I have a set of exposure flash/flare. Whilst they were not cheap, I am very impressed with the performance, the build quality, and the waterproofing. The rear light survived an accidental trip through the washing machine. The day flash mode is very effective, it was seeing another rider's light from 1/2 mile away in bright sun in the Peak District that made me consider getting it. Tip: whilst the mounting bracket does not look very secure, I have not lost it on XC mtb or rough gravel, and after market, bolt on brackets are available.
I love that they don't include a cable. The majority of people have them and the few people who dont can buy one pretty cheap. It saves wasting cables and reduces cost.
I like getting a cable with my light. Shows the manufacturer is serious about customer service. And why should you buy a light then separately buy a cable that’s needed for the light. Not everybody has a box of spare cables at home.
I’m a fan of Moon lights. They give you 2 straps with each headlight, for narrow or wide mounting points. Also the straps are very thick, and they hold up to very cold weather, and don’t eventually stretch and snap like every other light mounting strap I’ve ever used. Taillights have 2 mountings included, strap or clip. Batteries are replaceable on their headlights, they give you a USB cable, and they hold a charge well even at -20 C.
Decathlon's Elops 900 is a banger for the price (don't cheap out on the Elops 100, the 900 is worth it). Cheap, powerful, charges with an included microUSB, comes with a ton of different attachment options...
Lezyne KTV Smart 75 rear light is my latest. It works as a pairing with the Lezyne 1800i front light. Also really great lights are the MagicShine SEEMEE300 rear light, and CBL1600 front light.
Lots of my riding was on dark Hampshire country lanes, in poor conditions. I used at least 2 flashing rear Cateyes, sometimes a third flashing cheapo (but bright) from Panet-X ... BUT there are some important things to note. LED lights are usually very directional. I took time to angle mine so they shone just up from horizontal (you can use a wall about 20 meters away to check). ALSO I has lots of retro-reflective stuff going on. No rear light is as eye-catching as a big strip of Scotchlite in car headlights. I honestly felt more visible at night on the lanes than I did during the day, when the low sun can blind drivers and even bright clothing can get lost in the surroundings.
Will any of these clip to the end of a saddle bag or rack trunk bag? And will they stay there when hopping up and down curbs and rattling over bumpy roads or speed bumps? When commuting none of my seat post is visible from the rear.
I’ve been able to secure lights that clip onto a bag strap with a rubber band that goes around the light and behind the open end of the clip beyond where it goes through the strap. This keeps the clip from being bounced off the strap. I use the wider, thicker rubber bands that come on bunches of asparagus or broccoli. Though they last longer than skinny office-use bands, they eventually degrade from weathering, but I get many of these with produce so it’s not been an issue to replace them once I see surface crumbling.
I always run one blinking light and one static. I love the blinking pattern on my light and motion vya and for the static light I love the massive size of the knog big cobber.
Germany with the StVZO: All of the listed rear lights are strictly forbidden, because they have a blinking mode, even when you use a non blinking mode.
@@maniac0303 I think you mean "forbidden to use the lights in a blinking mode"? Well: 1. It is the law. 2. It is possible that you switch on the blinking mode accidentially and this is forbidden by our law.
@@patrickknopf3925 this is a typic German answer , the law punkt.the polizei can give me a ticket i don't care , my life is much more important than the law link to a ticket
The Exposure and Lezyne lights point down at the angle of the seatpost (~16°). Do the lights have optics that compensate for this or are you just stuck with the brightest part of your light pointing at the road a few feet behind you?
I have a Lezyne rear light and it's absolutely pants on battery life. It has never really made two consecutive rides so, never again. The £10 light from Halfords I had to buy as a quick replacement is way better, lasting weeks before a recharge.
Bought one of these after seeing one disappear into the distance going up the Col du Galibier, very impressive at long distance. But ... had to send it back as the strap wouldn't stretch around an aero seat-post 😐
I've got an Olight seeme that I bought waiting for the brighter rear olights to come back into stock but forgot about it til now. Can't rate it yet but that was less than £20 so these seem quite expensive to me. My Sofirn front bike light was exceptionally good value for money so hoping they do a rear light at some point too.
