Thank you for the video! As a fellow randonneur myself, I was looking for the same, as you - a long-lasting taillight. Several taillights later, I came to the conclusion that it's just doesn't worth it - because I didn't want to rely on a single taillight (what if it doesn't turn on? stopped charging? the clip broke off? etc) At some point I switched to having two "Moon Orion" lights - the nicest thing about them is that you can change them very easily thanks to magnetic clip. Also a plus is that I can attach one of them to my helmet in, like, 1 second. Last year I also got Fenix BCR05R as a spare taillight and it works quite well on low settings. And I still use battery lights despite I ride with dynamo almost all my audaxes - simply because if you're climbing for 30 minutes, your speed gets so low that dynamo taillight is almost invisible. Or, like it happened in November last year - I lost this tiny little screw from my Edelux headlight and I couldn't use taillight because of that! So my point is - two mid-range taillights may be better option than a single top-end one.
My biggest issue with the multi light setup is i often don't know when one runs out of battery. I may go with no rear light for 5 minutes or 30 minutes. That could result in a DQ, or even worse risk being unseen by a car. I will still have a backup rear light in my L7 Radar. Radar only mode usually, but it has a very long lasting light if the SeeMee300 breaks or falls off a cliff.
Thanks for showing how effective this kind of leg lighting can be ! Just ordered some high power led identical to the one used in this bike light. Using a power bank, I'm gonna make myself one hell of a taillight !
Be careful with this to not blind driver behind - it's OK to be seen from a long distance but if light is pointing too high and driver has to stay behind a cyclist for some time, it just may provoke unnecessary emotions. Front and rear lights have completely different light beam shapes and distribution.
Good question! I just checked and it does not support in-line charging. I checked with a wall outlet and a battery bank, and the light shut off when introduced to a charge current. It would not turn on under either condition. FWIW, I will be using a radar (Cycplus L7 currently) as a backup taillight.
Thanks for the breakdown ! I recently went through the same process as you to find a long running steady light, and ended up picking up a Niterider Vmax+ 150 . I'm not sure it's available in Korea, but here in Canada it was in stock at a local bike shop. Claimed battery life in low lumen constant mode is 25.5h. High lumen output is 150lm, low lumen constant mode isn't specified but from my eye looks like at least 20 lumen (I have another one at 5 lumen, this is much much brighter). I haven't tested it on the road yet so I don't know how real life battery compares with the cold, etc... It's not as chunky as the Magicshine, but COB arrays tend to be more efficient for low lumen output (less heat dissipation) so I'm hopeful this will work for longer brevets.
Nice find! I'm curious what the battery size is. At 59 grams, it likely has a reasonable capacity. Are the battery specs listed on the unit or the packaging?
@@overbikedrandonneuring There's no additional spec on the packaging beside the leaflet that's also available in PDF on their site. That said, I had it charged up a few weeks ago, and I got a bit under 25h leaving it turned on overnight (I turned it on when I commented yesterday, it just shut off from low battery a few minutes ago). They say the runtime is spec'ed according to the ANSI FL1 standard, but I'm not sure if that procedure uses continuous discharging or some other work/rest ratio. Again, this was indoors so temperature may lower the practical runtime, but it still runs for the equivalent of over 2 nights of riding in the summer. And since it charges back up in 2h or so I think it will be practical for use during brevets. So all in all, in terms of lumen*runtime/weight it's really good, although it probably ends up in a similar spot as the MagicShine (higher runtime&weight for similar lumen)
Thanks for this, been waiting on it! :) nice to hear real, concrete numbers & data of runtime/brightness. I have two, and they have been the best rear light I've used. agree completely they should refine the claims based on real-world usage. this is a good product, but it taints it if they're not being honest about their claims. we don't need incorrect numbers.
Thank you again for the honest review and detailed tests. I still have my seemee 300. I have some feedback coming form the seemee 180 is that I was expecting a lot of light variation for the seemee 300, but I also know a lot of people felt overwhelmed with the light variation for the seemee 180.
