Commuting - Stupidly bright rear blinker?

I'm want a rear blinker that is just stupidly bright and a bit bigger wouldn't be bad, I have a small 7 LED one right now and though it's visible from a ways back you kinda have to be looking for it, I want a bigger one...if anyone has any suggestions which you would almost thing were overkill link me :) thanks.

http://www.niterider.com/products/bike_taillight02.html

Brightest out there, but it will cost you. YOu have to have it and a NiteRider headlight system to hook it to.

http://www.niterider.com/products/bike_taillight02.html

Brightest out there, but it will cost you. YOu have to have it and a NiteRider headlight system to hook it to.

I have that tail, and it is VERY bright. As stated, you must be using a N/R system to use.

The 5 LED Cateye TL-LD600 is pretty bright. I have it on my seatpost and then I clip a cheapie Trek branded 1 LED blinker to my back pocket.

The Cateye runs on two AAA batteries. It can be mounted horizontally or vertically.

http://www.cateye.com/en/productImages/big/1086025000TL_LD600.jpg

Go to the following page:

http://sheldonbrown.com/harris/lighting/index.html

And scroll down and check out the RealLITE. Apparently, they can't get them any longer according to the website, but if you can find one they're pretty bright and BIG. They seem to work, even riding in Knoxville traffic. Another thing that seems to either make me more visible, or at least it seems to make cars give me more berth, is I pull a trailer:

http://www.bikerev.com/

Don't ask me why this makes a difference in cars noticing me more, but all I can say is that when I am pulling the trailer they seem to go around more rather than buzzing me....just an observation I've made...In any case, it's nice to have it with me to carry things in and make stops at the grocery on the way home, etc.

-Darren

The 5 LED Cateye TL-LD600 is pretty bright. I have it on my seatpost and then I clip a cheapie Trek branded 1 LED blinker to my back pocket.

The Cateye runs on two AAA batteries. It can be mounted horizontally or vertically.

http://www.cateye.com/en/productImages/big/1086025000TL_LD600.jpg


I ordered last week the CatEye TL-LD1000 thru my LBS. It should arrive today, I've read tha is even brighter than the LD600. At $ 30.00 it won't break the bank.
Corsaire

I'm want a rear blinker that is just stupidly bright and a bit bigger wouldn't be bad, I have a small 7 LED one right now and though it's visible from a ways back you kinda have to be looking for it, I want a bigger one...if anyone has any suggestions which you would almost thing were overkill link me :) thanks.

NO light can be as effective at making you visiable to traffic
as a simple safety vest such as those worn by hi-way workers.

I wear a hi-vis green with mesh shoulders when I ride and
it does wonders at keeping cars at safe distance. Sure, some
may think they make you look like a geek but that's way better
than getting hit. Way better.

http://www.hivis.biz/products/safetyvests.asp

You could get one like mine. It is a 4 inch 54-LED truck/trailer stop-turn-tail light that I have hard-wired for the brake (high) intensity. It is WAY beyond stupidly bright. More like eye ball frying bright. I haven't decided whether to add a flasher circuit to it.

Oh, the reflective vest is a great idea, too. Nashbar offers a Nathan brand vest for cyclists with an extended tail with and extra reflective strip. Another company offers a similar vest in safety green. I have both and prefer the latter. I have a long torso so I added an extension with even more lime Reflexite across my big butt. Nobody can say they can't see THAT.

BTW, my early morning commute is about 50 minutes in the dark every morning year round. So I am very much into stupidly bright and visible.

Cars fear me.

NO light can be as effective at making you visiable to traffic
as a simple safety vest such as those worn by hi-way workers.

I wear a hi-vis green with mesh shoulders when I ride and
it does wonders at keeping cars at safe distance. Sure, some
may think they make you look like a geek but that's way better
than getting hit. Way better.

http://www.hivis.biz/products/safetyvests.asp

I do wear a safety vest bought at Harbor Freight at night going home from work, and I don't think you look like a geek.
Corsaire

http://www.safetyleague.com/Products/Misc_Items/lightman.htm


just get one of those rayovac 15 minute chargers so ya don't have to worry about batteries.

i think ya only get like 4 hours with this lite.

