Bulky but long-running 10 LED lightfest

The Cateye TL-LD1100 is the brand’s top-of-range rear LED light. It makes use of a whopping ten LEDs (some rear, some side-facing) and takes full-fat AA batteries to give outstanding runtimes.

Currently Chain-Reaction are doing 14% off while Wiggle have it on a 10% discount.

I’ve been commuting using dynamo lights for some time now, but my better half has made do with a few different battery rear LEDs since we own so many rear lights of various ages!

As it’s quite a costly option, the TL-LD1100 has stayed on as a backup light for longer than you might expect, and before that served as primary light for a year on our shared 12 mile commute.

Mounting

The Cateye TL-LD1100 is not a clip-on style light – you must use one of the Cateye mounts (although you can get hold of a belt clip adapter mount if you want to use it this way).

The TL-LD1100 does not come with Cateye’s newer flex tight brackets – probably because it’s just too heavy. You will need to keep coming back to check your mount as there have been numerous reports of lights dropping off.

Ours uses the rack mount adapter, working around this problem.

The physical size of the TL-LD1100 may seem intimidating but in fairness it is fat in every dimension, so at least you avoid the difficulties presented by the TL-LD600 strip light.

Beam quality and strength

The Cateye TL-LD1100 has two buttons and a total of 24 modes – four modes per button, the buttons being independent in operation.

In much the same way that you don’t worry about how many modes your car lights have, I’m a bit “meh” about anything other than plain old “on then off”…

The side-facing LEDs are a nice touch. While there are limited situations in which a driver is likely to be targeted by them, it’s certainly reassuring to know that you’re spraying red light in every direction!

One of the biggest annoyances with this light is that if you just want all the LEDs to flash, each “half” of the TL-LD1100 operates at a slightly different speed, so it slowly changes from all flashing at the same time to perfect counterpoint (i.e. effectively non-flashing at half-strength) and then back again.

This will drive you mad if you’re riding behind!

The LEDs are not ‘power LEDs’ (as found on, say, the Smart Superflash and similar lights). However, there are so many of them that, combined with the use of full-size AA batteries, the Cateye TL-LD1100 remains a very bright light indeed.

Depending on the mode you use, the TL-LD1100 is a borderline mega dazzler. Making it unpleasant for people to drive behind can definitely encourage them into a rushed overtake. It’s not as bad as many of its competitors, however.

The TL-LD1100 does allow you to run only half the light at a time, reducing glare (although then, why aren’t you just running a cheaper light?).

It’s important to mount the light completely level, as designers depend on this when working out off-angle visibility and other factors. Do not point it at the ground by mounting vertically on the seatpost!

Because the Cateye TL-LD1100 hasn’t passed the relevant tests it isn’t road legal when used on its own (in any mode).

I’ll write more about this separately, but unless you go for a dynamo (all dynamo lights are genuinely road legal), it’s true of pretty much anything a bike shop will sell you.

Useability

The Cateye TL-LD1100 has two small rubber buttons to one side of the case.

You have to count many different presses to take the light from ‘off’ to your chosen modes, and a different number of presses to turn it off again. I actually found this surprisingly frustrating!

Battery life

Unlike a great many of its rivals, the Cateye TL-LD1100 runs on two full-size AA batteries.

This gives it fantastic battery life despite the large number of LEDs – 50 hours steady and 100 hours flashing. Remember that the temperature at which you use the light and the type of battery used both influence that figure.

A word on true brightness

Unlike many ‘power LED’ lights, the Cateye uses full-size AA batteries. It delivers 50 hours on solid from 2x2850mAh cells – (2 x 2850 / 50) = 114mA. The power is thus (0.114 x 1.25) = 0.143W

This is actually more than the real wattage of both the RSP Astrum and Smart Lunar R2 lights!

Durability / waterproofing

The Cateye TL-LD1100 has solid weather sealing (based on all weather mileage), but I have had repeated trouble with the little rubber buttons on the end being dislodged if brushed across the light (say in a pocket or bag, or just a badly-aimed finger).

Trying to get the rubber bit back in to re-seal the button is an exercise in exquisite frustration!

As with all lights, mounting under the seat (combined with a mudguard) virtually guarantees trouble-free operation.

Overall

The Cateye TL-LD1100 rear LED light is a comparative giant – both in size, weight, long runtime and cost.

