Are You Worth $20?
Thread started by
User1 at 08.24.09 - 12:06 pm
The cheapest insurance you can get is to get a good back light. I hope you consider that you're worth at least spending $20 on? The Planet Bike Superflash is hands down the best back light out there, and Performance has it on sale for $20. That's the cheapest I've ever seen it. If Performance Bikes is too far for you, try asking if your LBS would consider price matching. Either way, other than a helmet, this is probably the next best thing to make sure you have a safe ride at night.
Superflash
Don't know anything about this one, but it's also a 1/2 watt and a bit cheaper,
ViewPoint Flashpoint
The
CherryBomb is ok, but I like the Superflash better.
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I use it during the day and at night.
another question...are you worth $150? that's how much the night rider minewt light is selling for. in my opinion it is even more important to have a good front light. I use mine on blinker mode day AND night. those little knog lights don't do shit. I know my minewt is working because I get yelled at every once in a while by drivers who complain that it's bright which is perfect.
Roadblock08.24.09 - 12:11 pm
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I think I paid $20 at LA BRAKELESS as well a few months ago for the same light.
LAB'S on Venice just East of Centinela. Give them your business over Performance.
barleye08.24.09 - 12:11 pm
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wow ur right! Great to see they got a nice price on this too. Yeah, go to them for it.
superflash
User1 responding to a
comment by barleye
08.24.09 - 12:18 pm
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Im not worth $20...
But I think these are genius lights (addition to stronger lights to see with):
http://www.reelight.com/
I have a set... they're actually really easy to use. The only problem I have: I use my bikes for both street and trails. I dont like having to remove the light if I use my road bike on the trails (dont want to break it, nor litter the trail if it does).
But I agree with some reviews I read years ago: Every bike should come with a set.
They are battery-less
More expensive version has a built in capacitor to hold a charge (for intersection stops).
Great lights period
md208.24.09 - 12:20 pm
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those knog lights are such crap.... THIEF MAGNETS.... forget to take them off, and walk away 30ft from your bike, and blam, gone.... easy as hell to take on and off.... NEVER AGAIN
braydon responding to a
comment by Roadblock
08.24.09 - 12:22 pm
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Get reelights... harder to steal... especially if you use bolt on axles...
come on, I get kick backs from this company
md2 responding to a
comment by braydon
08.24.09 - 12:25 pm
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Can this clip on a belt, or bag.... That would be ideal, can't forget to take it off the bike.
braydon08.24.09 - 12:26 pm
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no battery is nice.... but I ride a few bikes too... and don't want to fork down money for lights for all of them....
braydon responding to a
comment by md2
08.24.09 - 12:30 pm
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not to push the lights too much.... (plus the performance light is worth getting)...
anyhow... I think the battery free lights pay themselves off in the short-long run. Batteries are expensive, even if you shop at the .99 cent store.
just something to consider...
Ideal for commuter bikes, because you dont have to worry about forgetting your lights or batteries running out.
kind of a nerd light though... girls usually like boys with no lights, no brakes, and no helmets: so think hard before you buy.
md2 responding to a
comment by braydon
08.24.09 - 12:36 pm
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2 AA batteries are less than $4
I'm going on 30-40 hours so far on my LAB bought $20 light.
barleye responding to a
comment by md2
08.24.09 - 12:38 pm
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yeah not paying for batteries does save...
braydon responding to a
comment by md2
08.24.09 - 12:38 pm
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they're AAA's and the first 2 are included.
barleye responding to a
comment by braydon
08.24.09 - 12:40 pm
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Yeah clip on superflash I think in the ticket.
braydon responding to a
comment by barleye
08.24.09 - 12:42 pm
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If those type of girls like those type of guys I suppose they're a good pairing for each other. /sarcasm. I like my bf with plenty of lights and his helmet, it at least insures he has a higher chance of coming home intact every night.
dusky responding to a
comment by md2
08.24.09 - 12:45 pm
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What's the cheapest spot to get one of the Minewt Niterider lights? I've been lagging on getting one for too long.
Graham08.24.09 - 12:45 pm
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Also a good front light is even more important... every damn time I've almost had a car collision has been from someone turning in front of me, day or night.... luckily i was able to pull out and swerve enough to miss them... but damn if i didn't want to smash up one of their windows....
braydon08.24.09 - 12:48 pm
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I know... even less at 99cent store.
