[Closed] Rear light consensus - Flashing or constant?

Both

One of each.

Couple of flashers on my bike and I've not been knocked off yet.

Yep, one of each. Hedge your bets.

one of each. Make sure they have large lenses. Pinpoint ones are harder to see than ones a couple of inches across. Don't forget reflective tape on the bike especially the pedals

Tracer flash is a combo shirley- it doesn’t go off but it pulses.

Flashing light on its own is hardwork to track if there are other lights about i find.

One of each.

Both here too

Its no longer a legal requirement to have a constant light is it? Do people think a constant one helps? I have two fladhing on the bike and one flashing on helmet. Not been killed yet.

Both - flashing light better at attracting attention, but fixed light makes it easier to judge distance. 2x lights in case one stops working.

Country lane stuff in actual darkness, usually one of each and they don't even need to be particularly bright.

Urban stuff in busy environments with lots of streetlights, car lights, shopfront lighting etc, the biggest brightest flashy thing possible.

Yep one of each here too.

Do people think a constant one helps?

Yes see two posts above you.

Both.

I like my exposure rear light because it pulses rather than flashes. Very effective (well, I thought other peoples were so I bought one)

Both. As a driver, I spot flashing faster but I find solid more helpful for position and distance.

(I have a flasher and a solid one on the bike, a flashing one on my helmet and a solid one on my rucksack, partly because it can't hurt and partly because I kind of like it)

Don't ride with just one on a flashing mode that has a 2-3 second period of darkness between flashes. Still I suppose it's better than the large number of people riding at 5pm tonight with no lights on.

Pulse mode as above. It has a constant low level with high power pluses every few seconds. Means it’s always on and flashing at the same time. I followed one in a car recently and it’s remarkably effective (hope District plus was the light)

Both and a third spare. Fibre flare on constant, flashing twin led and a old dinnotte 100lmn job to illuminate a huge section of road behind me.

Both. A flashing pdw on my mudguard and a solid moon light under my saddle oh and a flashing one on the rear of my helmet. As above as a driver I spot a flashing light first in the distance

as noted both for the reasons stated

My lord we may have actual found a consensus position!

My constant on i have is fairly large = old lummi thing but still very very bright - and a cheap but decent two LED flashing things

I also have a low level glow stick thing for MTB as its fine on the dark lane and wont dazzle any rider behind me when off road.

Assume you are riding solo? Most winter chain gangs round me would insist on a constant light as flashing is distracting when you are riding behind someone for an hour.

both. I have two flashing and one constant.

I have my dynamo rear light mounted low down on the chainstay, above the dropout. This way it illuminates the road behind my bike and gives drivers a much better point of reference than a bright light "floating" in the air. Sometimes I'll run a flasher on the back of my helmet if it's foggy/raining but most of the time I think wearing reflective vest and ankle wraps is more effective. I am still alive so it must work.

Yep, both. Neither overly expensive either.
I also have a flashing light on my helmet too.

My lord we may have actual found a consensus position!

🙂

Both here too. Combination works best for visibility, and you have a backup in case on fails.

Just because no-one has said it already:
Both!

Wot Lunge said, one on your helmet, gets it above hedge level

On MTB rides I just use one and turn it off when off-road.

On road rides I use 2x lights, one magicshine light plugged into my main battery which pulses, and one normal rear light on constant. 2x is better than one pulsing light, for the simple reason light's fall off and go flat and you'd never know until you (hopefully) got home!

Wot Lunge said, one on your helmet, gets it above hedge level

+1,

One of these clipped into the rear vent of my helmet. Like pedal reflectors, one of these bobbing around at head level makes it obvious you're a person/cyclist.

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I set mine on pulse rather than flash and aim it sightly down so it lights up a large patch of road. As a driver I dislike massively bright flashing lights aimed high. I also have reflective tape on my mudguards and bright yellow overshoes with reflective accents to make it obvious I am a cyclist.

I have a TracerR and have it on pulse, but not on full strength as that can be blinding.
It's more than sufficient to be seen.

Flashing fibreflare on my helmet, constant moon something on seatpack, cateye 'holy hand grenade' on seatpost - one row on flashing and one on constant.

I would never ride with only one light nor one on flashing only.

Constant

Cateye 600, only ever flashing.

Daytime : one powerful flashing light on the seatpost
Nighttime : powerful constant on the seatpost, small flasher on back of rucksack

Still alive, but I don't ride on particularly busy/fast roads

Both.

Riding up the cycle path through Hyde Park from the arch at night is a good demo. Most people have flashing only lights, and what should be an obvious line of cyclists is just a sea of blinking lights. You've got no idea what's in front of you.

Quite hard to track a moving red light amongst many moving red lights when it's invisible for half the time. My flasher is on a fast flicker (Cateye) which is flickery enough to be very noticeable but on enough to track its movement. Lezyne on the other hand make their flash so slow as to be dangerously useless IMO.

and what should be an obvious line of cyclists is just a sea of blinking lights. 

This is how I feel about it too. Blinky lights might be ok if you're a lone cyclist, but when it get's busy it's all a bit of a mess. This is probably why cars and motorcycles don't have them!! Constant ftw

The new Daybright feature on Exposure lights is very good. I've just got a TraceR and a mate commented the other day how good it is. It's got a built in brake light, works off an accelerometer.

My commuter has that light and an older TraceR and I just switch mode depending on time of day. Night-time, the newer one is on a constant beam, daytime, I put it on Daybright. The older one I just leave on pulse mode all the time.

generally country lane

Constant.

No need for flashing mode when it's generally dark and few other lights around. Easier to judge closing speed / bike position from a car with a constant rear light imo, partic if there's a second constant light a foot or so away or a good stationary reflective area.

If it was urban use I'd say constant for the main light and a higher-up flashing light as an option.

Steady on the head and flashing and solid on the seatpost.

moon nebula on constant. End of.

2 moonshield 60's.. One Flashing on back of my helmet and one constant on seat post.

Respro reflective ankle bands FTW!! Moving reflectives are the best way of grabbing attention in the dark.
Ive got these reversible ones
https://www.evanscycles.com/respro-ankle-bands-00106108

Not sure if they still make them

Two is even more important on country roads because if a single light fails you are buggered. In town with streetlights you can at least use the pavement and see by street lights.

For country roads it's a cateye rapid X with a lezyne stick job because that had a tight spot which is bright from a long distance. Don't use that one in town.

If I was to build a rear light bar ( lets call it the Saberlight )
Which is slotted into a tube insert down by the QR , and a C clip by the brake boss.
25mm dia
500mm long
Solid red with flashing section at the top 50mm long
How far off the outside chainstay would you want it to sit ?
100mm ? 200mm? more?

I just feel current rear lights just give drivers a very small avoidance target . They do nothing to add width or height to cyclist.

Sort of like these traffic batons , but removable

[url= https://www.alibaba.com/product-detail/Traffic-Baton-Traffic-Wand-LED-Flashing_60396567720.html?spm=a2700.7724857.main07.135.498dfaedcs7aOY ]Chinese traffic wands[/url]

One of each. If the batteries fail on one then I put the remaining one on constant so by that gauge I guess the answer to the question is constant.

Both here. Two Cateye Rapid micros. One on flashing, the other on full bright. For long rides, I swap modes half way. Also have a PDW fenderbot for reserve.

The trike has an extra rack mounted light for good m assure, plus a red eye plugged into a helmet Joystick!