@@bl8danjiljust don't want to pay double the money when a cheap rockbros light can do the same + brake sensing. I do have a radar version of RT Flare (CarBack) too though, which I bought with coupon+ discount
Good point. I had a nice bontrager light destroy itself when I pushed the button in the rain. As it turns out, water resistant if you don’t touch the button :(
yes, I;ve been through too many rear lights that got a tiny bit of water in them and became unchargeable or unuseable. The only one I've ever had success with is the Lezyne light in this review. The cateye viz 300 got water in it, the Ravemen Tr300 failed, and a few others, including a giant rear light that was bright, but failed.
great video! would be more helpful if you clearly explain the mode name as you cycle through the light modes. Also, raise your hand if you don't have a USB-C cable at home [nobody raises hand]
All use degradable rubber mounts which will fail. None hsve any locks or options to prevent thefts .at those prices all should be theft proof and have solid mountings.
It is amazing that even expensive lights can have absolute crap mountings. Thin rubber straps or some cheap piece of plastic to screw on your bars. I’m a fan of Moon lights, the only straps I’ve used that have never broken. The straps are very thick, and they give you two sizes, and they hold up to sub zero cold.
I got the Cateye and i literally hate all of its modes. I got the Olight RN 100 and i love its Comet function best flash mode ever seen in a tail light . Front i got Astrolux Sl01 . Similalry best beam pattern ever seen in a bike light.
I’ve owned a number of see sense lights and they all gone wrong within less that a year all due to water ingress customer service is great but as any other Facebook product they lack reliability . Exspoure flare is the best light I’ve ever owned but the metal gets worn down by the bracket through the act of twisting the release the light from the plastic. If it’s muddy dip the back only in water first.
interessant fact: In Switzerland flashing lights are only authorized on normal bikes (not electrical) and during the day with good visibility conditions, in all others case, at least 1 steady light is compulsory in the back and at the front, you are still able to get a secondary flashing light. But if you have turning signal, it's fully forbiden in any case to have a flashing light. The justification if my memories are good is: 1)flashing lights give the feeling that the bike is further, steady lights are better to give a right distance feeling to drivers. 2)there is an effect (don't remember his name) that make people look at flashing lights and deviate on it. 3)flahings lights are reserved to hazards and emergency vehicle (that are an hazard in a way).
@bikeradar I have to be honest, that's one of the rare laws that aren't really respected because it was done differently for decades and that the governement haven't make any kind of communication about this law's change. And for the turn indicators, they aren't at all common sadly.
There is one bike company that spent $$$ on RnD for rider visibility (lights, clothing etc), and that's Trek / Bontrager (as far as I know). Their bike lights are miles ahead of anything else I've used - and that's coming from a specialized fanboy. Their visibility (day & night), rechargeability, ease of use and longevity (mine have yet to fail at 8 years of daily use) are best in class. To omit them from this review is negligent.
Had a nice bontrager light. Only 350 lumens but it was a flamethrower. Enjoyed it while it still worked, which was about six months. Downsides: - on / off button was very stiff - and was placed well ahead of the center of the light, so push hard to change modes or turn on-off and it rotated down and pointed at the ground. - Strap was thin and eventually broke, didn’t hold up to cold weather - it died when I pushed the button in the rain, as I learned pushing the button deforms the seal and allows rain in I won’t be getting another bontrager. It’s not as if they make them or design them anyway, they’re just picking them off some Chinese manufacturers catalogue.
Why most of all, you chose bike light with shity mount sestem? Is it not required fore "best tail light" to stay on yore bike? Also Exposure fore this prise... Why they always suck at mountin system?
It is amazing that even expensive lights can have absolute crap mountings. Thin rubber straps or some cheap piece of plastic to screw on your bars. I’m a fan of Moon lights, the only straps I’ve used that have never broken. The straps are very thick, and they give you two sizes, and they hold up to sub zero cold.
The rear grabbing strobe lights are the worst for drivers. I get blinded by the light and have to look away from the cyclist as i drive by, hence losing sight of them. Very dangerous lights.
Those cyclists are using those lights wrong if they are using the max brightness flashing modes at night. They are one of many people that buy a product and either don't read the manual or don't understand how to use the product.
@@rouxenophobe because it lets you know that really far in advance. That’s the key. I ride in the middle of the road until the yellow icon comes on and I go back to the side to let the car by.
