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news
roadcc peoples choiceWhat's the best rear light for cycling? Help decide the road.cc People's Choice
What's your favourite rear light? Tell us in this week's People's Choice poll.
The days of feeble incandescent-bulb rear lights are thankfully long gone, swept away by LED devices visible from hundreds of metres away with long battery life. You've a huge range of options from tiny backup flashers to intense units that are brighter than car rear lights. So what do you choose? Rechargeable or battery-powered? Steady or flashing? Or one of each?
Here's your chance to tell us.
Old school (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0 acme08/Flickr)
Here's how it works:
- Post a comment to nominate a product. Check it hasn't already been nominated. Add a link to the product wherever you can.
- Like a comment to vote for that product. Remember to like your own comment if you're nominating something.
- One comment per product. Any multiple comments will be deleted and their likes will not count towards a product's score. The first nomination will be the one that is counted.
- One product per comment. Otherwise the voting doesn't make any sense.
- Maximum 30 nominations per award. Once we hit 30 nominations we will close the nomination process.
- All votes will be counted up until the closing date. Votes after this may appear but will not be counted.
- We reserve the right to remove any comment at our sole discretion.
- Closing date is 10am, Wednesday, November 4.
Over to you!
John has been writing about bikes and cycling for over 30 years since discovering that people were mug enough to pay him for it rather than expecting him to do an honest day's work.
He was heavily involved in the mountain bike boom of the late 1980s as a racer, team manager and race promoter, and that led to writing for Mountain Biking UK magazine shortly after its inception. He got the gig by phoning up the editor and telling him the magazine was rubbish and he could do better. Rather than telling him to get lost, MBUK editor Tym Manley called John’s bluff and the rest is history.
Since then he has worked on MTB Pro magazine and was editor of Maximum Mountain Bike and Australian Mountain Bike magazines, before switching to the web in 2000 to work for CyclingNews.com. Along with road.cc founder Tony Farrelly, John was on the launch team for BikeRadar.com and subsequently became editor in chief of Future Publishing’s group of cycling magazines and websites, including Cycling Plus, MBUK, What Mountain Bike and Procycling.
John has also written for Cyclist magazine, edited the BikeMagic website and was founding editor of TotalWomensCycling.com before handing over to someone far more representative of the site's main audience.
He joined road.cc in 2013. He lives in Cambridge where the lack of hills is more than made up for by the headwinds.
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The parking (for free on public roads) and the people are one....
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That is a great idea. And surely someone will call them Arsegos.
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In all fairness, it almost certainly NEVER happened…
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71 comments
http://www.ultimatesportsengineering.com/exposure-lights/cycle-lights-20...
Exposure TraceR. Use it all the time, day and night (with a Smart R2 in reserve ). Excellent light with a great bracket, and USB rechargeable.
Bontrager Flare R
http://www.bontrager.com/model/13202
Really bright with an excellent daytime mode and USB charge.
Would that Smart light work on a chainstay? I.e. would the mount fit on something narrow and would the light have clearance when rotated down?
I don't think so, the mount it comes with is designed for seatpost size diameters.
Thanks Nick0
The R1 comes with a chainstay mount as well as a seatpost. Can't guarantee it'll fit your chainstay though!
News to me, sorry Goyt!
Smart R2. 2 x 0.5W for brightness, pulsing mode for attracting attention. Run day and night, battery lasts forever. Now USB chargeable, and only £10. 'Mazin.
According to a review on a certain other bike website, John Stevenson is quite the fan too...
Smart R1 (1W version).
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Smart-Lunar-Rear-Light-Watt/dp/B005GPLYHW
Cheap
Bright
Sensible selection of modes including always on with simultaneous bright flash
Decent mount
Unfortunately it's been discontinued.
Best used with a mudguard.
Not so! http://www.planetx.co.uk/i/q/LISMRTR1W/smart-lunar-r1-rear-led-bike-ligh...
