Ritterview

[The Michelin's new tire thread has been totally hijacked into a discussion of lighting and night visibility. Since I played no small part in this hijack, I'll try to atone by starting a proper thread on the topic of lighting].

DiNotte has a new taillight, the 300R. This is slick, because the rechargable battery is contained within the light. On my older DiNotte, the battery has to be strapped to the frame, which is ungainly and a nuisance.

These DiNotte's are aggressively bright. There is a real feeling of security riding at twilight or dark with these, because you know you are seen. I commute with one, and I think I am given a wider berth at night with the DiNOtte, than I get during the day. I'll use it even if it is cloudy, or whenever some cars have their lights on.





This new quick-release is key, because you'll want to switch the DiNotte from you tandem to your half-bike. Right now, I've got to find a screwdriver to make the switch, and there is nothing quick about it

tandem rider

Thanks for posting about the new DiNotte light. I have friends who use the old DiNottte light and always have it on when riding, even is bright daylight.

TandemGeek

It's a little thing, but having followed other bikes with the DiNotte taillights I have a real appreciation for how annoying and they can be if they're aimed parallel to the ground instead of slightly down.

We have a pair of the older DiNotte tail lights and they're fantastic; ours are always on when we ride during the day for added conspicuousness. However, since we recognize just how bright they are, I always make a point of aiming them down a few degrees so that they don't 'dazzle' motorists or cyclists riding behind us. In fact, I have them positioned under seat packs so that the light is masked to any cyclist riding on our rear wheel. They, in turn, knock down the 'dazzle' effect on following riders.

I really gain an appreciation for how well the DiNottes work when we see other folks with lights from Planet Bike or other manufacturers and sometimes don't realize the lights are actually on until they go into a dimly light area.

specbill

Our Dinotte 140R tail light is turned-on anytime we are on the tandem....it is the best $120.00+ I've ever spent in cycling because being seen is paramont. We have the rechargable AA's and easily get 8 hours from it in the 'slow blink' mode.

I looked at the Dinotte site to see what kind of time to expect for battery life from the new 300R but could not see the answer... I trust (hope) it will be similar. The clean install of the 300R with no Battery pack is a nice evolution of a great product.

Bill J.

Oosbahnd&Weefay

I will add a bit of a +1 for their Commuter kit (the 140R and 200L with 2 of the larger batteries). When my wife and I did our 11 day ride from Portland to SF, we had the rear light on every minute of it, and the front on in fog/deep woods/tunnels (maybe 4 hours of front on full power). We didn't take a charger, and the batteries got us all the way. There is NOTHING quite like this set for touring busy roads.

Ritterview

Here is a handy comparison between a Planet Bike SuperFlash and a Dinotte 140L (the headlight is a MagicShine P7). I remember when I used to think the SuperFlash was really bright.

uspspro

For $20 though, I am certainly impressed with the Superflash. It's a good product for the masses (haha... including us).

TandemGeek

My only issues with tail lights like the SuperFlash is that owners must recognize the LEDs are directionally sensitive and must be also attentive to battery replacement to ensure these types of lights are truly visible on the road.

In other words, unless you take the time to aim the lights by standing 100-200' back from your bike to replicate the view from an on-coming motorist, the lights quickly loose their perceived "brilliance" based on a user looking directly into the light. If these lights are installed on seat packs, the back of a helmet or in any way that does not put them parallel to the ground or perhaps up a couple degees and slightly angled a couple degrees to the rider's left (towards traffic), their brilliance is quickly diminished even at night. As for their effectiveness in daylight, as noted in my first post it becomes neglible in all but the most shaded sections of roadway. This is true of all traditional LED 'blinkies', so users beware.

As noted, the opposite is true of the DiNotte lights. If you 'aim' them at traffic in the same way that you aim a traditional LED blinky you'll actually lose some a lot of their nighttime effectiveness and/or blind motorists and cyclists as they approach you from behind. DiNotte's principle makes the point that the DiNotte 140's (I haven't looked at the newer 300 models) are more effective when they are angled towards the ground behind a bicycle such that they paint a HUGE red splash of light on the road that is far more attention getting and effective at getting motorists to steer clear of a cyclist vs. just a small piercing light that can impair their vision. The following is a 2007 video of Robert Skaff explaining his lights to a group of enthusiasts where he discussess how to get the most out of his lights:

JSNYC

Ritterview: do you have the 300R by chance? I was thinking of getting the 140, but if the 300R is just as bright and has same functionality, this is a better option for me (ability to quickly swap to different bikes).

rmac

Anyone have the Magicshine Taillight?

https://www.geomangear.com/index.php?...roducts_id=209

I have a Magicshine headlight and a DiNotte 140 taillight. This $29 taillight uses the same battery as the headlight and is supposed to be just as bright as the DiNotte.

Ritterview

I had to look it up. I have the 400R-LI_2C, which has the external lithium battery.

I find DiNotte's website and product line extremely confusing. Maybe its just me. There is also a 400L. What does L mean? Lithium? Does R mean red? I don't know. Does 400 refer to lumens? Then is the 300 just as bright at the 400? The web site says it is equally effective as the 140 and 400. If you can figure all this out, JSNYC, please post it here!


What you get with the 400R-LI_2C

MileHighMark

+1 to your +1. Amazingly bright and reasonably compact.

Ritterview

That looks like a super deal. Any chance that the Magicshine tail light would work with a DiNotte battery? It looks like the same connection.