What's your all-time favourite rear light?
magicshine SEEMEE 300
Magicshine Seemee 300 for me also
Aldi Bikemate 😎
Lezyne Strip Pro Ai Alert 400+ & Knog Mid Cobber
Lumos Firefly
still a huge fan of the garmin varia. never ever regretted the purchase
Yup, this is the real answer.
Varia. End of video.
Varia is ultimate
A must have imo
Feel naked without it on the road now
I have a set of exposure flash/flare. Whilst they were not cheap, I am very impressed with the performance, the build quality, and the waterproofing. The rear light survived an accidental trip through the washing machine.
The day flash mode is very effective, it was seeing another rider's light from 1/2 mile away in bright sun in the Peak District that made me consider getting it.
Tip: whilst the mounting bracket does not look very secure, I have not lost it on XC mtb or rough gravel, and after market, bolt on brackets are available.
I love that they don't include a cable. The majority of people have them and the few people who dont can buy one pretty cheap. It saves wasting cables and reduces cost.
I like getting a cable with my light.
Shows the manufacturer is serious about customer service.
And why should you buy a light then separately buy a cable that’s needed for the light. Not everybody has a box of spare cables at home.
Cheaply.
How about actually showing night & day visibility from multiple distances to get a better gauge of how effective they are?
Bontrager Ion RT and Garmin Varia are the best !!
Exposure for me excellent had mine years 😊 Pete 🚴🏻👍
Bontrager Flare R doesn't get a mention.......almost a standard here in Spain! They're everywhere.
I’m a fan of Moon lights. They give you 2 straps with each headlight, for narrow or wide mounting points. Also the straps are very thick, and they hold up to very cold weather, and don’t eventually stretch and snap like every other light mounting strap I’ve ever used. Taillights have 2 mountings included, strap or clip. Batteries are replaceable on their headlights, they give you a USB cable, and they hold a charge well even at -20 C.
Decathlon's Elops 900 is a banger for the price (don't cheap out on the Elops 100, the 900 is worth it). Cheap, powerful, charges with an included microUSB, comes with a ton of different attachment options...
The best ones in this range of prices :
The Bontrager Ion 200 RT / Flare RT, they are Ant+ and suitable with Garmin.
I use a Knog Little Cobber rear light. No port. No cable. Plugs straight into a charger or computer. 50, 150 or 270 lumen versions. Looks slick.
Cobber design is good, i've had the mid, now got the Big cobber. Better for daylight. But knog are not known for the best battery life long term.
Thanks for your notes about USB-C charging!
Lezyne KTV Smart 75 rear light is my latest. It works as a pairing with the Lezyne 1800i front light. Also really great lights are the MagicShine SEEMEE300 rear light, and CBL1600 front light.
Lots of my riding was on dark Hampshire country lanes, in poor conditions. I used at least 2 flashing rear Cateyes, sometimes a third flashing cheapo (but bright) from Panet-X ...
BUT there are some important things to note. LED lights are usually very directional. I took time to angle mine so they shone just up from horizontal (you can use a wall about 20 meters away to check).
ALSO I has lots of retro-reflective stuff going on. No rear light is as eye-catching as a big strip of Scotchlite in car headlights.
I honestly felt more visible at night on the lanes than I did during the day, when the low sun can blind drivers and even bright clothing can get lost in the surroundings.
Will any of these clip to the end of a saddle bag or rack trunk bag? And will they stay there when hopping up and down curbs and rattling over bumpy roads or speed bumps? When commuting none of my seat post is visible from the rear.
I’ve been able to secure lights that clip onto a bag strap with a rubber band that goes around the light and behind the open end of the clip beyond where it goes through the strap. This keeps the clip from being bounced off the strap.
I use the wider, thicker rubber bands that come on bunches of asparagus or broccoli. Though they last longer than skinny office-use bands, they eventually degrade from weathering, but I get many of these with produce so it’s not been an issue to replace them once I see surface crumbling.
Same
Blackburn day blazer has a clip that can work with a saddle bag
I always run one blinking light and one static. I love the blinking pattern on my light and motion vya and for the static light I love the massive size of the knog big cobber.
Germany with the StVZO: All of the listed rear lights are strictly forbidden, because they have a blinking mode, even when you use a non blinking mode.
look at Lezyne they release the 400+ alert StVZO legal in Germany , i bought it on maciag internet site
There is a german version for the Lezyne: Lezyne Strip Drive+ StVZO Rücklicht
@@patrickknopf3925 Yes, I know. Thx... But I don't get it. Why the heck it's forbidden to use the lights in a non blinking mode?
