One of the biggest factors that affects whether people choose to cycle or not, is personal safety on the roads. A good rear light is quite a crucial bit of kit….
This fear is backed up by evidence too. Collision statistics involving cyclists show (in my local area) that you’re more likely to be hit from behind by a car driver who will claim they didn’t see you.
So, it’s all about risk management. As cyclists, we need to do what we can to make ourselves as visible as possible, thus reducing the chances of having a nasty encounter with SMIDSY (“sorry mate, I didn’t see you”). You can’t rule out random bad luck, but you can tip the odds in your favour that most people will see you most of the time.
I recently asked ScarletFire readers (via twitter, and our facebook page) for suggestions about what light I should get.
The most popular choices seemed to be the Moon Shield 60, and the Lezyne Micro Drive. Both of these retail for around £30 so they’re a popular choice and great value for money.
Searchlight casting….
I’ve been through quite a few rear lights in the search for the perfect one. It’s usually because of issues with how safe and protected you feel, or poor reliability, pathetic battery life, or simply not being able to tell how much power they’ve got left, etc. It’s horrible when your light fails on a busy road and you’ve still got miles to go to get home. For that reason alone it’s a great idea to use more than one rear light.
A few people had suggested that Exposure lights were pretty good, and after doing a bit more research, the Blaze Mk1 model seemed to tick all the boxes.
Here’s my checklist, the must
- Bright. Like having a baby supernova strapped to your seatpost.
- Solid, well made.
- Reliable water resistance.
- Battery charge indicator
- Long battery life
- Looks like a cartoon fire hydrant. This was a bonus. What were the chances?
This light ain’t cheap, but it rocks.
It retails at £99.95, but you will find it cheaper online. Scroll down to see the price comparison table – this will show you the lowest price available right now.
I’ll make an effort to try to film it in action, and it might be interesting to compare it to a couple of other lights I’ve been using in the last year or so.
My first impression, having used it to commute to and from work today, is that it’s FREAKIN’ AWESOME!
Price comparison for the Exposure Blaze Mk1 rear light
The table below is updated every day and always shows the top 5 best prices on the Exposure Blaze, to save you time.
You’re welcome!
I got a Blaze last week and have ridden twice in daylight with it on the flashing mode. Now either on these days the motorist were ALL being kind/sensible, or, the Blaze caused them to give me a wider berth than normal. It may not be cheap, but, pay cheap pay twice won’t apply if you knocked off and can’t ride.