It is not outrageously bright, especially if you moderate the modes – which is a great advantage if you are a social rider and especially if you don’t subscribe to the simplistic “more watts = more safety” bandwagon. It is reliable but operation can be frustrating due to the millions of different modes, and the fact that each half of the light seems to run to a different rhythm.

The apparent dodgyness of the seatpost mount is a worry. At twice the price of many rivals, this is not a light you would be happy to lose.

Again, Chain-Reaction are doing 14% off while Wiggle currently have it on a 10% discount.

Distinctive strip LEDs: cheap and effective, awkward to mount

The Cateye TL-LD600 is a distinctive rear light consisting of a single strip of five low power LEDs. An older design, they’re still a common sight all over the country.

Although Cateye have produced a replacement in the LD610, you can still buy the older version of the light for a song. Currently Wiggle have it on a 17% discount, while Chain-Reaction are doing 12% off.

I’ve been commuting using dynamo lights for some time now, but my LD600 is still doing sterling service as an extra rear LED on my Carry Freedom trailer. Since I’ve often lent the trailer out, I’ve been able to check its performance in different circumstances, and it’s still a very effective rear light.

Mounting

The Cateye TL-LD600 is not a clip-on style light – you must use one of the Cateye mounts (although you can get hold of a belt clip adapter mount if you want to use it this way).

Rather than a nice jubilee-clip style mount, the Cateye TL-LD600 has a more primitive fixed-size band, tightened by a small metal screw.

Say hello to packing out the mount with tape if it’s not just the right size, and don’t strip that screw head!

(Depending on packaging, you may find that the TL-LD600 comes with one of Cateye’s newer flex tight brackets – a step in the right direction).

Because the light is a long strip, it’s quite easy to use zip-ties or rubber o-rings in a figure of eight to clamp it onto any tube or flat surface (this is how I’ve fitted mine to the Carry Freedom – no risk of loss or theft).

The long strip format does work against the TL-LD600 however, in that you can’t really mount it on a seat stay (it goes into the spokes) or vertically (it’s too long and hits the seatpost or seat stay – forcing you to point it at a crazy angle).

Beam quality and strength

The Cateye TL-LD600 has four modes – three flashing patterns as well as solid mode. In much the same way that you don’t worry about how many modes your car lights have, I’m a bit “meh” about anything other than plain old “on then off”…

The “chasing” LED mode is particularly weak – why would you reduce your light to just 20% brightness *and* let it flash? Crikey!

The LEDs are not ‘power LEDs’ (as found on, say, the Smart Superflash and similar lights). Visibility is OK from behind but the light doesn’t excel at off-axis visibility – another area in which it shows its age a little.

One advantage of not being an insanely bright mega flasher is that it’s much less unpleasant to ride or drive behind someone using it. Making it unpleasant for people to drive behind can definitely encourage them into a rushed overtake. As a driver, I can vouch that sitting at light behind someone with a mega LED flasher definitely focuses my mind on getting past!

The TL-LD600 definitely doesn’t have that problem. Few will want to buck the trend and deliberately opt for a less dazzling light, but it’s certainly an option.

It’s important to mount the light completely level, as designers depend on this when working out off-angle visibility and other factors. Do not point it at the ground by mounting vertically on the seatpost!

Because the Cateye TL-LD600 hasn’t passed the relevant tests it isn’t road legal when used on its own (in any mode).

I’ll write more about this separately, but unless you go for a dynamo (all dynamo lights are genuinely road legal), it’s true of pretty much anything a bike shop will sell you.

Useability

The Cateye TL-LD600 has a small rear button to one side of the case.

One nice touch is that the light is switched on and off with a long press, so you can cycle through modes while riding without going dark. Unfortunately there’s only really one mode worth using..

Battery life

The Cateye TL-LD600 runs on two AAA batteries.

I seem to get much more than the stated battery life (15h steady, 30h flashing) but neither is much to write home about. Remember that the temperature at which you use the light and the type of battery used both influence that figure.

In this area the TL-LD600 does start to show its age compared with newer, high power LED lights that manage more than twice as much battery life (flashing mode) and 50% more on solid, despite being much brighter. See the Smart Lunar R2 or Smart Superflash amongst many others…

Durability / waterproofing

The Cateye TL-LD600 has solid weather sealing (based on all weather mileage on the back of my trailer, 6″ from the tarmac!).

