Rear light replacement - Exposure or Lezyne?

[the_moose]

Hi all,

I'm looking to get a replacement rear light as my Knog Blinder seems to have died (it charges ok but won't light up). I cycle to and from work, but the route is about 8 miles on fast unlit country roads at 0430 so I need a bright reliable rear light to wake up the truckers and local hooligans before they hit me from behind.

Having looked on various sales websites I'm down to 3 possibles - the Blaze or Tracer from Exposure look pretty good and I'm intrigued by the Lezyne Strip Drive Pro which apparently illuminates the road behind the bike as well as shining backwards?

I'd be interested to hear from anyone with positive or negative experiences with the above lights, in particular the Lezyne as I haven't got a clue how well the "lighting the road" approach would work in practice.

My two main criteria are Brightness and Ease of Removal - I leave the bike at the station each day and don't want to spend ages detaching and re-attaching it, but obviously can't leave it on the bike. Fwiw the Knog was really easy on and off while it worked, but I'm not sure how robust its integrated rubber mount would be long term, and it's not made any more apparently so I won't be getting another one anyway.

I'm not made of money, but having survived one nasty motorbike crash I'm now convinced it is worth spending a few quid on safety gear - so I'm prepared to spend up to £80/90 if necessary to get the right light.

Thanks in advance for any help and advice.

 

[shouldbeinbed]

Another you may have considered, apols if so, but I rate it v highly, is the Cateye Volt 50.

It does the light up the road thing too: you can have it on permanently with a brighter flash also occurring giving the best of both

Dead easy single finger click off, usb charge so you can plug it into a computer as well as a wall socket & the battery life is tremendous.

For your price range you could buy the front (volt 300) and rear (50) set.

 

[13 rider]

Search for thread found a bargin do tell . Last few pages cheap light set was 9.99 gone up to 20.00 but still a bargin I've ordered one waiting on delivery

 

[Rustybucket]

Get the Blaze - Best rear light I have owned

 

[winjim]

Search for thread found a bargin do tell . Last few pages cheap light set was 9.99 gone up to 20.00 but still a bargin I've ordered one waiting on delivery

Yes, but no warranty and no comeback if they explode whilst charging.

 

[Buzzinonbikes]

I've got the TraceR and it is bright as anything! Good battery life too. I only ever use on lowest setting/medium at a push as I'm convinced on brightest drivers behind wouldn't be able to see round me.

 

[Dayvo]

Lezyne Femto.

http://www.lezyne.com/product-led-sport-femtofrnt.php#.VeB7kyWqqko

 

[the_moose]

Thanks for all the responses, I appreciate the help. Now I know what my missus feels like in a shoe shop - but unlike her I suspect buying all of them isn't a practical solution!

Looks like a trip to the cycle shops and it's down to personal preference - but on the bright side none of my options were laughed off the page.

Cheers, Moose.

 

[Origamist]

I lost my Moon Shield in April and replaced it a couple of months ago with the Electron R100. It's very good in terms of £ per lumen and it has three modes: steady, flashing and pulse. It is also USB rechargeable.

I read that a few people had issues with the bracket, but so far, no issues for me.

 

[OrangeSuperduke]

I ride 13 miles each way on an unlit fast country road (A44) and use the Lezyne as a rear light plus a cheap plastic one I got for free attached to my back pack . I just walked up to my bike and it took less than 3 seconds to unclip the rubber band on the Lezyne and remove it from the bike . It uses 3 CR2032 batteries that on flash mode seem to last a long time.

 

[the_moose]

Thanks to both the recent replies as well.

Moose.

 

[Jody]

I can recommend the Lezyne Zecto which is a 3 LED, USB charge has a power indicator and is really well built. Its easy to attach but not as bright as the Smart 1w rear (see avatar).

Knog Blinders seem a bit hit and miss. I had a front fail after one use and Halfords swapped without question. But for £8 each they were a bargain.

 

[downfader]

I use a Blaze. Really good light, can be adjusted for brightness on different roads. It cannot be adjusted angle of beam wise or for use on more narrow seat posts. I've been looking at bodging a more permanent mount solution as the elastic band effect can cause issues on really rough roads

 

[derrick]

Lezyne for me, my experience with Exposure has not been very good.