Originally Posted by
hopperja
No, no, no.
The most important thing is a great tail light. Buy the absolute best tail light you can afford. In my opinion, a
DiNotte 140L is the minimum if you're going to be riding regularly for any period of time in the dark. Remember, if you're going to be riding regularly in the dark, you'll be investing in your safety for the long term. Spend more than you want on a good tail light and it'll serve you well. Take out a loan if you have to.
OP's gonna be riding in the dark, on trails.
IMO the dinottes are good for being seen in daylight or when there's glare from the sun. for the OP, i think a radbot, danger-zone, PBSF/turbo, cherry-bomb, etc would all be reasonable choices. and then he can spend some big money on a headlight suitable for the trails; not a mini-mag.
my radbot 1000 can hold it's own against car taillights... add on a decent 2nd rear light, ANSI safety vest, ankle straps, and other miscellaneous reflectives... if motorists don't see me from behind at night, i don't think an extra $100+ worth of rear-facing light is gonna help.