Australia and New Zealand · Public discussion

rear lights

Started by Dmitri Colebatc · · Last activity · 12 posts · 1,850 views

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Australia and New Zealand
Published
6 March 2004
Last activity
11 March 2004
Original author
Dmitri Colebatc
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12
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Public discussion
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  1. motivated by the thread of hi beams, I have a query about rear lights. I'm continually amazed that you can get lights that look the same as a motorbike from in front in terms of brightness, but when it comes to rear lights, we all ride around with flashing LEDs. I for one (justified or not) am much more concerned about a car behind me hitting me, rather than one I can see. If I can see a car, chances are I can avoid the driver's stupidity/ignorance, but if I dont see it coming, then what chance
    do I have. For this reason, I've always wanted to (never have, yet) get a big headlight, with a red tint as a rear light.

    anyone else got any thoughts on this?

    cheers dim

  2. Dmitri Colebatch said:

    but when it comes to rear lights, we all ride around with flashing LEDs.

    Thats because a _good_ flashing LED lamp is incredibly visible. Add reflectors on
    heels, wheel rims, etc for bonus safety. And LEDs are far more efficient for
    coloured light than incandescents.

  3. Greetings, The primary constraint on bike rear lights is
    available power. I still have an ancient dynamo system, and
    they allocate a mere .5 watt to the tail light and 2.4 watts
    to the head-light, which is why I have an LED light as a back-
    up at the rear. If you want a more powerful tail-light, you
    will pay for it in either needing a 6 watt system, or more
    (and heavier) batteries, as well as moolah. The advent of
    LED lights is some improvement over the absolutely pathetic
    output of many previous tail-lights, but we are still not as
    visible as cars because we don't have a 12 volt, heavy duty
    battery system. As I don't do a lot of night riding at the
    present it doesn't bother me unduly, but I'm certainly aware
    of the problem, and also of some of the work that has been
    done on it. Regards, Ray.

    Dmitri Colebatch said:

    motivated by the thread of hi beams, I have a query about
    rear lights. I'm continually amazed that you can get lights
    that look the same as a motorbike from in front in terms of
    brightness, but when it comes to rear lights, we all ride
    around with flashing LEDs. I for one (justified or not) am
    much more concerned about a car behind me hitting me,
    rather than one I can see. If I can see a car, chances are
    I can avoid the driver's stupidity/ignorance, but if I dont
    see it coming, then what chance do I have. For this reason,
    I've always wanted to (never have, yet) get a big
    headlight, with a red tint as a rear light.

    anyone else got any thoughts on this?

    cheers dim

  4. In reply to your post about bright rear bike lights (as a
    recommendation).

    I bought a Daylight Bright Bicycle light for $123 which
    includes postage and its works very well. The following is
    some information from me about my experience with the light.

    The light is fairly visible in bright daylight. It is very
    visible under street lights at night. I even once had a
    passing passenger call out: "Your bike light's on fire!".
    That is what it must have looked like to him.

    The light unit is made and supplied by one man as far
    as I know.

    I don't have any pictures (no digital camera here, but you
    can see it in a review in Australian Cyclist magazine from
    2003 (see their website)). It weighs about 100g. Read on for
    the dimensions.

    The backing plate on mine extends up along the longer
    dimension, so it is wider than the seat. When mounted on the
    seatpost it touches the back of my legs, which is why I
    mounted mine under the seat via the seat rails. The light is
    not aethestically beautiful, but it is functional.

    I recommend this light for cyclists, but under the above
    disclaimers that it is not perfectly designed. I am happy to
    have spent the money, but anyone else does so at their own
    risk of dissatisfaction. Perhaps get the manufacturer to
    send you some pictures.

    Kind Regards,

    Laurence Dodd.

    ....................

    The following is information from the manufacturer.

    Thank you for your enquiry re the world's brightest bicycle
    tail light!

    For seat post mounting, the mounting plate comes with a U-
    bolt to suit a 25mm seat post and is $8 extra. Please advise
    your seat post diameter if not 25mm.

    The long dimension would normally be horizontal but people
    have mounted these lights vertically with a specially
    designed mounting plate.

    The light is designed to be charged on-bike. You would need
    a specially designed mounting to allow easy removal if you
    wished to remove the light for charging. For most cyclists
    recharging would only be required once a week. One option
    for a commuter cyclist might be to charge the light at work
    during the day.