I ordered last week the CatEye TL-LD1000 thru my LBS. It should arrive today, I've read tha is even brighter than the LD600. At $ 30.00 it won't break the bank.
Corsaire

Actually, it arrived today, I'll run to the LBS soon after work. Tomorrow I'll be letting you guys know how it works and if it lives to what they say about it brightness.
Corsaire

I already have mine from Nashbar. I think it's plenty by itself, but I also have a Trek Disco Tech light secured to the back of my helmet. It faces straight back when my helmet is angled forward (riding position).

https://store.trekbikes.com/accessory_store/product_detail.jsp?product_id=159&category_id=130

Both provide side visibility, so I think it's a pretty good combo, perhaps even "stupidly bright"!

For the back of my helmet (attached to the actual strap) I use two Safety Strobe blinking lights bought at my local Home Depot for $ 1.99 each.

Corsaire :)

I really appreciate it all in the input, I don't have a N/R system, I am looking into the cygolite HID that cryogenic recently picked up 12.5 HID and under 300 bucks with a 4 hour charger and 4 hours of run time....I figure it doesn't get much better. Thanks again!

get a jetlite. you don't need a hid anyway. and these are just WAY well reviewed.http://www.jetlites.com/sfdb_ss_fg.html

32W for 75 minutes of burn time versus 240 on the HID @ 12.5W

The Cateye 1000 is so bright it can be seen very well in broad daylight!!! And it doesn't look as stupid as the 4"x6" thing that Sheldon Brown sells!! I own the Cateye 600 and at night it's blindly bright...I can't imagine how much brighter that Cateye 1000 is! So you can have a stupidly bright tail light without looking stupid.

http://www.lightmanstrobes.com/images/redkit.jpg

This is seriously bright. I have a clear one and in the dark, it is not uncommon to see cars rolling off into the ditch in my helmet mirror. Well, maybe it isn't that bright, but it is pretty bright. :p http://www.lightmanstrobes.com/basic.htm

I wear a hi-vis green with mesh shoulders when I ride and
it does wonders at keeping cars at safe distance. Sure, some
may think they make you look like a geek but that's way better
than getting hit. Way better.



I do the same. The other day outside the building at work, I was mounting and narrowly missed a coworker with my foot. When I apologized, he said, "No problem, with that vest on I saw exactly where you were." :)

Another guy, who works on my team, made a disparaging comment (being teammates, we do a lot of that, you know how it is). I said I'd rather be a live geek than a dead cool guy. His reply: "Mmmmm, I dunno." :mad:

I don't think I'd find a vest that would suitably fit me...

This is what you need.

http://nordicgroup.us/s78/

http://nordicgroup.us/s78/taillights.html

http://www.allelectronics.com/cgi-bin/category.cgi?category=search&item=STROBE-3A&type=store

I've had good luck with multiple LBS bought blinkies. I have a red one on the rear of my rack and two amber cateye's bolted into the extra rack braze-ons near my rear axle - all running on flashing mode. I look like a friggin' christmas tree. My wife says she can see me a half mile away on a dark country road and I've had motor cops pull up to compliment me at stoplights. If someone does run me down you can call homicide... 'cause they meant it!

DanO

http://www.safetyleague.com/Products/Misc_Items/lightman.htm


just get one of those rayovac 15 minute chargers so ya don't have to worry about batteries.

i think ya only get like 4 hours with this lite.
Merton's suggestion is also Ace.

(I mean, we were talking about, "stupidly bright," weren't we? Go xenon strobe.)

RainmanP:
I like your solution. It would be good redundancy for my NiteRider tail light currently linstalled. How is this monster light powered and where should I look to find one?

elares


You could get one like mine. It is a 4 inch 54-LED truck/trailer stop-turn-tail light that I have hard-wired for the brake (high) intensity. It is WAY beyond stupidly bright. More like eye ball frying bright. I haven't decided whether to add a flasher circuit to it.

Oh, the reflective vest is a great idea, too. Nashbar offers a Nathan brand vest for cyclists with an extended tail with and extra reflective strip. Another company offers a similar vest in safety green. I have both and prefer the latter. I have a long torso so I added an extension with even more lime Reflexite across my big butt. Nobody can say they can't see THAT.

BTW, my early morning commute is about 50 minutes in the dark every morning year round. So I am very much into stupidly bright and visible.

Cars fear me.

I have already decided I'm going to run 2 lights, one on my pack and one on my bike. I am thinkin' about that cateye though...that looks nice, I wish I knew just how bright it was...that's the problem same with headlights...you don't really know *how* bright it is

NO light can be as effective at making you visiable to traffic
as a simple safety vest such as those worn by hi-way workers...

