Review of BikeSmart DropFlash Road Bar End Lights

BikeSmart DropFlash Road Bar End Lights
By: BIKESMART Average Rating: 4.0 Total Reviews: 1
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Smart Idea, Could be a Bit More Rugged

On: 2007-01-15

Being an urban rider in cities such as New York, Chicago, and Boston, I am always looking to improve my visibility to drivers. This improved visibility not only comes from brighter lights but more intelligent placement of lights and reflectors. These bar end lights offer high visibility perpendicular to your path of travel. In urban environments, this means improving critical safety at intersections.

With a single, large red LED, these lights can identify your position to motorists several hundred feet away. With a highly direction beam, however, most of the light is concentrated in a cone of light ten degrees wide. Combined with a headlight and taillight, they provide an excellent illumination on all four sides.

While the idea behind these lights is fabulous, the execution is flawed. Specifically, I have had the internal circuit board come loose from the main plastic sleeve twice. Somewhat inconvenient is the use of a small watch battery, which isnt available in rechargeable sizes. Lastly, the standard model doesnt fit many handlebars. With my Trek 3900, I had to freeze the units to reduce their outer diameter before insertion. On my Trek 4900, it was impossible to insert them in the handlebars. So, I used Gorilla Tape and attached them to the top of my fork.

With the number of cyclists being hit by Taxi drivers and inattentive motorists, you can never be too visible - day or night. With bar end LED lights, critical visibility is enhanced in urban traffic, especially at intersections. Combined with other lights and reflective garments, they will increase the probability motorists will see you and hence lower your risk of being hit.