I'm not Smart

vorsprung
vorsprung Posts: 1,953
edited January 2014 in Commuting chat
I recently bought a couple of Smart Lunar R1 lights. They looked like they might be handy as extra lights on the commute bike. But I think getting them just before the current spate of flooding etc was a bit of mistake. More on the blog here Not so smart with lights

To save you the bother of going to the blog, it wasn't a great experience.
Audaxing Blog - Long Distance Cycling
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Comments

  • desweller
    desweller Posts: 5,175
    A lot of these lights benefit from a light application of grease around the sealing interfaces. It's practically part of the routine for fitting the batteries now.
    - - - - - - - - - -
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  • rolf_f
    rolf_f Posts: 16,015
    Better on the seatpost - the chainstay is very exposed. I used to use Vaseline to seal them but on the seatstay with mudguards fitted they are happy enough. I think they are great.
    Faster than a tent.......
  • BelgianBeerGeek
    BelgianBeerGeek Posts: 5,226
    +^ to this. Never rely on a rubber o-ring for sealing without grease, or similar (airtight) lubricant.
    The very act of you tightening the seal can make it ineffective. As a home-brewer, I have learnt never to trust any seal as they come out of the box :cry:
    Ecrasez l’infame
  • rubertoe
    rubertoe Posts: 3,994
    Save your money and get these from planet X
    http://www.planetx.co.uk/i/q/LIPHBPDRL/ ... rear-light
    "If you always do what you've always done, you'll always get what you've always got."

    PX Kaffenback 2 = Work Horse
    B-Twin Alur 700 = Sundays and Hills
  • vorsprung
    vorsprung Posts: 1,953
    rubertoe wrote:
    Save your money and get these from planet X
    http://www.planetx.co.uk/i/q/LIPHBPDRL/ ... rear-light

    I used the same design as that (different brand though) in 2011 for my PBP qualifiers. It was definitely more water proof than the Smart light but the bracket snapped during PBP itself. I've drilled it and now it's attached to my saddlebag on the other bike.
    Audaxing Blog - Long Distance Cycling
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  • rick_chasey
    rick_chasey Posts: 75,661
    Why did no-one tell me about vaseline?

    Where do you put it?...
    _
  • Headhuunter
    Headhuunter Posts: 6,494
    This is a well known and common problem with Smart lights but as they're cheap for the amount of wattage, I still buy them. You really need vaseline or grease of some kind round the seal (along the lip where the light splits in half to get at the batts) or you need mudguards or both. Without either of those they'll be dead after 20 minutes on a wet road...
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  • slowbike
    slowbike Posts: 8,498
    I just put some tape around the join ... and it's mounted on a rack stay - no point putting it on the seat post as I have a rack bag that blocks rear view to the seat post.

    It's been used in most conditions for the last 4+ months - although I do try and avoid the worst of the weather.

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