    I make the lights myself here in Sydney and ride to work in
    the city using one.

    Postage is $8. The lights are not sold through shops.

    Regards, Bill Holliday, WMH Electronics P/L

    ...........................................................-
    ..............

    Daylight Bright Bicycle Tail Light

    Cyclists can be put in the direct path of overtaking motor
    traffic by

    chicanes, traffic islands, speed humps and the S-lane's
    disappearing

    left hand lane.

    In such situations cyclists are effectively denied on-road
    access unless

    they are able to enter and occupy a lane when necessary.
    To do this,

    cyclists need to be very visible from behind, both day
    and night.

    The Daylight Bright tail light focuses the attention of
    approaching

    traffic on the presence of the cyclist and identifies the
    cyclist as such.

    Daylight Saving causes many commuter cyclists to travel
    at sunset. A

    bright tail light makes cyclists more visible against the
    setting sun.

    The Daylight Bright bicycle tail light stands out from a sea
    of

    headlights, trafficators and other tail lights because of
    its brightness

    and characteristic flash rate.

    FEATURES:

    Mega-bright:

    Has by far the highest flash intensity of any bicycle tail
    light. Twenty

    four high-power LEDS provide more than 600,000 mcd - as
    bright as a

    traffic light. Easily visible at night at 1 km (on-axis).

    Internal Rechargeable Batteries

    Five internal 650mAh AAA rechargeable NiMH batteries
    operate the light

    for 6 hours in full flash mode or 12 hours in alternating
    flash mode.

    Built-in recharging Circuit:

    Any 9 to 24 volt plugpack will power the internal constant-
    current

    recharging circuit to recharge the batteries overnight.
    A suitable

    plugpack is available separately. The light is designed to
    be recharged

    in situ - it is not necessary to remove it from the bike.

    A green recharging indicator LED shows when recharging is
    taking place. Water resistant design: The light uses a
    waterproof case with neoprene sealing gasket between the
    transparent lid and the tough ABS body. The batteries are
    soldered in place - no contacts to corrode and prevent the
    light from operating.

    Mounting:

    The light should be firmly mounted on the bicycle to
    point directly

    backwards. The case dimensions are 115x65x40 mm with two
    4mm mounting

    holes located outside the sealed volume.

    Mounting requirements vary widely depending where the
    light is to be

    attached. A dual-purpose mounting kit, for seat post
    or backstay

    mounting, is available from the manufacturer.

    MANUFACTURED BY:

    WMH Electronics Pty Ltd

    ABN 19 101 848 435

    Ph/Fax: 9569-4956 (H)

    Email: wmh@ ieee.org

  5. Mike <[email hidden]> wrote in message
    [email hidden]

    Quoted message said:
    Dmitri Colebatch said:

    but when it comes to rear lights, we all ride around with
    flashing LEDs.

    Thats because a _good_ flashing LED lamp is incredibly
    visible.

    As long as it can be seen. I bought a Topeak "wedge" saddle
    bag on Saturday. When I fitted it I found I couldn't have it
    and my rear light mounted at the same time. So, in order to
    have a rear light and the saddle bag I either have to buy a
    new rear light which mounts on the saddle bag itself:

    topeak.comredlite.php

    or I have to buy a "seat pack fixer":

    topeak.comfixers.php

    Grrrrr.

    --

    A: Top-posters.
    B: What is the most annoying thing on Usenet?

  6. DRS said:

    As long as it can be seen. I bought a Topeak "wedge"
    saddle bag on Saturday. When I fitted it I found I
    couldn't have it and my rear light mounted at the same
    time. So, in order to have a rear light and the saddle bag
    I either have to buy a new rear light which mounts on the
    saddle bag

    You have a mounting strap onto the back of the saddle bag? I
    thought most LEDs had a clip for that. Just be sure it stays
    at the right angle. Otherwise, you could just screw it on to
    the saddle bag, with a backplate inside.

    I suppose getting a rear rack is out of the question? :-)

    Quoted message said:


    topeak.comredlite.php

  7. Mike <[email hidden]> wrote in message
    [email hidden]

    Quoted message said:
    DRS said:

    As long as it can be seen. I bought a Topeak "wedge"
    saddle bag on Saturday. When I fitted it I found I
    couldn't have it and my rear light mounted at the same
    time. So, in order to have a rear light and the saddle
    bag I either have to buy a new rear light which mounts on
    the saddle bag

    You have a mounting strap onto the back of the saddle bag?

