I think you need both. Why ?
Because the blinky may stop working while you are riding at night, and it's always good to have some backup that won't break.
At certain angles and distances, the reflector may actually return more light to the driver's eyes than the blinky.
I also wear a warning triangle on my body (it's by Nathan Reflective Products). It reflects a huge amount of light.
More is better.
Originally Posted by Patriot
The rear deflector broke on my road bike years ago, abd I never bothered to replace it, as I never really ride at night. However, lately my schedule has gotten to the point where I may be riding more at night.
I have a new schwinn LED tail light that blinks etc. I have also noticed, when it is off, it acts alot like a reflector when light hits it.. But, when I use it at night, do I still need to go out and buy a new reflector as well? Or is the blinking tail light good enough?
In other words, I know the law says you need a reflector, but doesn't the tail light do the same job?
Patriot