As with all lights, mounting under the seat (combined with a mudguard) virtually guarantees trouble-free operation.

Overall

The Cateye TL-LD600 rear LED light is an older design that’s clearly long in the teeth in some respects, especially battery life vs output.

It is not offensively bright, which is a great advantage if you are a social rider and especially if you don’t subscribe to the simplistic “more watts = more safety” bandwagon. It is reliable and easy to operate.

The light is let down slightly by the awkwardness of mounting it, but at the same time the width of the TL-LD600 can make it more prominent than a single point source (and more useful for drivers trying to fix your position).

There are probably better options, but it’s certainly not one to avoid.

Again, Wiggle currently have it on a 17% discount, while Chain-Reaction are doing 12% off.

Two 0.5W LEDs make this another blinder

The Smart Lunar R2 is a small (AAA) rear LED in the clip-on tradition. It benefits from superior construction quality relative to the infamous Smart Superflash 0.5W LED light, but at greater cost.

Currently Wiggle have it on a 10% discount, while Chain-Reaction are doing a respectable 20% off.

I’ve been commuting using dynamo lights for some time now, but my better half has made do with a few different battery rear LEDs since we own so many rear lights of various ages!

This has actually been pretty useful, since I’ve been able to check the performance of the Smart Lunar R2 in different circumstances while riding along behind, instead of so many bike light reviews which boil down to “it seems bright and nobody has run me over yet” 😉

Mounting

The Smart Lunar R2 has a clip on the rear which allows you to attach it to items of clothing, bags, and so on.

It is also supplied with a seatpost and seat stay mount that secures the light using the same clip. Rather than a nice jubilee-clip style mount, the Smart has a more primitive fixed-size band, tightened by a small metal screw.

Say hello to packing out the mount with tape if it’s not just the right size, and don’t strip that screw head!

It’s rare to see people riding with a light attached to bag or body that’s actually pointing in the right direction. I’ve tried this myself often… either the light points to the sky or ground or it waggles around spraying photons like a garden sprinkler!

The ability to mount on the seat stays means you should be able to find somewhere for the Smart Lunar R2, even if you have a short seatpost or use a seat bag. Don’t worry that the spokes will obscure the light from drivers on an inside lane – in reality they’ll have spent plenty of time being lasered getting into that position.

Beam quality and strength

The Smart Lunar R2 has five modes – a variety of flashing patterns as well as solid mode. In much the same way that you don’t worry about how many modes your car lights have, I’m a bit “meh” about anything other than plain old “on then off”…

Both LEDs have a plain lens (compare with the RSP Astrum’s diffuser lens). Visibility is still good from all angles and the Lunar R2 throws so much light downwind that you can be picked out minutes away on the open road…

The R2 is extremely bright – so bright that it’s unpleasant to ride or drive behind someone using it, especially in flash mode. While this may be great in some circumstances, making it unpleasant for people to drive behind you can definitely encourage them to overtake. As a driver, I can vouch that sitting at light behind someone with a mega LED flasher definitely focuses my mind on getting past!

It’s a difficult balance to strike. When driving I often find it quite difficult to work out the speed and course of a cyclist using a flashing light, so I recommend solid mode. (This is less of an issue under street lights.)

It’s important to mount the light completely level, as designers depend on this when working out off-angle visibility and other factors. Do not point it at the ground in lieu of just buying a less dazzling light!

That said, you can safely ignore anyone who says flashing lights aren’t road legal – this hasn’t been the case for about a decade.

Because the Smart Lunar R2 hasn’t passed the relevant tests it isn’t road legal when used on its own (in any mode).

I’ll write more about this separately, but unless you go for a dynamo (all dynamo lights are genuinely road legal), it’s true of pretty much anything a bike shop will sell you.

Useability

The Smart Lunar R2 has a small end-on button that isn’t the easiest to operate. It works more like “press in part of the body” than the distinct, super-positive rubber button you’ll find on many Cateye and Raleigh RSP lights.

That said, it’s not rocket science to turn it on at the start of your ride and off at the end – just a bit of hassle if you want to change modes on the way, especially gloved up.

It has a simple “press for next mode” (including the “off mode”) which makes it straightforward to change on the fly whilst riding. The large number of modes makes it slightly more tricky to switch off as you need to count just the right number of clicks.

I bought two Lunar R2 lights from my LBS around two and a half years ago. One of them failed (bounced off on a pothole and run over) but the other is going strong.

