Thanks Michael - although this video is fairly old now and might need updating! I tend to use a rear radar/light (I’ve done videos on two - Varia and Guarda) in combination with one of these.
My wife and I cycle extensively and also tour. We mainly use our Hewitt Cheviots with racks fitted. The problem with most of the available lights is that a seat pack or a rack or panniers obscure the light when fitted to seat post or seat stay. We use only lights that come with a rack mount and our current favourite is the Moon Shield X which has a daylight flash mode at 300 lumens. We always use flashing front and rear lights in daylight. It makes a big difference to visibility especially on bright sunny days riding in and out of shadows.
I have a Moon and the only fault it has is that you will go blind using it. Please can you tell me a little bit more about how it fits on your rear racks please? I am hoping to do the same.
I've been using a Bontrager Flare3 for 7 years now. Very simple, button-operated steady/flashing/off modes, runs forever on 2xAAA NiMHs (and is obviously happy with any AAAs form the store should you run out of juice) and really deserves its name WRT visibility. Unfortunately they don't make them any more, the new ones all have built-in batteries, although new EU regulations should fix that soon.
With its separate battery pack, the Hope District is a bit unwieldy- however, it’s super bright and with the external battery pack it lasts for months!
I was using See.Sense ACE for quite some time (with its "brake mode" enabled in urban environment) until I upgraded to a Radar few years ago. I found an Exposure TraceR MK1 (with the attachment clip etc) on the side of the road which I gave to my wife to use, and she did, until its battery gave up and it doesn't want to hold charge any more. Now she's using the ACE, but I think I'll get another Exposure for her (this time I'll pay for it...) it was such a brilliant light, and the battery life was phenomenonal.
I do use ACE, but found no problems with exposure lights at all and would replace like for like exposure for exposure if it broke and couldn’t be repaired.
Last summer, on a bright sunny morning, I was driving on the highway and I spotted a flashing red light far ahead of me, but I initially could not spot the source. Turns out a group of cyclists were out for a ride and one had a flashing red light on his bike. My takeaway was that rear lights really do make you more visible.
I too have a Blaze Mk1 and a Blaze Reakt. They’re my go to rear lights and I love them. Bombproof build quality and the irregular flash pattern is my fave for being seen. I did also have a dalliance with SeeSense and their early Icon models. The reactive flash pattern to headlights was impressive and I noticed cars giving me much more space when overtaking. However, the newer Icon flash pattern was so rapid i was somewhat concerned that I may give some drivers a seizure. I recently got a Varia which has the same irregular flash pattern as the Blaze. Great piece of kit although it can eat into the battery life of your (paired) head unit.
I have a different sort of light. It's the Armytek Wizard C2 WR warm version. It's main use is a headlamp, but with their optional bicycle mount or a universal flashlight mount, you can mount it to the bike front or rear. Your can mount it more ways if you are creative with the headlamp strap to mount to packs or racks. The light itself lets you easily switch between Red light (max 230 lumen) or Warm White light (max 1020 lumen) so it can be used as a headlight or taillight. It has five modes in either color including flashing. The light has long run times, is completely waterproof, 10 meter drop tested, a standard 18650 power source, with a strong magnetic tailcap, and a 10 year warranty. It can be used as a headlamp, bicycle light (front or rear), an EDC light, a work light for cars, appliances etc. with the magnetic tailcap. You will definitely get your money's worth out of it with all the uses.
have a wizard c1 as a headlamp, helmet lamp for working inside wiindturbine blades, going camping, fixing my car, and light enough to not annoy you as a helmet lamp mountainbiking. just take a spare battery with me that I up to now only needed in some 8h work days ... really good lights
I’ve used Lezyne lights for a few years now. The build quality is great and the newer ones have a feature that allows you to pair the front and rear lights so that you can turn them both on and change modes with one button press. Very handy if you are going on and off busy roads or you get a heavy rain shower. I also have the varia rear light - I’d say it comes into its own on quieter roads where you might not expect cars as often. Riding through a town centre you kinda know there will be cars behind you so it gets a bit annoying. I’d recommend giving it a go if you’ve never tried one.
All great lights for sure, but also quite high end products. When it comes to the Varia I still can't understand why its better than a mirror! My latest mirror is a small Cateye number. It's a bar end mount (I use on drops) and it has a lovely lens. Never needs recharging and about 12 quid or a couple more at your LBS. Onto rear lights and my current fave is quite small, but is USB rechargeable. It has several modes, all have brake light function. This is great for our weekly group night rides. It also switches off if it senses no activity. A great unit from Aliexpress @ 14 quid. (ish). ROCKBROS Smart Bicycle Rear Light Auto Start/Stop Brake Sensing IPx6 Waterproof LED USB a.aliexpress.com/_mM4PKxU
A useful feature is to use the head unit to switch the light to flash and off. Yesterday I was off and on single track in a group ride and it was neat to switch on the flashing when back amongst cars. Also, don’t discount the radar in the back country. An atv or dirt bike speeding up behind you can hurt too if it hits.
Thanks for your well considered Review & comments. In addition to my various (now aging permanent CatEye conspicuity) cycle lights have two more powerful front lights I plan to upgrade to a USB Rechargeable unit. I also have a small rear LED on my Rucksack because of cyclists on my walking pathways.
My go to rear light is my exposure one, really effective, bright and bombproof. I have used the see sense but found they are not that robust and have a tendency to fail if used in really horrible weather. The other light i really like which is no longer produced is the Blaze Burner - (Blaze are now Beryl) I still have mine and it works fantastically as a commuter light, it reacts to dimming light and to braking and it has a bombproof build. I also like it came with a reflective mount for attaching to bags/panniers.
Plus 1 for Exposure 👍 although I've had people complain about it's brightness when riding at night in a group. On these occasions I turn it off and use my reserve CatEye instead which doesn't dazzle cyclists behind me.
Got a set of See Sense Ace's and Icon 2's that get swapped around my bikes. They are always on flash mode as I use another light on the front to see rather than be seen. Had no issues with them at all. That Exposure once is extremely bright and hard to believe it's 10yrs old - that's value for money!
I use Aldi’s Bike Mate cycle lights. A bargain at £7.99. Encased in rubber with integral wrap around straps, fit well on seat post or handle bar of my mountain bike. Come with micro usb lead and hold their charge well. Also, have a low charge indicator light so you know when it’s time for a recharge. Have three modes - bright static, medium bright static and bright flashing. I always use them in flashing mode as i feel that’s the best way to get noticed and not get confused with mopeds etc. Good quality and value.
Thanks David. I have a lot of time too for the Varia Radar/Light (ua-cam.com/video/STPw1QPLn2s/v-deo.html). Not entirely sure about the new version with camera built-in.
I use the Son rear light. It is simple but for travel it does use a wire which runs forwards. I have it mounted to my rear rack which is a good place. Brightest light I have ever used was the Night Rider.
Garmin radar - I use in conjunction with exposure rear lights. The radar warns me and the light on the radar last 5 hours and changes it’s flash intensity when cars approach medium speed and then more on high speed approaches. On testing on my car in a layby cars slowed down as the flash looked rather like a cop. Happy days.
I’m a long time bike messenger in nyc and I’ve tested out every flash pattern there is and cars give you the most distance and slow the most down with fast irregular flash patterns like with the Super flash Turbo by Planet Bike. They have the perfect flash pattern and brightness. The worst flash patterns where cars go fast by you and extremely close to you are constant on and also slow pulse. Fast slash is good but not to fast where it just looks like it’s constant on basically, the best is irregular flash pattern though.
