English
Introduction to Lights – Rear
(You can check out the guide to front lights HERE too.)
Rear lights are essential safety items for any rider looking to ride in the dark. With the roads around the UK busier than ever with more cars and lorries than any other country in Europe, it is essential that as cyclists using the roads, we are seen as clearly as possible by drivers. We believe it’s worth having more than one rear light fitted and in operation in-case of a failure, this means a secondary light is active until you notice the first has stopped, a common system is to use one in flashing and one in constant mode, this maximizes visibility and improves the chance of being seen.
Light technology has been changing in recent years. The days of traditional light bulbs are over and all modern rear lights use LED bulbs – they’re lighter, brighter and longer running – and finally legal as your sole source of rear light. They are now becoming commonplace in the automotive industry due to their long life and efficient light output, one car to use them to great effect is the Audi R8.
LED’s produce a piercing beam, which can be seen through poor weather conditions such as fog and rain, most also have the option of a flashing mode which draws even more attention to them. LED’s stands for Light Emitting Diode, a Diode consumes much less power than a normal filament bulb, this improves run times considerably, upwards of 50 hours is not uncommon and makes them very cost effective in the long term.
The choices boil down to how many LED’s you want the light to have, their relationship (stick or cluster) and the sort of lighting programmes you want (static and a wide variety of flashing options). All rear lights come with a quick release mounting bracket to attach them to seat posts, and some also come equipped with clothing clips so the lights can be fitted to the loops found on the rears of some jackets or attached to the straps of cycling packs.
Entry Level:
These will probably rely on between one and three AAA batteries for power with the exception of the super small single LED units which use a single watch battery. These diminutive rear lights are best used as a back up to other more substantial rear lights.
Intermediate:
As the price of rear lights increases slightly, you can expect the lights to have increased levels of waterproofing – water ingress is the number one killer of all rear lights short circuiting them.
Performance:
Welcome to the best quality rear lights. Waterproof housings, quick release mountings, power efficient circuitry to maximise run times, top quality LED bulbs and reflector designs for the brightest possible lights.
Blackburn Mars 3.0 LED Safety Rear Light
Named after a bright red planet visible from afar, the Mars 3.0 rear light has seven super-bright red LEDs inside a sleek water-resistant case, and has a no-quibble lifetime warranty.
Wiggle price: £14.49 (BUY NOW)
NiteRider Cherry Bomb Rear Light
- Light Source – 3x LEDs
- Light Mount – Seatpost or clip
- Battery – 2x AAA (included)
- Flash Mode – Flash or steady
- Weight – 84g
The NiteRider Cherry Bomb is one of the most visible standalone tail lights available.
It’s super bright 1/2 watt central LED puts out enough light to ensure you are seen from as far as a mile away. NiteRider then combine this super bright LED with a special lens that spreads the light horizontally, but not vertically.
The horizontal dispersion of light ensures you’ll be seen by anyone, anywhere behind you. And if thats not enough, the super bright central LED is flanked by a couple of additional ones that combine to make its startling flashing mode the most noticeable around.
The NiteRider Cherry Bomb fits in seconds to either your seatpost or bag with its integrated clip. It has also been designed to run just as well on rechargeable batteries (many lights suffer from poor performance with rechargeables), so you can be kinder to the environment. All in all it is the ultimate commuter tail-light.
Wiggle price: £19.99 (BUY NOW)
Fibre Flare Ultimate Safety Tail Light (Single)
- Visible over 300 metres (over 1000 feet)
- Up to 20 times more illuminated surface area than regular rear lights
- 75hrs burntime (flashing mode) using 2 x AAA batteries
- Silicone slings for frame attachment are included k 180¡ + visibility
The ultimate safety light! Fibreflare uses the latest super-bright fibre-optic technology in a bendable tube with multiple attachment options.
Versatile design allows this product to be mounted on seatposts, chainstays, bags or clothing. It includes steady and blinking functions in the world’s fully omnidirectional bike light.
Wiggle price: £26.99 (BUY NOW)
Wot no Mars 4.0?
superb rear light from Blackburn – one of those on steady, and a Smart Superflash make up my current set up, rack mounted. Tempted by the fibre flare to add some side visibility, although reflective sidewall tyres work well for this too.
I bought the Fibre Flare light back in October when the day light started to disappear by mid afternoon. As my commute goes through many roads with no lights at all I was concerned about visability. The hooks have been excellent and have never come loose off my bag. I think the size of the light packs a real punch through the dark nights and I am so pleased I got one.