I've been using a Dinotte 300R for the past 2 1/2 years and have over 20k miles on it. Other than the size I can find no fault with this daytime visible rear light. For daytime visibility I personally wouldn't bother with anything under 100 lumens but that's just me. I do think we're getting closer to a good, bright rear light that is priced under $100 but I don't think we're there yet.

I can't remember where I saw this Orfos Flare 360 but it looks promising as well.

http://www.amazon.com/Orfos-Flare-De...lare+taillight

I rode with a guy for a couple days at the beginning of June and it took 2 days to realize he had a red blinky mounted right at the back of his helmet. Nearly impossible to see! I do have a helmet mounted light I use in the winter when I ride a lot after dark - I think the more the merrier, and the higher the better, when it comes to night visibility. I'll have to try your cygolite trick - it's directional, but if you're moving your head around a lot you should be able to spread a lot of red light all over.


I just got my QuadRed in the mail today... it came with about 45 different mounting options. :twitchy: They could probably knock $40 off the price if they pruned that down a bit. Ha ha. And yes, I did it... I blinded myself. It's quite a bit heavier than my cygolite hotshot although not that much larger, and it looks like the run time is a lot lower but for the purpose I purchased it - daylight (really, sunset) visibility, it looks like it will do really well.

The Specialized Flux Expert Tail Light:
Specialized Bicycle Components

- 110 lumen output
- Visible up to 0.6mile / 1.0 kilometer even during midday in the Summer
- Ambient light sensor boosts light output by 50% in Flash Mode during daytime running for increased visibility

One problem I had with an older Dinotte tail light was that it was good for daylight but bad for night riding with other riders, even it's lowest setting was to bright. A rear light with an ambient light sensor that auto adjusts sounds useful for not having to own multiple rear lights for different lighting.

I alternate between the obnoxious strobe-like mode and the steady pulse mode depending on how bright the ambient lighting is. I actually feel bad for cars behind me if I'm in the shade or it's overcast out with the really obnoxious mode on. To be honest though, I saw another rider with a 300r on the strobe mode at night and it wasn't nearly as annoying as I thought it would be from a distance. I usually get 6-8 hours of run time between charges.

I've got mine mounted to an aero seat post using a custom 3D printed mount.

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-W...2015-06-09.jpg

http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=461882

Here is my taillight. It's an Exposure Blaze. Not cheap, but incredibly bright. I believe the stated Lumens is 80, but it seems brighter than that. It is actually painful if you glance at the light at close range. The design is awesome. The entire body is aluminum.

The only bad part about this light is the mounting bracket that comes with it. It is a plastic semi circle that snaps around the light, and a silicone band that stretches around the seat post.

I wasn't happy with the possibility of the mount breaking while on a ride, and losing the light. So I designed a machined aluminum mount that you can see in the picture. It's a simple design, but provides a secure mount that can not break and holds the light firmly in place.

I thought about having several produced, as the price goes down with the more that are made. But for I know I just have two prototypes, one of them being the one I currently use.

The Knog Blinder and the Planet Bike SuperFlash Turbo are not that great in broad daylight they almosts faded completely away in direct light, I've had both and still have the Turbo, in addition the Knog was poorly made and the switch actually failed 3 times but under warranty, I got tired of the problem and got my money back. The Turbo is also cheaply made but it's held up better than the Knog. The light I have that is very well made and looks like a roadside safety flare in the day time is the Light & Motion Vis 180 not the Vis 180 Micro. This light actually came off my saddle bag (due to me not clipping the clip shut!) flew onto the concrete while riding at 20 mph and didn't ever scratch the light; the Turbo by contrast has never fallen and the switch has 1/2 of the plastic missing, and the lid to access the batteries pops off just sitting inside my backpack! It will have to replaced either by the end of this season or next.

Serfas makes a really bright tail light as well called the TL80, I've never seen one in action nor used one so not sure how well they're made, but the reviews about it's light intensity have been very good.

I just started using the Orfos Flares. The magnetic mounting system is very useful.

Nice set-up. Not sure I understand your description of this "strobe-like" mode. Big difference between something "strobing" and something "flashing". Nothing wrong with a decent flash mode ( 2 flash per sec. or less )

No reason to feel sorry for a person in a car behind you unless perhaps you are stopped at a light and the person is directly behind you. Personally, I'm tired of hearing about, "The cyclist who got hit or killed". No need to feel overly self-conscious because you use a bright rear light. You don't have a ton of metal and air bags surrounding you to protect you. The only way you have to make yourself more safe is to ride smart and to make yourself more visible.

