Author Topic: Your rear lighting layout (Read 6533 times)

Blodwyn Pig · « **on:** 26 May, 2014, 10:40:40 am »

This is / was my lighting for the rear, far from inspiring, but I now have a new 'shiny' rear rack, without any lamp fixings, and a new Green/honey , nelson longflap. Was wondering about what other peeps had in the way of rear illumination, and what lamps,/brackets/bodges, and locations, you have come up with. I need inspiration.,

Kim · « **Reply #1 on:** 26 May, 2014, 02:02:48 pm »

Lights with a generous reflector mounted to a light-mounting plate on a rear rack are the One True Way, I reckon. All our cycles have one of these. If your rack doesn't have a bracket, it's worth botching them on with P-clips or similar. It's worth it for the flawless beam alignment.

Additionally, I tend to run a Smart clone of some description, mounted further down in a convenient location. I run these in flashing mode when not riding in a group (being low down means the eyes of another road user following at close range are out of the beam). I'm particularly pleased with this bodge to mount one on the Streetmachine:

(The bike's on a stand at a weird angle, in real life the beam is just below the horizontal.)

On the ICE trike, I've fitted a pair of dynamo^[1] Pixeos to the front mudguards, combines with one of Those Excellent Infini Rear Lights on the rear rack (in flashing mode), to mark it clearly as a pedal cycle rather than a distant car:

None of these lights are particularly obnoxious, but in combination, and making full use of the available width, they're a highly visible rear lighting solution.

I've also fitted a Smart bracket onto the back of the trailer box, along with some botched-up reflectors:

I've basically given up on clipping lights to luggage - except when carrying unusual loads with the trailer. Lights with a conical or shaped beam are wasted unless kept in proper alignment, and that simply doesn't happen on soft bags or anything that moves around (rucksacks, saddlebags, etc). Best approach for luggage-mounted lighting is something omni-directional like the Fibre Flare.

Good reflectors are brighter than lights when in the beam of headlights, though obviously active lighting is still essential off-axis and in foul weather during daylight. Hence my enthusiasm for lights with large reflectors:

There's a lot to be said for those cheap On-One CR2032 powered lights as shown in the OP, for getting multiple sources further apart (reducing the 'point source' effect) or simply as a lightweight emergency backup.

_{[1] The dynamo has since been removed and electric assist fitted. I've done some electrickery to run the Cyo and Pixeos from the traction battery.}

Vince · « **Reply #2 on:** 26 May, 2014, 02:40:46 pm »

Agree with Kim on the combined gert big reflector and LED lamp. Local cheapy shop sells them for 2 euros. I prefer to have static light rather than flashing. I wonder if any one does an occulting light ^[1], which might be the best of both worlds.

Quote from: Kim on 26 May, 2014, 02:02:48 pm

Great photo, but I feel cold and miserable now

[1]. A flashing light has equal or shorter illuminated periods than dark periods in a cycle. An occulting light has shorter dark periods than light periods in the cycle.

LEE · « **Reply #3 on:** 27 May, 2014, 09:05:42 am »

Kim · « **Reply #4 on:** 27 May, 2014, 12:16:18 pm »

Excellent lights for riding in a group, those.

Blodwyn Pig · « **Reply #5 on:** 27 May, 2014, 01:34:03 pm »

what sort are they?

LEE · « **Reply #6 on:** 28 May, 2014, 01:28:37 pm »

Apologies for blurriness...

Assuming you mean my lights.
Cateye LD610, both of them. In reality there is no difference between red and white lenses.

They take 2xAAA cells and last a few weeks on flash mode.
They are extremely focussed, to the point that they are easy on the eye when aligned horizontally and low down BUT dazzling at a long distance (or when fitted pointing up).
These 2 lights appear brighter the further back you are. They are aligned to shine into motorists faces 100 yards away rather than cyclists's faces 5 yards away.

To achieve horizontal alignment on my seat-stay I needed to use P-clips and a drilled plastic block to extend the light beyond the slope of the stay.

This youtube shows my lights and the difference in intensity when standing up and squatting down, out of the focussed beam and then in it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CAVPux99-xA

It's a setup that gives me more confidence riding at night on some of the fast lanes around here than in daylight, where you can blend into the hedgerow, especially in "tree-tunnels" where the lighting can be high-contrast and dappled.

T42 · « **Reply #7 on:** 28 May, 2014, 01:41:23 pm »

Quote from: LEE on 28 May, 2014, 01:28:37 pm

Cateye LD610, both of them. In reality there is no difference between red and white lenses.

And there was me hoping the white one was for reversing.

I have one of those too, plus a dynamo-driven B&M something or other on the rack.

bumper · « **Reply #8 on:** 28 May, 2014, 03:30:37 pm »

2xphaarts 2xsuperflash and a large amount of reflective stuff, not all on at the same time.

LEE · « **Reply #9 on:** 29 May, 2014, 05:11:18 pm »

Quote from: T42 on 28 May, 2014, 01:41:23 pm

And there was me hoping the white one was for reversing.

There were parts of the Valley of the Rocks ride where a reversing light was almost required.

