

It's some kind of two-piece, slide-off, multi-use kinda deal on the one I HAD. The light fell off on a bridge seam the first night. I got it, zip tied the clip to the light and another tie on the clip to the seat wedge. A nice frost heave later next week, it was gone. Every other clip light (I've got many) there and every other place (helmet, seatstays) have been fine. I'm gonna have some bondage master attach the next one. So ridiculous it was funny.