geomild

that flaure son ? bike

kingston 

I have tried a bunch of tail lights including many of the ones mentioned in this thread and even some much more expensive lights like the light and motion vis 180. Over the last couple of years I have switched to using only lights (headlights and tail lights) that take AA rechargeable batteries. I always have a bunch of fully charged eneloops on hand so running out of power is never a problem. I use B&M toplights on my bikes with racks and the Relite-D mounted to the seat stay on my bikes that don’t have a rack. You can get either kind for under 15 bucks shipped from Germany so they don’t blink if that’s important to you for whatever reason. The B&M lights are guaranteed for 5 years which is another plus. I just had a B&M headlight fail after a little over a year, and the retailer sent me another one from Germany for free.

ModeratedUser

Bicycling.com just put an article out on the "best" rear lights. Pretty sad really. They just show 4 rear lights. One cost $25, so it does make it on this criteria. I'm just not following why they think these are the "best" rear lights out there.

[h=1]Blinky Madness: The Best Taillights for Your Bike[/h]

canklecat

I'm leaning toward that strategy as well for my bike-mounted tail and head lights. Turns out I've enjoyed night riding more than I'd anticipated, especially during the hotter Texas season. I'm not a morning person but prefer cooler temperatures, and riding at night is often pleasant in summer and fall. But I need batteries that will last for several hours on bright steady lights. I almost always ride with a handlebar bag and occasionally a trunk bag as well, so toting a few spare AA batteries wouldn't add any noticeable weight for resupplying bike-mounted lights.

However after a few months with the Blackburn 2'Fer I mentioned back in September, I'm still very satisfied with it. For months it's been mounted on my Bell Solar helmet as a tail light (mostly in red flashing mode). And I use an equally lightweight USB rechargeable Vivo-Bike Illuminati headlight mounted on the front of the helmet. These are perfect for helmet mounted lights, and weigh far less than four AA batteries (assuming alkaline or NiMH -- although lithiums weigh less, they're expensive and not rechargeable, mostly being useful for cold weather use and long term storage). I can see that drivers see me with these flashy-blinky lights, and I've experienced far fewer close calls riding in traffic.

RichSPK

I'd been using some super cheap LED tail-light that I got from...I think it was rakuten.com. It was very similar to this, and about the same price: eForCity Bicycle Rear Lamp, 9 LED - Rakuten.com
I think mine only had 5 LEDs, 2 of them blue (which is probably illegal in all US states). Anyway, I had no complaints with it; it was bright enough, and a single set of batteries would last me at least one season.
Unfortunately, my rack-top bag blocks seat-post mounted lights, so I clipped it onto the tail-light loop on the back of the bag. Last week, it went flying off that loop when I hit a bump, and it's gone forever.
Then I switched to the tail-light that came in this set: SHARK 300 - USB RECHARGEABLE BIKE LIGHT ? CycleTorch
It's tiny, nicely bright, and super easy to mount to a seat-post, but not to the tail-light loop on my rack-top bag or panniers. It had relatively limited side visibility, but I also wear LED Defiant-brand arm bands that my mom got for me a while back for side visibility. (These things: DEFIANT Mini LED Flashlights (Safety Arm Bands (2-Pack)) - - Amazon.com)
Unfortunately, that tail-light has been lost.
I replaced it with the cheapest tail-light my LBS had, some Planet Bike model. It's adequate, but I don't trust it's hard plastic clip on the tail-light loops on my bags; I'm afraid I'll lose it when I hit a bump.
Also, my Cycle Torch headlight has sold me on USB recharging for bike lights, although that's not a deal-breaker.

So, after all that, what tail-lights do you guys like for mounting onto the loops sewn onto many rack bags and panniers? I'm willing to break the $25 budget for the right light.

canklecat

I've added a Planet Bike Blinky 5 taillight to my rear rack. Costs about $15-$20 from most sources and runs for many hours on ordinary and readily available AAA alkaline or rechargeable NiMH batteries. It's a good addition to my helmet mounted Blackburn 2'Fer. These lights are equally bright.

The only significantly brighter taillight I've seen locally is the Cygolite Hotshot 80, which costs about twice as much, around $50, and is very bright -- good enough to be seen in daylight.

Along with two separated white front lights, these give drivers a better sense of perspective to quickly determine my approximate distance and speed by providing to light points that converge or diverge, depending on direction.

tarwheel 

I was recently shopping for a new taillight and settled on the Cyglolite Hotshot Micro. Very nice light for the money, about $33 at REI. Very powerful with 5 or 6 different display options and USB rechargeable. Decent run times, enough to get me through a work week of bike commuting on a single charge. And very importantly, it is designed to mount on seatposts or chainstays. I almost bought a Niterider Cherrybomb until I realized that it is designed to only mount on seatposts, a design flaw with many taillights. Do light manufacturers not realize that many cyclists use seatbags that would block a taillight mounted on a seatpost?

noglider 

There are so many ways to set up a bike. No gadget works for everyone. It is odd when a tail light works only one way, but I'm sure they did a cost/benefit analysis. Sometimes for something to work very well one way, it comes at the cost of working other ways. But I'm like you, and I like my tail light to be versatile. On one of my bikes, I put the tail light mount on the seat stay but I generally hang it from my saddlebag. My saddlebag has a loop expressly for a tail light, and the place for mounting it is just about perfectly vertical.