.
B&M Toplight Line Plus - both dynamo and battery versions
http://www.bumm.de/produkte/dynamo-ruecklicht/toplight-line-plus.html
Nice light, with a bright horizontal line and standlight facility.
Without doubt :
http://www.wiggle.co.uk/exposure-blaze-mk1-rear-light/
No other light will beat this.
IMG_6420.6.jpg
May not beat(light op) but certainly as good
Cygolite Hotshot 2 watt output less than £30
Giant Numen Plus Spark TL
https://www.giant-bicycles.com/en-gb/gear/product/giant.numen.spark.tl.taillight/582/61888/
Great compact little light that sits nicely on the seatpost. Intensley bright on the highest setting, lasts well and charges via usb. Uses a COB LED which looks great.
I particularly love the slow glow mode which goes between dim and very bright every second or two without the fit inducing intense flash that can be horrible, especially for fellow riders following on their bikes.
http://www.cateye.com/intl/products/detail/TL-LD635-R/
The Rapid mini, for an all year round rear light on a road bike where you're weight conscious.
Cateye TL-LD600.
Cheap, bright and reliable. 2 x AAA (rechargeable) usually last 5 days constant in both directions in winter. Easy to switch from all 5 LEDs to single when riding in company. Fit to seat post using the Cateye tail light bracket and SP-5 / SP-6 clamp rather than the flimsy one supplied in the box.
Fly 6
https://cycliq.com/product/fly6
Not the brightest light out there, but certainly bright enough. But the camera feature is awesome - no fiddling about, just turn in on and it's recording. I only ever bother to review video footage if there has been a specific incident, but just knowing it's there and recording at all times is a great insurance policy.
Fixes securely, easy to transfer between bikes, audible beeps give a clear indication of battery life left. No real negatives to my mind...
Topeak Redlite Mega. Good 180 degree visibility, with yellow LEDs at the side. Solid construction, good battery life and very bright. Just dont try and mount on a topeak rack!
http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/topeak-redlite-mega-rear-light/rp-pro...
Original See.Sense light.
I like my Velocity Light:
https://www.velocitylight.com/
Lezyne Micro Drive (rear)
http://www.lezyne.com/product-led-sport-microrear.php#.VjC9O67hCgs
Or Moon lights
I've gone through many rear lights and this is the only one thats waterproof and still working. In my opnion being waterproof is the number 1 consideration, you can have the brightest light in the world but get caught out in the rain and a rear light is soon useless.
Not only is the Lenzyne Micro Drive indestructable, but you dont need a cable or batteries, just unscrew the end cap and the light plugs directly into a USB socket. I've done 100 miles with it , automatically goes into a power saving mode near the end of the battery life and I've been told my a motorist that its even bright in the daytime. I cant fault it.
Sadly I have one of these sat broken in a bowl of salt hoping it will dry out and come back to life. The screw/seal failed and water got in during a rain shower and now it don't work! A shame because otherwise it is nice...
ones that don't dazzle people behind you...
I have a Philips Saferide Lumi Ring rear light mounted on my rear rack. The diffuser spreads the light out over a large area and makes it more obvious from the sides and the light also incorporates a large reflector
http://swhs.home.xs4all.nl/fiets/tests/verlichting/achterlampen/Philips_...
+1 for the Cateye LD-1100 used with both banks of LEDs on permanently seatpost mounted but I also use a Niterider Solas 2 watt - on flash on my saddlebag - seriously bright!
Had one for over ten years now, its bright, with easy to find or recharge AA batteries and they last weeks between charges on winter commutes. Bright at the back, lights on the side too to help. Easy to use and well built. I would +2 if I could!
Hope District+
http://www.westbrookcycles.co.uk/hope-vision-district-rear-light-inc-bat...
I get nothing but positive feedback from fellow work mates saying how far up/down the road they can see me from on my 13 mile commute. You can't put a price on safety and being seen.
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