Good point. I wear one of those reflective sashes. I should get a sharpie and write "Miss America" or something across it because it looks like I am pageant constestant wearing that thing.

Actually, it arrived today, I'll run to the LBS soon after work. Tomorrow I'll be letting you guys know how it works and if it lives to what they say about it brightness.
Corsaire

Man oh man!!!, I just finished installing the TL-1000 in the back of my rear rack, you guys weren't kidding, this is it, this is the rear light I needed it, very, very bright! I turned off all the light in the house and saw the reflections on the wall, that strong. I'm a happy camper, I mean rider!
Corsaire :)))

Actually if you manage to nab a Niterider rear tail light, you can make your own battery pack pretty easily. Works for 24-30 hours on solid with 8 AA's or about 3 hours with a 9V. Believe me it's bright, I saw the cateye LD1000 tail light and it's just about as bright as my gf's vistalite total eclipse with 7 LED's. Both were about as bright as the niterider up close, which means just blinding.
From 1/4th a mile away is where the difference stands out. From 1/2 to 1 mile away, the other 2 lights are just dots in the distance. The niterider still causes a nice glow at 1/2 a mile.
People keep saying this, it's about as bright as a cluster of the LED's on the back of trucks or buses, especially if you run em at 12+ volts.

svloid...samsung x427? tungsten E? BTW I like that tail light idea though it is a bit odd looking, where do you store the battery pack?

svloid...samsung x427? tungsten E? BTW I like that tail light idea though it is a bit odd looking, where do you store the battery pack?

I dunno the model of the phone, it was the free one that came with the service plan. I usually keep my phone, pda, wallet, and keys in a pocket in my messenger bag so I can throw em all on my desk when I get home.
Technically, you can just use a 9V rechargeable and charge it once every 1 or 2 nights and carry a spare 9V alkaline for backup, it's small. But I happened to have a lot of AA's so I use a battery pack, just stick it in my saddle bag along with my spare tube, chain tool, multi tool, spare links, patch kit, tire levers, duct tape, and zip ties.

svloid...samsung x427? tungsten E? BTW I like that tail light idea though it is a bit odd looking, where do you store the battery pack?

BTW, blindingly bright from afar, this is what I'm talkin about, no other lights can touch this at a distance. Can you spot the 3-LED blinker next to it hanging off my helmet? The niteright is actually a degree or 2 off since I wanted to aim the camera directly at the 3-LED blinker (which had a nice lens and everything already) on steady. Otherwise, you can't even spot the glow from the other one.

OK man...you gotta tell me know to make that :D


edit: is that w/ the 9v or AA pack?

Just snip the wire and splice it to a 9V connector from radio shack. Then buy an 8-AA battery pack.
That was with the 8AA @ 10.8V, its slightly dimmer @ 9V and insanely bright at 14V if you find enough juice for it. I haven't tried 18V, it might blow the LED's or severely shorted the life but it'll give off a helluva glow at 18.

interesting...where'd you get the 8aa batterypack?

Man oh man!!!, I just finished installing the TL-1000 in the back of my rear rack, you guys weren't kidding, this is it, this is the rear light I needed it, very, very bright! I turned off all the light in the house and saw the reflections on the wall, that strong. I'm a happy camper, I mean rider!
Corsaire :)))

Now I have tail light envy. I may get the TL1000 now. One can never be too bright when it comes to the rear light.

interesting...where'd you get the 8aa batterypack?

Radioshack hehe.

Man oh man!!!, I just finished installing the TL-1000 in the back of my rear rack, you guys weren't kidding, this is it, this is the rear light I needed it, very, very bright! I turned off all the light in the house and saw the reflections on the wall, that strong. I'm a happy camper, I mean rider!
Corsaire :)))
What's the cost of the Cateye TL-1000?
How about the run time?
I suppose with 10 LED's the batteries can't last all that long, but I did notice that it takes AA instead of AAA. (Cateye does not have TL-1000 info on their comparison chart).

That 1000 is stupidly bright but it's pretty hefty too. I prefer two 600's on the rack. That way, you can have one steady and one blinking, and you've got a backup in case one dies.

