Buy a small red 12 volt 3 LED emergency vehicle strobe from a mail order like AW Direct. At your local hobby store buy a 9.6 volt 1200 mAh remote control toy battery and a female Molex no-solder plug. Attach the leads from the strobe to the female plug and plug the male end of the battery into it. It is as bright as the LED strobes on police motos. You can change the flash pattern by applying DC power to the third lead of the LED, but the default setting is the same as used on police motos. Combine this rear facing LED strobe with a blue Xenon emergency strobe and you can not be missed, day or night.

I guess you're talking about something like this : http://www.awdirect.com/bull-led-3-l...ights-warning/
Yeah - 3 watts should be enough to get some attention. If it wasn't enough I'd personally opt to stack a second one rather than trying to mimic a police vehicle. Police on bicycles are getting more common and no point looking for trouble.

Amazingly - that particular model is available in every color EXCEPT .... amber.

FWIW, I'll mention that I was on a ride out in the sunny mid-day SoCal desert earlier in the year and there was another rider ~1+ mile ahead of me. I couldn't really see him at that distance but realized he was there when I saw his Dinotte 300R taillight blinking. True story...

That is exactly what I'm using. I was a little concerned about what law enforcement might think of this arrangement until an SDPD cruiser pulled up next to me at a stoplight. At first I thought I was in trouble, but he lowered his window and said "Great lights! I could see you from a mile back up the road."

Nova bull, available in amber, for a lot less than the previous link.

http://strobesusa.com/cart137/nova-b...ight-p-18.html

I run a cygolite 300 in blink mode on the bars day and night. Also a cygolite 2w hot shot on the rear too. The hot shot is 4 times brighter than the PBSF, only like $40.00 and usb rechargeable. Think alternating sun and tree shade, overpasses and bridges. Better to be seen than not. YRMV. When I am in my car, I notice bike front blinkies from a long way off. There is no downside to daytime lights, only your safety. Picture driving your car on a sunny day with dark sunglasses, tree shadows ahead, which bicyclist is likely to be seen or noticed?

I am getting a Cygolite 2W USB as my main rear light, replacing the PBSF Turbo. I will use my clones on my backpack, helmet and leg. ;)

When it's bright, I don't use a tail light. I have a slow moving triangle (safety green with orange trim) that has reflective fabric. Stands out clearly in daylight and is much more noticeable than my lights. When it's darker I use 2 blinkers by Radbot.

All I know is that before I strated riding with a strobe headlight and taillight during the day, only about one out of ten cars would move over and give me enough passing room to where I felt safe. The other nine would either buzz me or come closs enough to cause me to say a short prayer of thanks that I was not hit. Afterward, the ratio has flipped to where nine out of ten cars move way over, almost too much. Only the occaional idiot would buzz me now. I've experences left-turning cars a quarter of a mile ahead wait until I passed. They must have seen my strobe. I've also had an oncoming motorcycle turn around and chase me down to ask about my strobe. He said he saw it a half mile away and wanted to know about it because he wanted one for his motorcycle. I don't care if I look like a fred ... I want to be seen!

I use a NiteRider MiNewt 600 on strobe mode in front and a DiNotte 300R solid/flash on the rear. It's not some intangible "peace of mind" thing; cars really give me a lot more room now. I'll never ride again during the day without strobes, except when on a group ride or on a MUP. (Most of my rides are on desert 2-lane highways - light traffic, but what there is moves pretty fast.)

Antelope Valley, west of Palmdale/Lancaster? Probably me, but if you didn't catch me, then probably not. I'm not that fast when the road tilts up.

Exactly same experience here, but with 1 watt Blackburn Mars 4.0 tail light.
I'm sorry if I hurt someone's feelings by saying this, but if someone thinks that rear lights are useless during the day, is complete idiot...
Drivers are NOT looking for cyclists or pedestrians on the road, especially in the suburbs. Dirty windshields, sun glare, rain, tree shade, curve of the road, potholes, day, night, winter/summer and many distracted drivers ... There is absolutely no safe conditions for safe riding on the roads. I'm looking at myself as a insect on the road that can be crushed very easily and fast, so I will use as many safety features I can to stay as safe as I possibly can, including lights, clothing AND rear view mirror.

Gotta agree with that! Which is why I personally find the run times provided by most bicycle lighting manufacturers frustratingly short! If I'm out for the day and have to deal with traffic for that whole time - I need a battery pack that'll power decent lights for the whole day!

Top - 1 WATT ( Visible enough in daylight ) Absolute minimum in my opinion
Bottom - 0.5 WATT ( Visible in daylight, but from very short distances. Add dirty or wet windshield + distracted driver and it will be clearly not enough... )

http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=283060


Here is my video with same lights, but during daylight: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bFB9r...ature=youtu.be

I have been intensely researching this topic for a while now, with intent to go buy a really good, daylight-visible set of lights. I would not consider myself an experienced rider by any means but have gotten involved in my local bike club where I learned the following story from a very experienced ride leader. This rider has many, many years of experience and unfortunately had first-hand experience with what I am about to share. A year before I joined, the local club president was killed in by a truck that overtook her from behind. I have posted the story link below but it was on a shady section of curved road and she was swerving around a large dead snake. This was during bright day-light hours (although she was in a tree-shaded section of the road). The driver of the truck did not see her until it was too late and her swerve maneuver put her in the path of the truck. No charges were filed against the driver. The driver was not drunk and later said that he did not see her in the shade of the trees. The experienced ride leader that I spoke with told me that the club had up until then taught riders the standard lessons: to wear bright clothing, be predictable, use a mirror, etc. I was told that after this accident, many in the club went out en masse and bought Dinotte's. It was obvious to everyone that had she been using bright tail lights, the driver would have likely seen her and the accident may have been avoided. I got this story after riding behind her and inquiring about her insensibly bright lights.

