Blinky Recommendations, Anyone?
 

My aunt, a commuter cyclist, recently called me and let me know about what she wanted for Christmas. One of the items on her list is a good, bright, rear blinkie or safety light to attach to the back of her bicycle. She doesn't have a rack. Furthermore, she doesn't ride at night. What I had in mind was a Planet Bike Superflash, but I'm not sure if that would be the type and size she is looking for.

Do you have any suggestions? If you do, I'd like to know. Please hurry! I don't have much time to get this done!

Thank You,

Powerhouse

No worries. It fits the bill.

Get two. Really.

+1. One for the seatpost, and one for the left seatstay.

<3 my Superflash! It's great.

BTW - best price in the US that I've found is from BikeTiresDirect.com.

$19.95, no sales tax, and they ship quick. They make a great stocking stuffer for any cyclist on your Christmas list.

I like my Blackburn blinkie.

Could she live with something the size of half a can of Campbell's Soup? You can get a Xenon strobe "blinkie" for under $10 that puts all other tail-lights to bloody shame. Pulls about am amp of current so use rechargeable batteries. www.allelectronics.com and look under strobes.

The PB Superflash works great. I have two clipped to my seat bag!

Planet Bike Superflash is a fantastic, low-cost piece of safety equipment. Go for it!

The Superflash is great stuff. It'll either clip on or clamp on, so it's versatile as well. Also seems to be pretty easy on batteries.

x136, excellent point. I use the more-secure clamp on my around-town bike and simply use the clip if I'm out training and think I might not quite make it back before nightfall.

Get the pb super flash, VERY bright! I don't think ppl on here are saying get two or three because it isn't bright enough. It's also weather proof.

yeah nothing says Merry Christmas like saying "Here you go, use this giant dork light,
oh and BTW you need to come up with your own mount and battery system"


+1 on the PB Superflash. It is the best of the sub 25 buck lights. it is wicked noticeable

after that you need
to step up to the Dinotte 140L which is 110 bucks this week, and 145 after that

The superflash is amazingly bright, go for it!

total bling: http://www.hokeyspokes.com/

or this:
Down Low Glow
They seem to be shipping slow as I order a set a couple weeks ago and haven't seen it yet. *edit see bottom of this post*

A friend has blinkies and bought the hokeys and downlowglows. He is a bit worried about training at night apparently.

+1 SuperFlash
I have a few VistaLites (7LED) but bought the SuperFlash as it was so bright it hurt my eyes when I tried it in the store during the day. I want to get more for my other bikes.

cdr

*edit* got ship status the day I posted this and received the "glow" a week later (FedEx Ground across the country). Charged battery, will see what happens.

Planet Bike Superlight... and when the guy in the store turns it on to demonstrate and he says "Don't look directly at it!", do what he says.

With Planet Bike, you can count on clamps for both seat post and seat stays. With the others, you better buy locally so you can check inside the box.

Thank you for your help everyone.

There ain't a bicycle blinky on the planet that will be as effective as a lime green safety vest!!

And a safety vest don't suck up battries. :p:p

Always use two of any kind of taillights.

Agreed.

A safety vest that fits into her purse will get more use.

Again, we are talking about your life, or in my case MY life. I run at least two blinkies AND a reflective vest.

LBS will have the Blackburn Mars 3.0. It is better than the PBSF for side visibility and daytime/dusk riding. The PBSF is better for totally dark conditions. Get one of each. Or the Cateye TL-LD610 is their newest model and is very bright. It would be good in combination with the Mars. Or 2 of the Mars or 2 of the Cateye would be great also.

Knog Frog on helmet or anywhere on the rear is good also. I have some pointed to the side for visibility from that angle.