RainmanP:
I like your solution. It would be good redundancy for my NiteRider tail light currently linstalled. How is this monster light powered and where should I look to find one?

elares

You can get them here:

http://www.led-r-us.com/products.htm

In the interest of full disclosure I have to first state that this type of system requires a bit of work. It is part of my home brewed light system. The bike that this light is on has a 7 ah sealed lead acid battery in a handlebar bag. I will be mounting it in a box similar to the one on my other commuter. If you are really interested I have described the whole system a couple of times in the Total Geekiness thread.

What's the cost of the Cateye TL-1000?
How about the run time?
I suppose with 10 LED's the batteries can't last all that long, but I did notice that it takes AA instead of AAA. (Cateye does not have TL-1000 info on their comparison chart).

I have yet to see how long will it last on two AA batteries, but sure is the brightest light right out of the box (mark my words on "right out of the box". One feature not mentioned is that it also has different settings (I call'em special effects) at the touch of the two buttons it has, it sure gets cager's attention.
It's not heavy at all, is abou the size of an A size battery, only the real battery is heavier.
Tomorrow I use it for the 1st time on the road at night.
Corsaire

. . . It would be good redundancy for my NiteRider tail light currently installed. . . .
Elares is right--redundancy is important. I think all night commuters should have at least two blinkies, so that when one dies (or gets very weak), you always have something flashing. I have three. One dangled from my seatbag, one between my seatbag and saddle, and one on my helmet. When riding on the streets, I always keep two of them going.

where are these ones that you all wear on the back of your helmet?

where are these ones that you all wear on the back of your helmet?
I clip one to the back strap of the helmet. Any standard blinkie will fit.

I too run 2 head lights and blinkers for redundancy. Also 2 wheels so if one fails, I can ride the other home.

where are these ones that you all wear on the back of your helmet?

I got mine at my local Home Depot. Go to where the safety stuff is, look for the "Safety Strobe Light",
they're round with a clip to attach to the strap in the back of the helmet (I have two on mine), at $ 1.99 each, they last a long time (it's been two month and going strong), it activates by a little button on the back, uses a replaceable watch type of battery, but at that price I can just chuck'em and get more.
Corsaire

I don't think I'd find a vest that would suitably fit me...

Here's a tip that works great for the big fellas on any
zip open safety vest. I added one narrow strip of velcro about
8" long to the front of my vest to hold it shut and be fast on/off.
I sewed one end of each strip to the vest at about mid point
in the front. This allows the vest to thrown on then closed
in a flash while not cutting down on front ventalation or
allowing the the vest to flap in the wind. Since vest sizes
vary so much from one maker to the other this strip ensures
that your size should fit while allowing the vest to be worn
OVER a coat too. (zipper is up/down where velcro strip goes
side/side.)

I love the Cateye TL-1000. I haven't seen any light on the road that is even close to it for brightness.

In twilight, I like to run the top row of 5 solid and the bottom row as slow progression.
In full night, I switch to full solid.

I don't know about battery life. I had had it for a month and no problems yet, but commute is only 5 miles. Only gotcha is you have to watch out when using bike lockers that you don't accidently turn on the lights when you slide the bike into the slot. [ The on/off/option switches are on the side and easily are turned on with a bump. ]

i've discovered that i like my bl1000 or whatever it's called to be bright as possible. this only happens within the first hour of running. battery chargers are a must.

I ordered last week the CatEye TL-LD1000 thru my LBS. It should arrive today, I've read tha is even brighter than the LD600. At $ 30.00 it won't break the bank.
Corsaire

This TL-LD1000 by Cateye is supposed to be noticably visible in daylight. I'll get mine in a few weeks.

This TL-LD1000 by Cateye is supposed to be noticably visible in daylight. I'll get mine in a few weeks.
The biggest problem with the Cateye is the low battery life (15 hours, presumably with Alkaline batteries, presumably less with rechargeables). If you get this Cateye, make sure you keep it good batteries in it, otherwise it's just an ornament. You should also get a second blinkie with a longer life as a back up.

I wouldn't use rechargeables. The 15hr is only on constant. You also have flashing, side to side, and random for longer life.

Let's put the ball back in your court. This light is about $35. Would you pay much more for NiMh rechargeable battery integrated into this light? If so, how much would you really pay. What about a Lion battery. Would you pay more for your safety?

Maybe part of the problem has been the bike accessory buyer rather than just the manufacturers.