I have 2 Magicshine MJ-818 lights on the rear and they are the brightest daytime lights I have yet seen, even though they are rated at 85 lumens the real world visibility in bright daylight has to be seen to be believed and brighter than all my riding buddies lights. Sadly no longer made and you need an external battery, but the recent bunch of lights with tiny inbuilt batteries do not appeal to me.
I use an Exposure Trace R and it has served me well for the last 5yrs only 75 lumens but fellow riders say they can see me 100 meters away in daylight.
I was out on an all-night ride once with someone who had that Exposure rear light. I had to stay ahead of him, and others asked him to turn it off as it was so bright it was burning everyone else’s retinas.
Its a distraction to drivers to when you get close to them at night. I've been squinting/turning my head to look away in my car as I go around some that have really bright rear flashers They really need daytime and nighttime modes so they don't cause accidents.
The brightest taillight I have seen is the Cygolite hotshot, I would recommend it for daytime riding. It's too bright if you are riding with a group at night, you will blind your group mates. My favorite taillight is the cateye tight kinetic, it gets brighter when you hit the brakes, like a car, and it also uses triple AAA batteries, I put rechargeable batteries in mine.
We have 3 See.Sense lights, all ace model. The fronts have been great - patterns and brightness, fixing etc. The rear never held charge that well and only really works on a seatpost (not a stay) so is now pointless. One good thing with See.Sense is you can pay a small charge for a full service that includes a battery change I beleive. However K won't bother due to the mount limitations. We have a Cateye x2 (I think)with the brake light function - I let my wife use this as to me it looks the brightest and the bra,e lignt works amazingly well. She cycles in town and I want her to be safe. Seatstay mount is great too as she doesn't have a huge expanse of seatpost and carries a bag which may block the light. I also love my Light & Motion front lignt with tne amber sides. Considering a rear to match althougn size and weight is huge! Makes me think build quality is good though. Anyone any experience of the Vis180 Pro?
Truth is I don’t know enough about them to comment. There are SO many lights out there. Seriously - I get at least 2 emails a month from another light maker wanting a video in return for a free light.
SON are mainly dynamo lights, so permanently attached to the bike, never need charging, but you can’t swap them easily from bike to bike. They are the gold standard for Audax riders, who ride all night and sometimes over several nights.
I've got the cateye, very happy with it - it's relatively cheap and easy to use. I'm not keen on the charge port either, but so far it's not been an issue. Thanks for this, would an update be possible?
It’s superb David’s . After shooting this video, I wrote to Garmin to ask if they could lend me one. I rode with it for the first time yesterday and was seriously impressed. I’ll take it on a bikepacking road trip next week then do a proper video. I’ve already posted something about it for members.
I too like to have two rear daytime running lights. I have the Bontrager Ion and Flare front and rear light set which I find to be good lights, and I have the Varia rear light/radar.
Hi Paul, i am toying with getting a set of these in addition to other lights but unsure about the front light, i generally do not use front lights in daylight and usually ride in rural locations. I'm wondering if the front Ion would just take up space that a second light could be used instead that would also illuminate the road better? as opposed to others just seeing me - any opinions as you are an owner would be appreciated.
@@Tim955w hi Tim, if I was looking for a light to be used at night, to light up the road ahead etc, I think I would choose a different light. I specifically wanted a day time running front light (bear in mind, mine is the 200 RT and not the PRO RT) as I never ride in the dark. To be honest, I haven’t used this in the dark so I can’t say how good, or not so good, it is. Having said that, I think there are much more powerful front lights on the market that would be more suitable for what you are looking for. Hope that helps 👍
@@MrAnon-2024 Thanks Paul, yes i think on reflection i will get the rear Bontrager light plus a more illuminating front night light as a back up to my main light. Best wishes.
Would not touch see sense rear light. I had one, most unpredictable and unreliable light I’ve ever bought and support was awful. One of the many incidents I had with it, would turn itself off. It did this on a busy A road in very poor weather. Only way I could get it turned back on was to restart it via the app. But it again turned itself off. Best rear lights I’ve used are exposure blaze and tracer light. The best helmet light I’ve used is a exposure link plus. Has front and rear light and I pair this with a exposure tracer on the seatpost. Loverly lights 🙂🙂👍
Its that time of the year. Which are the better usb ,apps lights? I commute to work in the early morning, the other day get to work and my back light went out, is there a light that lets you know when its going to go out? My front light has a system that it flashes when it tets close to quiting
I have a secret. The Trelock LS720 Reego is about the size of a small matchbox, indestructible and lasts for hours or even days. It will remain the best light ever developed, and really your video needs to consider these super small lights that are about the size of a 50 pence coin and fully waterproof.
Interesting Robert. Have you checked out the Varia video ua-cam.com/video/STPw1QPLn2s/v-deo.html ? That gadget made me re-think my approach to tail lights
Lights test - the only light I would replace if I lost them is my EXPOSURE lights . I have tried many many lights. Doing 12 hour rides and a over they last for ages. They are highly visible and built by a diving lights company so know what waterproof means.
Hi Simon. Great video. I’ve the see sense back light works ok but the front I can never get to go on. Charges ok, but it’s frustrating. Must be gubbed. Only had a few months. Need to get it replaced
@@alwaysanotheradventure I actually got them free when i resigned up to british cycling at christmas they were doing a promotion. so suppose ive not lost anything as they were foc but still annoying.
I have a Cliq light on one of my bikes. It's not the brightest rear flashing light that I've owned-the Cygolite Hotshot 250 lumens is. I do like the app controller, but 10 to 15% of the time the app won't connect to the light. Luckily, the light can be turned on manually.
The Blaze is way brighter than the stated 80 lumens and Exposure put a lot of research into their DayBright flash mode and it shows. Also the MK3 does go brighter than 80 lumens. The brake light increases output to 150 lumens. Despite that it's difficult to recommend the Blaze. It's about as expensive as a rear light without a camera or radar can be and the mount is plain bad. Similar to you the first time i owned a Blaze i never had any issues with the mount but the one i bought a decade later came off on the first pothole on the first ride. Look online and you'll find plenty of other people this has happened to. Long as you notice the light coming off and there's not cars directly behind it should survive the fall due to the all metal construction. On a side note the elastic band and plastic clip mounts Exposure do on their non £500 lights aren't suited to commuting. Multiple times gone to unlock the bike and the mounts due to their bright red elastic bands are gone. That's not to say the mounts for those £500 lights are reliable. Had multiple of those fail too (all fit by bike shop mechanics). Called Exposure. Weren't particularly interested. Said they considered the mount to be completely secure even though they admitted in the same conversation that a colleague rode his with a velcro strap wrapped round it. Brought up that there's a cottage industry of companies that do improved 3D printed mounts and the ones for the Blaze have these plastic tabs letting you use a second elastic band to keep the Blaze 100% secure. Asked if they could do that with future versions of the Blaze. Would be such a simple thing to do and would mean you wouldn't have to buy one of these 3D printed mounts for £50 from a third party company. Was told Exposure had no interest in ever doing that. And that £50 turns into £100 or £150 if you have multiple bikes. Shame as the optics on Exposure lights are camera quality level but their mounts and customer service are subpar. Would recommend the Knog Big Cobber. 360° visibility when used with a front Cobber which is a gamechanger and can customise the modes but its mount is maybe even worse than that of the Blaze. Semi made up for by Knog having amazing customer service. What i would actually recommend then is the Cygolite Hypershot 350. Isn't a brand sold in Europe but is easily imported. Cheaper, lighter and brighter than the Blaze. Optics are actually similar to the Blaze in that they both use these insect type lenses the sort you see on traffic lights. Unlike the Knog Big Cobber you can actually customise the Hypershot's modes directly from the light. Comes with a mount that can be fitted to the seat post or seat stay. Quick and secure to mount. Light also has a clip built into it that lets you mount it to a saddle bag or backpack. Lot of lights now claim a very high lumen output say 350 lumens but in reality that's just a daytime flash mode and even that flashes three times and only one of those three flashes is 350 lumens. The solid modes on these lights are sometimes 50 lumens or less. The Hypershot is actually 350 lumens in all modes unless you program it not be. Couple of honorary mentions. In terms of cheapest brightest light then the Moon Nebula. £25 and reviews when it was first released mentioned it being too bright. Competitively priced and loaded with features would be the Magicshine Seemee 200. Gopro mounting under the saddle, flares when braking, extra mounts included and a secondary downward facing lens that when dark casts a circle of red over the ground. Then the quirky/pro option would be the Four4th Scorpion. Mounts under the saddle and is popular with people doing races and triathlons. Its signature mode flashes twice red and then a third flash in green.
