Don't have to spend $89 on a hi viz shell though.

I wear one of these every day, works for cold and rain, and hot and sleeveless, and is cheap enough to not care when it wears out (mine still looks like new after a few thousand miles). For Less than $8, it's a no-brainer.
http://www.amazon.com/Neon-Green-Flu...dp/B003VKWQBC/

Wise advice and that certainly is a cost effective way of being visible but as far as being more effective, that's questionable.

I don't bother with the Dinotte in the daytime but I ride in sparse traffic so I just rely on hi viz and awareness. If I'm in significant traffic though, I'm gonna add the Dinotte. No, it's not necessary and yes it's expensive, but it's the most effective way of adding visibility and if you can afford it, darn smart.

Well yeah I use my Hotshot and high-vis stuff, too. But whether or not anyone notices that flashing light in broad daylight, I have no idea.

NiteRider Mako 200 USB Light Combo w/ 2w Solas rear. For the price this is one of the best options imo, $85 for a LBS maybe cheaper online. all rechargeable, bright and wide light patterns on both, and plenty of side light as well.

I think if you swerve like a drunk driver on your bike all over the road you'll get more noticed then either weird colored clothing or a light.

Exactly! +1 from another lazy rider (not that commodus is lazy... I am)

That is so cool.

Hotshot is definitely visible in daylight overcast conditions. I get complaints on group rides when i am in front of people, so remember that. Battery lasts for quite a bit on one charge, too.

One thing that I like with the Hotshot is its number of modes. The random flasher one is the one I use normally. It chooses a semi-random to repeat for maybe 10 seconds or so, then switches to another. All the random sequences it chooses from seem to include a really bright POP flash mixed in with flashes of varying brightness.

The Planet Bike Superflash is also visible in the daylight from a quarter mile away. The Hotshot seems to be twice as bright as that! As jrhii says, be careful with the Hotshot. "You could put your eye out!"

No, you would just get run over :D

Actually, when I'm not sure if an oncoming driver sees me, I wiggle my handlebar in order to wiggle my headlight. I'm pretty sure it works, as I've gotten some drivers to dip their high-beams that way.

Anyway, in general, bikes are pretty invisible on the road, so the more you can do to make yourself visible, the better. Use as many devices and techniques as you can, rather than looking for the best one device or technique.

That's a good idea actually, I use a helmet light in addition to the bar light, so I just use the helmet light to shine/flash through their windows.

I have yet to see one of those armbands that is bright enough to not be useless.

Yeah, the armbands and flashing vests that I've seen are quite dim compared to even mid-range current tech blinkies. You need only look at the batteries they use and the stated run time - the popular one I've seen claims 168+ hours from two AA cells - so clearly they aren't putting out a whole lot of light - something on the order of PBSF but spread out over a large area and divided in half for front and back. And their reflectivity isn't great either, they use that prismatic vinyl which is mediocre at best compared to proper reflective material.

Well this thread turned out to be quite timely - my blinker fell off my bike on the way home yesterday. I was actually headed to an appointment first and really felt naked riding the last few miles without one. Advise - don't clip blinkers to rack packs... that's the second one I've lost (I'm dim and a slow learner)

If you have the money seriously consider the Serfas Shield, it's not unreasonably priced and it's very bright with a flood type of beam instead of a pinpoint narrow beam. Here is a beam comparison of the 4 most popular rear lights: http://www.thebicyclerepairshop.com/...ison-test.html

The Light & Motion VIS180 full size light cost about $89, whereas the Serfas Shield is about $60, and the Cygolite HotShot is about $35; do an Amazon search for prices on those if they interest you.

The L&M lights perform well, but build quality is poor from my experience, and the mount sucks donkey balls.

The problem with the brackets is now pretty much market wide with all rear tail lights. You see LED's last forever, light manufactures know this, and if they made durable mounts then they would never sell enough tail lights to stay in business, so they make schity brackets that will either break or come lose losing your light so they can sell you a new one every couple of years instead of once every 25 years. I have a two old tail lights, one is a 25 year old Vistalite and the other is a 11 or 12 year old LED Cateye, both of those brackets could easily take a pounding of off road rough riding and not care in the least bit which is why those brackets still work today, but todays crappy brackets are either little rubber bands or zip ties (welded) to the light, both of which are odd sized so finding replacements at Home Depot or some such place would be impossible, so when they break you'll need a new light. OR, the battery is self contained and either impossible to replace when it no longer holds a charge or expensive to replace thus screaming for a new light to be bought every 2 to 5 years.