@PuddyIzzy yeah, just a few modes on the 300, but that is my preference. I would have liked for it to connect to their app for adjustable brightness, though. But low constant is just about perfect for randonneuring and high constant is mega bright for normal rides.
@overbikedrandonneuring that's true, that's why I got a moonsport helix 450 as my addition light. :) the pro is that they are compatible with the mini garmin mount of magicshine.
what about "breathing" mode? fading on and off, instead of just blinking. i figure it's best of both worlds: steady enough to not cause discomfort but also dynamic enough to grab attention.
Yeah, lots of lights offer that mode. When testing and filming, I found the breathing mode to be much more bearable than flashing mode. In the dark, it still eventually gave me some discomfort. Less discomfort than flashing, and it started after a longer time though. I'd say a great option for riding alone.
@@overbikedrandonneuring Breathing light is more comfortable but also may have longer pause between light impulses. In rare cases that pause could be enough for a driver to look at cyclist at blank moment and brain just doesn't register seeing cyclist. Running lights when 2+ diodes light up and go off with short overlap so that they aren't off completely seem to be better than breathing mode.
I tried to check their website, but its geoblocked haha. I can't find specs for batteries to compare probably brightness vs runtime. At 59g, it might have a reasonable battery size.
I wish it had a mode where both the rear and downward light were constantly on. As you mentioned, blinking lights have many problems. Regardless, because of the large battery, brake functionality, and combination of all other features, this (or its future iteration) will very likely be my next rear light. Right now I'm just running a single grateful red and I'm constantly worried that I don't have brake-activated lights. I'm just doing city riding so I figure that would be very important.
100% agree. It has plenty of battery to make that mode work well. I am unsure how well brake detection works on the SeeMee300, but it's a great feature in theory. I'll need to have a following cyclist tell me if it works.
At 10:50 is that showing the light on Low mode? Also, what's your thoughts on the Cateye tight kinetic? It's AA battery powered but claims impressive run times
@@5x5boy it runs of AAA batteries and up to 160 time (I assume blinking) it's a bang for buck in terms on longevity as you can replace or buy rechargeable (type c) AAA batteries.
I forget actually, and can't tell by looking. I do know the clip at 4:00 was on high and camera settings were set to match visual appearance of brightness. Regarding AAA battery rear lights, they can be a fine choice, and instead of charging can just replace batteries easily found in shops. This is less a hassle than front lights that go through AA batteries so quickly. Brightness x longevity is still governed by battery capacity. A single AAA will have about 1-1.5 watt hours capacity depending on chemistry and quality. The SeeMee300 had between 5 and 6 watt hours capacity.
I have not used it, but the Exposure Blaze is a (ludicrously expensive) taillight that runs for a claimed 24 hours on low mode (not sure what the claimed output is, but high is 80 lumen). Interestingly offers a "peloton mode" that dims its output when it detects that it's being followed by a headlight.
Yeah, it looks quite interesting. Neat features like that would be welcome in group riding. I wish they would be more up front with detailed specs. It seems lots of the European brands try to obscure specs in various ways. I suppose when competing brands overstate performance, being up front puts them at a disadvantage. Still, for triple the price...
I've been emailing Fenix to make an 18650 removable rear light, that would be the bomb. With recent advancements in rechargeable high capacity lithium AA batteries, wouldn't be a good rando choice some AA light? There are tons of them on out there...
I love how Fenix report run times and changes in intensity on their product page. That alone makes them a great candidate for making a large rear light. I would love to see them make a competitor to the EVO 1700 as well. Replaceable batteries could be a fine choice, and not as big a faff to manage and change as with a front light. You can compare battery capacity using watt hours. The SeeMee300 has between 5-6 watt hours.
