Way Cool LED Bike tailight!

[DaveH]

I went looking for a bicycle tailight to replace my wife's anemic one. After a little research I found one that seems highly regarded, but is self contained and uses no special batteries. Here's the link:
http://www.rei.com/cgi-bin/ncommerce3/ProductDisplay?prrfnbr=2209253&prmenbr=8000

I received it today and it's way cool. ABout the size of 4 AA batteries arranged in a square. Held together with screws and it has a rubber gasket for weatherproofness. It takes 2 AA batteries, and a push button on the back to control the modes.

The modes are: off, all on steady, all on blink, all on back-and-forth sequence. It has seven LED's. In a room with windows during the day and 4 lightbulb fixture on it throw a circle on on the opposite wall that's pretty bright. I haven't tested it at night yet, but as bright as it is, it's gonna be killer!

Anyway, I have to order another one for me to play with! it was $20 + $1 in tax from REI above, and shipping was free.

I haven't been this excited/impressed with and LED for a while. It's called and Eclipse or vistalite 700. Depending on who you talk to.

Thanks,
DaveH

 

[DaveH]

Sorry, correction. The light mentioned above takes 2 AAA batteries.

DaveH

 

[RonM]

I've used a couple of different LED tail light flashers for cycling over the years. They are definitely a great safety enhancement, but be careful not to feel over secure with them.

What I've noticed is that the LEDs ususally have a fairly narrow beam. So, unless the flasher is positioned properly, drivers may not see you as well as you think. I've come up on many a biker using a flasher at night and quite often they are not all that noticeable until you get close. Even a bright flasher is still dim compared to other car head and tail lights.

Like I said, a great aid to safety, but you still need to be real careful.

RonM

 

[**DONOTDELETE**]

I've got that one too. I was impressed with the output as well. Actually, I'm on my second one because the switch on the first broke from being pressed continuously during storage in my bike bag. It has an annoying habit of turning on in my bag, but I'm just more careful how I pack it. RonM is correct that the beam is pretty narrow. There are other models that have a wider dispersion, but they seem less intense because of that. I'd wear two, one on the seatpost and one my back or helmet for urban use. On less-travelled roads, one is probably sufficient. You'd mostly have to worry about drunk drivers or bicycle-haters hitting you from behind.

 

[Unicorn]

REI also has a LED flashing taillight that is a reflector. It is supposed to meet the same reflective certification as a standard reflector. This seems to be the best of both worlds. I think it's only about $10.00.

 

[DaveH]

Thanks for the tips, I ended up mounting it horizonatlly with a slight outward angle to attempt to give a bit wider angle.

DaveH