FWIW, I drive for a living and I've yet to see anyone using a rear lamp on a bike that annoyed me. ( unless it was too dim ). The people who constantly rant about "annoyingly bright lights" are usually just haters. They hate cyclists in general and anything a cyclist might use to make themselves more visible/safer. The only reason to use a low powered lamp is for group rides but that is a special situation where people are sometimes only a few feet behind you. Almost any led lamp ( pointed at your face < 10ft ) can be annoying if it's right in your face.

( edit: For group rides the Cygolite Hotshot ( IMO ) is a great choice because the steady mode can be dialed down to just a soft glow. Very good for group rides. Wear a bit more reflective clothing and you're good to go. )

I went to their website and it does look promising, but photos of lights can be very misleading since the camera operator and later the computer operator can alter the picture to make the lights look amazing when in fact most of the time the lights are far dimmer to the human eye. I saw an advertisement for a tail light with a laser that drew two lines on each side of the bike to simulate a path for motorists to see, in the video the laser looked amazing until I saw on in person on the street. The laser lines were so dim that it was barely noticeable, and when the bike turned the outside line faded to nothing. I think from looking at the photos of the Orfos Flares that they were seriously doctored. Amazon has a bunch of reviews raving about the light but most of the reviews came from people that worked for Orfos! The ones that didn't all said the light was good but it was a to be seen light and not a light to see with, and for $229 for the front and rear that seems crazy expensive for a light that is only to be seen, in fact for that price I simply don't understand why they didn't build in a high quality head light. It's an interesting idea, they just need to add to it without adding to the price to make it a standout.

Here's a video of the various flash modes of the 300R (not mine). The first mode shown is the strobe-like effect, the third one is the steady pulse I'm referring to. I like the steady pulse when I'm riding in shade or lower light conditions because the light stays illuminated at all times in-between the pulsing like a brake light on a car.

https://youtu.be/RIhEV3cPzKE?t=4m29s

Fair enough, but I don't see many other riders with $200+ rear tail lights that put out 200 lumens :) I definitely have self preservation in mind when I select the flash mode. But I'm not convinced that I need to have the most obnoxious flashing mode selected at all times. Here in Los Angeles, I'm in the bike lane most of the time, and traffic isn't always overtaking me at huge speed differentials so I don't need to be seen from 1/2 mile away.

I agree, I generally like the slower flash modes myself. The steady/slow pulse sounds like a good choice. At least DiNotte gives the unit a good UI. The down-side, expensive. The 300R ( or quad red alternative ) looks like one of the better choices for Daytime use if you've got the money.

I am using this Lezyne - Engineered Design - Products - LED Lights - Zecto Drive (Rear) it is super bright and I like the "fuel gauge." I highly recommend it!

20 lumens isn't anything close to being a daylight visible taillight. 60 is barely.

20 lumens is technically daylight "visible" in that people can see that it's on if they look right at it, but that's not the purpose of a daylight taillight on a bike; if the driver is looking at the bicycle already then the taillight isn't needed. A daylight light must attract the attention of a driver who is not looking at the bicycle.

Itsjustme is exactly correct.

This is why if I know I'm going to be riding on a busy roads I will wear a fluorescent (hi vis) green or a hi vis yellow (fluorescent orange works great too but I don't have that color, supposedly the green is the best) jersey because from a distance that is actually more visible quicker than a dim bicycle tail light mostly because the surface area, being the torso, is greater. I also use a L&M Vis 180 taillight in those situations in flash mode.

I read somewhere the best effect to have for clothing is to use all 3 of the main hi vis colors, green, yellow, and orange, but I haven't ever seen a jersey that combined all three nor am I sure if that's true. I know the green is the most visible so maybe someone could wear a jersey of that color and a hi vis yellow or orange helmet. There was a guy I ran into at my LBS that was hit from behind by a car and had his bike painted hi vis green, I thought due to the surface area of a frame that would be completely useless not to mention it looked ugly, but it made him feel secure.