Agree with Bikepacking Adventure. Had two See Sense rear lights (Icon and Ace) both lost charge when not in use. Both really unreliable- felt like they were prototype models rushed into production. Lost faith in them. Exposure are the biz- reliable and bombproof. Now got a variety of front and rear models including Blaze. After sales also top notch- had batteries replaced when they give up. Not cheap but as the old saying goes, ‘you get what you pay for’
I had similar charging issues with the SeeSense lights, but lost them both anyway when riding over rough ground.They just became unclipped from the very flimsy housing. Wouldn’t buy again.
Ha! did you FINALLY get your see.sense icon 3?? i just got mine about a month ago.. great lights but one already failed on me in the first week. they replaced it in about a week. still happy with them.
What annoys me with these rear lights is the blinking patterns always have an “off” moment; between the blinks the lights is actually off! I would like it to be on AND emit a brighter flash in between. This way, with fast traffic right next to you, the lights is never off.
I have a Bikepacking Seat Pack/Bag occupying the space below my seat, no room left on the post, how can I mount a rear light considering there's no room available there? Also, I'm using a bulky real ALDI camera light. Any advice on fitting the rear light with this setup?"
I’m honestly not sure. Can you fasten it to the bikepacking bag? That would seem the easiest way. A second light shining upwards is also quite visible - especially one that has a wide dispersal pattern and illuminates you, but not using it as a main light. Sorry I’m not more helpful.
@@alwaysanotheradventureThanks for your reply. I've got one of these, but it seems my creative brain is on holiday, leaving the camera light orientation as confused as a chameleon in a bag of Skittles. Time to channel my inner Picasso and convince this gadget that sideways is the new up! ae01.alicdn.com/kf/S792837ebadf849209879f651309069d1S.jpg
You should test out the See.Sense Icon 3 rear when it’s out, it’s got a better Garmin style mount and is brighter (350 lumen). The ace is their lowest brightness lights designed for commuting in urban areas, the Icon is bright enough for rural and urban areas.
@@alwaysanotheradventure the Ace is 125 lumen, the icon 2 is 300 lumen and the icon 3 is 350 lumen so it’ll be interesting to compare them. The icon 2 is discontinued as the icon 3 is taking its place, I’ve pre ordered the icon 3 to use with my Garmin Varia.
@@MattCantor21 Sounds a good combo. First ride yesterday with a loaner Varia and hugely impressed. I’m a bit cautious about claimed “lumens”. The brightest light of the four I used had the lowest lumens claim - I don’t know how they’re measured (I should find out) but I suspect it’s like car mpg or electric car range figures.
@@alwaysanotheradventure I think COB is more dispersed beam pattern whereas the exposure ones have a single LED so will appear brighter. I feel COB will be less dazzling to vehicles behind as the light is spread out over several little LEDS rather that a focused single LED.
@@MattCantor21 That's a very good point Matt. The side spread of the COB is what appealed and a few people have said the Exposure was TOO bright, especially when they had riders behind them.
It’s superb Stefan. After shooting this video, I wrote to Garmin to ask if they could lend me one. I rode with it for the first time yesterday and was seriously impressed. I’ll take it on a bikepacking road trip next week then do a proper video. I’ve already posted something about it for members.
@@alwaysanotheradventure Ah brilliant! Yes it's a bit of tech that you don't realise you want eed, but then after using it you don't ever want to ride on a road without it! I hope Garmin hook you up with one :)
Wonder why the Garmin Varia was excluded because it has extra features (radar) but others that have extra features (movement alarms) were included... is the Garmin Varia any good from a rear light point of view or is the light just an afterthought to add to the radar?
Sorry if I didn’t explain clearly Mick. The ones I tested were lights first and foremost, then a couple had simple extra features. The Garmin at +£200 is clearly not a light with a little extra, it’s a radar with a light. Likewise the video camera / lights. Garmin has now sent me one to test and I’m hugely impressed, and once I’ve used it for a couple of weeks I’ll do a video.
@@alwaysanotheradventure Excellent, I'll look forward to that as I'm keen on the radar but unsure whether to go for the more expensive version that's combined with a rear light or the cheaper, radar only version and use a separate rear light
I’ve had two Seesense lights fall off and shatter. The older ones have given up the ghost and can no longer recharge after 2 years. The after sales help is just pitiful and will no longer be on my shopping list. I’ve always helped support local companies but if they fail to return the favour they’re not worth supporting.
Well that's a bit rubbish Stephen! It's surprising how different people's experience can be with the same products. My friend also had one die after a few months and just gave up.
I followed up on this with Exposure Lights. Here's their reply: "We don’t really have mounts for this, we typically point people in the direction of Race Ware Direct, who create customs mounts and have all sorts of options for all of our lights. and if they don’t already have what you’re after they will come up with it " I hopethat's useful.
I don’t like the rear light on the bike, my seats too low and with a Mudguard fitted the lights just hidden… I use the exposure helmet mounted light with red and white lights.
I’m not certain but I think that breaks the law which says lights must be bike mounted. Secondary lights can be on the person (or elsewhere). Not that I expect anyone would care if it can be seen!
@@alwaysanotheradventure it does brake the law, but any police office who stopped me would see there is no place on the seat post to mount a rear light as I’m not tall enough to have the saddle raised.. other then seat stays, there no other place to mount Been riding 30 years, never had an issue Your supposed to have reflectors, but I don’t see many serious cyclist with reflectors on there carbon rims 😂 The Highway Code says Rule 60 At night your cycle MUST have white front and red rear lights lit. It MUST also be fitted with a red rear reflector (and amber pedal reflectors, if manufactured after 1/10/85). White front reflectors and spoke reflectors will also help you to be seen. Flashing lights are permitted but it is recommended that cyclists who are riding in areas without street lighting use a steady front lamp.
Have had all three generations of Link Plus lights. Mounted them on an Exposure headband and have one either side. Having the light higher up makes such a difference.
Great review. I can’t imagine camera lights being great even if you had reviewed them. I can only imagine the camera getting a dirty lens or the car headlights blinding their vision for anything useful.
i noticed riding and driving behind cyclists that kind of single point rear lights are bullshit... no matter the size or brightness. you just cannot judge the distance from behind an as the light gets brighter you even get blinded and unable to see the rider itself (therefor even less able to judge distance, handsigns or possible actions like breaking) you end up spoiling your own safety and especially with blinking modes the safety of others by drawing to much constant attention onto yourself. the cateye x2 kinetic is about the best i could find... beeing long and thin you are able to judge the distance from quite far behind just by the growing lengths of the line i'd really like to see someone buid a subtle blink, like 3s on, 0.5s off, 3s on
Thanks for this. There are a few studies into bike lighting, but no clear conclusions regarding conspicuity and placement or flashing/static for rear. Situations vary so much; urban, suburban and dark countryside all seem to require different solutions. I do like that Kinetic you mention, and I suspect the longer versions that look like a bar might be good too. The new light-up pedals sound an excellent urban / sub-urban solution with the movement of the pedals attracting attention. Thanks for the comment.