It’s a German thing and Magicshine is a german company. Flashing lights are catching the attention of people even better than constant lights. That’s the reason why the emergency service (police, fire departments, ambulances) is using it. With that knowledge you cannot argue with lower safety. Flashing lights are by law exclusive for their use in Germany. Now, the German manufacturer try to sell their lights with stupid arguments due to their silly laws. Sorry, but I will not use constant lights as backlights. Read the promotion text with care!
seatpost mount and saddle mount doesn't make much sense in this use case. bag mounts do. as long as we don't need the blinky modes or a switch, and we're riding with saddlebags anyway, wouldn't a usb led strip sewn into the bag work? anyway i like blinky lights, i only wish everyone would have ones that syncronize so we cal all blink together at the same time. that would be so cool
@@markifi if you like sync lights look for lumos lights. You have the option to program it individually to be front, side, back, and the option to be turn signals. The mounting options may not be you're thing based on your comment.
@@markifi on my small tool saddle bag, I poked a hole to permanently mount one of my old basic red lights. Same on my recumbent seat bag. I bet there is a market for illuminated saddle bags.
I had that light on my list , but the product page disappeared when I went to input specs. Their C14 doesn't list run times or lumens, but does use watts and watt hours. Looks like 11 hours of runtime on low constant, which doesn't match minimum specs needed.
I HATE blinking lights with a passion. I wil stop until they are out of sight before I continue. I personally never run lights during daytime (unless it's foggy). I don't believe I am better visible with. If cars don't py attention to the road to miss a 80 kilo MAMIL I doubt a puny light would make a difference. I did once ride behind an E-bike which (non flashing) rear light started "flashing" (it started to shine brighter) when they applied the brake.. Now THAT was interesting and useful.
Me too! I appreciate your comment from a while back, which was part of the inspiration for this video and getting hold of this light. I'll continue hunting for more suitable solutions.
I had the previous SeeMee 200 light and was disappointed by the lack of usable light modes. I ended up selling mine after a month of using it. It seems like you can't turn off that blinking bottom light either in this version. It's a bummer because other features are OK. They are going too far with "smart" light modes that adapt to the environment. Also the USB-C charging doesn't probably work with USB-C to USB-C cables (with Power Delivery)? I don't see myself using USB-A cables in 2025.
C-to-C charges fine, but the SeeMee300 doesn't charge while in use (in-line charging). I wish they offered more control of the optitracing light though. Whether it is on/off or flashing/solid.
Audax riders doing 1200 events need lights that recharge in 3 hrs - you don't mention the recharge time - real life not marketing bumpf - how long did it take - given you did your test twice ? 🤔
@milessmith589 i forgot to add that data in my script, thanks. I measured 2:15 and 2:19 charge times, slightly longer than claimed 2 hours. Battery capacity matched specs. This was measured with a USB current/ voltage meter and wall outlet.
@overbikedrandonneuring as long as less than 3 hrs it's good, given performance levels it's very good. I purchased both the front and rear as a result of your vids - based in Australia so used local bike shop to. Buy from 👍
@@milessmith589 nice! I hope they work well for you. Are you, by chance, the Miles Smith from the randonneurs Facebook group? If so I'm a big fan of your ingenuity with frame bags and bike setup.
It's been years since I've heard anyone mention Dinotte, but the D6 taillight is a monster. 16 hours just barely meets my minimum longevity requirements, and would likely require in-line charging for events over 300km, which is a bummer for a $210 light. ~100 lumens for that amount of time is superb though. They should offer a 20 or 24 hour mode. The Rossa maxing out at 8 hours run time is a no-go.
Thank you for the video!
As a fellow randonneur myself, I was looking for the same, as you - a long-lasting taillight. Several taillights later, I came to the conclusion that it's just doesn't worth it - because I didn't want to rely on a single taillight (what if it doesn't turn on? stopped charging? the clip broke off? etc)
At some point I switched to having two "Moon Orion" lights - the nicest thing about them is that you can change them very easily thanks to magnetic clip. Also a plus is that I can attach one of them to my helmet in, like, 1 second.
Last year I also got Fenix BCR05R as a spare taillight and it works quite well on low settings.
