Originally Posted by
RidingMatthew
I have a 50 and I recharge about once a week. I usually use steady pulse all the time day or night. I have tried to turn it down in a group ride but I can't figure that out. so I put it on the slow fade.
they said it was bright. Sometimes it is just easier to ride in the back of the group.
The only way to dim the Hotshot 50 is to set it to steady mode, no pulse, flash, blip or strobe. Use the rightmost button to adjust the brightness. Press once and it'll either dim or brighten; press again to reverse the process of brightening/dimming.
That's what I do for nighttime group rides. I also got complaints about the intensity of the Hotshot 50 in group rides, even on the slow pulse mode because it still peaks at maximum brightness. And I have two other dimmer red LED taillights, one built into the saddle, the other one of those combo LED/reflector doodads. Good enough for group rides.
In the various flashing modes the rightmost button only adjusts the timing, speed, intervals, not the brightness. They all peak at maximum brightness. When riding solo on public streets I set it to one of the more annoying strobing modes in daytime and switch to the slower pulse mode toward evening.
When riding on the MUP I turn the Hotshot 50 off completely and use my less bright lights. If I had only the Hotshot I'd use the steady lamp on dim. Doesn't take much to be seen at dawn/dusk or night on the MUPs. Our local city rental bikes have lights that most serious bike commuters would consider inadequate, but they're plenty visible on the MUP which doesn't have many nearby utility lights -- most of the lights are on posts at least 100 yards away or father.