A rear light that won't get on my...

jonny_trousers

...TITS!

I've been using a Cateye opticube on my bikes for a while now, which was fine on my single speeds, but had a nasty habit of hitting the back of my leg on the road bike (and to the point where it ultimately wore a hole in a pair of feckin' tights). And so today, having discovered the problem remains on the new frame, I bought one of those skinny, Cateye rear lights that fix vertically along the seat post, thinking that would be just the job. After two minutes of riding with it on I had to stop and pull the damn thing off as the bracket was even more obtrusively annoying than the opticube was, and it's going straight back to Cycle Surgery tomorrow.

So, am I doomed never to get away with a seat post mounted rear light again? I only barely hit the opticube as it is now, but enough for it to be annoying. Perhaps it's my sh*tty riding style and you lot don't suffer it? Whatever, if there is a solution I'd be grateful to hear it.

PS. I ride at night six days a week so want a light with numerous LEDs that has a strobe option so things like Knogs are out.

Cheers!

sketchley

I have a bog standard smart 2 led rear light that's very bright mounted just under seat clamp. If your equilibrium is same size 56 you could do same. Will send pic and link when at work.

clarkey cat

I like the look of the exposure flare / flash thing. The mount looks really inobtrusive.

I'll get some next autumn.

cyclingprop

I can vouch for the exposure flare. About 1mm either side of the seat post and that's the rubber fixing.

My cateye cure (on the other bike until another flare arrives) is insulation tape.

sketchley

This is what I have http://www.wiggle.co.uk/smart-12-watt-r ... Rear_Light very bright light for what it is. As I said above it's mounted under the seat clamp.

ads2k

Exposure all the way

Got mounts on each bike.

ilm_zero7

try an RSP Astrium - brilliant, in every sense of the word

cornerblock

Has to be this. If you're riding 6 days a week then you can get the re-chargeable set.

PBo

Jonny_Trousers wrote:

...TITS!

Tits? you must be wearing it wrong - red lights must face to the back.....

Kieran_Burns

If you're trying the LD610 (which is a damn good light) it'll be the plastic strap that is annoying you. I cut mine to length so it doesn't poke out. Once I did that there was no more irritation

spasypaddy

actually exposure have brought out a better mount for the flare. it goes on the saddle rails

jonny_trousers

Kieran_Burns wrote:

If you're trying the LD610 (which is a damn good light) it'll be the plastic strap that is annoying you. I cut mine to length so it doesn't poke out. Once I did that there was no more irritation

It is the LD610 mate, but it's more than the strap that my leg is hitting. It's the entire mount. Seems silly to have the dial side facing.

Exposure flare wise, they don't seem to do a rechargeable rear only and I've been spending so much money on the bike recently I'm not sure I can justify a front and rear set just yet.

I might well go with your idea Sketchers, as my Equilibrium is indeed a 56 and I really like the idea of having the light mounted below the seatpost.

Cheers all!

Kieran_Burns

There is of course- the Hope District 3 (otherwise known as the mobile knocking shop)

spasypaddy

you buy the flare and the recharge kit separately.

rolf_f

Smart half or one watts. I usually have 3 mounted. Can get them for under a tenner and they are really all you need. I'd never want to rely entirely on one light so two or three cheap is always better than one expensive IMO.

The Smarts are vastly brighter than the usual Cateye rears you fail to see people with!

Canny Jock

Had recently the same problem, so got a Blackburn Mars 3.0.

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Mobi ... delID=9112

t4tomo

You must have oddly chubby inner thighs or you've mounted the light in a strange place?

MrChuck

Jonny_Trousers wrote:

It is the LD610 mate, but it's more than the strap that my leg is hitting. It's the entire mount. Seems silly to have the dial side facing.

Can't you put the dial where you want it...?
I've got a Rapid 3 and (assuming the brackets are the same!) you can set it up so that the 'tail' and dial are sort of in front of the seatpost where it'd be very hard for your thighs to catch it.

bails87

MrChuck wrote:

Jonny_Trousers wrote:

It is the LD610 mate, but it's more than the strap that my leg is hitting. It's the entire mount. Seems silly to have the dial side facing.

Can't you put the dial where you want it...?
I've got a Rapid 3 and (assuming the brackets are the same!) you can set it up so that the 'tail' and dial are sort of in front of the seatpost where it'd be very hard for your thighs to catch it.

On my LD610 the bracket that the light fits onto is next to the dial, so when the light is facing backwards the excess 'strap' (and the dial) sticks out sideways.

When I had mine on my seatpost my leg caught on it, and I've got legs like pipecleaners! I got fed up and put it on the bit of the frame where the two seatstays join, before they reach the seattube.

jonny_trousers

t4tomo wrote:

You must have oddly chubby inner thighs or you've mounted the light in a strange place?

Neither, as far as I am aware.

MrChuck wrote:

Jonny_Trousers wrote:

It is the LD610 mate, but it's more than the strap that my leg is hitting. It's the entire mount. Seems silly to have the dial side facing.

Can't you put the dial where you want it...?
I've got a Rapid 3 and (assuming the brackets are the same!) you can set it up so that the 'tail' and dial are sort of in front of the seatpost where it'd be very hard for your thighs to catch it.

The tightening dial and the bracket that holds the light are a single piece of plastic and the dial protrudes 25mm from the bracket, which seems to be enough to bother my apparently weirdly chubby thighs if I want the light to face backwards, which I do.

Thanks for the recommendations lads, I'll check them out when I ought to be working later.

cyclingprop

Cateye USED to have a bracket which was a resistance fit (like a cable tie) that you could clip off. Try though I did, I could only find the dial fit brackets now.

Seriously though, if you want to be seen go for one of the other recommendations in the forum.

rolf_f

Jonny_Trousers wrote:

t4tomo wrote:

You must have oddly chubby inner thighs or you've mounted the light in a strange place?

Neither, as far as I am aware.

If it helps, I had that with a Cateye on my MTB! I don't have chubby anything

jonny_trousers

The issue with my freakishly chubby legs - which I was unaware of having until starting this post - has been solved!

I took the light back to CS and they looked at me like I was an idiot while telling me you can locate the dial section anywhere you want on the seatpost. They then opened up the box to discover that you actually cannot locate the dial section anywhere you want on the seatpost. They told me that what I had was the old style strap/bracket thingy and that I could purchase the new one, which they showed me, and does indeed look to make a lot more sense, for a further 7 notes. That with the cost of the light to begin with gets me into Exposure Flare territory and so I asked for my money back. The guy serving me then went on to tell me he got rid of his last Cateye for the same reason I was unhappy and bought himself an Exposure Flash, which he loves - and CS do not sell.

Job done, thanks all and prepare to have your retinas burned as I leave you for dust!

cyclingprop

You made the right choice! Definitely go for the combined pack that comes with the recharger though