Waterproof rear light

[dave0010]

Can you all help me please, Ive gone through maybe 3 or 4 rear lights in as many months. They just keep letting water into them and then corroding. All I want is a simple rear light with a good battery life. Nothing with a separate battery and will not die after being out in rain.

[S10GTA]

Mudguards is the obvious answer

[Fishtigua]

My last Catseye has lasted really well. Get a new bike last week so treated it to a new one. It's mounted under the seat so rain is not a prob.

[dave0010]

Ye really don't want to go down the lines of mud guards, This is for my road bike also.

[r-kid]

dave0010 said:

Ye really don't want to go down the lines of mud guards, This is for my road bike also.

I've never understood this position, there is nothing worse than getting wet from below when out in bad weather.

I'd suggest a smart 1w light but I think it will leak eventually.

[mikecassie]

I've a cateye light which has lasted a few years. Better than other lights I've had which have flooded within a few rides.

[anonymous-user]

I smear a bit of Worx around the seals of my rear light, has worked fine all winter and can be pealed off for a battery change.

[gazza285]

Planet X Phaart Bleep. I had the same problem, so bought four of these, expecting to loose them over the winter. Still got them all. Cheap, bright and reliable.

[Viperzs]

I have used either a Cateye Rapid 5 or Volt 50. Never had water issues with either of those. Everyone I ride with use Cateye as well and none have had problems.

[Steve vRS]

I have 2 rear Cateye lights and they have been great. One had a problem with the power button after3/4months of almost day use but Wiggle replaced it without hesitation!

Steve

[donfisher]

I have one of these:

http://www.wiggle.co.uk/fibre-flare-shorty-side-li...

and one of these:

https://www.cateye.com/intl/products/detail/TL-LD1...

Neither are top of the range on the output side of things but both have worked faultlessly during and after some proper downpours.

[yellowjack]

Cateye TL-LD610 and Smart Lunar R1

Another vote for Cateye lights. This... http://www.bikeradar.com/gear/category/accessories... ...is my current 'main' light, backed up by a couple of... http://mccraw.co.uk/smart-lunar-r1-rear-light-revi...

The Cateye is fitted to the seatpost, using Cateye's supplied 'flextight' tool free bracket, which is it's only weak point - I can't get mine to stay tight, but it isn't a deal breaker. The light itself has remained waterproof despite use in some horrendous conditions in the Surrey Hills area (without mudguards). The only slight complaint I could level at it is that the switch needs a pretty hefty squeeze to turn it on/off.

The Smart R1's are great too, but they have a clip on the back that allows fitment to the proprietary bracket supplied with the light, or it clips onto the loop on the back of a saddlebag or some rain jackets, or onto the top of a jersey pocket. Fitted to the bracket, it's pretty secure, but I've lost one completely after it jumped off the saddle bag loop on the road bike (again in the Surrey Hills - some terribly surfaced roads in places) and I've had the other one do the same off a different tool bag on the MTB, but I back-tracked over 3 miles and found that one.

Another one to consider, again from Smart, is this... http://www.probikekit.co.uk/cycling-accessories/sm... ...again, it has the same bracket/clip fitment options as the R1, and it appears to use the same innards but laid out on a different PCB to allow for the kidney shape. I'm not currently using mine, as they're lost in a pile of useless crap in the garage, but I had no complaints about them when I was using them.

If you do go for the 'Smart' lights, just be careful when you prise off the lens to change batteries - there is a red gasket between the black body and the lens, which needs to be checked as you re-assemble it. If you lose this gasket, or it slips slightly off it's locating pegs, the light certainly won't be waterproof any more.

[TwistingMyMelon]

Mudflaps protect my lights from most of the road crap, not that it helps you OP!

I rand some insulating tape round the gaps on lights to help seal them in

I also always dismantle the lights in a warm room after a wet ride to let them dry out.

[bigdom]

As above, mudguards, or tape and silicone grease the seals. The latter helps to seal the underwater camera to 40m or so.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Carlube-Silicone-Purpose-L...

[bakerstreet]

Another vote for the Cateye lights. I have two TL-D600 5 LED versions and all I do is wrap insulating tape round the seams and the battery flap. They have survived three winters of commuting.

I have just bought one of the newer ones. The only reason I did that was because I needed the different mount to go with the underseat mount

I'm a massive fan of Cateye lights. They seem robust and great value for money

[anonymous-user]

I have a Leyzne Femto which sits on the seat post and a Cateye rapid 5 mounted vertically which sits on the right seatstay, both of which were attacked with silicone sealant and I havent had a problem with them. In my opinion, no light is really waterproof unless you are spending a fair amount but you can do a lot to make cheaper lights reliable and waterproof.

[WinstonWolf]

Vaseline is your friend!

[mrmr96]

Why not get two smaller lights and put one on each seat stay? That way they will be well out of harms way with regard to tyre spray, and you'll still get good coverage (possibly better coverage) to the rear vs. a single light on the seat post.

[Rocksteadyeddie]

Get a fibre flare on your helmet. 1) It will stay out of the worst of the spray (although mudguards are a no-brainer in winter anyway) and 2) You'll be much more visible than a light just on the bike itself (although I have them aswell). I have one person a week ask me where I got my rear light from on the commute.

[TheLemming]

gazza285 said:

Planet X Phaart Bleep. I had the same problem, so bought four of these, expecting to loose them over the winter. Still got them all. Cheap, bright and reliable.

I did the same when they had a sale on, bought a stack of the 5 led ones too (cateye clones).

The bleeps work flawlessly - and are brighter and have a clip to attach to backpacks or saddles etc. Can get two of them on a fizik saddlebag lol

The 5 led ones suffer from water ingress when its torrential and I've basically stopped using them....