@@alwaysanotheradventure true enough... i'm talking more about unlit or dim countryside /suburbs, where you have higher closing speeds and basically no difficulty to spot a light. but in town as a car driver i mostly have uncertainty about spotting cyclists in the sidemirror especially with raindrops on it. which is when you get hit as a cyclist but not because of your rearlight visibility but the front light. never heard of cyclist beeing run over in town from behind because of not being seen... its usually disrespect, or ill judgment... but youll not solve that problem by pointing a flashing and potential blinding light into the driver behind you to get him waiting patiently. its usually about your behavior... drive in the middle of the lane when there is no opportunity to pass savely and no one will try. out in the countryside as i said... get people to realize their closing speed asap, so that they can judge if they are able to pass before incoming traffic or able to break... make the decision easy and obvious by not riding on the edge of the road and getting the temptation up of just squeezing past instead of hitting the brake... no one will run a person over on purpose right in front of him/her
I see you deleted my previous comment. Fair enough as I foolishly added a link to it. However, great review. One question, why choose a Varia over a mirror?
Hi Nick - not me, but UA-cam has a habit of removing comments with links and there's nothing I can do about it. I'm currently testing a Varia and the point you raise is one I'll mention in the (eventual) review. Here's a quick preview - the Varia (I now know) is not really about telling you stuff behind you. It's about alerting you to the fact it's there. This is why it's more useful on relatively quiet suburban or rural roads than in cities. In town, you're going to always be alert. In the country, concentration tends to drift as you look at the scenery. Or in a strong headwind, you just don't hear what's coming up behind. I've experienced both of these. The job of the Varia is to buzz quiet loudly and draw your attention to something approaching - and THEN perhaps look in the mirror to see what it is. Unless you're going to be glued to tat mirror, the Varia compliments it not replaces it.
@@alwaysanotheradventure Thanks for your reply. That use of the Varia had not occurred to me, to complement a mirror. I would have disagreed but today..... Going fast, head wind, and dodging bumps I didn't see the car until it was past! Great channel BTW and well presented 👍🏼.
FLY 6 awful. Battery doesn't last long enough. FLY 12 awful. Gave up after failure of a second unit. Not fit for purpose. All Knog lights rubbish - too delicate for UK weather and battery doesn't last. Brake light feature - waste of time. Best lights front and back at the moment - anything Lezyne. Hope + Exposure also been reliable and dependable on MTB night rides. They also stand by their products long after warranty/guarantee.
After having a couple of cheap lights fail when I started cycling back in 2015 I bought a set of Lezyne lights - they were pricey at the time but definitely worth it, they still work great 7 years later.
My 1st Gen Fly 6 is still going strong after 5 years. It lasts about 5 hours on one charge, which is enough for 2 rides for me. It’s longer lasting than any Go Pro battery. I also have a Fly 12 but it’s a heavy old beast and I hardly use it.
OH you got that right, i bought the fly 12 and fly 6 back in 2018. the 12 was a complete failure from the start and i returned it. my fly 6 still works but the battery life varies from ride to ride
I don't understand bike blinker manufacturers, you can buy a high tech blinker or a reflector, but you cannot buy a reflector that blinks!!! WTF??? IS THERE A LAW THAT SAYS YOU CANNOT COMBINED THE TWO??! Besides people you actually need three of these blinkers one for the back and one on each side!!! If you have a dynamo you can actually charge the lights while you ride during the day.... Mind blowing...
Not a fan of the turn indicators because motorists don’t expect them and don’t know what they are. Quite a few lights can’t charge while on - regardless of Dynamo hub or battery pack. Need to pick these the care.
OMG Germany and its stupid laws!! I live in Germany and it's indeed not allowed to have a flashing light on a bike, but it's totally fine if you have a flashing light on your helmet or on your backpack! pure stupidity..
Don't buy Serfas lights. front or back. Over the years almost everyone I've had has been garbage. The circuits give out, they won't take a decent charge, the straps and mounts break without warning - leaving the broken light on the pavement to be run over by the car behind you. Just be careful, it doesn't run over you too when you try to retrieve it. Then there's the fight over the warranty. Chinese garbage. Enough aggravation! More than enough! I've moved over to Cat Eye.
At night, in an urban environment, and as a car driver, I find flashing lights to be dangerous. It messes with my ability to position the bike and understand its direction and speed. If being noticed was the ultimate judge of performance, then a laser beam directly pointed to my eyeballs would get the best score (and the most accidents).
Cliq by smart bike light has failed to deliver or refund 50% of customers according to trust pilot. Do not push more unsuspecting cycling consumers to this company.
They even boast on their website about reviews on UA-cam to give them legitimacy. We must stop others being misdirected and scammed. Over $2Million in purchases not fulfilled or refunded. 40,000 units ordered- 10,000 iOS app downloads and 10,000 android downloads.. leaving 20,000 unfulfilled. 49% trust pilot reviews say the company has failed to deliver, failed to refund and has gone dark. Average spend is $100 × 20,000 (unfulfilled orders) = $2 Million in fraudulent profits.
Super helpful…and timely, with winter around the corner!
Thanks Michael - although this video is fairly old now and might need updating! I tend to use a rear radar/light (I’ve done videos on two - Varia and Guarda) in combination with one of these.
My wife and I cycle extensively and also tour. We mainly use our Hewitt Cheviots with racks fitted. The problem with most of the available lights is that a seat pack or a rack or panniers obscure the light when fitted to seat post or seat stay. We use only lights that come with a rack mount and our current favourite is the Moon Shield X which has a daylight flash mode at 300 lumens. We always use flashing front and rear lights in daylight. It makes a big difference to visibility especially on bright sunny days riding in and out of shadows.
I have a Moon and the only fault it has is that you will go blind using it. Please can you tell me a little bit more about how it fits on your rear racks please? I am hoping to do the same.
I've been using a Bontrager Flare3 for 7 years now. Very simple, button-operated steady/flashing/off modes, runs forever on 2xAAA NiMHs (and is obviously happy with any AAAs form the store should you run out of juice) and really deserves its name WRT visibility. Unfortunately they don't make them any more, the new ones all have built-in batteries, although new EU regulations should fix that soon.
With its separate battery pack, the Hope District is a bit unwieldy- however, it’s super bright and with the external battery pack it lasts for months!
These are very good, and much more visible when compared to the tiny self contained lights that are popular.
I was using See.Sense ACE for quite some time (with its "brake mode" enabled in urban environment) until I upgraded to a Radar few years ago. I found an Exposure TraceR MK1 (with the attachment clip etc) on the side of the road which I gave to my wife to use, and she did, until its battery gave up and it doesn't want to hold charge any more. Now she's using the ACE, but I think I'll get another Exposure for her (this time I'll pay for it...) it was such a brilliant light, and the battery life was phenomenonal.
I do use ACE, but found no problems with exposure lights at all and would replace like for like exposure for exposure if it broke and couldn’t be repaired.
Last summer, on a bright sunny morning, I was driving on the highway and I spotted a flashing red light far ahead of me, but I initially could not spot the source. Turns out a group of cyclists were out for a ride and one had a flashing red light on his bike. My takeaway was that rear lights really do make you more visible.