So, in my humble opinion, I am right there with RayfromTX all the way. Most of my future riding will be on these same roads, and I can tell you that so far, I have been buzzed a bit too close, too many times by inattentive drivers in the bright daylight. Apparently, by local club see also feels this way.

Lastly, I have a question for specifically for RayfromTX. Why did you decide on the Design Shine as opposed to the Dinotte's? I am also very interested in the DesignShine, but their web site says that they are sold out for 2013. My quandary now is whether to risk it for the upcoming season waiting for a Design Shine, or spring for a pair of Dinotte's that are available now and a bit cheaper? Any advice would be appreciated. Interestingly enough, the DesignShine lights are actually made right here in my city in Huntsville, AL. I do not know the inventor, but have wondered if he came to same conclusion that my local club has, that daytime lights are exceptionally useful for riding in our area.

Thanks to all for the help.

Link to story:
http://blog.al.com/breaking/2010/05/...in_truck-.html

Dinotte is the best all around Day Tail Light.

http://i256.photobucket.com/albums/h...eenShot080.jpg

Had mine for 5 years.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E9fHlI5CcjY

Take a look at the Dinotte 400R Daytime tail light. Not cheap, but it's essentially a one-time investment.

http://store.dinottelighting.com/day...ount-p188.aspx

On the front, I have a Light and Motion Taz 1200

http://www.lightandmotion.com/bike/taz1200p.html

DiNotte offers a be-seen package called RED AMBER daytime only lights. In addition to the new 400R Red daytime only linked to above, there is also an upgraded front dual quad amber LED 400A available, though it's not listed online yet.

I have both the 300R and 400R Red daytime only (plus new 400A front). Each rear red light is visible in daylight at distance, the 400R Red daytime only model is ultra visible in bright daylight, and spreads that visibility several degrees further off axis. Off axis visibility is very important along with intensity.

A few months ago I was struck by a vehicle that was exiting a side street to my left on a bright sunny afternoon. Although hit mostly from the rear, the driver had an opportunity to see me facing the front of the bike first. The driver admitted to being distracted by his thoughts and that's why he failed to see me. I can't be certain a forward facing light in flashing mode would have gained his attention, after-all I was wearing a high-vis green vest and bright yellow helmet, but I do believe a forward facing flashing light would have increased the chance of snapping him out of his daze. I've had more close calls with cars in front of me than being brushed by a vehicle passing from the rear. I highly recommend an amber front light, or ultra powerful white light with a flashing mode, in addition to a bright red flashing rear light for daytime use.

After observing many riders on roads where I live become almost invisible in shady spots on bright days, I personally became convinced that a bright day light tail light would improve my chances of being seen in similar conditions. I wanted to buy the Design Shine because of its brightness, but just could not wait, so I opted for the Dinotte 300R. It does a good job .... I am satisfied with the distances I can be seen from the rear on bright days

I dont rely on Just the taillight, but have a neon Lime reflective striped safety parka on as well.
[Carhartt sweatshirt version for summer]

but I'm in a small town, and traffic flow really drops after sunset.

I'm using a hub dynamo.. wired LED lights.. lit-up area of B&M taillights is large.
so pretty easily seen..


then again what is the background , right around the taillight? can it even be seen if people are wearing sunglasses. like Green ones..?

I run only my main tail light on flash mode during the day if I'm on a busy road, or it's gloomy or foggy out, or entering a dark tunnel during a bright day, otherwise I don't bother. I do wear bright colored clothing, though all my jersey's are white, which show up quite well during the day, neon colors like lime or orange would show up better probably but I never see anyone wearing those colors. I wear a neon lime green safety vest with reflective strips when I know I'm going to be out in fog, dim light and darkness.

you need the light for when you are in the shade of trees. out in bright sunlight your clothing is your visual asset.

I'm kind of thinking that someday when LED technology prices drop significantly, and hub generators get refined and drop in price too, more people will start buying dynamo systems instead of a battery powered jobs.

Cost of Manufacturing Inflation , may win out over that time , too..

There is that!

On the part that I highlighted; Please do not make that assumption. I'm not saying that having bright rear lights is not a good thing. Yes, it might have prevented the accident but there are no guarantees in life. Sometimes bad things just happen. Likely the guy driving the truck was just not paying attention and wasn't willing to fess-up. Then again I don't know the extent of how much the young lady swerved her bike. No way to know for sure who's at fault unless the truck driver has a video camera on his truck. Now if the truck driver swerved onto the shoulder of the road definitely his fault.

On my bike I have put together a rather nice combo light set for use in daytime ( hazardous ) situations. I've mounted an XM-L torch with amber lens under my seat. Pre-set for SOS mode all I have to do is reach between my legs and hit the switch If I feel the road conditions warrant the use of lights. I also have one of the new Xeccon Geinea 1 rear lights with remote as well. Very bright red (200+ lumen ) XP-E2 lamp. Once again I can reach between the legs and hit the remote to turn the lamp on/off at will. No need to run lights all the time during the day ( my very bright neon-yellow jersey or jacket is hard to miss ) but yes on occasion you get a shady road or a busy road with little shoulder. That's when I use the lights.

Now about that dead snake.....word up...bunny hop. If you swerve, swerve to the right if possible. If a person has a problem hearing approaching traffic from the rear than yes a mirror is very much in order.

( edit: read the article...poor lady swerved 4 feet into the highway. You do that and no rear light is going to save your butt. Very sad story it is. For someone that was suppose to know something about cycling ( past president of bike club ) she did a very stupid thing. )