And I still use battery lights despite I ride with dynamo almost all my audaxes - simply because if you're climbing for 30 minutes, your speed gets so low that dynamo taillight is almost invisible. Or, like it happened in November last year - I lost this tiny little screw from my Edelux headlight and I couldn't use taillight because of that!
So my point is - two mid-range taillights may be better option than a single top-end one.
My biggest issue with the multi light setup is i often don't know when one runs out of battery. I may go with no rear light for 5 minutes or 30 minutes. That could result in a DQ, or even worse risk being unseen by a car. I will still have a backup rear light in my L7 Radar. Radar only mode usually, but it has a very long lasting light if the SeeMee300 breaks or falls off a cliff.
Thanks for showing how effective this kind of leg lighting can be !
Just ordered some high power led identical to the one used in this bike light.
Using a power bank, I'm gonna make myself one hell of a taillight !
I often feel envious of the skills to build a light from scratch. Good luck!
@overbikedrandonneuring Oh, you know it's never to late to learn a new skill 👍
I'll try my best, thank you !
Absolutely love mine, great lights. Love the headlights too, 800 and 1200 versions.
Ive been thinking of using a front light pointed backwards through a red lens. Get some extra brightness, nice solid beam, and good battery life.
Be careful with this to not blind driver behind - it's OK to be seen from a long distance but if light is pointing too high and driver has to stay behind a cyclist for some time, it just may provoke unnecessary emotions. Front and rear lights have completely different light beam shapes and distribution.
Interesting review I ordered the light as soon as I finished the video.
I hope you find it as nice as I do!
As a last resort can these be run while charging off of a power bank? Thanks for the videos.
I think it has USB c passthrough with a powerbank but probably burns energy faster than it can charge so leaving it plugged in from the start is good
Good question! I just checked and it does not support in-line charging. I checked with a wall outlet and a battery bank, and the light shut off when introduced to a charge current. It would not turn on under either condition. FWIW, I will be using a radar (Cycplus L7 currently) as a backup taillight.
Thanks for the breakdown ! I recently went through the same process as you to find a long running steady light, and ended up picking up a Niterider Vmax+ 150 . I'm not sure it's available in Korea, but here in Canada it was in stock at a local bike shop.
Claimed battery life in low lumen constant mode is 25.5h. High lumen output is 150lm, low lumen constant mode isn't specified but from my eye looks like at least 20 lumen (I have another one at 5 lumen, this is much much brighter). I haven't tested it on the road yet so I don't know how real life battery compares with the cold, etc... It's not as chunky as the Magicshine, but COB arrays tend to be more efficient for low lumen output (less heat dissipation) so I'm hopeful this will work for longer brevets.
Nice find! I'm curious what the battery size is. At 59 grams, it likely has a reasonable capacity. Are the battery specs listed on the unit or the packaging?
@@overbikedrandonneuring There's no additional spec on the packaging beside the leaflet that's also available in PDF on their site. That said, I had it charged up a few weeks ago, and I got a bit under 25h leaving it turned on overnight (I turned it on when I commented yesterday, it just shut off from low battery a few minutes ago). They say the runtime is spec'ed according to the ANSI FL1 standard, but I'm not sure if that procedure uses continuous discharging or some other work/rest ratio.
Again, this was indoors so temperature may lower the practical runtime, but it still runs for the equivalent of over 2 nights of riding in the summer. And since it charges back up in 2h or so I think it will be practical for use during brevets.
So all in all, in terms of lumen*runtime/weight it's really good, although it probably ends up in a similar spot as the MagicShine (higher runtime&weight for similar lumen)
Thanks for this, been waiting on it! :) nice to hear real, concrete numbers & data of runtime/brightness. I have two, and they have been the best rear light I've used. agree completely they should refine the claims based on real-world usage. this is a good product, but it taints it if they're not being honest about their claims. we don't need incorrect numbers.
Thank you again for the honest review and detailed tests. I still have my seemee 300.
I have some feedback coming form the seemee 180 is that I was expecting a lot of light variation for the seemee 300, but I also know a lot of people felt overwhelmed with the light variation for the seemee 180.