I too have a Blaze Mk1 and a Blaze Reakt. They’re my go to rear lights and I love them. Bombproof build quality and the irregular flash pattern is my fave for being seen. I did also have a dalliance with SeeSense and their early Icon models. The reactive flash pattern to headlights was impressive and I noticed cars giving me much more space when overtaking. However, the newer Icon flash pattern was so rapid i was somewhat concerned that I may give some drivers a seizure. I recently got a Varia which has the same irregular flash pattern as the Blaze. Great piece of kit although it can eat into the battery life of your (paired) head unit.
I have a different sort of light. It's the Armytek Wizard C2 WR warm version. It's main use is a headlamp, but with their optional bicycle mount or a universal flashlight mount, you can mount it to the bike front or rear. Your can mount it more ways if you are creative with the headlamp strap to mount to packs or racks. The light itself lets you easily switch between Red light (max 230 lumen) or Warm White light (max 1020 lumen) so it can be used as a headlight or taillight. It has five modes in either color including flashing.
The light has long run times, is completely waterproof, 10 meter drop tested, a standard 18650 power source, with a strong magnetic tailcap, and a 10 year warranty. It can be used as a headlamp, bicycle light (front or rear), an EDC light, a work light for cars, appliances etc. with the magnetic tailcap. You will definitely get your money's worth out of it with all the uses.
have a wizard c1 as a headlamp, helmet lamp for working inside wiindturbine blades, going camping, fixing my car, and light enough to not annoy you as a helmet lamp mountainbiking.
just take a spare battery with me that I up to now only needed in some 8h work days
... really good lights
I’ve used Lezyne lights for a few years now. The build quality is great and the newer ones have a feature that allows you to pair the front and rear lights so that you can turn them both on and change modes with one button press. Very handy if you are going on and off busy roads or you get a heavy rain shower.
I also have the varia rear light - I’d say it comes into its own on quieter roads where you might not expect cars as often. Riding through a town centre you kinda know there will be cars behind you so it gets a bit annoying. I’d recommend giving it a go if you’ve never tried one.
Rode for the first time with a borrowed Varia today and it was a revelation, exactly as you say. More useful on quiet roads.
@@alwaysanotheradventure I have had mine about a year and it feels strange riding without it now.
All great lights for sure, but also quite high end products. When it comes to the Varia I still can't understand why its better than a mirror! My latest mirror is a small Cateye number. It's a bar end mount (I use on drops) and it has a lovely lens. Never needs recharging and about 12 quid or a couple more at your LBS. Onto rear lights and my current fave is quite small, but is USB rechargeable. It has several modes, all have brake light function. This is great for our weekly group night rides. It also switches off if it senses no activity. A great unit from Aliexpress @ 14 quid. (ish). ROCKBROS Smart Bicycle Rear Light Auto Start/Stop Brake Sensing IPx6 Waterproof LED USB
a.aliexpress.com/_mM4PKxU
Lezyne customer service absolutely rules. My 300 strip failed, and they upgraded me to a 400 and shipped it quickly. It was barely an inconvenience.
A useful feature is to use the head unit to switch the light to flash and off. Yesterday I was off and on single track in a group ride and it was neat to switch on the flashing when back amongst cars. Also, don’t discount the radar in the back country. An atv or dirt bike speeding up behind you can hurt too if it hits.
Kinda wish I hadn’t put my money down for one now!
Thanks for your well considered Review & comments. In addition to my various (now aging permanent CatEye conspicuity) cycle lights have two more powerful front lights I plan to upgrade to a USB Rechargeable unit. I also have a small rear LED on my Rucksack because of cyclists on my walking pathways.
I use the Moon Nebula (200 lumen) attached to the pannier rack with the Moon Storm Pro on the front
My go to rear light is my exposure one, really effective, bright and bombproof. I have used the see sense but found they are not that robust and have a tendency to fail if used in really horrible weather. The other light i really like which is no longer produced is the Blaze Burner - (Blaze are now Beryl) I still have mine and it works fantastically as a commuter light, it reacts to dimming light and to braking and it has a bombproof build. I also like it came with a reflective mount for attaching to bags/panniers.
Plus 1 for Exposure 👍 although I've had people complain about it's brightness when riding at night in a group. On these occasions I turn it off and use my reserve CatEye instead which doesn't dazzle cyclists behind me.
I'll second that. My exposure flash/flare combo are simple, bright, compact, robust and have been going problem free for 5 years now.
Got a set of See Sense Ace's and Icon 2's that get swapped around my bikes. They are always on flash mode as I use another light on the front to see rather than be seen. Had no issues with them at all.
That Exposure once is extremely bright and hard to believe it's 10yrs old - that's value for money!
I use Aldi’s Bike Mate cycle lights. A bargain at £7.99. Encased in rubber with integral wrap around straps, fit well on seat post or handle bar of my mountain bike. Come with micro usb lead and hold their charge well. Also, have a low charge indicator light so you know when it’s time for a recharge. Have three modes - bright static, medium bright static and bright flashing. I always use them in flashing mode as i feel that’s the best way to get noticed and not get confused with mopeds etc. Good quality and value.
Sounds good. I’ll Look out for them.
I know it was a while ago, but I just got round to watching it now. Thanks Simon. It’s weird because I’ve been looking at buying a new rear light!
Thanks David. I have a lot of time too for the Varia Radar/Light (ua-cam.com/video/STPw1QPLn2s/v-deo.html). Not entirely sure about the new version with camera built-in.
I use the Son rear light. It is simple but for travel it does use a wire which runs forwards. I have it mounted to my rear rack which is a good place. Brightest light I have ever used was the Night Rider.
Garmin radar - I use in conjunction with exposure rear lights. The radar warns me and the light on the radar last 5 hours and changes it’s flash intensity when cars approach medium speed and then more on high speed approaches. On testing on my car in a layby cars slowed down as the flash looked rather like a cop. Happy days.
I’m a long time bike messenger in nyc and I’ve tested out every flash pattern there is and cars give you the most distance and slow the most down with fast irregular flash patterns like with the Super flash Turbo by Planet Bike. They have the perfect flash pattern and brightness. The worst flash patterns where cars go fast by you and extremely close to you are constant on and also slow pulse. Fast slash is good but not to fast where it just looks like it’s constant on basically, the best is irregular flash pattern though.
Nothing beats that sort of personal experience, thank you Isabella.
I have 2 Magicshine MJ-818 lights on the rear and they are the brightest daytime lights I have yet seen, even though they are rated at 85 lumens the real world visibility in bright daylight has to be seen to be believed and brighter than all my riding buddies lights. Sadly no longer made and you need an external battery, but the recent bunch of lights with tiny inbuilt batteries do not appeal to me.
I use an Exposure Trace R and it has served me well for the last 5yrs only 75 lumens but fellow riders say they can see me 100 meters away in daylight.
I was out on an all-night ride once with someone who had that Exposure rear light. I had to stay ahead of him, and others asked him to turn it off as it was so bright it was burning everyone else’s retinas.
Its a distraction to drivers to when you get close to them at night. I've been squinting/turning my head to look away in my car as I go around some that have really bright rear flashers They really need daytime and nighttime modes so they don't cause accidents.
I use an older exposure which I attach to my ankle with hair bands. I've heard that a moving flashing light is even more visible.
Absolutely- quite detailed research showed that. Great idea.
very good video,i always use cateye front and rear but found the halfords one every bit as good @ 18 euro.