But the batteries for reelights cost even less.
but thats kind of missing the point about the lights:
1. no batteries = more eco-friendly, less expensive in the long run (maybe even similar, since you only have to buy a set, and then can cost the same as a set of bike lights that take batteries)
2. They are more theft-resistant in many situations. Does a theft want to remove magnets? but lack the versatility of removing quickly if you fear leaving the bike out too long
3. dont have to worry about forgetting the lights
4. dont have to worry about batteries running out.
Front and back light combo is at least $30
The set of reelights can be found for $40+
worth looking into--thats all
lunchtime...peace
md2 responding to a
comment by barleye
08.24.09 - 12:49 pm
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I get QUALITY rechargeable AAA batteries for about a buck a piece at the TRW swapmeet. AA are slightly higher in price. I find that price to be quite reasonable. You just have to keep an eye out for a charger onsale at Fry's if you don't have one.
Kick the Disposable Battery Habit
Regarding the Reelight; check the feedback on amazon.com. They aren't exactly stellar reviews.
User1 responding to a
comment by md2
08.24.09 - 12:52 pm
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Having a good working rear light is much more important than a front light as far as being seen goes. You are most vulnerable from behind because you can't always see what is going on back there. It is much easier to react to what happens in front of you.
I use the cherry bomb. I loves it. and it looks better than the superflash. Advice: don't turn it on facing you 8 inches from your face to see how it works. Burned the fuck out of my retinas doing that. hah.
I do use the big knog light mostly...the one with the three lights...if you keep fresh batteries in it, it's pretty bright. the cherry bomb and superflash are just as easy to steal since they snap on. I like the knog's versatility because I have several bikes and those lights fit any bike without needing extra hardware. I think the cherry bomb's clip isn't tight enough...I don't trust it not to fall off of my bag when I'm riding. anyways I am rambling ok bye
la duderina08.24.09 - 1:04 pm
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"Having a good working rear light is much more important than a front light as far as being seen goes. You are most vulnerable from behind because you can't always see what is going on back there. It is much easier to react to what happens in front of you."
Except if you hit them the impact will be greater, they are likely traveling at least 10m/hi if turning, and us going forward at 20m/h plus 10m/h from their movement, for a 30m/h raw impact.... ouch.
Car traveling from behind at 35mi, biker going at 20mi is half the impact... 15m/h.... but there are drunk drivers out there, where light or no light.... it won't help.
But this is all speculative.... but yeah.... i'll just say front & back are important.
braydon responding to a
comment by la duderina
08.24.09 - 1:23 pm
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The whole point is that YOU can see what is happening in front of you, therefore you can react to it. You can always slam on the brakes or swerve. If you don't have enough time to react to a car pulling out in front of you, then that moron would have hit you whether or not you had a light.
Now cars coming from behind, you can't always see what they are doing and therefore can't react to their stupidity as easily as to what cars in front of you are doing. Thus, it is very important that you can be seen from behind so that cars can go around you.
I'll go out at night without a front light waaay before I would go without a rear light...and if all I had was a front light I would put that shit on the back. But I mean this is all opinion here, I just happen to have more of an expert opinion. hah..
One thing people tend to overlook A LOT is side visibility. I like lights that make you visible from the side, which makes it safer at night for passing through intersections and such. I know the cherry bomb was design for good side visibility...not sure how the superflash rates on that one.
la duderina responding to a
comment by braydon
08.24.09 - 1:32 pm
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I had one of these damned things back in '07.
Affixed it to my rear-rack and rode with it for a few days until I hit some rough-hewn streets in Jacksonville, FL.
Street conditions rattled that thing right off of there and it shattered into a million pieces on the road.
Anywho, point I'm getting at with most lights is the fact that they seem to package them with mounting brackets strictly for seatposts and such.
They never, to this day, seem to give two rat-shits about those of us with some type of cargo-rack.
I don't know about everyone else, but it's getting to the point where I would rather have something that's easily mountable to racks without problems.
As opposed to having to configure our own mounting solution each and every time.
Just thought I'd get this haunting fact out there that's been waking me up in cold-sweats for awhile.
bentstrider08.24.09 - 1:52 pm
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I think the cherry bomb's clip isn't tight enough...I don't trust it not to fall off of my bag when I'm riding.
This is what I didn't like about the cherry bomb. That thing poped off twice on my seat bag. I called the company about this and they said they haven't gotten any complaints about it yet. They took my info down and told me to call them if I ever lost my light this way. They'd send me a replacement.
Regarding front vs back light. I agree with you in regards to the back light being far more important. You could always rely on your defensive riding skills with what's in front of you. Kinda hard to do this with what's behind you.
And the scenario of an impact of car's mph plus bike's mph just does not happen very often. These accident scenarios
here are far more likely to happen.