Battery life

The Smart Lunar R2 runs on two AAA batteries.

We get around the stated battery life (50 hours flashing, 25 hours solid). Remember that the temperature at which you use the light and the type of battery used both influence that figure.

With rear LED lights it’s important to bear in mind that brightness and battery life are a direct trade-off. Almost all are manufactured using essentially the same mature technology and LEDs which are broadly equal in efficiency.

All you need to decide is whether you’d like twice as many photons for half as much battery life, or vice-versa.

The Smart Lunar R2 produces quite a lot of light and so is fairly battery-hungry.

A word on those 2×0.5W LEDs…

If you know battery life, you can work out the true power draw of your light using simple mathematics.

Two AAA batteries max out at around 1200mAh each, and so the 25 hour runtime of the Smart Lunar R2 points to a current draw of (1200 x 2 / 25) = 96mA. At 1.25V this is (0.096 x 1.25) = 0.12W

A genuine 0.5W LED current draw would give a battery life of just six hours on AAA. Two 0.5W LEDs would last just three hours!

Durability / waterproofing

The Smart Lunar R2 is reasonably sealed, given that it’s lasted three winters.

The internet is less sure, with quite a few reports of water ingress. While I agree that the sealing could be better, we’ve never had a problem with our lights in pretty foul weather (although we do use mudguards).

Overall

The Smart Lunar R2 2×0.5W rear LED light is a solid effort – it’s much better built than the cheaper Smart Superflash 0.5W LED, although perhaps not as well built as some competitors (especially the mount, which is competent but not outstanding).

It is extremely bright and benefits from respectable runtime for its power – 25% more than the RSP Astrum in solid mode (although less in flashing mode)

Again, Wiggle currently have it on a 10% discount, while Chain-Reaction are doing a respectable 20% off.

Solo power LED tail light – the gold standard?

The Smart Lunar R1 is a small (AAA) rear LED in the clip-on tradition. It’s the direct descendant of the infamous Smart Superflash 0.5W LED light, but with a better quality of construction (and at greater cost).

Currently Chain-Reaction are doing a cracking 35% off.

Although more than half of our bikes are now dynamo equipped, I don’t actually own enough sets of dynamo head/tail lamps (!). The Lunar R1 is probably my go-to recommendation for a battery powered rear light, taking all things into consideration.

Mounting

The Smart Lunar R1 has a clip on the rear which allows you to attach it to items of clothing, bags, and so on.

It is also supplied with a seatpost and seat stay mount that secures the light using the same clip. Rather than a nice jubilee-clip style mount, the Smart has a more primitive fixed-size band, tightened by a small metal screw.

Say hello to packing out the mount with tape if it’s not just the right size, and don’t strip that screw head!

It’s rare to see people riding with a light attached to bag or body that’s actually pointing in the right direction. I’ve tried this myself often… either the light points to the sky or ground or it waggles around spraying photons like a garden sprinkler!

The ability to mount on the seat stays means you should be able to find somewhere for the Smart Lunar R1, even if you have a short seatpost or use a seat bag. Don’t worry that the spokes will obscure the light from drivers on an inside lane – in reality they’ll have spent plenty of time being lasered getting into that position.

Beam quality and strength

The Smart Lunar R1 has a low mode in addition to steady and flashing – when a light is as excessively bright as this one is, that’s a big advantage in terms of extra runtime for no loss of safety.

The main LED has a plain lens – there are also mini-LEDs to light up the housing itself, giving the light a slightly larger profile. Visibility is good from all angles – and plenty of light is flung out of the back for any situation…

The R1 may only have half as many power LEDs as the R2 (or RSP Astrum) but it’s still very bright – ten years ago it would have been revolutionary. Because it’s slightly less dazzling, there’s less of an issue of making it so unpleasant for people to drive behind that encourage them to rush an overtake.

As a driver, I can vouch that sitting at light behind someone with a mega LED flasher definitely focuses my mind on getting past!

It’s important to mount the light completely level, as designers depend on this when working out off-angle visibility and other factors. Do not point it at the ground (especially when you can just use low mode when riding socially)!

You can safely ignore anyone who says flashing lights aren’t road legal – this hasn’t been the case for about a decade.

Because the Smart Lunar R1 hasn’t passed the relevant tests it isn’t road legal when used on its own (in any mode).