@PuddyIzzy yeah, just a few modes on the 300, but that is my preference. I would have liked for it to connect to their app for adjustable brightness, though. But low constant is just about perfect for randonneuring and high constant is mega bright for normal rides.
@overbikedrandonneuring that's true, that's why I got a moonsport helix 450 as my addition light. :) the pro is that they are compatible with the mini garmin mount of magicshine.
what about "breathing" mode? fading on and off, instead of just blinking. i figure it's best of both worlds: steady enough to not cause discomfort but also dynamic enough to grab attention.
Yeah, lots of lights offer that mode. When testing and filming, I found the breathing mode to be much more bearable than flashing mode. In the dark, it still eventually gave me some discomfort. Less discomfort than flashing, and it started after a longer time though. I'd say a great option for riding alone.
@@overbikedrandonneuring Breathing light is more comfortable but also may have longer pause between light impulses. In rare cases that pause could be enough for a driver to look at cyclist at blank moment and brain just doesn't register seeing cyclist.
Running lights when 2+ diodes light up and go off with short overlap so that they aren't off completely seem to be better than breathing mode.
I recommend the cygolite hotshot pro 200. You can finetune continuously its luminosity and it worked throughout long brevets.
I tried to check their website, but its geoblocked haha. I can't find specs for batteries to compare probably brightness vs runtime. At 59g, it might have a reasonable battery size.
I have the even older version with mini (!)USB. I had it on continuously throughout a night!
I wish it had a mode where both the rear and downward light were constantly on. As you mentioned, blinking lights have many problems. Regardless, because of the large battery, brake functionality, and combination of all other features, this (or its future iteration) will very likely be my next rear light. Right now I'm just running a single grateful red and I'm constantly worried that I don't have brake-activated lights. I'm just doing city riding so I figure that would be very important.
100% agree. It has plenty of battery to make that mode work well. I am unsure how well brake detection works on the SeeMee300, but it's a great feature in theory. I'll need to have a following cyclist tell me if it works.
We also need arm straps blinkers for side view...
At 10:50 is that showing the light on Low mode?
Also, what's your thoughts on the Cateye tight kinetic? It's AA battery powered but claims impressive run times
@@5x5boy it runs of AAA batteries and up to 160 time (I assume blinking) it's a bang for buck in terms on longevity as you can replace or buy rechargeable (type c) AAA batteries.
I forget actually, and can't tell by looking. I do know the clip at 4:00 was on high and camera settings were set to match visual appearance of brightness. Regarding AAA battery rear lights, they can be a fine choice, and instead of charging can just replace batteries easily found in shops. This is less a hassle than front lights that go through AA batteries so quickly. Brightness x longevity is still governed by battery capacity. A single AAA will have about 1-1.5 watt hours capacity depending on chemistry and quality. The SeeMee300 had between 5 and 6 watt hours capacity.
I have not used it, but the Exposure Blaze is a (ludicrously expensive) taillight that runs for a claimed 24 hours on low mode (not sure what the claimed output is, but high is 80 lumen). Interestingly offers a "peloton mode" that dims its output when it detects that it's being followed by a headlight.
Yeah, it looks quite interesting. Neat features like that would be welcome in group riding. I wish they would be more up front with detailed specs. It seems lots of the European brands try to obscure specs in various ways. I suppose when competing brands overstate performance, being up front puts them at a disadvantage. Still, for triple the price...
I've been emailing Fenix to make an 18650 removable rear light, that would be the bomb.
With recent advancements in rechargeable high capacity lithium AA batteries, wouldn't be a good rando choice some AA light? There are tons of them on out there...
I love how Fenix report run times and changes in intensity on their product page. That alone makes them a great candidate for making a large rear light. I would love to see them make a competitor to the EVO 1700 as well. Replaceable batteries could be a fine choice, and not as big a faff to manage and change as with a front light. You can compare battery capacity using watt hours. The SeeMee300 has between 5-6 watt hours.
