Brightest rear light/s

[John the Monkey]

Id avoid bright rear lights for road use as they dazzle/blind other road users, your just asking for complaints from fellow car users/cyclist in my opinion

Ever seen those laser death rays they put on modern Audis?

More seriously, angling the light properly is usually the key, rather than specifiying a particular wattage. Worth spending a bit of time over.

In answer to the OP, I use a couple of Smart Superflashes, and a Blackburn Mars 4.0. Check them at the end of a ride (or during) to make sure the initial brightness after switch on isn't masking a dying battery. Hope the drivers are bothering to look that day.

 

[PpPete]

Any of the Smart 1/2 watt (like the Superflash) - or indeed any of the clones like the Planet-X ones are more than adequate.
Ride with two of them (like I do) and the poor chap riding with you who has a BS standard compliant lamp will be utterly invisible - or as happened not long ago, get pulled over by the busies for having inadequate lighting.

 

[jefmcg]

Two is very important. I was once riding home through the driving rain on busy city streets. When I got home I found water had got into my light, and I had no rear light. There was no way of noticing it; I felt lucky all the drivers had seen me. 2 lights on means there is almost no chance that will happen.

 

[jazzkat]

Thanks everyone for you quick and comprehensive and very helpful responses.

Regarding the comment about the possibility of rear lights dazzling drivers, I am primarily a driver and have taught safe road techniques and strategies to many people over more than 30 years. There are some good cyclists out there but it is also very surprising just how many are unwittingly vulnerable to crashes. Some have diminutive rear lights (for some if they carry any at all) and on the open road (national speed limits et al) these are not sufficiently obvious until you are quite close to the cyclist and sometimes they are just a small bead of light. I am also amazed at how many cyclists even in daylight insist on wearing non conspicuous gear and even more amazed at those who insist on wearing black. Further there are many cyclists who make themselves very vulnerable because they seem to believe that they are not part of the normal road traffic. Yes, there many are cases of drivers needing to be more aware of cyclists and give them more space (5 feet when overtaking please) but that is also the case for cyclists doing all they can to make themselves as conspicuous as possible. If that infuriates some drivers I am afraid that is tough cheese, because safety is more important than irritation; many drivers will get equally irritated and impatient when they get behind a vehicle doing 30mph in a 30 zone. So I would have thought a section on Safety and various strategies to try to reduce cycling vulnerability on the road would be a particularly pertinent one a forum such as this. This may appear to some as though I am getting at cyclists, but others will realise that the suggestions are more in the vein(sic) of cyclists generally doing more to help themselves stay safe and unharmed on the roads.

There are lots of threads that relate to safety and often cyclist behaviour is discussed (usually ad nauseam) within a lot of other topics.
While I don't disagree at all with the gist of your post I think we do need to be careful not to start blaming each other.
I don't see that riding around dressed in high viz makes me any less likely to be mowed down by a myopic motorist, or riding in black any more likely (unless it's at night with no lights).
Roadcraft is the key point and riding so as to be prominent and predictable to motorists.
There's also the distinction between a cyclist and a person on a bike, but I'll save that one.
Welcome to the forum, there's lots of great informative people here.

 

[BSRU]

The brightest is the DesignShine but it is difficult to get hold off due it being made by a guy in his garage in the US.
The brightest commercial rear bike light is the "Dinotte 400R", there is an even brighter version called the "Dinotte 400R Daytime" but it's far too bright for night time use.

 

[Pale Rider]

Please would anyone recommend the brightest rear light which can be used in the UK.

I am new to the forum. It seems to be an excellent forum but, am somewhat amazed that there is no section on Safety.

Nigel

Disingenuous post.

The OP is not seeking recommendations for a light, but is seeking to promote his own safety agenda.

Nothing wrong with that, but he should be more open about it.

 

[ufkacbln]

Thanks everyone for you quick and comprehensive and very helpful responses.

Regarding the comment about the possibility of rear lights dazzling drivers, I am primarily a driver and have taught safe road techniques and strategies to many people over more than 30 years. There are some good cyclists out there but it is also very surprising just how many are unwittingly vulnerable to crashes. Some have diminutive rear lights (for some if they carry any at all) and on the open road (national speed limits et al) these are not sufficiently obvious until you are quite close to the cyclist and sometimes they are just a small bead of light. I am also amazed at how many cyclists even in daylight insist on wearing non conspicuous gear and even more amazed at those who insist on wearing black. Further there are many cyclists who make themselves very vulnerable because they seem to believe that they are not part of the normal road traffic. Yes, there many are cases of drivers needing to be more aware of cyclists and give them more space (5 feet when overtaking please) but that is also the case for cyclists doing all they can to make themselves as conspicuous as possible. If that infuriates some drivers I am afraid that is tough cheese, because safety is more important than irritation; many drivers will get equally irritated and impatient when they get behind a vehicle doing 30mph in a 30 zone. So I would have thought a section on Safety and various strategies to try to reduce cycling vulnerability on the road would be a particularly pertinent one a forum such as this. This may appear to some as though I am getting at cyclists, but others will realise that the suggestions are more in the vein(sic) of cyclists generally doing more to help themselves stay safe and unharmed on the roads.