But even with a taillight and hi vis jersey it still boils down to if the driver is paying attention and not texting or spilling coffee on oneself, etc. I've been riding for over 40 years, most of that time without hi vis clothing or a taillight and never even been close to being hit from behind, so why did I change? I think today with text messaging going on that a driver will look up real quick then back down to text, in that second they need something to grab their attention, so the hope is that between the neon green and the bright flashing red light they will respond to the situation. It's not a guarantee doing this stuff will prevent an accident but you need every available option to at least reduce the chances.

Here's my two cents .... I drive a 55mph road that is regularly ridden by cyclists. There are trees on both sides of the road every few hundred feet or enough that there are patches of bright sunlight and patches of dark shade. On these bright summer days I have observed cyclists in all manner of bright and otherwise clothing disappear in the shadows. The hi viz jerseys seem to do little to nothing to make them visible. The only exception is one fellow with a bright green helmet, bright green aero suit, and bright green socks and shoes: I could see him from about a 100 yards in the shadows, but barely. Then there are those with very low lumen tail lights that are hardly visible and I wonder about the value of those puny lights for daylight riding.

A few days ago I was driving this road and a couple hundred yards away I could see a bright red pulsing light in the shadows and as I got closer I could see three riders with the last one having this bright tail light. No one was behind me or coming the other direction, so I slowed, rolled down my window and drove slowly past the group and commented to the cyclist that I could see his light very well and it helped me as a motorist to know he and friends were there. He said, "thanks." I recognize the light as a Dinette 300 since that is what I use.

I am not convinced about the hi viz jersey as a solution to being seen. Based on what conditions are like where I ride, I prefer a very bright daylight tail light that shows up in the shadows as well as in the bright sunlight.

I can say that I had the 20 Lumen knog blinder. I thought it was super bright, until two weeks ago. I was hit by a truck on a morning ride, carbon frame is spent according to Scott, and so is my clavicle according to the ER and X-rays. The kicker is that the driver is also a cyclist and didn't see me. Granted I was riding into the sun, but that's when you need a bright light the most.

When im released to get back on the bike (and the driver's insurance gives me a check to get a new bike), I'll be adding the quad red fore every ride.

When I used to commute to work there were some stretches where I'd be riding directly into the Sun and they scared the crap out of me. IDK what light would be bright enough to compete with the Sun.

(Sun and Moon are proper nouns and capitalized when referring to our sun and the Earth's moon.)

I have a Knog Blinder 4V. It's not a daylight taillight either. It's an acceptable nighttime one but IMO Knog really has serious design issues. The biggest technical issue is that they have horrible battery life.

If bright hi viz stuff didn't work then why do road workers trust them to just using a plain old shirt? I think road workers have lots of safety studies to back up their reasons for wearing hi vis vests.

I too am a professional driver and have not encountered a taillight that was too bright for full daylight.
That said, once I did end up behind another cyclist after dark whos taillight was so bright that I had to stop and wait for him to get beyond my line of sight as it totally blinded me. Using a light that's too bright for conditions could endanger other cyclists and pedestrians if it momentarily blinded a motorist.

https://vimeo.com/92988300


*****

Cygolite hotshot. Cheap and awesome

Just last week I was coming into a small rural town when I suddenly noticed ahead of me a flashing red light ( 7:30pm, still very light outside and only partly cloudy sky. Otherwise full sunlight ). I'll make note that I saw the light first and after a moment of straining my eyesight I could tell there were two cyclists up the road ahead of me, ( I'd estimate ) about a quarter mile ahead of me. When I closed within 1000 ft I could see the other cyclist had a red blinkie too only his was pathetic.

When I caught up to the guy with the bright rear lamp I wound my window down and told him that his rear lamp rocked and that I could see him from a quarter mile away. I think I made his day. Sadly I forgot to eyeball what brand lamp he was using..:bang: It did have a very unique moving flash pattern and was quite bright. Makes my day when I see others using very good rear lamps on a bicycle.

Meh. It was 3 years ago. There are 2 or 3 better lights for the same money these days.

I run a Performance Bike Axiom Pulse 60. It's within 2 or 3 dollars and is much brighter than a Hotshot and has a wider dispersion on the beam.

Here's the daylight taillight test part of the Fly6 review I did a few weeks ago. The Hotshot and the Pulse 60 and some others are included.

https://youtu.be/CSo39h_xzFc?t=6m20s