User1 responding to a
comment by la duderina
08.24.09 - 1:55 pm
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someone showed me a small trick to make it harder to steal the superflash....snap it onto the base, then place it on the downtube with the top of the superflash touching the frame. since it needs to be lifted up to take out, you're leaving no room for it to be pushed up....hence harder to steal.
barleye08.24.09 - 1:56 pm
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Not to mention the fact that because you ride with the flow of traffic, the vast majority of cars you encounter are coming at you from behind...versus the occasional idiot making an unsafe turn out of a driveway or intersection. Yeah rear lights wayy more important.
la duderina responding to a
comment by User1
08.24.09 - 2:01 pm
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Yeah I really don't like riding without a back-light either. I need to get a replacement SOON. El Meastros is so close so I'll probably swing by there first to see what they have.
braydon responding to a
comment by la duderina
08.24.09 - 2:17 pm
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+ 1 for the SuperFlash and OP. It's offensively bright in a nice handsome form factor. But I think what hasn't been mentioned yet is how many months it will run super bright before dimming. All that battery talk is besides the point when something like the SuperFlash runs so long on the original battery. Months and months and months, srsly.
0gravity08.24.09 - 2:22 pm
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Good idea, man. I've had one ripped off and was super-pissed about it.
0gravity responding to a
comment by barleye
08.24.09 - 2:23 pm
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So Maestros didn't have any clip on lights.... the superflash, or cherrybomb. Any other places close to DTLA that might have a decent clip on light? Otherwise I might have to swing by LABrakeless on my way over to santamonica tomorrow......
braydon08.24.09 - 3:42 pm
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So, does anyone know if the SuperFlash has good side visibility? That'll pretty much be the deciding factor between it and the Cherrybomb for me.
BMFW responding to a
comment by la duderina
08.24.09 - 3:46 pm
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I have both lights and the Superflash wins by a mile. The side view is far brighter and can be pretty freakin bright on the sides. Not only that it also has a better flash pattern. What I really like is that the superflash is brighter looking from the back. This is true even though they're both 1/2 watts. I checked the batteries before I compared them and they all had the same charge too.
User1 responding to a
comment by BMFW
08.24.09 - 8:39 pm
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On the subject of the title, perhaps I should invest in a kick-ass policy.
Never too late to start thinking about those phantom grandkids that will pop up out of nowhere.
bentstrider08.25.09 - 2:58 am
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Those superflash ones are obnoxiously bright, which happens to be a good thing, for only being 20 bucks. Been meaning to get one of those and ditch my shitty cateye.
angrytoaster3008.25.09 - 3:16 am
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maestro's "HAD" super flashes, but i bought all 3.I seriously bought them all :P
srry, i told manny or jr to get some more.
hopefully they will
tekmo responding to a
comment by braydon
08.25.09 - 3:21 am
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That's right and don't forget it!
User1 responding to a
comment by la duderina
08.25.09 - 11:58 am
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god damn it people, stop buying all the clip on lights at all the stores I go to.
braydon08.25.09 - 11:44 pm
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and yes the front light is more important. i almost got hit AGAIN today front some lady pulling right in front of me on her left hand turn. i had a front light, still didn't see me though, maybe I need a laser show in the front of my bike
braydon08.25.09 - 11:48 pm
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never go to any store anyone recommends on this website
braydon08.25.09 - 11:49 pm
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Those reelights are pretty awesome. I don't use them myself, but i've seen them on another bike. No batteries is a huge plus, because even if you don't mind buying batteries, or the waste that results in it....a light with dead batteries is useless.
Awww Braydon, I got a clip on at El Maestro's a few weeks ago. Unfortunately, I lost it when I crashed last week. I need to get over to a bike shop and get another one too.
BIKE LIGHTS FTW!
kryxtanicole responding to a
comment by braydon
08.26.09 - 12:01 am
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and yes the front light is more important.
wrong.
if you keep 'almost' getting hit by people (esp from the front!), you don't need a laser show on the front of your bicycle, you just need to pay more attention.
la duderina responding to a
comment by braydon
08.26.09 - 12:11 am
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Braydon, Linsey's right. The rear light is the more important light of the two. She's outlined it right, as well as I did as far the reasons for it. If you almost got hit in the day time, then you need to wear bright clothes and yes a front light wouldn't hurt, even though it's not mentioned on the site, http://bicyclesafe.com/ If it happened at night, then maybe look for a brighter front light?
User1 responding to a
comment by la duderina
08.26.09 - 2:01 pm
reply
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