Without taking this of topic......

All of this is discussed (frequently) in the already appropriate sections - Commuting / Beginners / Technical Knowhow / Campaigning and Public Policy, and of course the Helmet Dungeon


For instance - the real issue being driver's failing to see rather than the conspicuity of the cyclists

Perhaps a quick search, and contribute to these treads?

 

[GrasB]

The brightest is the DesignShine but it is difficult to get hold off due it being made by a guy in his garage in the US.
The brightest commercial rear bike light is the "Dinotte 400R", there is an even brighter version called the "Dinotte 400R Daytime" but it's far too bright for night time use.

The 400R is offensive yes, but it's not that bright at 300 lumen, it doesn't get close to the output of a typical car rear light (1200 lumen iirc). You realise this when you're far enough away to see a car's rear light as point sources & it's actually dimmer than a car's rear light.

The problem comes in the fact it's emitting about 30 lumen/cm2 where as my rear on my cars are closer to 12-15 lumen/cm2. The brightest HI rear I have is at 26 lumen/cm2. I've made a custom rear light pushing out 1250 lumen but with a much larger surface area so it's 11 lumen/cm2. I've had no objections to this light at all despite being over 4 times brighter than the 400R, a light that was causing people shouting at me on a weekly basis.

 

[ufkacbln]

The 400R is offensive yes, but it's not that bright at 300 lumen, it doesn't get close to the output of a typical car rear light (1200 lumen iirc). You realise this when you're far enough away to see a car's rear light as point sources & it's actually dimmer than a car's rear light.

The problem comes in the fact it's emitting about 30 lumen/cm2 where as my rear on my cars are closer to 12-15 lumen/cm2. The brightest HI rear I have is at 26 lumen/cm2. I've made a custom rear light pushing out 1250 lumen but with a much larger surface area so it's 11 lumen/cm2. I've had no objections to this light at all despite being over 4 times brighter than the 400R, a light that was causing people shouting at me on a weekly basis.

I have used these in the past and it was only the fact that it was expensive to repair that I bought the magicshine. Ultra bright rear lights have been used for some 8 - 10 years

I have had compliments and even been stopped by the Police for details so the Constable could fit a set on their bike!

There is no logical or moral reason not to use them, just point down

 

[raleighnut]

I use Cateye lights and at least 2, preferably 3.

 

[GrasB]

I have used these in the past and it was only the fact that it was expensive to repair that I bought the magicshine. Ultra bright rear lights have been used for some 8 - 10 years

I have had compliments and even been stopped by the Police for details so the Constable could fit a set on their bike!

There is no logical or moral reason not to use them, just point down

Which effectively neutralises the main reason for having a very high lumen light - being able to be seen at long distances when in mist etc.

 

[ufkacbln]

Which effectively neutralises the main reason for having a very high lumen light - being able to be seen at long distances when in mist etc.

It doesn't

There is a happy medium


Mine don't cause issues but are clearly visible at a distance

 

[BSRU]

The 400R is offensive yes, but it's not that bright at 300 lumen, it doesn't get close to the output of a typical car rear light (1200 lumen iirc). You realise this when you're far enough away to see a car's rear light as point sources & it's actually dimmer than a car's rear light.

The problem comes in the fact it's emitting about 30 lumen/cm2 where as my rear on my cars are closer to 12-15 lumen/cm2. The brightest HI rear I have is at 26 lumen/cm2. I've made a custom rear light pushing out 1250 lumen but with a much larger surface area so it's 11 lumen/cm2. I've had no objections to this light at all despite being over 4 times brighter than the 400R, a light that was causing people shouting at me on a weekly basis.

I do not understand where your getting your figures from as the 400R is 240 lumens on the maximum setting.
I see plenty of modern new cars with way brighter rear lights then a 400R.
Any rear light, including dirt cheap ones, will be very bright if you're too close and look straight at them. Saw lots of people with cheap lights last winter that were blinding because the were incorrectly aligned.

 

[GrasB]

I do not understand where your getting your figures from as the 400R is 240 lumens on the maximum setting.

400R Taillight
$279.00 -- 300 Lumen Taillight (2X our standard light!)

I see plenty of modern new cars with way brighter rear lights then a 400R.

Yeah I said, 300 lumen v's 1200. However a 400R is far more intense which causes ghosting. When aimed properly, e.g. the beam is parallel to the ground for maximum visibility in bad conditions when you really do need those 300 lumen, will cause ghosting in vision on its lowest setting about 25m down the road in clear conditions. If is aimed downwards to the point it doesn't leave ghosting you may as well have bought a rear light such as the smart R2 with 0.5w LEDs.

 

[Drago]

I use 2 x Smart half watts on the rear, one flashing, one solid. Very highly conspicuous at night in urban and unlit areas, cheap and durable. Perfect.