@@maniac0303 I think you mean "forbidden to use the lights in a blinking mode"?
Well:
1. It is the law.
2. It is possible that you switch on the blinking mode accidentially and this is forbidden by our law.
@@patrickknopf3925 this is a typic German answer , the law punkt.the polizei can give me a ticket i don't care , my life is much more important than the law link to a ticket
Lezyne works for me..👍
The Exposure and Lezyne lights point down at the angle of the seatpost (~16°). Do the lights have optics that compensate for this or are you just stuck with the brightest part of your light pointing at the road a few feet behind you?
BUCHEL Micro lens cob , usb . Very happy , strong light , small and aero . With brake sensor . Got it on Decathlon store
I have a Lezyne rear light and it's absolutely pants on battery life. It has never really made two consecutive rides so, never again. The £10 light from Halfords I had to buy as a quick replacement is way better, lasting weeks before a recharge.
Bontrager flare - flare rt, the best
Bought one of these after seeing one disappear into the distance going up the Col du Galibier, very impressive at long distance. But ... had to send it back as the strap wouldn't stretch around an aero seat-post 😐
Don’t press the button in the rain, it will self destruct.
I've got an Olight seeme that I bought waiting for the brighter rear olights to come back into stock but forgot about it til now. Can't rate it yet but that was less than £20 so these seem quite expensive to me. My Sofirn front bike light was exceptionally good value for money so hoping they do a rear light at some point too.
Unless we are talking about Varia or some radar lights none of these lights are any functionally different than cheap AliExpress ones.
People actually use AliExpress? 😂
@@bl8danjiljust don't want to pay double the money when a cheap rockbros light can do the same + brake sensing. I do have a radar version of RT Flare (CarBack) too though, which I bought with coupon+ discount
You didn't consider a durability test? I've had so many Cateye lights fail. A weather seal test would be interesting?
Good point. I had a nice bontrager light destroy itself when I pushed the button in the rain. As it turns out, water resistant if you don’t touch the button :(
yes, I;ve been through too many rear lights that got a tiny bit of water in them and became unchargeable or unuseable. The only one I've ever had success with is the Lezyne light in this review. The cateye viz 300 got water in it, the Ravemen Tr300 failed, and a few others, including a giant rear light that was bright, but failed.
great video! would be more helpful if you clearly explain the mode name as you cycle through the light modes. Also, raise your hand if you don't have a USB-C cable at home [nobody raises hand]
What's the best mode for night riding on the lezyne light?.
Cygolite hypershot350
Would have been great to see them in the dark rather than flashing in the day
All use degradable rubber mounts which will fail. None hsve any locks or options to prevent thefts .at those prices all should be theft proof and have solid mountings.
It is amazing that even expensive lights can have absolute crap mountings. Thin rubber straps or some cheap piece of plastic to screw on your bars.
I’m a fan of Moon lights, the only straps I’ve used that have never broken. The straps are very thick, and they give you two sizes, and they hold up to sub zero cold.
Great review what's the best mode for night riding? 🤔
My preference is for a constant setting around 50 lumens. If you want a flashing light, I prefer to mount this on the back of my helmet. Liam
I got the Cateye and i literally hate all of its modes. I got the Olight RN 100 and i love its Comet function best flash mode ever seen in a tail light . Front i got Astrolux Sl01 . Similalry best beam pattern ever seen in a bike light.
Exposure flare, bought it, dropped it, killed it
Flock light is something to look into. It shines the light on the cyclist legs.
so do a lot of lights at night.
I’ve owned a number of see sense lights and they all gone wrong within less that a year all due to water ingress customer service is great but as any other Facebook product they lack reliability .
Exspoure flare is the best light I’ve ever owned but the metal gets worn down by the bracket through the act of twisting the release the light from the plastic. If it’s muddy dip the back only in water first.
interessant fact:
In Switzerland flashing lights are only authorized on normal bikes (not electrical) and during the day with good visibility conditions, in all others case, at least 1 steady light is compulsory in the back and at the front, you are still able to get a secondary flashing light.
But if you have turning signal, it's fully forbiden in any case to have a flashing light.
