daven1986

I just bought the AA version of the Dinotte taillight and WOW it is nice and bright - exactly what I was hoping for

So I was wondering where do you guys mount the battery? It is a hassle to try and put in under the seat, was thinking about the seatpost. Also will put it in a plastic bag so it doesn't get wet!

Pictures are welcome

10 Wheels

Water won't hurt it.

daven1986

Nice thanks if water won't hurt it then I guess I'll just mount it as you have I remember reading somewhere that the battery holder rusts really easily. (It seems you have exactly the same setup as one of my bikes - dinotte + superflash )

10 Wheels

I have had mine for two years.
The battery holder is the week part of the system.

Get some extra ones. The rechargeable batteries tend to crack the holders.
I use mine everyday.

daven1986

Yeah I'm glad they supplied another one, as when I was putting the batteries in, I thought "is this going to give way?" However they are very cheap and I don't mind getting some more

I plan to use mine every day too, so am glad your experience has been good.

10 Wheels

Now your going to have a new problem.

I get this once or twice a week.
A car honking behind you, they won't stop honking.
What the heck?

They want to know (WHAT THAT LIGHT IS?) and where can they get one.
I made up some cards to hand out when asked.

Have Fun...

daven1986

lol! What setting do you use it on? Having gone through them all I plan on trying out the low-constant high-strobe mode.

Thanks

10 Wheels

5 strobe pause, is the best, run time 6.5 hours.

slow blink, 12 hour run time.

For Night Riding the steady modes are so bright they are best, low, medium, high

If you have a mirror you can try different modes and watch the traffic react to them behind you.

5 strobe pause, seems to move cars over way back behind you.

VeloBusDriver

... or a bus. I confess to honking and yelling out to a rider (stopped safely at a light, BTW) to confirm the brand of light he was using. I was pretty sure it was a Dinotte since I have the 600L headlight but this was first time I've seen their taillight the wild.

One question: I've noticed these lights on a flash mode and they seem to flash with a very slow pattern - the light is off for most of the time. Was the battery just getting low or is that just the way the flash mode works? I've noticed that my Planet Bike Super Flash is noticeably dimmer using rechargeables vs. fresh alkaline batteries. No surprise since the voltage on a fresh alkaline battery is around 1.5 or 1.6 volts vs 1.2-1.3 on a rechargeable. Anybody have good experience using rechargeables with the Dinotte?

10 Wheels

The Dinotte stays the same with rechargeables.

That is all I use.

When the batteries get low the light will switch to steady mode.

dynodonn 

I keep my battery in one of my side panniers, along with spare battery.

daven1986

BusBiker the slow blink mode on the dinotte seems to be quite slow, yes. I think the strobe - pause mode is quite eye-catching Prefer to have something flashing (have a steady dynamo taillight) to alert drivers to the fact that I'm a bicycle and not a motorbike / street sign!

ItsJustMe

Be careful when you say "water won't hurt it." While it's true that it won't bother it to get wet, you MUST dry the pack off immediately after the ride if it gets wet during the ride (AA version). I had 3 packs die by just leaving them on the bike wet after a ride. They get rust between the contacts in the pack. Luckily they're about $1.60 at Radio Shack, but I emailed Dinotte and they confirmed (it's in their documentation too) that it's OK to get the packs wet but you should dry them off ASAP after a ride.

I'd imagine that if you got them wet a lot, they'd rust eventually anyway.

daven1986

Thanks for the heads up. I'll try to remember to dry it, but my post-rain-ride maintenance leaves a lot to be desired as it is!

Nachoman

Are you using it during the day too, or just at night?

ItsJustMe

I use mine night and day. I used to switch modes but I've settled on the low + high single pulse mode.

js1221

I used mine for the first time this past weekend and the people I was riding with were amazed. They said they never lost sight of my flashing red light even though I was often over 1/2 mile ahead of them. With regards to the battery pack, I managed to make room in my saddle bag for it. I had to do some readjusting but I finally got it to fit without everything being jammed in there. At least in the saddle bag it will be afforded some additional protection from the elements. BTW, I got two of the battery packs in my order, is that the norm?

ItsJustMe

Yes. You can also buy them at Radio Shack, they cost less than two bucks.

UberIM

where is the best place to get replacement AA 2600mAh NiMh batteries...............and which ones-eneloop?
thx

ItsJustMe

Check local big box stores, I've been going with house-brand low-self-discharge batteries (similar to eneloops). I buy NOTHING but low-self-discharge batteries anymore. The Meijer house brand AAs that I have been buying for $7.99 for 4 have been excellent. They don't have AAAs so I buy those from DealExtreme - also excellent - used almost daily in my PBSuperflash on my helmet for 2 months, and they were still only half dead (according to my LaCrosse charger).

If you want actual Eneloops, I'd check online, amazon or ebay.

BTW the words to look for is "precharged" rechargables - they don't normally sell them as low self discharge, though there will usually be a marketing thing on the package somewhere showing how they retain more of their charge for longer.

Oh, and eneloops are NOT going to be 2600 mah. The low self discharge cells are lower total capacity, more like 2300 mah or even 2200, but they still will last longer unless your usage is like "charge up and then use the entire charge within a day". If you charge up then use them over the course of a week, you'll get more total use out of a 2300 mah eneloop than out of a 2600 mah normal cell.

dperreno

I get Ray-o-Vac pre-charged batteries at Target. They hold their charge just as well as the Eneloops, and they are readily available.

mcyak

Several folks I ride with installed the battery in their seat bag with a small hole to run the wires out.
The battery mounts apparently don't last long.
The seat bag approach protects the battery pakc from inclement weather while keeping it secure.

ItsJustMe

I got a rare comment today, from a coworker. He was behind me on the way in to work this morning, and we were heading into the sun. He said the Dinotte taillight was definitely the first thing he saw - a blinking, moving red dot. He saw it well before he saw me in my reflective brightly colored vest.

Riding into the sun in the morning or evening, heavy fog and rain are the reasons I decided that a Dinotte is not a luxury, unless "being able to ride in adverse conditions and not get killed" is a luxury.

daven1986

Yeah, I run the dinotte now all the time. It makes me feel as though people can see me, which is only a good thing!

tarwheel 

The Dinotte tail-light has several flash modes you can choose from, and one is a very slow blink. I keep mine on the mode where it is red all the time with a brighter flash every few seconds. I use both a Dinotte 140 (AA version) and PB Superflash, and the Dinotte is much brighter. However, I continue to use the Superflash as a backup because sometimes the batteries run down on my Dinotte during a ride if I forget to charge them. I have used AA rechargeable batteries for a while, and can generally get about 4 round-trip commutes per charge (my commute is about 90-100 minutes/day). I use a Carradice Barley seatbag to carry my gear, and store the Dinotte battery case in one of the side pockets.