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Rear Lights for Daylight Riding

Editor’s Note: We’ve recently done a few articles on lights and the importance of being visible while riding, including a rundown of the  lights used by the RBR Crew. Both articles drew numerous comments from readers about which lights they like, and why, how they stay visible, etc. (Both articles are worth a re-read.)

We decided, as a service to all RBR readers, to pull together into a handy reference guide a rundown of the rear daytime running lights the Crew and readers mentioned using, along with a few others. If you happen to be in the market for a new rear flasher or just want to update what you’ve got, this guide can serve as a starting point for you in your research.

As always, we believe that rider safety – and anything we can do to promote it – is just about the most important topic we can cover. And we remain honored to serve such an engaged and thoughtful group of fellow roadies. The perfect example is the author of this article, John Elmblad, a longtime Colorado roadie and RBR Premium Member who was motivated by those earlier articles on lights and visibility to write in and ask if he could contribute this piece. Thanks to John and all of you who regularly share your insights and comments!—John Marsh


By John Elmblad

First, a quick backgrounder on my long-time exploration of lights.

My first experience with bike lights found my front light wasting away at 3 a.m. on a mountainous double century. So I mounted multiple lights that could be switched on as needed. Back then, my only choice was incandescent bulbs.

A breakthrough came when I found one company that made an LED flashlight replacement bulb for “only” $40. A friend figured out how to make that fit into a dynamo lamp and run it off AA batteries in a Radio Shack battery holder. The result was 8 hours of strong light in front.

I also experimented with many rear lights to find the brightest, most waterproof lights available, and used two of them. I quickly settled on the lithium batteries for maximum runtime compared to the available rechargeable batteries.

I always focused on lights with batteries because I couldn’t afford a dynamo hub. But, no matter what, I never wanted to be caught without lights again. If I had trained all those hours I spent working on my lights, I’d have been more successful on the brevets. I was never a very good rider, but my lights were excellent!

Making the Move to Rechargeable, Daytime Lights

Now, for the first time, I am trying a rechargeable rear light on my touring bike. I chose the CatEye Rapid X3 because of my positive experiences with the brand. Also, it is bright in daylight and has a long runtime. My backup on that bike is the Serfas TL-STN. It is fairly bright, and the CR2032 batteries can be purchased cheaply on Amazon. On my gravel bike, I am using the Stupid Bright SBR1 lights, two of them. These are bright, very small, and also have a good runtime.

Back in the day, no one thought of using lights during the day, but now we all realize the importance of being more visible.

The following information was pulled together in an effort to find the best “daylight” rear lights. I intentionally chose the brightest lights (by lumens) from each company to investigate. The lights are arranged by reported lumens (if provided). And the lumens/runtimes are broken down into two different running modes to provide an example of variance (for example, running time in steady mode vs. flash mode, etc.). If there is not reported variance, only one mode is reported.

All of the lumen/runtime specifications are those claimed by the companies, and some seem a bit exaggerated. Also consider that the specifications change rapidly. In many cases, other light models are available. To lead you to more information, the 2nd column of the table below also contains a link to the product page for each light. Because most are sold on Amazon, I chose the Amazon sales page (and price) as the main source of info. Of course, feel free to look around the Internet for other options.

Besides the illuminating power of the lights, another important consideration is how it attaches to the bike. Almost all of these lights attach to the seat post. A few offer attachment possibilities for other locations. Also, as we all know, other options for mounting can be devised.

Again, this is not intended to be an exhaustive list of rear lights. It is meant to be a starting point or handy reference for any research you may want to do on your own if you are interested in a new rear light.

We encourage you to ask your cycling friends, read RBR reviews of lights and other reviews, and make an informed decision for yourself. But we certainly believe that running a rear light during the daytime is an extremely worthwhile safety tool.

Please be sure to add your comments below the Newsletter version of this article.

Light

Amazon Price  USD

URL

Battery/Power

Lumens/Runtime

Mode 1

(claimed)

Lumens/Runtime

Mode 2

(claimed)

Supernova E3 Tail Light 2 (seatpost)

$54

https://goo.gl/Tfb4hp

Hub dynamo – E3 head light reqd. No Lumens given – no flash None
Busch & Müller Toplight Line Plus (rack)

$35

https://goo.gl/QgwHu2

Hub dynamo No Lumens given – no flash None
Stupid Bright SBR1 (2 lights)

$15

https://goo.gl/h2TT7J

2xCR2032 No Lumens given

Flashing

12 hrs.