The brightest taillight I have seen is the Cygolite hotshot, I would recommend it for daytime riding. It's too bright if you are riding with a group at night, you will blind your group mates. My favorite taillight is the cateye tight kinetic, it gets brighter when you hit the brakes, like a car, and it also uses triple AAA batteries, I put rechargeable batteries in mine.
It seems the Cgolite is popular, especially the one up from your taking it from 200 to 300 lumens - thanks for the info,
We have 3 See.Sense lights, all ace model. The fronts have been great - patterns and brightness, fixing etc. The rear never held charge that well and only really works on a seatpost (not a stay) so is now pointless. One good thing with See.Sense is you can pay a small charge for a full service that includes a battery change I beleive. However K won't bother due to the mount limitations.
We have a Cateye x2 (I think)with the brake light function - I let my wife use this as to me it looks the brightest and the bra,e lignt works amazingly well. She cycles in town and I want her to be safe. Seatstay mount is great too as she doesn't have a huge expanse of seatpost and carries a bag which may block the light.
I also love my Light & Motion front lignt with tne amber sides. Considering a rear to match althougn size and weight is huge! Makes me think build quality is good though. Anyone any experience of the Vis180 Pro?
Curious about the SON lighting systems.
Truth is I don’t know enough about them to comment. There are SO many lights out there. Seriously - I get at least 2 emails a month from another light maker wanting a video in return for a free light.
SON are mainly dynamo lights, so permanently attached to the bike, never need charging, but you can’t swap them easily from bike to bike. They are the gold standard for Audax riders, who ride all night and sometimes over several nights.
I've got the cateye, very happy with it - it's relatively cheap and easy to use. I'm not keen on the charge port either, but so far it's not been an issue.
Thanks for this, would an update be possible?
Good video, look forward to you Varia review if you get one. Looks very interesting.
It’s superb David’s . After shooting this video, I wrote to Garmin to ask if they could lend me one. I rode with it for the first time yesterday and was seriously impressed. I’ll take it on a bikepacking road trip next week then do a proper video. I’ve already posted something about it for members.
I too like to have two rear daytime running lights. I have the Bontrager Ion and Flare front and rear light set which I find to be good lights, and I have the Varia rear light/radar.
Hi Paul, i am toying with getting a set of these in addition to other lights but unsure about the front light, i generally do not use front lights in daylight and usually ride in rural locations. I'm wondering if the front Ion would just take up space that a second light could be used instead that would also illuminate the road better? as opposed to others just seeing me - any opinions as you are an owner would be appreciated.
@@Tim955w hi Tim, if I was looking for a light to be used at night, to light up the road ahead etc, I think I would choose a different light. I specifically wanted a day time running front light (bear in mind, mine is the 200 RT and not the PRO RT) as I never ride in the dark. To be honest, I haven’t used this in the dark so I can’t say how good, or not so good, it is. Having said that, I think there are much more powerful front lights on the market that would be more suitable for what you are looking for. Hope that helps 👍
@@MrAnon-2024 Thanks Paul, yes i think on reflection i will get the rear Bontrager light plus a more illuminating front night light as a back up to my main light. Best wishes.
@@Tim955w no problem 👍
Would not touch see sense rear light. I had one, most unpredictable and unreliable light I’ve ever bought and support was awful.
One of the many incidents I had with it, would turn itself off. It did this on a busy A road in very poor weather. Only way I could get it turned back on was to restart it via the app. But it again turned itself off.
Best rear lights I’ve used are exposure blaze and tracer light. The best helmet light I’ve used is a exposure link plus. Has front and rear light and I pair this with a exposure tracer on the seatpost. Loverly lights
🙂🙂👍
Wow that's not so great about the SeeSense! Thanks.
Mounted two Link Plus MK3’s to an Exposure headband. Great for unusual bikes or if your cockpit’s crowded.
Use a Olight at the moment which I really like, however I have just ordered an Icon 3 myself. Thank you for the vid 👍👍👍🚴🚴
Its that time of the year. Which are the better usb ,apps lights? I commute to work in the early morning, the other day get to work and my back light went out, is there a light that lets you know when its going to go out? My front light has a system that it flashes when it tets close to quiting
Nitecore BR25 front and MagicShine SeeMee 300 on the rear.
I ran the super flashes for years. Still have them actually.
I have a secret. The Trelock LS720 Reego is about the size of a small matchbox, indestructible and lasts for hours or even days. It will remain the best light ever developed, and really your video needs to consider these super small lights that are about the size of a 50 pence coin and fully waterproof.
I have the Cateye but it is simply not bright enough on flash mode on sunny days.
Interesting Robert. Have you checked out the Varia video ua-cam.com/video/STPw1QPLn2s/v-deo.html ? That gadget made me re-think my approach to tail lights
Lights test - the only light I would replace if I lost them is my EXPOSURE lights . I have tried many many lights. Doing 12 hour rides and a over they last for ages. They are highly visible and built by a diving lights company so know what waterproof means.
Very good and helpful video
I mount a Seemee 150 on the back of my helmet. Makes me MUUUUCH more visible. I have a Garmin Varia radar light on the seat post
Great combo
Hi Simon. Great video. I’ve the see sense back light works ok but the front I can never get to go on. Charges ok, but it’s frustrating. Must be gubbed. Only had a few months. Need to get it replaced
So many of these modern lights seem to have limited lifespans. Have you tried sending it back to them Alex?
@@alwaysanotheradventure I actually got them free when i resigned up to british cycling at christmas they were doing a promotion. so suppose ive not lost anything as they were foc but still annoying.
I have a Cliq light on one of my bikes. It's not the brightest rear flashing light that I've owned-the Cygolite Hotshot 250 lumens is. I do like the app controller, but 10 to 15% of the time the app won't connect to the light. Luckily, the light can be turned on manually.
The Blaze is way brighter than the stated 80 lumens and Exposure put a lot of research into their DayBright flash mode and it shows. Also the MK3 does go brighter than 80 lumens. The brake light increases output to 150 lumens. Despite that it's difficult to recommend the Blaze. It's about as expensive as a rear light without a camera or radar can be and the mount is plain bad. Similar to you the first time i owned a Blaze i never had any issues with the mount but the one i bought a decade later came off on the first pothole on the first ride. Look online and you'll find plenty of other people this has happened to. Long as you notice the light coming off and there's not cars directly behind it should survive the fall due to the all metal construction. On a side note the elastic band and plastic clip mounts Exposure do on their non £500 lights aren't suited to commuting. Multiple times gone to unlock the bike and the mounts due to their bright red elastic bands are gone. That's not to say the mounts for those £500 lights are reliable. Had multiple of those fail too (all fit by bike shop mechanics). Called Exposure. Weren't particularly interested. Said they considered the mount to be completely secure even though they admitted in the same conversation that a colleague rode his with a velcro strap wrapped round it. Brought up that there's a cottage industry of companies that do improved 3D printed mounts and the ones for the Blaze have these plastic tabs letting you use a second elastic band to keep the Blaze 100% secure. Asked if they could do that with future versions of the Blaze. Would be such a simple thing to do and would mean you wouldn't have to buy one of these 3D printed mounts for £50 from a third party company. Was told Exposure had no interest in ever doing that. And that £50 turns into £100 or £150 if you have multiple bikes. Shame as the optics on Exposure lights are camera quality level but their mounts and customer service are subpar. Would recommend the Knog Big Cobber. 360° visibility when used with a front Cobber which is a gamechanger and can customise the modes but its mount is maybe even worse than that of the Blaze. Semi made up for by Knog having amazing customer service. What i would actually recommend then is the Cygolite Hypershot 350. Isn't a brand sold in Europe but is easily imported. Cheaper, lighter and brighter than the Blaze. Optics are actually similar to the Blaze in that they both use these insect type lenses the sort you see on traffic lights. Unlike the Knog Big Cobber you can actually customise the Hypershot's modes directly from the light. Comes with a mount that can be fitted to the seat post or seat stay. Quick and secure to mount. Light also has a clip built into it that lets you mount it to a saddle bag or backpack. Lot of lights now claim a very high lumen output say 350 lumens but in reality that's just a daytime flash mode and even that flashes three times and only one of those three flashes is 350 lumens. The solid modes on these lights are sometimes 50 lumens or less. The Hypershot is actually 350 lumens in all modes unless you program it not be. Couple of honorary mentions. In terms of cheapest brightest light then the Moon Nebula. £25 and reviews when it was first released mentioned it being too bright. Competitively priced and loaded with features would be the Magicshine Seemee 200. Gopro mounting under the saddle, flares when braking, extra mounts included and a secondary downward facing lens that when dark casts a circle of red over the ground. Then the quirky/pro option would be the Four4th Scorpion. Mounts under the saddle and is popular with people doing races and triathlons. Its signature mode flashes twice red and then a third flash in green.