JSNYC

Will, sorry, I too went to their website and couldn't understand a damned thing...or rather, my patience was limited to 5 minutes of reading it to find simple-to-use comparisons. No dice. It would be helpful to know the light output of the 300R vs. 140L.

By the way, I do have the magicshine 900 lumens headlight, and that sucker is BRIGHT! (I'm tempted for out-of-town/suburban riding to check out the new 1400 lumen version at geomangear.com, but that might be serious overkill). The only reason I don't get the magicshine taillight is I hate cables all over the place, which is why i use the Planet Bike clip-on in back. I've got the magicshine setup figured out such that i can tuck it under my stem, neat & tidy and outta the way. For my purposes here in NYC, my current combo of magicshine and planet bike is fine. For riding in 'burbs at night, yes I'd re-think that configuration.

tandem rider

Boy, do I feel better. With this thread I spent several minutes on the DiNotte's web site and was also confused. I could also not find the differences in the lights, how much the charger costs, and if all of the displayed mounts are included with the light. Thanks for an informative thread.

la2sei

Dinotte has a page with manuals and specifications, you can find one on the 300R. It doesn't list lumens but does give a comparison to the 140 and 400, as well as expected run times.

https://www.dinottelighting.com/manuals/300R_INST_A.pdf

TandemGeek

DiNotte's model numbers are the Lumen numbers, e.g., 140 is about 140 lumens, a 300 is about 300 lumens, etc.

If you're a serious buyer and not just window shopping, call DiNotte if you aren't finding the answers to your questions on the web site... which is true of any business with a web site. Heck, you may even find something is on sale or that there's a new product offering not yet listed on their web site.

conspiratemus1

This is a great thread, very helpful.
This may be a stupid question, but do I understand correctly that the Dinotte taillight with the built in battery is recharged by plugging it into the USB port of my computer? (I'm not so much of a computer newbie that I forward all those e-mail hoaxes but I have to say this is news to me. Way cool.)

TandemGeek

Yes, or an A/C adapter with a USB port, etc...

B. Carfree

I disagree with you about how to aim the Dinotte rear light. Perhaps because I live where we have wet roads 200 nights per year and the car/SUV/Pick-ups tend to have their headlights out of alignment, but aiming the rear light down to try to make a red area around me renders me invisible against the competing lights (unless you are coming in by helicopter). I don't worry about blinding a motorist; the headlights they are driving into are still brighter than my rear light. I want the light to be so bright in a motorist's eyes that he/she cannot stare into it. People tend to steer where they are looking (especially drunks, which we have quite the surplus of), so I want them aware of me but not staring at me. After three years of the Dinotte as my primary rear light, I have yet to hear a complaint from a motorist (I turn it off on bike paths, so no complaints from cyclists either), but I do get a lot more space from the carcissists with this light.

TandemGeek

You're not disagreeing with me, you're disagreeing with Robert Skaff, the guy who invented the DiNotte lighting system. I'm merely passing along his guidance.

justcrankn

140L=140 lumens (white headlight is assumed)
A=amber, R=red
Li=lithium ion, AA=AA batteries
2C=2 cell battery, 4C=4 cell battery
Slv=silver, Blk=black
L=long cord
BC=batteries and charger included, 0=no battery
difficult to navigate through, but LOTS of options

justcrankn

From the 300R operating instructions

Single Light Run Times:
4 Hours 100%
8 Hours 50%
16 Hours 25%
36 Hours Slow Pulse
12 Hours Rapid Pulse
12 Hours Strobe

conspiratemus1

Ahhh, drunks...... Unfortunately "it is said" that drunks tend to drive right into stopped police cars displaying their super-bright flashing roof and bumper lights. Damfino why that is (or if it's really true even.) But one did hit the car of an Ontario Provincial Police officer who had another motorist pulled over just a few weeks ago. One theory is that they fixate on the flashing light because it's the one thing they can see very well, and drive right into it because they either can't stop looking at it -- they get vertigo if they move their heads -- or have no clue how close it is, just that it's keeping them pointed in the general direction of the road. You have to be really drunk to hit a police car....and they are.

One reason I just ordered the DiNotte taillight is that being rechargeable I can run it in steady mode without burning through a ton of AAA batteries every winter for my two Planet Bike LED blinkies.

I think you do want to avoid dazzling people who (most of the time) are doing their best to avoid running you down from behind, particularly the ones who are waiting patiently behind you until there is safe clearance to pass. You want the motorist who is closing on you to be able to recognize that you are a bicycle, travelling at bicycle speed, and not just some painful amorphous red-hot light that he might think is moving at his speed. Just "seeing" you isn't enough; he needs to be able to plot your track mentally so he can brake or steer out of your way at the right time. He can't do that if you are shining a hot light in his eyes. You also don't want to be sitting in a big scotoma that you created in the vision of someone who is squeezing by you because they got tired of squinting at your taillight. It's good to know that the DiNotte is bright enough that you have to think about things like that.

TandemGeek

Two words: Re-chargeable Batteries.

I have two 140 taillights: one uses 4-AA batteries and the other is the Li-ion (thank you Ebay & BikeForums classifieds!). I actually like the AA model better than the Li-ion; just seems a bit more flexible and easy to live with given that I can use multiple sets of re-chargeable batteries and the re-charger is not much bigger than the Li-ion charger.