Planet  Bike

SuperFlash Turbo

$30

https://goo.gl/BvGm9Y

2x AAA No Lumens given

Flashing

1 watt/100 hrs.

Serfas TL-STN

$20

https://goo.gl/b9jSRt

2xCR2032

Solid

20/33.5 hrs.

Alternating flash

20/58.5 hrs.

Knog Blinder Mob V Grid

$39

https://goo.gl/ikPwAt

rechargeable

Steady High

44/2.5 hrs.

Fancy Flash

12.3 hrs.

Blackburn 2’fer XL

$45

https://goo.gl/cSrEeQ

rechargeable

Solid

40/4 hrs.

Flashing

40/12

Bontrager Flare R

$60

https://goo.gl/y4Z1Pc

rechargeable

Day flash:

65/5 hrs.

Day solid:

25/4 hrs.

Night flash:

65/23 hrs.

Night solid:

5/21 hrs.

Exposure Blaze

$263

https://goo.gl/KtQifR

rechargeable

DayBright Pulse

80/6 hrs.

 Low Pulse

48 hrs.

CatEye Rapid X3 Rear

$60

https://goo.gl/Q63ScY

rechargeable

Solid

100/1 hr.

Rapid

50/16 hrs.

Specialized Flux Expert

$100

https://goo.gl/JgvaQQ

rechargeable

Daytime Flash

110/14 hrs.

Nighttime Flash

55/17 hrs.

Cygolite Hotshot Pro 150

$39

https://goo.gl/ojL4ii

rechargeable

Flashing

 150/2-210 hrs.

Solid

90/2-210 hrs.

NightRider Sentinel 150

$50

https://goo.gl/vxgP95

rechargeable

Flashing (no Laser)

150/5 hrs.

 

Light and Motion

Vis 180 Pro

$100

https://goo.gl/75g656

rechargeable

High Pulse

150/6 hrs

Low  Pulse

75/ 12 hrs.

Serafas TST-150 Spectra

$60

https://goo.gl/brhx61

rechargeable

Daytime Flash

150/25 hrs.

High Flash

80/ 7 hrs.

See.Sense  Icon

$100

https://goo.gl/U75bev

rechargeable

Flashing

190/15hrs.

 
DiNotte Quad Red

$180

https://goo.gl/4jhC1d

rechargeable

Steady

200/4 hrs.

Slow Pulse

200/36 hrs.

Lezyne Strip Drive Pro

$50

https://goo.gl/UjWBD4

rechargeable

Day Flash 1

300/3 hrs.

Day Flash 2

150/4.5 Hrs

 

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Anonymous says

    October 5, 2017 at 11:52 am

    For an even more in depth list, take a peek at https://www.bikelightdatabase.com/

    Reply
  2. fred says

    October 5, 2017 at 5:14 pm

    The See.Sense Icon rear light is 250 lumens, that’s a lot of light, and it’s a great deal at only $120 for something that bright. Anything less than 65 lumens won’t be seen real well, if at all in direct sunlight on a bright day, I have a 75 lumen L & M Vis 180 and it’s better than anything else I’ve seen on the road during the day, but I haven’t seen any of the real bright ones yet. With people texting nowadays you better have something shockingly bright to attract their attention sooner from further distance.

    Reply
  3. John Tonetti says

    October 6, 2017 at 11:01 am

    I’ve been using four lights from Arsenal Cycling (https://www.arsenalcycling.com) for commuting in daylight during the past few months. I’m very happy with them.

    I highly recommend a front flasher for daylight riding. It catches motorists eyes so they notice an approaching cyclist, which they might not without one.

    Reply
  4. Roy Bloomfield says

    October 6, 2017 at 4:03 pm

    Failed to include the Dinotte (Quad Red), which is (most likely) brighter and more effective than anything in your list. Certainly more so than the Light and Motion Vis 180, which I gave away after buying the Dinotte . . .

    Reply
  5. Nicholas Gimbrone says

    October 8, 2017 at 7:24 pm

    The ICON is 190 lumens, the ICON+ is 250 lumens. Front (white) versions also exist, at 420 lumens for the ICON+. The brightness level is adjustable (via a phone app), and there is both an optional crash detection/reporting mode and a theft detection/reporting mode bundled into the app. The app can also be used to upgrade the firmware in the light. The flash pattern and brightness changes in response to both motion & light detection.

    Reply
  6. Tom Brady says

    December 29, 2020 at 7:28 pm

    The Light & Motion Vis 180 Pro is $69.99, not $99.99. It is also waterproof which should be a serious consideration for a taillight.

    Reply

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