    Yes. Didn't you look at the links?

    Quoted message said:

    I thought most LEDs had a clip for that. Just be sure it
    stays at the right angle. Otherwise, you could just screw
    it on to the saddle bag, with a backplate inside.

    I looked at my current one but I don't see how it
    would clip on.

    Quoted message said:

    I suppose getting a rear rack is out of the question? :-)

    Just what I need, more weight on the bike.

    --

    "I'm proud that I live in a country where witnessing two
    hours of bloody, barbarous torture in gloating detail is
    considered indicia of religious piety, whereas a mere second
    gazing upon a woman's breast is cause for outraged
    apoplexy." Betty Bowers,
    bettybowers.commelgibsonpassion.html

  8. In article said:

    motivated by the thread of hi beams, I have a query about
    rear lights. I'm continually amazed that you can get
    lights that look the same as a motorbike from in front in
    terms of brightness, but when it comes to rear lights, we
    all ride around with flashing LEDs. I for one (justified
    or not) am much more concerned about a car behind me
    hitting me, rather than one I can see. If I can see a car,
    chances are I can avoid the driver's stupidity/ignorance,
    but if I dont see it coming, then what chance do I have.
    For this reason, I've always wanted to (never have, yet)
    get a big headlight, with a red tint as a rear light.

    anyone else got any thoughts on this?

    cheers dim

    Red LED read lights are extremly visable at night, if there
    mounted on the seat post or rear rake of a bike, wearing
    them on a helmet is not as effective.

    You can post these flashing things from several blocks away,
    its all I have on the rear of my bike and I'm quite
    confident in it.

    --
    | Joel Mayes | /~\ ASCII Ribbon campaign Accordionist | \_/
    | stop HTML mail and news Musician | / \ Music Teacher |

  9. Joel Mayes said:

    wearing them on a helmet is not as effective.

    Why is that? I have one of those swivel-mounted ones, so it
    always shines horizontally. Makes a nice eye-level backup
    for the rack-mounted lights. Anyone sell them in Oz?

    mec.caproduct detail.jsp
    prd_id=15909

  10. In article said:
    Joel Mayes said:

    wearing them on a helmet is not as effective.

    Why is that? I have one of those swivel-mounted ones,
    so it always shines horizontally. Makes a nice eye-
    level backup for the rack-mounted lights. Anyone sell
    them in Oz?

    mec.caproduct detail.jsp
    3Eprd_id=15909

    I've seen many riders with collars or bags which partially
    obscure the light, probably not a valid issue if you are
    careful about how you dress, and how you mount the light.

    --
    | Joel Mayes | /~\ ASCII Ribbon campaign Accordionist | \_/
    | stop HTML mail and news Musician | / \ Music Teacher |

  11. Quoted post said:

    Originally posted by Mike

    BJoel Mayes said:

    wearing them on a helmet is not as effective.

    Why is that? I have one of those swivel-mounted ones, so it
    always shines horizontally. Makes a nice eye-level backup
    for the rack-mounted lights. Anyone sell them in Oz?

    mec.caproduct detail.jsp
    prd_id=15909 [/B]

    Many of the LEDs used in bicycle tail lights are pretty directional, some particularly so, making it important to mount the thing in the right direction. I think this is most reliably accomplished by mounting it on the bicycle. Your swivelling light attached to your helmet will only be correctly positioned if you always hold your head in a particular way, which does not seem practical to me.

    This morning I came up behind another rider on what appeared to be a totally unlit bicycle. Only as I passed her did I see a flashing light attached to the retention strap at the rear of her helmet. She was sitting upright on a fairly upright bicycle and the light was shining down and invisible from behind. Presumable it would have been visible had she ridden in a more normal posture, but most riders move around - riding on the tops, the hoods and the drops.

    John Retchford

  12. John Retchford said:

    Your swivelling light attached to your helmet will only be
    correctly positioned if you always hold your head in a
    particular way, which does not seem practical to me.

    By "swivelling", I mean it is self levelling, by gravity, so
    the head tilt doesnt matter.

    Quoted message said:

    the light was shining down and invisible from behind.

    A common problem.

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