rfomenko

It looks like the manufacturers rediscovered that AA batteries are much better at powering high intensity rear lights than their AAA poor cousins. Considering that a large minority of people are not getting on the USB-rechargeable bandwagon for whatever reasons, I noticed couple of new lights for this season. They are Blackburn Local 20 Rear Light & Serfas 9-Led Cross Pattern Bicycle Taillight - TL-STP:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00PSNLUR6/...I1PS5V75QR0KQH
Amazon.com : Blackburn Local 20 Rear Light : Sports & Outdoors

Are they any good for daytime riding?

PaulRivers

It's interesting that they've gone to AA. That makes more sense to me - AA has a lot more capacity so less recharging.

At 35 and 20 lumens I do not think they're good for daytime though. Some of the daytime lights rated at 80 lumens or so are questionable if they're bright enough.

10 Wheels

Not AA but very good for Daytime.

https://www.amazon.com/Cygolite-Hotsh...SRQJ0989MSKMR7

fietsbob

MY B&M 4D senso Plus Toplight uses 2 AA (senso mode, switch position 3, the light comes on at night , once you start moving ,
then shuts off in a few minutes once you stop )

Toplight Means rack mount.

rfomenko

Well, the original Cygolite Hotshot which I have has 30 lumen & is very visible during the day. I know because I have one. Its beam is too narrow so while it's great for the night, daytime is not hotshot's forte. It looks like the Serfas has that serrated lens for wide distribution & 5 more lumen brighter.

rfomenko

I have one but need a backup light. Having replaceable batteries is a big plus. I got spoiled with my Lezyne headlight running 18650 lithium which is generic & replaceable without me even having to get off my bike. It gives you some peace of mind not to worry about charging &/or your battery going bad together with your entire light.

rfomenko

No blinking mode, not that bright, not transferable between multiple bikes, requires a rack & overpriced.

fietsbob

I dont care it OK by Me 4 diodes big glowing surface It does Blink Leave it on in daylight ride thru a dark tunnel it blinks

then turns off when you leave the tunnel .

buy a bunch of blinking lights Mr paranoid, Asia can make those,Germany cannot

THEY ARE OUT TO GET YOU ! BWAhaHa ha

to bad you are to lazy to look at all the past posts already asking and answering the same question..

rfomenko

Noted.
P.S. Why so butt-hurt? Have I insulted your favorite toy? Then I am sorry.

fietsbob

Pinheads

You're the one needing hand holding and to insecure to just buy something without needing peer approval first .

rfomenko

No advice or approval of yours is needed & no response required. Good Bye.

PaulRivers

Why would you start a thread "asking" if it's ok for daytime then insist that it is?

Lumens is the total amount of light put out by the light. A light that's to narrow but otherwise bright enough for daytime riding would not be bright enough if the beam was made much wider.

rfomenko

Well, I just wanted to find the minimal amount of lumens a light with a wide beam must have in order to be considered a good one for daytime. I searched for such info but somehow can not find it. Before Hotshot became available couple of years ago, there was nothing available outside of some esoteric options like Dinotte so there was no point to even ask such questions. I mean a narrow bright beam is OK but now better options are available. Of course, I could get Hotshot Pro 80 which is bright enough for daytime but purely by accident I noticed couple of AA lights compatible in brightness with the original Hotshot & wondered if anyone had any experiences with them. I have couple of cheap AA lights already which I do not use & didn't want to get couple of more duds.

RR3

Serfas = maybe

Blackburn = no

rfomenko

Thanks. Looks like Serfas doesn't cut it either. I spent some time reading this thread: https://www.bikeforums.net/electronic...ytime-use.html and the consensus seems to be that a good daytime light starts with something like 60 lumens. At least that the point where the manufacturers are starting to make such claims. I'll probably be getting Cygolite Hotshot Pro 80. It has the best battery life plus I've had a pretty good experience with the original Hotshot and all four of my bike have mounts for it.

a1penguin

Sorry, but there are several (4-6?) taillights that have 60-80 lumens of output. These might be decent for daylight.

rfomenko

Yes, Axiom 60 & 80 from Performancebike, couple of Serfas & Blackburn Flare R. Perhaps some others. However, the it looks like the Hotshot got a better (i.e. longer lasting) battery. And it's on the cheaper side too.

vol

I know (have) the Axiom 60, but was unaware of an Axiom 80. Is there really an 80 lumen taillight by Axiom? Link? Thanks.

Btw, I now have both Axiom 60 and Serfas 60, and as ItsJustMe said, they are almost identical, but they have slightly different modes. Both are nice. My only complaint is neither of them have rear rack bracket.

rfomenko

You're right. Sorry. Mixed it up with Serfas 80. Hotshot has a much better old style mount including one for the rack unlike the silicon crap the Axiom & Serfas have.

RR3

That choice is probably the brightest when viewed directly from the rear

I use Planet Bike Super Turbo Flash. Brighter from an angle but not quite as bright as the Hotshot from a direct rear angle. It has a decent battery life.

rfomenko

Turbo Flash is great for the nighttime but not good enough for the day. I have regular Superflashes & use them as back up lights. One can only squeeze so much from the meager AAA alkalines. AAs are a different story. Perhaps I'll get the Serfas as a rack light for my utility bike.

seeker333

Your taillight must produce hundreds of lumens of red light to be plainly visible to motorists on sunny days in traffic. No regular taillight will cut it. My old Dinotte 140L (~120 lumens) ran off 4AAs and was more than adequate at night, but did little to make me conspicuous in the daytime.

There are only 2 truly daytime-capable taillights AFAIK, linked below. The DS-500 is superior in that it's output in flash mode can be reduced for responsible nighttime use, whereas the DDR output in flash mode is fixed and will be blindingly bright to motorists behind you at night (DDR output can be reduced to 10% in constant/steady mode only). The DS-500 is about twice as bright (800 vs 400 lm) and has a wide range of flash and steady output modes, adjustable in pulse length and intensity.

https://store.designshinelighting.com...-p/ds500v4.htm

https://store.dinottelighting.com/day...ount-p188.aspx

Short of spending hundreds on one of the lights above, OSHA lime yellow high visibility shirts/jackets are pretty good at capturing attention in the daytime - at least as good as "regular" taillights but require no recharging:

https://alertshirt.com/poloslmtanco.html

https://alertshirt.com/wirajaancl3.html

rfomenko

Got Serfas 9-Led Cross Pattern couple of weeks ago & it's an excellent rack light. Easily as bright as the original Hotshot with a much wider beam so it's quite visible in the daytime. The box says it's 40 lumens & I believe it. There are two of them: one with an USB port and one without. Both run two NiMh replaceable AA batteries. Or you can use regular alkalines. I got the own with USB for $3 more & glad I did because I like the port so the batteries can be charged in the light itself. I replaced the original batteries with Eneloops which have more capacity so they'll last even longer.

noglider 

I use the Hotshot, and I haven't found (yet) that the beam is too narrow. I guess if I get hit from behind, that could be proof that it doesn't work. Until then, I don't have proof that it does work.

rfomenko

I have a Hotshot too. But it's nice to have two tail lights in case one fails. Also, Serfas has a large CPSC reflector & is a perfect rack light which Hotshot is not.