Some great info here - thank you
Agree with Bikepacking Adventure. Had two See Sense rear lights (Icon and Ace) both lost charge when not in use. Both really unreliable- felt like they were prototype models rushed into production. Lost faith in them. Exposure are the biz- reliable and bombproof. Now got a variety of front and rear models including Blaze. After sales also top notch- had batteries replaced when they give up. Not cheap but as the old saying goes, ‘you get what you pay for’
I had similar charging issues with the SeeSense lights, but lost them both anyway when riding over rough ground.They just became unclipped from the very flimsy housing.
Wouldn’t buy again.
Ha! did you FINALLY get your see.sense icon 3?? i just got mine about a month ago.. great lights but one already failed on me in the first week. they replaced it in about a week. still happy with them.
That’s not good. I did get mine but there’s not seatpost space for my Garmin Varia and the Icon 3 so I’ve not used it much.
What annoys me with these rear lights is the blinking patterns always have an “off” moment; between the blinks the lights is actually off! I would like it to be on AND emit a brighter flash in between. This way, with fast traffic right next to you, the lights is never off.
I tend to use two lights with one permanently on
Try cateye viz450, brilliant. I love it. bright, long life with 1 charging.
I have a Bikepacking Seat Pack/Bag occupying the space below my seat, no room left on the post, how can I mount a rear light considering there's no room available there? Also, I'm using a bulky real ALDI camera light. Any advice on fitting the rear light with this setup?"
BTW my seatstays are aero, and I've always found mounting there, the light tends to point at the sky not backwards. Great Video
I’m honestly not sure. Can you fasten it to the bikepacking bag? That would seem the easiest way. A second light shining upwards is also quite visible - especially one that has a wide dispersal pattern and illuminates you, but not using it as a main light. Sorry I’m not more helpful.
@@alwaysanotheradventureThanks for your reply. I've got one of these, but it seems my creative brain is on holiday, leaving the camera light orientation as confused as a chameleon in a bag of Skittles. Time to channel my inner Picasso and convince this gadget that sideways is the new up! ae01.alicdn.com/kf/S792837ebadf849209879f651309069d1S.jpg
You should test out the See.Sense Icon 3 rear when it’s out, it’s got a better Garmin style mount and is brighter (350 lumen). The ace is their lowest brightness lights designed for commuting in urban areas, the Icon is bright enough for rural and urban areas.
I will Matt. I tried to get the Icon2 but the Ace was all they could send for now.
@@alwaysanotheradventure the Ace is 125 lumen, the icon 2 is 300 lumen and the icon 3 is 350 lumen so it’ll be interesting to compare them. The icon 2 is discontinued as the icon 3 is taking its place, I’ve pre ordered the icon 3 to use with my Garmin Varia.
@@MattCantor21 Sounds a good combo. First ride yesterday with a loaner Varia and hugely impressed. I’m a bit cautious about claimed “lumens”. The brightest light of the four I used had the lowest lumens claim - I don’t know how they’re measured (I should find out) but I suspect it’s like car mpg or electric car range figures.
@@alwaysanotheradventure I think COB is more dispersed beam pattern whereas the exposure ones have a single LED so will appear brighter. I feel COB will be less dazzling to vehicles behind as the light is spread out over several little LEDS rather that a focused single LED.
@@MattCantor21 That's a very good point Matt. The side spread of the COB is what appealed and a few people have said the Exposure was TOO bright, especially when they had riders behind them.
Have you tested the Garmin Varia radar light? Not earth shattering as a light, but the radar feature is incredible.
It’s superb Stefan. After shooting this video, I wrote to Garmin to ask if they could lend me one. I rode with it for the first time yesterday and was seriously impressed. I’ll take it on a bikepacking road trip next week then do a proper video. I’ve already posted something about it for members.
@@alwaysanotheradventure Ah brilliant! Yes it's a bit of tech that you don't realise you want
eed, but then after using it you don't ever want to ride on a road without it! I hope Garmin hook you up with one :)
Wonder why the Garmin Varia was excluded because it has extra features (radar) but others that have extra features (movement alarms) were included... is the Garmin Varia any good from a rear light point of view or is the light just an afterthought to add to the radar?
Sorry if I didn’t explain clearly Mick. The ones I tested were lights first and foremost, then a couple had simple extra features.
The Garmin at +£200 is clearly not a light with a little extra, it’s a radar with a light.
Likewise the video camera / lights.
Garmin has now sent me one to test and I’m hugely impressed, and once I’ve used it for a couple of weeks I’ll do a video.
@@alwaysanotheradventure Excellent, I'll look forward to that as I'm keen on the radar but unsure whether to go for the more expensive version that's combined with a rear light or the cheaper, radar only version and use a separate rear light
Thanks!
I’ve had two Seesense lights fall off and shatter. The older ones have given up the ghost and can no longer recharge after 2 years. The after sales help is just pitiful and will no longer be on my shopping list. I’ve always helped support local companies but if they fail to return the favour they’re not worth supporting.
Well that's a bit rubbish Stephen! It's surprising how different people's experience can be with the same products. My friend also had one die after a few months and just gave up.
Have the cliq. LOVE, LOVE, LOVE the light. Until the "holder" snapped. NOT happy.
Water can get in and it made the best? Thank God that it dost rain in England very often.
Eh? I'm not sure what you are saying. The Exposure has never leaked. And I'm in Scotland - a different country. 😁
Can the blaze fit on the seat stays??
Not in the mount it comes with - there might be another mount
I followed up on this with Exposure Lights. Here's their reply: "We don’t really have mounts for this, we typically point people in the direction of Race Ware Direct, who create customs mounts and have all sorts of options for all of our lights. and if they don’t already have what you’re after they will come up with it " I hopethat's useful.
I don’t like the rear light on the bike, my seats too low and with a Mudguard fitted the lights just hidden… I use the exposure helmet mounted light with red and white lights.
I’m not certain but I think that breaks the law which says lights must be bike mounted. Secondary lights can be on the person (or elsewhere). Not that I expect anyone would care if it can be seen!
@@alwaysanotheradventure it does brake the law, but any police office who stopped me would see there is no place on the seat post to mount a rear light as I’m not tall enough to have the saddle raised..
other then seat stays, there no other place to mount
Been riding 30 years, never had an issue
Your supposed to have reflectors, but I don’t see many serious cyclist with reflectors on there carbon rims 😂
The Highway Code says Rule 60
At night your cycle MUST have white front and red rear lights lit. It MUST also be fitted with a red rear reflector (and amber pedal reflectors, if manufactured after 1/10/85). White front reflectors and spoke reflectors will also help you to be seen. Flashing lights are permitted but it is recommended that cyclists who are riding in areas without street lighting use a steady front lamp.
