emman123

looking for an amber tail light to be used flashing on the rear of the bike along with a strong red tail light on 'steady'
for the red part on solid I was thinking Hotshot or Axiom pulse

but for the flashing amber I'm looking for something like emergency beacons or a similar solution that will be seen from far away and hopefully assist me to become conspicuous during daytime
I found the following (most are from www.esafetylights.com) :

1) RPF16LM SERIES AMBER YELLOW RECHARGEABLE PORTABLE 16 LED POWER FLARE "POWER-MARKERS"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QyCm1Xznb2Q

2) PORTABLE LED LIGHT P18LM-A AMBER

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ON0vlMjwEpI

3) PF24LM AMBER PORTABLE 24 LED's POWER FLARE PF24LM "POWER-MARKERS" w/ MAGNETIC BASE

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GYOzsejuiNM

4) P8LM-A AMBER PORTABLE LED LIGHT

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xKp8XxgJWKY

5) PORTABLE LED LIGHT 180D P12LM-A AMBER

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5DBykdDk0mA

6) Portable Bright Emergency LED Beacon Flashing Warning Strobe Amber Light

Portable Bright Emergency LED Beacon Flashing Warning Strobe Amber Light New | eBay





does anyone have ANY experience with something like these and could comment on their efficacy for the purpose of being seen during daytime and (as much as possible) from far away?


thank you!

- Emmanuel

Wilfred Laurier

I don't know about the laws where you are, but in Ontario, Canada, the law specifies a steady (not flashing ) RED tail light or reflector. Amber lights are not mentioned in the law, nor are they commonly used.

Athens80

DesignShine or Dinotte: Daytime tail lights.

bikepro

+1 Dinotte has an amber and a red tail light. Not cheap, but the last lights you will buy. I have the amber on the front and red on the rear.

Daytime Visibility AMBER and Daytime Visibilty RED ? DiNotte Lighting USA Online Store

Athens80

And NiteFlux RedZone 8

prathmann

AFAIK, that's the situation in most of North America - the law generally requires a red reflector and/or a red light with most allowing the light to be either steady or flashing while some specify steady only and don't mention other colors except for blue which is prohibited and reserved for official vehicles.

But the OP indicates the intent to have both a steady red light and the amber light which strikes me as a good idea. Human eyes are far more sensitive to the yellow part of the spectrum than they are to red light so an amber light of equal wattage will be much more visible. And the amber color is generally used in traffic situations to indicate situations where caution is needed (such as construction sites and other road hazards). A slow moving bicycle is also something that should be avoided and the amber color light would further distinguish it from lights on other vehicles.

dual650c

I have one of these on each side of my recumbent:
SunLite TL-L515 5-LED Super Bright Amber Light, Clear

SunLite TL-L515 Super Bright 5-LED Amber Bicycle Light Clear -

I do not use them on the rear or during the day. I use them as side lights from dusk to dawn. They provide decent "see me" visibility at intersections that my front and rear lights don't - so others have told me.

emman123

yes from videos I've seen I'm aware of the superiority and sheer power of the DS 500, the Dinotte daytime red lights and the NiteFlux Redzone 8, but at the same time for the solid light portion of my imagines setup I think I can be ok with an Axiom or a Serfas TL, but coupled with a FLASHING amber light, I've noticed on the road that trucks and buses have a solid red and flashing amber patterns which draw my attention in the full daylight

I was hoping someone had experience with any of the amber lights I have mentioned and could comment on their efficacy if not I might have to invest in the dinotte amber and use it on the rear...

on a different subject, having researched conspicuity, I stumbled upon these great tapes maybe they can be of a use to somebody

1" 2" 4" 6" Reflexite V98 Fluorescent Lime Yellow Reflective Tape ONLINE STORE

emman123

dual650c, how useful are these lights, I'm concerned about them using AAA batteries that the light would be too weak to be noticed during daytime... would you have a video perhaps of it in the daytime it would be really really helpful!

ItsJustMe

If you really mean as far away as possible, look at the DesignShine DS500. I have one and if it were lost I would buy another one instantly.

I'm working on a review right now that includes a taillight section, and I compare a bunch of others including the hotshot and the Pulse60, then I say "OK, this is totally not fair but I'm gunna do it anyway - and turn on the DS500. It completely swamps all the other lights. There simply is no comparison to any other light if you stick to lights that were designed to be used on a bike. The only way to get more IMO is to go to emergency vehicle lighting.

dual650c

I don't have any videos, sorry. All I can tell you is they have been commented on by family, friends and acquaintances - both from when I've done rando rides and just tooled around the neighborhood. I feel VERY comfortable saying they provide some additional side-lighting. As I also said, I'm NOT using them as front or rear lights.

AAA batteries and light strength/weakness doesn't necessarily go hand in hand. I've ridden using AAA's for hours at night and not felt under-served, both for seeing and being seen. Daylight brightness for being seen might be another thing - but I don't run lights during the day so I can't speak about that.

As far as daytime lighting, I don't think they are intended to be used that way. I count on them only from dusk to dawn - and for visibility when approaching intersections with clear visibility from 45 to 135 degrees to my direction of riding.

