Bright Rear Lights

[Nanci]

I had the Cateye TL-LD1000- and was quite unhappy with it. It is so heavy that it is difficult to mount on anything soft- like a seat bag. (Can't aim corrrectly and goes flying off) So I put it on the holder on my rack that is made for lights, and it broke that off! I really needed it for a ride, so had it electric taped to the rack, and it was quite unreliable- turning itself off and on.

Right now I have two of these Cateye TL-LD600 Tail Lights-
http://tinyurl.com/oatyv - one on each seat stay, vertically, and another rectangular six-LED light that lives on the bike permanently. At night I use all three, plus a blinky on the back of my helmet.

It's pretty important to have the lights aimed correctly (horizontally) so they are easier for drivers to see- make sure they aren't pointed up or down.

A friend I ride with has a three LED light that is so bright it's impossible to ride behind her, almost. I am trying to find out what it is- I'll let you know.

Nanci

[Nanci]

http://www.serfas.com/lights/TL-1000.shtml

Ride buddy says this light is visible at one mile away as tested on a night ride on a paved trail. Around $29.

[Fredwina]

I've got a dual TL-LD600 set up. Saw lot of bikes set up like that at The Furnace Creek 508, too.

[xeney]

I had one of those TL-LD600s, but I gave it to my husband and he mounted it vertically on his seatpost. On our first night time ride together I was really horrified by how not visible it was. Horizontally, you can't miss it. Vertically, it seemed to really disappear. Fortunately (!) he left it on the bike and somebody stole it.

[pooks]

xeney -- where/how do you have your cateye TL-LD1000 mounted?

I ordered a couple -- one for me and one for my husband. They won't arrive for awhile, though. I took advantage of free delivery to the local REI and that always takes longer.

[xeney]

Well, it's not mounted anywhere at the moment, but I just had it attached to the seat post. Like pretty much all CatEyes, it doesn't mount well to a rack or anything, so I use an old Vistalite on my commuter. But as far as seatpost-mount lights go, the LD1000 seems to be the brightest I've found.

[nuthatch]

xeney -- where/how do you have your cateye TL-LD1000 mounted?

I ordered a couple -- one for me and one for my husband. They won't arrive for awhile, though. I took advantage of free delivery to the local REI and that always takes longer.

I've got the 1000 mounted to my Brooks. Luckily, the Brooks seat has the little metal tabs for seatbag mounting and I just bolted a crosspiece between the tabs (from my son's old erector set!) and the light snaps securely over that thin crosspiece and never moves a bit.

I don't know how many lights I've watched (or heard) go skittering down the road - it seems like they all get shaken off unless they're snapped into their own mounting system on the seatpost - which you can't use if you also have a seatbag as well as panniers.

[7rider]

I have that Cateye 1000 on the seatpost of my commuter. It's great and very bright. I've never tried to move it or mount it anywhere else. It's there year 'round....set it and forget it.
I had a Vistalight (don't recall which one) that I used to mount to the daisy chain around my panniers (Performance brand), but it disappeared on day. I don't know if someone lifted it in the parking garage where I lock my bike, or if it went flying during the ride home.
I prefer the secure mount of the seatpost, so long as your saddlebag or panniers don't block it.
I've been pondering that mini Cateye with the rope attachment - http://www.performancebike.com/shop/...slisearch=true - to put on the zipper of my REI sling bag for a light high-up.