The justification if my memories are good is:
1)flashing lights give the feeling that the bike is further, steady lights are better to give a right distance feeling to drivers.
2)there is an effect (don't remember his name) that make people look at flashing lights and deviate on it.
3)flahings lights are reserved to hazards and emergency vehicle (that are an hazard in a way).
A classically sensible approach from the Swiss. How many people use turn indicators there?
@bikeradar I have to be honest, that's one of the rare laws that aren't really respected because it was done differently for decades and that the governement haven't make any kind of communication about this law's change.
And for the turn indicators, they aren't at all common sadly.
Where is the best one?
(Lupine Rotlich max)
Tried Garmin Varia. Too slow as a brake light.
ALDI USB charged options great VFM.
Planet-X used to have value options too, but not checked recently.
There is one bike company that spent $$$ on RnD for rider visibility (lights, clothing etc), and that's Trek / Bontrager (as far as I know).
Their bike lights are miles ahead of anything else I've used - and that's coming from a specialized fanboy.
Their visibility (day & night), rechargeability, ease of use and longevity (mine have yet to fail at 8 years of daily use) are best in class.
To omit them from this review is negligent.
Had a nice bontrager light. Only 350 lumens but it was a flamethrower. Enjoyed it while it still worked, which was about six months.
Downsides:
- on / off button was very stiff
- and was placed well ahead of the center of the light, so push hard to change modes or turn on-off and it rotated down and pointed at the ground.
- Strap was thin and eventually broke, didn’t hold up to cold weather
- it died when I pushed the button in the rain, as I learned pushing the button deforms the seal and allows rain in
I won’t be getting another bontrager. It’s not as if they make them or design them anyway, they’re just picking them off some Chinese manufacturers catalogue.
I like the Magicshine Seemee 300. I also have a Bryton Gardia Radar. I can use the light on the radar as additional lighting or as a backup.
Lezyne just brought new versions out with AI Alert, new video went up just today on lezyne channel
Video went up two weeks ago, still new. Bought one 🎉
What’s AI alert ?
Varia for road, Exposure trace r for gravel
It's good to have two lights for the road - one flashing, one steady, I use the Varia and Exposure trace r for road.
Multiple people own Garmin Varias, but other than those, there are as many taillights as there are riders in the group.
Nahh nothing beats the cygolite hypershot 350
Love how magicshine is getting their shine 👏👏
eco mode in rockbros can hold to 45hour 😂 if you want last long lamp just but it cheap 20$ but the day not very visible.
Magicshine seeme 300 ✅
Sadly the more lights I have the more likely drunk the clown will be attracted to me.
Why most of all, you chose bike light with shity mount sestem? Is it not required fore "best tail light" to stay on yore bike?
Also Exposure fore this prise... Why they always suck at mountin system?
It is amazing that even expensive lights can have absolute crap mountings. Thin rubber straps or some cheap piece of plastic to screw on your bars.
I’m a fan of Moon lights, the only straps I’ve used that have never broken. The straps are very thick, and they give you two sizes, and they hold up to sub zero cold.
Lupine Rotlicht, nothing else.
Garmin Varia. Hands down. Everything else is fighting for second.
Look at this guy shilling overpriced bike lights! 50 pound for a light?!?! Who are you kidding, just use a candle 🕯️
KNOG Rear Cobber would be the absolute perfect rear light if it didn't have that god awful charging mechanism.
Knog Blinder, thank me later.
just make them smaller and brighter
Garmin Varia - nothing else compares.
The rear grabbing strobe lights are the worst for drivers. I get blinded by the light and have to look away from the cyclist as i drive by, hence losing sight of them. Very dangerous lights.
Those cyclists are using those lights wrong if they are using the max brightness flashing modes at night. They are one of many people that buy a product and either don't read the manual or don't understand how to use the product.
Do I have to wear white shoes and white socks to my knees with these lights?
If it’s not Varia with radar there is literally nothing worth talking about. What a waste of a video.
But what advantage does it give you knowing that a car is about to zoom passed you? Doesn't it just put you on edge constantly?
@@rouxenophobe because it lets you know that really far in advance. That’s the key. I ride in the middle of the road until the yellow icon comes on and I go back to the side to let the car by.
@@robbiek4400 hmm, there’s never not a car behind me where I ride :)
A 14" round bar and two sets of lights and one swivel mounted bracket cures everything for everyone.