I'll agree with the Serfas Shield being a good light, but I have two caveats - the clip mount is HOPELESS - I put it on the belt on my seat wedge pack and it fell off the very first day after just a few miles of riding - the clip is too smooth and just falls off very easily.

Also, mine had water inside it after two days of riding in light rain (with the USB cap on properly). I sent a photo to Serfas and they immediately offered to replace it, so I assume it's not common, but we'll see after I get the replacement back and take it out in the wet a few more times.

Which one are you speaking of? My dyno-powered L&M taillight is mounted very sturdily to my rack.

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-g...2014.21.36.jpg

No need to feel alone.

I have lost 4 rear lights, a battery pack w 4 brand new batteries, and a B & M head light when it fell off on a highway ride (cracked it).
Learned to double connect everything on the bike.

There's a lbs across the street from my office and I walked over just to get something to use short term. I told the guy this was I buy cheap ones because I go through 2 or 3 a year. He asked if I'd ever zip tied them on... duh... um... no?! I have zip ties on everything else... duh again

Have 2 bikes with dynamo front hubs, I just get on them and Ride.. wired LED lights on both ends..

I was referring to the VIS180 and the Micro version. I had the Micro version but never used it because the USB charge port broke off the PC board inside the housing the first time I plugged it in after taking it out of the package. And I could tell that the mount was crap.

The mount that came with my Hotshot seems to work pretty well. The light clips in and out very "solidly". I also used a few small washers on the clamping screw in between each side of the clamp so that the screw had something to tighten up on, but that's true with most any clamp mount.

Since it's rechargeable just put a thin skinny film of clear flexible silicone around the seam.

So I received my Niteflux Redzone 8 and have used it for a couple of commutes now.

The light is very bright. It has a blast like effect. Bathes everything near in light unlike other lights where the beams are more on the narrow side. Niteflux suggest that they need not be positioned in any particular way. However I've noticed that the light does shine brighter in the direction in which the LED faces. So I take care to rotate the light in order that motorists have the best chance to see it.

Seems to be well built with strong materials. A velcro strap is used to attach on to seat post, rack bag or anything handy. Battery life remains to be seen.

Interesting point of note. The battery (not sure what type) is supposed to be voltage regulated so when the battery weakens the light does not dim along with it. If the battery can't produce the required voltage it just stops working. Fortunately the light is supposed to have a built in battery level measurement that warns you of low charge via "single blinks", and "faster single blinks" that a recharge is in order.

Far too expensive at $99, but I'm hoping it will last me long enough to warrant the expense.

I've read about that light and it kind of intrigues me. Have you compared it in real life to other lights? If so which ones and how did yours fair against them?

Does it also have side illumination?

$100 isn't too bad if it's really much more noticeable then the likes of the Cygolite Hotshot, Serfas Shield, L&M Vis 180 and others. People here spend $800 or more on a head light (I wouldn't) so $100 for a tail light is not real bad.

I did find this by the way: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BFNH6MWfN6g which makes look very effective.

I don't have the Hotshot or other lights to do a comparison. I bought one but it was never delivered :(. Lost in the mail. Still trying to get my money back! Anyway...

From what I understand, and in the video, the Hotshot has a very strong beam, but focused straight on and needs to be aimed. The narrow beam is the chief criticism. But IMO even narrow beams spread out with distance. So in all likelihood the Hotshot is plenty visible at medium to long distances but may struggle a bit at short.

The redzone is more like a grenade. It just explodes! It's visibility is fair at medium to long distances, but really good up close. It illuminates my rear, the saddle and seatpost, nearby trees, pedestrians and pavement, in rich glowing red. Without a doubt it can be seen from the sides and from the front as well since I notice a little spill.

I would say the Hotshot is good enough for straight roads with low traffic. I would prefer the Redzone for busier areas like in the city where I am. The red zone does well in competing with other motorist lights. It could also be that due to the heavy spill and illumination of adjacent objects - long range visibility is enhanced.

A nice middle ground may be the Niterider Solas - similar to the Hotshot but with more spill.

No love for the Dinotte on here, I don't get it. Too expensive?

For most of us, yes.