Blodwyn Pig · « **Reply #10 on:** 29 May, 2014, 05:16:47 pm »

Quote from: bumper on 28 May, 2014, 03:30:37 pm

2xphaarts 2xsuperflash and a large amount of reflective stuff, not all on at the same time.

'' and a large amount of shiny stuff'

bumper · « **Reply #11 on:** 29 May, 2014, 05:19:55 pm »

Just wait, I may be fitting super shiny hammered mudguards too

I think my lighting,reflective overkill stems from being shunted from behind on a roundabout, twice

Blodwyn Pig · « **Reply #12 on:** 29 May, 2014, 05:22:07 pm »

Quote from: LEE on 27 May, 2014, 09:05:42 am

Regrettably they would prob be partially hidden by the rack legs.

Any way, my new shiny rack never actually materialised, so I got the same rack with the 'scary' heads in the same place on the new nelson longflap. I find the phaarts to be poor qualty, one failed very early in its life, and the other one broke its plastic spring clip, also having a slightly iffy switch.

bumper · « **Reply #13 on:** 29 May, 2014, 05:27:21 pm »

What rear rack have you got BP?

Blodwyn Pig · « **Reply #14 on:** 29 May, 2014, 07:29:00 pm »

its up there in the OP, its a tortec cheapo jobbie with the platform. Works fine, it was black but i sprayed it silver with a tin of wheel silver from 99p shop. I 've just bin fettlein' and now have a phaart (the ones on your saddle bag) arraldited to a bracket, and its now beneath the old cateye one.
I just find it interesting to see how peeps go about the rear lighting mounting saga, when racks, and bags are involved.

bumper · « **Reply #15 on:** 29 May, 2014, 07:47:36 pm »

Ahh Tortec. Thought you'd splashed out on another rack. My favourite weapon just lately is also a tin of wheel silver

Those phaarts are great, wish I'd bought more when they were 99p. The other planetx ones, the smart style copies aren't as good. I think the twin ones are plenty bright enough. They illuminate the road behind me very well.

LEE · « **Reply #16 on:** 02 June, 2014, 08:42:12 am »

If I have a rack then I botch a Cateye LD610 on the end.

As Kim pointed out above it's easy to get a perfect horizontal alignment

You can see the rear light in this photo (A clear LD610 under the stuff-sack). I reckon it wouldn't be dazzling for a cyclist at that distance at night, but, for motorists more than 50 metres back, it would be very eye-catching.

My mud-flap is home-made out of a plastic milk bottle, black DUCK tape and a lot of Scotchlite.
My Helmet is plastered in Scotchlite stickers at the rear as well.
Ortleibs have superb reflective panels and, when I'm carrying a hi-viz, I make sure the Scotchlite panels are visible. I'm probably more visible at night than in the day in this touring setup.

Oh yes, I use Schwalbe Marathons with reflective sidewalls.

cyclicalsmith · « **Reply #17 on:** 04 June, 2014, 10:23:43 am »

Great ideas here. Thanks, just about to overhaul my lighting system - last winter wasn't all that comfortable with my crappy LEDs

David Martin · « **Reply #18 on:** 20 December, 2014, 11:27:07 pm »

How about this.. Somewhat more festive.
http://youtu.be/oJn6xQIYZM4

hubner · « **Reply #19 on:** 27 December, 2014, 06:12:18 pm »

I use a Smart kidney shaped type light on the saddlebag light loop. But I've sewn a piece of plastic onto the inside of the flap to keep the light upright.

Light is off in this pic:

Kim · « **Reply #20 on:** 27 December, 2014, 06:26:56 pm »

Oh, I can add this:

Stock Bromton (Spanninga) dynamo rear light on the rack (cunningly modified to discharge its standlight when the bike is folded), and a Moon Comet rear mounted on the saddle rails (I chose this light specifically because it's small, light and comes with a sturdy saddle rail mount), because however wonderful the stock light might be, it's about a foot off the ground and a Brompton is going to get used in traffic. The saddle rail mount means the seatpost can be fully inserted.

The Comet will mount either horizontally or vertically, though when I tested it I found that side visibility was slightly better in the vertical position. This is also something the stock Brompton light lacks, as the rack and easy wheels obscure it to the side.

cycleman · « **Reply #21 on:** 29 December, 2014, 09:53:08 pm »

the trice is hopefully a little easier to se at night nowadays

the tree lights on the mudguards were supplied by kim, the bright 2 led one looks like a phaarts but I got it from Wilkinson's and the one to its left is a mauve one from Halfords

Kim · « **Reply #22 on:** 29 December, 2014, 10:09:24 pm »

Quote from: cycleman on 29 December, 2014, 09:53:08 pm

the tree lights on the mudguards were supplied by kim

Spanninga Pixeo, battery version.

Cudzoziemiec · « **Reply #23 on:** 30 December, 2014, 09:23:58 am »

Quote from: Kim on 29 December, 2014, 10:09:24 pm

Quote from: cycleman on 29 December, 2014, 09:53:08 pm
the tree lights on the mudguards were supplied by kim

Spanninga Pixeo, battery version.

Special Christmas Pixie edition!

Kim · « **Reply #24 on:** 30 December, 2014, 02:04:58 pm »

It's the illuminated santa on the flag that impresses me...