Rear Lights - Recommendations

dannbodge
dannbodge Posts: 1,152
edited March 2017 in Road buying advice
So the other day I lost my rear light (It bounced off on a rough road) so need a new one.

Looking for >50 lumens and around £30-40 max

So far the Exposure TraceR or Flare have caught my attention.

Any other recommendations?

Comments

  • mrb123
    mrb123 Posts: 4,623
    I've got Moon Comet and Moon Shield. Would recommend the Comet out of the two. I'm not sure it's 50 lumens but can't envisage you'd need anything brighter. Better still - for your budget you could get two of them.
  • fenix
    fenix Posts: 5,437
    Two of the planet x half watt lights. Don't rely on just one as you've found.
  • imafatman
    imafatman Posts: 351
    I have the Exposure TraceR but honestly it's too bright. It's blinding. Great if you want to signal ships in the fog 3 miles out. Not so great for the commute home.

    Also strange shape, gets knocked off the bike quite easily.

    I use the Lezyne Zecto as my main rear light now.
  • deswahriff
    deswahriff Posts: 310
    ..after over a year's wait, my Blaze Burner arrived the other week - it's a cracking light, will burn retinas at 100 yards - maybe like above poster, too bright, though I'm very rural so brighter the better in my book...haven't felt the need for my high viz for my evening commute with this pulsating away on the back..!

    ...there is 1 softer, steady setting....just about ok for group rides.
  • dannbodge
    dannbodge Posts: 1,152
    Thanks. I'll check all of them out.

    Reason for wanting a bright one is that I do quite a lot of country lanes and it's gets pretty foggy down here, even when it's the middle of summer.
  • barongreenback
    barongreenback Posts: 229
    Have recently bought the Bontrager Flare R and it's an outstanding light for visibility.
  • maddog 2
    maddog 2 Posts: 8,114
    Moon Nebula
    Facts are meaningless, you can use facts to prove anything that's remotely true! - Homer
  • keef66
    keef66 Posts: 13,123
    I too recently lost my rear light, an ageing Cateye LD1100. Dubbed the Holy hand grenade after Monty Python, which was a fair approximation of it's size and weight with batteries.
    As backups I bought a handful of cheap ones from PX to use the rechargeable AAA batteries I have. The Smart ones are pretty good vfm at £3 a pop, and pretty bright. And then I bought a Moon Comet Xpro. It's amazing how far LED and battery tech has come since I bought the cateye. This thing is tiny but bewilderingly bright. It's like the bastard offspring of a Twix finger and a light sabre. And it comes with all manner of mounts including one for the seat rails. And all for 20 quid.
  • faster97
    faster97 Posts: 33
    Phaart booster or Phaart bleep from planet X - £1.25 or a quid respectively. All the rear light you'll ever need.

    I'm not too keen on really bright rear lights - it just makes drivers more impatient when trying to get past you on narrow roads. They then try and squeeze past - whilst blinded. If anything, the bleep could be a little too bright.

    Don't bother with the brackets - just zip tie the light straight to the seat post by the clip. Much neater, although you might need to use some ingenuity to get the light level. Leave the light on the bike while chained up - if it gets stolen - well you've lost a couple of quid.

    Neither of these are re-chargeable, and that's a good thing. That's one less way for water to get in the light. I've been using the £1.00 booster for ages now and I just change the batteries whenever I change the chain. I have the light on all of the time I'm on the bike, whether it is morning or night. I'm sure they'd probably last longer, but I change them just as a precaution.

    Both of these are 100% water proof if used in conjunction with a mudguard. I've not tried one without, so I couldn't say for sure.

    Really good lights.
  • hambini
    hambini Posts: 113
    Knog blinder gets my vote. Will go around an aero seat post. charges from USB.

    Only negative is, I get 3 hours out of it before it goes flat.
    Bicycle Rider Aerodynamics Explained!!! Get More Aero!!
    Visit the Hambini Website
  • WheelMeals
    WheelMeals Posts: 86
    + 1 on Bontrager flare, you can set it to lower brightness re: the above poster comment on annoying drivers.

    Tbf better to have an impatient driver close pass you than be rear ended

    PS: It also has small flashing side light to help on junctions etc
  • davesnothere
    davesnothere Posts: 620
    Bit over budget but i love my See Sense Icon lights (have got front and rear)

    Brightness is adjustable so you can suit conditions but very visible when needed (has side splay also for safety) Rechargeable battery seems to last for ages on the rear

    https://seesense.cc/products/see-sense-icon-rear-light
    GET WHEEZY - WALNUT LUNG RACING TEAM™
  • figbat
    figbat Posts: 680
    I really like the Electron POD lights I got free when joining BC. I run the rear one with a cheapo, coin-battery jobbie to offer redundancy and backup.
    Cube Reaction GTC Pro 29 for the lumpy stuff
    Cannondale Synapse alloy with 'guards for the winter roads
    Fuji Altamira 2.7 for the summer roads
    Trek 830 Mountain Track frame turned into a gravel bike - for anywhere & everywhere

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