ModeratedUser

This is my current fav too. Looks like the Hotshot Micro still isn't sold with the hook to hang it off of the saddlebag or belt, but you can contact the company have them send you (for free) an attachment for clipping this light on a saddlebag. Also the price is below $25 if you consider sellers on ebay. I saw several sellers that get below that mark with free shipping. The thing I really like about it is that Cyglolite considered group riders when considering the options. I think very few suppliers consider this option.

RichSPK

I mis-remembered the brand of the cheap light I got from my LBS. It's a NiteRider TL 5.0 SL. I don't love it aesthetically, and it doesn't seem terribly bright under direct sunlight, but I have a very urban commute, and I haven't gotten the feeling that I'm any less visible to traffic than I was with other tail-lights. The button works reliably (so far), which I've noticed is a weak point with some lights. A couple nice features are the flashing modes. In addition to solid-on and all 5 LEDs flashing in unison, you can also set the LEDs flashing in a chasing pattern to the left or to the right. During the day, I have the LEDs chasing to the left, hoping that encourages cars to pass on my left. Also, it has two tiny amber windows on the sides, emitting amber light to my left and right. The amber light is bright enough to splash buildings next to me at night. The light is rated at 10 lumens and takes (2) AAA batteries. It can be clipped onto a textile loop, as on a saddle bag.

I also picked up a Sigma Stereo USB-rechargeable tail-light. I haven't looked closely at it, yet, though I've used it on a few commutes. I don't think it has as much side visibility as the NiteRider, but I like it a little better aesthetically. I think it may be brighter to the rear, but I'm not sure. If I remember correctly, it has 3 modes: solid-on, quick flashing, and slow flashing. It has a plastic flap over the USB charging port that fits very tightly; I tore it up a bit trying to get it open, and I leave it loose. It uses (2) removable AAA batteries (rechargeable batteries are included). That seems in-elegant to me, but it's not bad, and you have the option to put alkalines in there if you run the rechargeables down and don't have the opportunity to recharge. It can NOT be clipped onto a textile loop, but it has stretchy rubber mounting straps in two different sizes, so you have some mounting options.

My rack-top bag blocks seat-post mounted tail-lights. It has a textile loop on the back for mounting a tail-light, but as I posted earlier, I lost a tail-light that was clipped to the loop when I hit a rough stretch of road. I no longer trust that mounting method.

noglider 

NiteRider makes serious lights. I bet that's a good one.

tarwheel 

Thanks for the tip. I'll contact Cygolite about getting a bag clip. I also like the dimmer option for group rides.

Jenny.Reyshion

Hi,

anyone know where i can buy something like the light on the picture, basically it is safe bike lane :

Ploy

Jenny.Reyshion , I just saw it a couple of days ago here: Bicycle Safety Lane Light ? My Precious Finds . It is quite cheap.
I think you can easily browse the net to find it other places as well.

Good luck!

SHBR

Ugh, I gave up on plastic lights. lost or shattered more than I can remember. Eventually the mount cracks, the strap breaks, or the quick release mechanism fails.

I now use a fenix pd35 (single 18650 light) with a red filter. Even with the filter, it puts out more light compared to all of the plastic lights I have used. Strobe mode is blinding, only suitable for extreme traffic situations.

01 CAt Man Do

These types of rear light ( with lasers ) have been around for at least a couple years. First place I saw them was on the Chinese websites. Most are just cheap junk but I bought one just for the hell of it. It works but IMO the "laser bike lane" idea is just a gimmick. Just because your lamp throws a couple red lines on the road doesn't mean anyone in a car is really going to see it and then react to it. Besides, you want them to see YOU, not a couple red lines on the road near your bike. Buy a lamp with a decent rear output. Forget about wasting battery power to power a couple lasers. It might look cool standing next to the bike but I doubt anyone driving by you in a car is going to notice.

BTW, just the other day I saw an ad for a new Nightrider lamp ( Sentinal ) that will be using lasers. When I saw that ad I just shook my head because I feel the laser lane idea is just stupid. Otherwise the NR Sentinal ( when available ) will still have a nice 150 lumen output. Anyway if you really just want a cheap Chinese version look on ebay, Amazon, etc. Just run "rear laser bike light" on their search engine, that should give you something.

Jenny.Reyshion

Thank you, CAt Man Do,

It is definitely a gimmick, but I want to try it out

rm -rf

Huh. I just lost some respect for NiteRider. That Sentinel light is perfectly fine without it's gimmicky laser lanes. It's 150 lumens! Nobody will be able to see the laser lines, the tail light will overwhelm them.

The Dinotte 140 lumen tail light from a few years ago. That's how you mark a lane! And the Sentinel is just as bright.


Laser lane lines are ridiculous, they aren't any brighter than those hardware store laser levels.

fietsbob

By All Means Never say where you desire the Light be Mounted..

Then Just stand back and watch the product fan touts happen.

immortal216

I know this tread is about taillight that are $25 or less however, I am looking at the Cateye Rapid X3. Does anyone have any experience with this?

Thanks,

-Immortal

sknhgy 

I didn't like the way that light connected to the usb charger.
It used a magnet and it didn't seem secure. I like plugs better.

ModeratedUser

Man, I remember when this thread was about $25 rear lights! What year was that?

noglider 

June of 2014.

sknhgy 

I just ordered a Planet Bike Superflash Turbo.

It recently occurred to me that people swipe the taillights off my bikes when the bikes are on the back of my car. They don't take pumps or seatbags, just my blinkies.
At least now I'm on to them. They won't get my PBST!!!!

sknhgy 

Maybe I should get a bunch of cheap blinkies and leave them on the bike for decoys.