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
I never feel safe with the reflectors as my light source at night. In fact, I don't feel safe with just one red blinky and use two instead. The best place to put a blinky is on the back of the helmet because once the car gets right next to your bike, those seat post flashers (and reflectors) are lost! That's right, you become invisable (at the most critical point) if the driver can't see that blinky/flasher especially if he's driving an SUV!
With a blinky on the back of the helmet, the flasher can be seen by everyone once they come along side unless the vehicle happens to be an 18 wheel truck or bus. Furthermore, the "dork" factor means they will watch the blinky and become more attentive since it's rare to see this in the first place. In short, it's better to be safe than sorry.
I'm sure there are those that consider the blinky on the back of the helmet will compromise the safty of the device. I'm willing to take that risk as most cyclists hit the front or side of the helmet.