Looking for a bright rear "blinky" light...suggestions?

[johnnyvw]

Hi all: getting settled into our new home which has a lot of fairly flat back roads around, but there is zero shoulder on 95% of them and people do whizz around pretty good. So if I'm going to dare to venture out on local roads, I want something that will get people's attention well in advance. So I'm looking for the brightest possible blinking rear light I can find. Will be daytime use only, and I don;t need a huge run time (an hour or two is sufficient). Battery power, rechargeble, everything can be considered, my safety is the primary concern.
Thanks all!

 

[tch]

It's expensive, but I went with the Garmin Varia RTL515. It incorporates radar, which alerts you when a car is approaching (and sooner than most of us can hear one). It is steady light until the car appears and then it begins blinking to alert the car/driver. It is very bright.

After I got hit while riding inside the white line on a fairly wide shoulder, I decided any help was worth it, and this item has worked for me. As for price ($150-$199 depending on where you buy)... as they say, "how much is your life worth?"

 

[slow-line-fast]

Wow, I had no idea such technology was in use in bike tail lights. Good to know

 

[Jwrags]

I use a Varia rear light and love it. I believe you do need a Garmin bike computer to take full advantage. I went out for a short ride without it one day and realize how dependent I had become on it alerting me to cars.

 

[cantunamunch]

Bryton and Magene now make competitor units to the Varia radar, but I haven't really seen them for sale yet.

To OP: Please consider using two rear lights, one at saddle height the other on the helmet.

Remember, it is brutally hard to tell your distance to, or the moving speed of, a blinking light; using two lights with mismatched blink rates can help.

 

[wooglin]

Plant Bike Superflash. x2 if you’re paranoid. If they can’t see that it’s because they’re idiots and not paying attention. And there’s no way short of staying off the roads to protect yourself from that.

 

[Erik Timmerman]

Does the radar still work if you are riding in a group?

 

[mdf]

A bike light probably does not get close to being that bright, but beyond a certain point brighter is not safer. It causes target fixation.

 

[johnnyvw]

A bike light probably does not get close to being that bright, but beyond a certain point brighter is not safer. It causes target fixation.

I've seen some riders on these local roads, it gets your attention if nothing else. Too many people aren't paying attention so IMO, anything helps

 

[scott43]

Remember, it is brutally hard to tell your distance to, or the moving speed of, a blinking light; using two lights with mismatched blink rates can help.

Always been aware of this from motorcycling. Never assume people know how far or hear you're going..

 

[tch]

Does the radar still work if you are riding in a group?

Yes. It works by assessing objects coming up behind you with some speed. Occasionally, you will get a "false positive" warning if a companion rider comes up on your tail quickly, but if you stay reasonably bunched, the radar not only discounts the bunch but is still searching for objects approaching. As soon as it gets a bead on those, it activates.

 

[Jwrags]

Also, the Varia radar does not show a car that is pacing you. It will drop off. It senses the closing speed of the object, be it car or a faster rider.

 

[Rudi Riet]

Yes. It works by assessing objects coming up behind you with some speed. Occasionally, you will get a "false positive" warning if a companion rider comes up on your tail quickly, but if you stay reasonably bunched, the radar not only discounts the bunch but is still searching for objects approaching. As soon as it gets a bead on those, it activates.

As a person who leads myriad group rides (including one of the largest in the DC area) I have a BIG bone to pick with Varia and other radar lights: they can't easily be set to not blink when riding in a group situation.

When riding in a big group a blinking rear light is a big no-no. They're distracting to fellow riders, for one. Secondly, if any rider has strobe-induced issues (from migraines to epileptic events) the rapid-fire blinking can set these off, causing a lot of problems.

I'm fine with having a slow fade in-and-out (lights from Lezyne, CygoLite, Planet Bike, and others can do this) in a group, but often it's best just to have the light set to solid. When you ride solo, set it to blink for visibility.

I'm also on board with @cantunamunch's suggestion to have a helmet mounted light if it's possible for one to mount on your helmet. I'm not a big fan of hanging extra stuff on a helmet as it reduces the lid's efficacy by compromising its design features (same thing with ski helmets). If the light is built-in (e.g. Lumos and other helmets) then it's win-win.

Sometimes just having two lights on the bike - one at saddle height and one down by the rear hub - will work the same charm.

Just my $0.02 as a person who rides in a dense urban area and is used to interacting with drivers who don't have cyclists' (and pedestrians') best interests at heart.

 

[Erik Timmerman]

I was wondering about that. It seems like any light blinking or not could be annoying in mid-group. What if the radar could turn the light on only when there are no riders behind you?

 

[Rudi Riet]

I was wondering about that. It seems like any light blinking or not could be annoying in mid-group. What if the radar could turn the light on only when there are no riders behind you?

Some of these radar lights have what's called "peloton mode" where, in theory, they stop their blink. It doesn't work reliably from my experience but I'm sure software engineers are working on this.

A solid light in a group is not typically bad as long as it isn't egregiously bright (the Knog Cobber is one of those that's too bright for a group in solid mode). It's easy enough to tune out. Strobes? Not so much.

 

[Tom K.]

As a person who leads myriad group rides (including one of the largest in the DC area) I have a BIG bone to pick with Varia and other radar lights: they can't easily be set to not blink when riding in a group situation.

Peloton mode is not really doing the trick?

What is Peloton Mode on the Varia RTL515, and RCT715? | Garmin Customer Support

Garmin Support Center is where you will find answers to frequently asked questions and resources to help with all of your Garmin products.

support.garmin.com

Could not agree more about bright strobes in groups. Just no.

For lights, I've had great luck with the Bontrager rechargeable unit and the Portland Design Works non-rechargeable unit, but I think nearly everybody has these figured out at this point.

 

[martyg]

Fly6. The new Garmin unit that records looks interesting as well.

 

[Rudi Riet]

Fly6. The new Garmin unit that records looks interesting as well.

The Garmin unit is extremely buggy as it stands now, per reviewers I trust about these things.

The Fly6 is a good unit though if you have warranty issues it's not the most immediate service if you aren't in or near Australia.

 

[martyg]

Agreed on Fly6 CS. However I have busted motorists who took liberties with my safety in several states. That, on balance, makes it very valuable to me.

 

[Rod9301]

A bike light probably does not get close to being that bright, but beyond a certain point brighter is not safer. It causes target fixation.

Yes it does cause target fixation