Have had all three generations of Link Plus lights. Mounted them on an Exposure headband and have one either side. Having the light higher up makes such a difference.
Great review. I can’t imagine camera lights being great even if you had reviewed them. I can only imagine the camera getting a dirty lens or the car headlights blinding their vision for anything useful.
i noticed riding and driving behind cyclists that kind of single point rear lights are bullshit... no matter the size or brightness.
you just cannot judge the distance from behind an as the light gets brighter you even get blinded and unable to see the rider itself (therefor even less able to judge distance, handsigns or possible actions like breaking)
you end up spoiling your own safety and especially with blinking modes the safety of others by drawing to much constant attention onto yourself.
the cateye x2 kinetic is about the best i could find... beeing long and thin you are able to judge the distance from quite far behind just by the growing lengths of the line
i'd really like to see someone buid a subtle blink, like 3s on, 0.5s off, 3s on
Thanks for this. There are a few studies into bike lighting, but no clear conclusions regarding conspicuity and placement or flashing/static for rear. Situations vary so much; urban, suburban and dark countryside all seem to require different solutions. I do like that Kinetic you mention, and I suspect the longer versions that look like a bar might be good too. The new light-up pedals sound an excellent urban / sub-urban solution with the movement of the pedals attracting attention. Thanks for the comment.
@@alwaysanotheradventure true enough... i'm talking more about unlit or dim countryside /suburbs, where you have higher closing speeds and basically no difficulty to spot a light.
but in town as a car driver i mostly have uncertainty about spotting cyclists in the sidemirror especially with raindrops on it. which is when you get hit as a cyclist but not because of your rearlight visibility but the front light.
never heard of cyclist beeing run over in town from behind because of not being seen... its usually disrespect, or ill judgment... but youll not solve that problem by pointing a flashing and potential blinding light into the driver behind you to get him waiting patiently.
its usually about your behavior... drive in the middle of the lane when there is no opportunity to pass savely and no one will try.
out in the countryside as i said... get people to realize their closing speed asap, so that they can judge if they are able to pass before incoming traffic or able to break... make the decision easy and obvious by not riding on the edge of the road and getting the temptation up of just squeezing past instead of hitting the brake... no one will run a person over on purpose right in front of him/her
No mention on auto off
It’s not something that would influence my buying decision although I agree it’s nice to have.
It’s not something that would influence my buying decision although I agree it’s nice to have.
My see sense ace was good but only last 18 months
I see you deleted my previous comment. Fair enough as I foolishly added a link to it. However, great review. One question, why choose a Varia over a mirror?
Hi Nick - not me, but UA-cam has a habit of removing comments with links and there's nothing I can do about it. I'm currently testing a Varia and the point you raise is one I'll mention in the (eventual) review. Here's a quick preview - the Varia (I now know) is not really about telling you stuff behind you. It's about alerting you to the fact it's there. This is why it's more useful on relatively quiet suburban or rural roads than in cities. In town, you're going to always be alert. In the country, concentration tends to drift as you look at the scenery. Or in a strong headwind, you just don't hear what's coming up behind. I've experienced both of these. The job of the Varia is to buzz quiet loudly and draw your attention to something approaching - and THEN perhaps look in the mirror to see what it is. Unless you're going to be glued to tat mirror, the Varia compliments it not replaces it.
@@alwaysanotheradventure Thanks for your reply. That use of the Varia had not occurred to me, to complement a mirror. I would have disagreed but today..... Going fast, head wind, and dodging bumps I didn't see the car until it was past!
Great channel BTW and well presented 👍🏼.
cateye 450 viz try that one
#1 rule of group rides... No two taillights shall be the same.
🛌🛌🛌🛌🛌🛌🛌🌃🌃🌃🌃🌃🌃🌃🌃🌃🌃 0:19 0:19
FLY 6 awful. Battery doesn't last long enough.
FLY 12 awful. Gave up after failure of a second unit. Not fit for purpose.
All Knog lights rubbish - too delicate for UK weather and battery doesn't last.
Brake light feature - waste of time.
Best lights front and back at the moment - anything Lezyne.
Hope + Exposure also been reliable and dependable on MTB night rides. They also stand by their products long after warranty/guarantee.
After having a couple of cheap lights fail when I started cycling back in 2015 I bought a set of Lezyne lights - they were pricey at the time but definitely worth it, they still work great 7 years later.
My 1st Gen Fly 6 is still going strong after 5 years. It lasts about 5 hours on one charge, which is enough for 2 rides for me. It’s longer lasting than any Go Pro battery. I also have a Fly 12 but it’s a heavy old beast and I hardly use it.
OH you got that right, i bought the fly 12 and fly 6 back in 2018. the 12 was a complete failure from the start and i returned it. my fly 6 still works but the battery life varies from ride to ride
I don't understand bike blinker manufacturers, you can buy a high tech blinker or a reflector, but you cannot buy a reflector that blinks!!! WTF??? IS THERE A LAW THAT SAYS YOU CANNOT COMBINED THE TWO??!
Besides people you actually need three of these blinkers one for the back and one on each side!!!
If you have a dynamo you can actually charge the lights while you ride during the day.... Mind blowing...
Not a fan of the turn indicators because motorists don’t expect them and don’t know what they are. Quite a few lights can’t charge while on - regardless of Dynamo hub or battery pack. Need to pick these the care.
£99 for the Icon 3. I know what they mean when they say See Sense. Probably costs them a few quid to make it, absolutely bonkers price.
I’m not that impressed long term. First one failed in the rain.
mactronic WALLE v1 bpm-2sl is cheap and awesome
OMG Germany and its stupid laws!! I live in Germany and it's indeed not allowed to have a flashing light on a bike, but it's totally fine if you have a flashing light on your helmet or on your backpack! pure stupidity..
Varia
Garmin Varia bike radar - worth it? Full review RTL515
ua-cam.com/video/STPw1QPLn2s/v-deo.html
Don't buy Serfas lights. front or back. Over the years almost everyone I've had has been garbage. The circuits give out, they won't take a decent charge, the straps and mounts break without warning - leaving the broken light on the pavement to be run over by the car behind you. Just be careful, it doesn't run over you too when you try to retrieve it. Then there's the fight over the warranty. Chinese garbage. Enough aggravation! More than enough! I've moved over to Cat Eye.
At night, in an urban environment, and as a car driver, I find flashing lights to be dangerous. It messes with my ability to position the bike and understand its direction and speed. If being noticed was the ultimate judge of performance, then a laser beam directly pointed to my eyeballs would get the best score (and the most accidents).
Radar is useless in an urban environment, too many cars. I use two rear lights, one static and one flashing, one rechargeable the other battery.
Yep - completely agree
Cliq by smart bike light has failed to deliver or refund 50% of customers according to trust pilot. Do not push more unsuspecting cycling consumers to this company.
Thanks for that. I've updated the description and linked to the TrustPilot reports.
They even boast on their website about reviews on UA-cam to give them legitimacy. We must stop others being misdirected and scammed. Over $2Million in purchases not fulfilled or refunded. 40,000 units ordered- 10,000 iOS app downloads and 10,000 android downloads.. leaving 20,000 unfulfilled. 49% trust pilot reviews say the company has failed to deliver, failed to refund and has gone dark. Average spend is $100 × 20,000 (unfulfilled orders) = $2 Million in fraudulent profits.