2manybikes

Next time it bumps off, put in fresh batteries. It will stop doing that. With a sophisticated signal type battery tester the batteries will register 0 % left even though they still light the light, when it bumps off. I use rechargeable nimh batteries. When I figured this out I decided to replace the batteries often. Usually about 60% left, or about 5 hours. Then there are no problems bumping off. None ever. The same will work for you.

edit - my pulse load tester ---

https://www.ztsinc.com/minimbt.html

01 CAt Man Do

Uh...I don't think so. I don't own a Radbot. You might have me confused with someone else. I do however own a couple PBSF. The Superflash ( when first released ) added a new dimension to cycling safety. Although I didn't use mine for more than a year I never had a problem with the lamp going out. Then again I always made sure that the batteries were charged at least every other ride.


I totally agree with these statements. You need to know how well your lights work before using them. I'm not sure I buy into this "jarring theory" of lights not working. I'm not saying it can't happen but it might depend on the lamp and how low the batteries are. Just now I opened up the back of a PBSF, turned the lamp on and then pulled a battery to simulate a battery momentarily jarred loose. When I pushed the battery back into it's compartment the lamp continued to blink. The way I see it the only way you're going to loose battery power is if the batteries are too low to reactivate the circuit or the battery actually jars lose and doesn't reconnect. I can't speak to the Radbot but the battery compartment in the PBSF is really tight. I don't see one of those jarring loose and becoming disconnected. That said the battery compartment in other lamps might not be as well made as the PBSF.

Back to the "redundancy issue"; I always try to make sure my batteries on my rear lamps are well charged. My main rear lamp runs off of two 18650 cells ( 7.4 volts ) I've had the "red warning" led come on before on longer rides but the lamp has never gone out. My back up plan for that lamp is to bring a tri-extension and hook the rear lamp up to my battery for my front lamp.

For longer rides I recently purchased a single and a two cell ( 18650 ) ( USB type ) phone chargers. These chargers will charge my Moon Shield or my Cygolite Hotshot and will do that while they are operating. ( *Please note I've not tested this fully yet but when I plug the chargers into the lamps the lamps continue to blink. Basically I'm assuming that the batteries are charging while this is going on. Looks like I'll have to run one of them down completely to see if this theory works. )

Anyway if this works the 1 and 2 watt LED lamps should run a REALLY long time using regular 18650's. I will add this thought though, I would have a really hard time trusting a lamp running off of just two AAA batteries, particularly in colder weather. If I were to use such a lamp I would make double sure that the batteries are freshly charged ( and carry back up cells for longer rides ).

cyccommute 

D'oh! I have you confused with MechBgon. Sorry.




I think a lot of the "jarring" issues are with soft switches that are popular with some light makers. The Radbot, Cateye Reflex and even some newer version of the PB Superflash have switches that have to be held in to turn the light on and the electronics is a part of the sysetm. Bumps on the road can cause a momentary disconnect in either the battery or electronics and the light shuts off. "Harder" switches don't have this problem if the light momentarily loses power.

01 CAt Man Do

This is a good point point to make. Certainly if I were to buy another rear lamp that used AAA or AA's I would certainly be sure to test for this.

Oddly enough, now that I think about it I have the same problem with my front wheel light setup ( three AA's per wheel ). Every once in a while the front setup goes out. Not a problem with low batteries because if I stop and turn the lights back on it all works fine. Likely a momentary disconnect problem. Since the lamp has several modes it's a digital circuit and likely that is the problem. Sadly no way I can fix it because the battery compartment is made out of plastic and the screw holes look to be stripped on a couple of the battery doors. Cheap Chinese crap, what'a'ya' gonna do ( except maybe buy another )?

KD5NRH

Use a toothpick to poke JB Weld in the holes, let it set up overnight, then drill a pilot hole before putting the screw back in. I fix cheap stuff that way fairly often.

KD5NRH

For me, I'd say the Radbot on the stays, or clipped on wherever you can fit it. I clip mine on my belt or shorts when I'm going to be walking or running in higher traffic areas than usual, otherwise it's on my seat stay mount. Panniers hide it from the sides to an extent, but it's still clearly visible from directly behind, which meets the Texas requirement. (And yes, the tendency of clothing and bike bag manufacturers to put white Scotchlite on the back is annoying and stupid, since it is used to indicate the front of a vehicle, and red or amber wouldn't cost them a penny more.)

Sec. 551.104. SAFETY EQUIPMENT. (a) A person may not operate a bicycle unless the bicycle is equipped with a brake capable of making a braked wheel skid on dry, level, clean pavement.
(b) A person may not operate a bicycle at nighttime unless the bicycle is equipped with:
(1) a lamp on the front of the bicycle that emits a white light visible from a distance of at least 500 feet in front of the bicycle; and
(2) on the rear of the bicycle:
(A) a red reflector that is:
(i) of a type approved by the department; and
(ii) visible when directly in front of lawful upper beams of motor vehicle headlamps from all distances from 50 to 300 feet to the rear of the bicycle; or
(B) a lamp that emits a red light visible from a distance of 500 feet to the rear of the bicycle.

1 Miyata Biker

The best thing to do is check your state and local traffic laws concerning riding a bicycle at night. Many states are changing older laws about bicycle lights/reflectors for night riding. Some states now have a law that requires a white light in the front also have the ability to show a light 180 degrees left and right that can be seen for 300 feet. Most wheel reflectors will show up at least that far when vehicle headlight beams hit the reflectors, so I guess this law is for the drivers who wait until it's nearly dark before they turn on their headlights. You just must remember to follow the laws so you're at least protecting yourself from a lawsuit if an accident should happen.

RR3

I use reflectors in addition to two redundant sets of front and rear lights. Reflective ankle straps and a reflective vest work well in addition to a reflectors on the bike set at all different angles. I have never had a problem with this current set of front lights going out but I run one light at normal power and keep the backup on low because if a light goes out, I have redundancy right there, right now.

Lug

Holy Photon Drive Batman. That is a whole lot of red blinky lights.

davidad

The stock reflectors are the minimum required by law, and poor at what they are supposed to do. If I were going to put reflectors on my bike I would go for high quality reflective tape.