It’s a German thing and Magicshine is a german company. Flashing lights are catching the attention of people even better than constant lights. That’s the reason why the emergency service (police, fire departments, ambulances) is using it. With that knowledge you cannot argue with lower safety. Flashing lights are by law exclusive for their use in Germany.
Now, the German manufacturer try to sell their lights with stupid arguments due to their silly laws. Sorry, but I will not use constant lights as backlights.
Read the promotion text with care!
seatpost mount and saddle mount doesn't make much sense in this use case. bag mounts do. as long as we don't need the blinky modes or a switch, and we're riding with saddlebags anyway, wouldn't a usb led strip sewn into the bag work? anyway i like blinky lights, i only wish everyone would have ones that syncronize so we cal all blink together at the same time. that would be so cool
@@markifi if you like sync lights look for lumos lights. You have the option to program it individually to be front, side, back, and the option to be turn signals. The mounting options may not be you're thing based on your comment.
@@markifi on my small tool saddle bag, I poked a hole to permanently mount one of my old basic red lights. Same on my recumbent seat bag. I bet there is a market for illuminated saddle bags.
I recommend lupine Rotlicht (Max)
I had that light on my list , but the product page disappeared when I went to input specs. Their C14 doesn't list run times or lumens, but does use watts and watt hours. Looks like 11 hours of runtime on low constant, which doesn't match minimum specs needed.
I HATE blinking lights with a passion. I wil stop until they are out of sight before I continue. I personally never run lights during daytime (unless it's foggy). I don't believe I am better visible with. If cars don't py attention to the road to miss a 80 kilo MAMIL I doubt a puny light would make a difference.
I did once ride behind an E-bike which (non flashing) rear light started "flashing" (it started to shine brighter) when they applied the brake.. Now THAT was interesting and useful.
Me too! I appreciate your comment from a while back, which was part of the inspiration for this video and getting hold of this light. I'll continue hunting for more suitable solutions.
I had the previous SeeMee 200 light and was disappointed by the lack of usable light modes. I ended up selling mine after a month of using it. It seems like you can't turn off that blinking bottom light either in this version. It's a bummer because other features are OK. They are going too far with "smart" light modes that adapt to the environment. Also the USB-C charging doesn't probably work with USB-C to USB-C cables (with Power Delivery)? I don't see myself using USB-A cables in 2025.
C-to-C charges fine, but the SeeMee300 doesn't charge while in use (in-line charging). I wish they offered more control of the optitracing light though. Whether it is on/off or flashing/solid.
Audax riders doing 1200 events need lights that recharge in 3 hrs - you don't mention the recharge time - real life not marketing bumpf - how long did it take - given you did your test twice ? 🤔
@milessmith589 i forgot to add that data in my script, thanks. I measured 2:15 and 2:19 charge times, slightly longer than claimed 2 hours. Battery capacity matched specs. This was measured with a USB current/ voltage meter and wall outlet.
@overbikedrandonneuring as long as less than 3 hrs it's good, given performance levels it's very good. I purchased both the front and rear as a result of your vids - based in Australia so used local bike shop to. Buy from 👍
@@milessmith589 nice! I hope they work well for you. Are you, by chance, the Miles Smith from the randonneurs Facebook group? If so I'm a big fan of your ingenuity with frame bags and bike setup.
@overbikedrandonneuring yep that's me - hot summer months down here in OZ 👍
Given the lack of respect that drivers have for cyclists I think it's better for them to not have hints as to what vehicle is in front of them!
Dinotte lights are far superior. I own both.
It's been years since I've heard anyone mention Dinotte, but the D6 taillight is a monster. 16 hours just barely meets my minimum longevity requirements, and would likely require in-line charging for events over 300km, which is a bummer for a $210 light. ~100 lumens for that amount of time is superb though. They should offer a 20 or 24 hour mode. The Rossa maxing out at 8 hours run time is a no-go.
@overbikedrandonneuring exactly 16 hours at 100 lumens. Bring 2. Swap em. But they are to bright when you are with the group.