Comments on: 2009 Top Commuting Products : Lights

By: Jim

Jim — Wed, 09 Jun 2010 14:07:58 +0000

I have a great rechargable front headlight, but I am tired of always replacing the batteries of my rear light. Does anyone make a great rechargable rear light? Thanks

By: Jeff Frederick

Jeff Frederick — Sun, 16 May 2010 12:22:37 +0000

Dinotte 400L as a taillight is the very brightest light out there. Without a doubt it makes a difference in commuting. I have a rear view mirror on my commuter and notice cars changing lanes a long time before they even get close to me. I wear it on my helmet (helmet mount included) so that cars behind the cars at the traffic lights can see me. It is a quality product that costs a little more but is well worth it in my opinion for serious commuters.

By: Tim

Tim — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 15:09:30 +0000

I installed Reelights, and the white (front) one failed after about a year (~2000 mi), and the rear red light has weakened substantially and only continues to flash for about 15s after a stop. At first they were great, but they didn’t hold up well.

By: KFo

KFo — Thu, 31 Dec 2009 00:42:42 +0000

I have Reelights on my coffee shop bike. They work just fine ridden 10 miles/week. Two friends who bought them at the same time had them fail after less than 500 miles riding. Neat idea, junk implementation.

The PB superflash is a decent light but can be a little fragile. I mount them in pairs in case one falls apart.

If you want to get serious about rear lights get a Dinotte 140. My Dinotte is brighter than a BMW’s brake lights and has multiple flash modes for inducing seizures in motorists that come too close. Get one if you are serious about being seen and don’t whine about the price. Mine has seen 3 years of hard commuting use and still works great.

By: WheelDancer

WheelDancer — Wed, 30 Dec 2009 02:37:34 +0000

I have a set of Reelights on my commuter and the front one failed within a week but the shop replaced it without a problem and they have worked great all fall. My main headlight is a DiNotte 200 Lumen AA Bicycle Headlight that is the best of the best as far as I am concerned. Very bright with three levels of brightness, it runs on standard AA batteries and connects to the bike with a slick “O” ring so I change it between all my bikes as quickly as turning on most lights.

http://www.dinottelighting.com/Products.htm

By: Soulfull Commuter

Soulfull Commuter — Wed, 30 Dec 2009 01:12:21 +0000

I found a real need for the battery to be separate from the light. When the weather turned cold, the battery of my Magic Shine light gave out. I now use the longer cord and keep the battery in my pocket where it stays warm and my Magic Shine lights the way to and from work on the cold dark days.

By: Paul in Minneapolis

Paul in Minneapolis — Tue, 29 Dec 2009 17:42:36 +0000

I’m a real fan of generated lights. When looking at picrures of Dutch bikes I see a lot of Reelights. A friend had some put on her bike, but she hardly ever rides it. As a person who thinks being visable is my responsibility, I’m always looking for reliable and practible lights. So far, the best I’ve seen are Hub generator LED lights. The newest generations really rock. There are brighter, but none last as long, even in very cold or wet weather, they just work, period.

By: Chrisg

Chrisg — Tue, 29 Dec 2009 06:10:27 +0000

I have two TL-LD610s one vertical one the seatpost and one horizontal on the rack. These are great lights and work well on rechargeable batteries too.

On the front I run a cateye Single Shot which has a rechargeable internal battery and has a good wide spread. I’ve found the charge lasts long enough for a full weeks worth of commuting (approx 5 hrs of which is in the pitch dark with no street lighting)

By: Todd Scott

Todd Scott — Tue, 29 Dec 2009 05:52:31 +0000

I found the Reelights to be unreliable. Both of mine failed within a year of use.
http://www.allyeargear.com/2009/review-reelight-bike-lights/