As far as my personal setup goes, I have a 1600lm front light powered by 4-18650s, 2 red AAA tailights, and the above-mentioned 2 amber AAA sidelights (1 on either side) (yes, the red lights are the same as the amber ones except with a different colored lens). The only modification to this setup I have ever seriously considered (once I settled on it) is going with a front wheel generator light system that I was given sometime ago and just haven't gotten around to experimenting with on the Bacchetta Corsa recumbent I ride. Even if I do, I'll stick with the AAA amber sidelights and AAA red tailights I already have. They are familiar and I have confidence in them and didn't cost an arm and a leg.
I generally turn them on at dusk (and during fog/rain and serious overcast periods) and off at dawn. And I am in the "steady" rear red light belief group rather than "blinking at all times" belief group; but that's just me.

I try to keep things simple - AAA's can be bought practically anywhere and I ride with my head on a swivel assuming that other riders and all drivers are out to kill me. At some point, I decided that good enough is good enough and I have a financial limit that I am comfortable with.

fietsbob

Saw a Motorcycle taillight rider rounding a Corner , a large number of individual LED's, the red ones stayed on , half the yellow ones Blinked, for a turn signal ..

emman123

thanks for sharing your ideas people... maybe someone who tried any of those amber beacons I mentioned originally could comment if they stumble upon this thread if not, I'll just go with what is common around...

Athens80

Just a suggestion - mention the amber tail light models you're interested in by name, in text. The original post has 5 links to Youtube that might be Rick Astley videos for all we know. It's a bit much to expect forum readers to watch 5 videos to figure out what you're looking for.

emman123

yes I agree thank you Athens80 I will edit it now



I just saw a video of what looks like the "RPF16LM SERIES AMBER YELLOW RECHARGEABLE PORTABLE 16 LED POWER FLARE" the first on my list
and at the end one can see the action during daytime it's nearly insignificant... unless the camera didn't capture the power of it correctly....
(at about 8:30 through the video)
does it look like it can be powerful?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=riOxPIvICAk

seeker333

+1

The only taillight sold as a bicycle headlight that will be truly conspicuous in DAYLIGHT in the DS500. Dinotte and Red Zone have taillights that are about half as bright as the DS500, and all the rest are suitable for night duty only.

A nice hi-viz shirt is probably more conspicuous than most of these "lesser" taillights.

The only way to get more light than a DS500 is a DIY rig utilizing Whelen or similar LE-rated flashing lights, which require lots of fabrication to mount as well as a 12V power supply. I think once you undertook this option it would not be too long until you wished you had simply taken the advice to spend $228 for DS500 plus $50 for a battery (restating what JR already wrote). Plus these things might piss-off LE and other motorists.

ItsJustMe

FWIW I have some comparisons of taillights in my Fly6 review. I guess I just can't resist comparing taillights and the Fly6 is (partially) a taillight, so good enough, I did a comparison.

Here's the start of the comparison:
https://youtu.be/CSo39h_xzFc?t=4m43s

Here are the daylight comparisons:

https://youtu.be/CSo39h_xzFc?t=6m23s

The Axiom Pulse 60 is really not bad in the daylight, but it's the only one of the group that is even really noticeable IMO. You can take a look at the DS500 in these comparisons and judge for yourself.

emman123

I can see that the DS 500 stands out and create an effect which is visible the rest of them only blink, blink-blink, blink-blink, blink-blink, but the DS 500 capture my attention...

emman123

the ONLY thing which make sense for full daylight is that DS 500 how come that that's the only light manufactured for the purpose of conspicuity during daytime? I just can't understand it and in a way it makes me frustrated as well, for me the most important thing is safety first and being seen there are powerful front lights but what about rear lights, why nobody care? it would have helped both the cyclists AND the motorized traffic to see that cyclist...
I do wonder though if a less powerful tail light but in Amber would have created a more visible effect? I was looking today at a truck and noticed small side lights blinking in amber that I could see from far away, how much power is there in these small amber lights and can I achieve something similar without DIY'ing?

ItsJustMe

It might be worth talking to the DesignShine guy and asking if he has any interest in making an amber version.

Heck, he might be able to make an amber+red version, one color in each driver cluster. I don't know if his circuitry allows the controller to drive each cluster separately, but if so he could make it selectable.

I think it's just one guy making these.

emman123

yeah, I find it odd and personally frustrating why, does no one else find it necessary? is there no market for safety?
if the Designshine fella would have had designed it as you suggested would it mean that he would have to have amber leds built into the board as well as the red ones?

no sweat

I'm scratching my head on this one.


https://www.amazon.com/Portland-Desig.../dp/B0030BS30K

and done.

This thing is superbly daylight visible. I have had complete strangers comment on how great this light works. Lightweight, compact, **great** mount, built in (and decent quality) reflector and - oh, yeah, $22. Okay, it's red, not amber, but the point is it works.

Athens80

The Radbot 1000 1W you linked to is a nice light. I like the built-in reflector, which provides an extra level of visibility at night and answers the frequent US state legal requirement for a rear reflector at night. I also like the "pop" flashing pattern.

I don't find that 1 watt tail lights add any meaningful daylight visibility. The 2 watt tail lights like the Hotshot may or may not be useful for daytime use.

TXSS

I agree. The Radbot has its place but daytime use isn't it.

Here is the video I made for emman123's other thread. https://www.bikeforums.net/*****************hh52

Radbot on the left, Cree headlight with red lens in the middle, and PB SuperFlash Turbo on the right. I'll get a video in sunlight to further display that the Radbot isn't a daytime light.

10 Wheels

The Hotshot is a good daytime light, even better if you use Two of them.