Okay...So What's A Good Tail Light?

[rec.bicycles.tech/marketplace in the x-post list is unnecessary]

In article .com,
"NYC XYZ" writes:

That L&M Arc Li-Ion Ultra is the best head light, hands down. But how
about tail lights? Or are they just the same?

My bottle generator tail light has gradually earned my appreciation.
I like the way it makes a big, red halo. It won't dazzle ya, but
the photons it pumps out have oomph.

The better blinkies have metallic reflectors inside, behind the LEDs.

I once saw a big ol', steady-on unit with a b-i-g lens[*] (almost as big
as those yellow flashers on road construction site sawhorses) for sale
for a couple o' bux in a used parts bin. Took a 9V transistor cell.
I wish I bought it just to see what it sez.

And what do y'all think of this: www.fossilfool.com?

1) wrong colour(s)
2) doesn't face rearward enough
3) looks breakable and exposed to the elements; I don't
wanna keel-haul my own lighting
4) too LowRider (for my tastes)
5) a lot of stuff with which to complicate a nice, simple bicycle


cheers,
Tom
[*] I'm a believer in /size/ of illumination, like others believe
in brightness. I think light sources bigger than point-sources
(however bright they may be) give viewers better clues as to
what they're looking at. I believe that can be accomplished
with a good combination of active and passive (reflective)
illumination.

--
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Above address is just a spam midden.
I'm really at: tkeats [curlicue] vcn [point] bc [point] ca

Tom Keats wrote:

SNIP

1) wrong colour(s)

???

How about these colors: www.hokeyspokes.com.

2) doesn't face rearward enough

But they're meant as side lights -- though conceivably one could be
attached to the stem to face back....

3) looks breakable and exposed to the elements; I don't

It's thermoplastic, the same stuff as bullet-proof glass. There's a
nice video on the site showing them dropping a brick on it!

SNIP

In article .com,
"NYC XYZ" writes:


2) doesn't face rearward enough

But they're meant as side lights

Then they're not tail lights.

-- though conceivably one could be
attached to the stem to face back....

Then the rider would block their visibility.
And they look rather long for attaching to
stems or seatposts.

3) looks breakable and exposed to the elements; I don't

It's thermoplastic, the same stuff as bullet-proof glass. There's a
nice video on the site showing them dropping a brick on it!

When you ride in the rain it's the undersides of bike stuff that
bears the brunt as drek splashes up from the street. Maybe bricks
can be dropped on 'em or they can survive being shot ... but what
happens when you drag them across several miles of wet loose-grit
carborundum, time after time?

I guess they'd be all right on a "just for fun" bike. But they
just don't look practical to me.


cheers,
Tom

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-- Nothing is safe from me.
Above address is just a spam midden.
I'm really at: tkeats [curlicue] vcn [point] bc [point] ca

Tom Keats wrote:


Then they're not tail lights.

Right -- I didn't mean that they were. The halos they make, though,
seems to render tail lights unnecessary! That's what's so
interesting....

Then the rider would block their visibility.
And they look rather long for attaching to
stems or seatposts.

Really? They don't look too long, judging by the many photos on the
site involving different kinds of bikes.

But actually, I realize that I'm mistaken in that proposition -- either
the rider's leg or the rear wheel would get in the way!

When you ride in the rain it's the undersides of bike stuff that
bears the brunt as drek splashes up from the street. Maybe bricks
can be dropped on 'em or they can survive being shot ... but what
happens when you drag them across several miles of wet loose-grit
carborundum, time after time?

I don't plan on such road conditions, but I'll let you know when I get
them and try them out some time later this year.

The site does note, almost ironically, that the surface is extremely
vulnerable to scratching.

I guess they'd be all right on a "just for fun" bike. But they
just don't look practical to me.

I'm not sure what standards of practicality you're applying. If
they're noticed, then they've done their job! There's even a picture
of some guy on an HP Velotechnik Grasshopper, and the lights look like
they belong.

cheers,
Tom

--
-- Nothing is safe from me.
Above address is just a spam midden.
I'm really at: tkeats [curlicue] vcn [point] bc [point] ca

here is a not so great picture of a couple cold cathode tubes on my
bent. I changed to two white once since the red is more pink
http://www.knight-toolworks.com/pictures/bikelight5.JPG
these are the best things ever to be seen at night. not as bright as
my HID or my cateye blinky but they make me far more visible. plus
without the batteries they only cost about 20.00 with shipping. they
run on 9.6 to 13.1 v
Knight-Toolworks
http://www.knight-toolworks.com
affordable handmade wooden planes