I’ll write more about this separately, but unless you go for a dynamo (all dynamo lights are genuinely road legal), it’s true of pretty much anything a bike shop will sell you.

Useability

The Smart Lunar R1, like other Smart tail lights, has a small end-on button that isn’t the easiest to operate. It works more like “press in part of the body” than the distinct, super-positive rubber button you’ll find on many Cateye and Raleigh RSP lights.

That said, it’s not rocket science to turn it on at the start of your ride and off at the end – just a bit of hassle if you want to change modes on the way, especially gloved up.

Battery life

The Smart Lunar R1 runs on two AAA batteries.

We get around the stated battery life (100 hours low mode, 30 hours steady). Remember that the temperature at which you use the light and the type of battery used both influence that figure.

With rear LED lights it’s important to bear in mind that brightness and battery life are a direct trade-off. Almost all are manufactured using essentially the same mature technology and LEDs which are broadly equal in efficiency.

All you need to decide is whether you’d like twice as many photons for half as much battery life, or vice-versa.

The Smart Lunar R1 produces quite a lot of light and so is fairly battery-hungry.

A word on that 1W LED…

If you know battery life, you can work out the true power draw of your light using simple mathematics.

Two AAA batteries max out at around 1200mAh each, and so the 30 hour runtime of the Smart Lunar R2 points to a current draw of (1200 x 2 / 30) = 80mA. At 1.25V this is (0.096 x 1.25) = 0.1W

A genuine 1W LED current draw would give a battery life of just three hours on AAA. That’s the physics…

Durability / waterproofing

The Smart Lunar R1 doesn’t have the greatest weather sealing, but it is respectable enough, especially if you take care with the seals when you open and close the light. (Also: making sure you close it properly is a good way to avoid getting home to discover you’re just carrying the rear half of the light, the actual electronics part having bounced off!)

As with the Lunar R2 light, there are plenty of reports of water ingress online. I have on occasion had one of these lights short circuit (jam in flashing mode) but they’ve always been fine after drying out.

I’ve never had one fail to the off mode.

Overall

Over the years we’ve had a fair number of this type of light (from the original Smart 0.5W Superflash through to the present day). Whatever its weaknesses, at the end of the day it’s useable, effective and economical… one I just keep coming back to!

The Smart Lunar R1 0.5W rear LED light is probably my best recommendation for an all-round tail light, taking all factors into consideration.

Again, Chain-Reaction are doing a 35% discount at the time of writing.

Two 0.5W LEDs make this a dazzling contender

The RSP Astrum is a budget priced but well constructed rear LED in the clip-on tradition. Amazon are selling it for £15 delivered (25% off) at the time of writing (it’s not stocked by the usual mail-order companies).

I’ve been commuting using dynamo lights for some time now, but my better half has made do with a few different battery rear LEDs since we own so many rear lights of various ages!

This has actually been pretty useful, since I’ve been able to check the performance of the Astrum in different circumstances while riding along behind, instead of so many bike light reviews which boil down to “it seems bright and nobody has run me over yet” 😉

Mounting

The RSP Astrum has a clip on the rear which allows you to attach it to items of clothing, bags, and so on.

It is also supplied with a sturdy seatpost mount that secures the light using the same clip. Unlike many rear light mounts, the Astrum has a big thumb-friendly screw-drive affair which makes it a dream to fit and adjust. Giant thumbs up from me!

It’s rare to see people riding with a light attached to bag or body that’s actually pointing in the right direction. I’ve tried this myself often… either the light points to the sky or ground or it waggles around spraying photons like a garden sprinkler!

Fortunately the Astrum’s seatpost mount is sturdy and easy to fit. I recommend this approach over the alternative, even if you want the Astrum as a backup light.

Beam quality and strength

The Astrum has two flashing modes (one on, one off and both flash together) and offers a solid mode too.

One LED has a plain lens while the other is fitted with a diffuser. This casts light out at a much wider angle – improving the light cast to the sides at point blank range.

The Astrum is extremely bright – so bright that it’s unpleasant to ride or drive behind someone using it, especially in flash mode. While this may be great in some circumstances, making it unpleasant for people to drive behind you can definitely encourage them to overtake. As a driver, I can vouch that sitting at night behind someone with a mega LED flasher definitely makes a quick pass more tempting.

It’s a difficult balance to strike. When driving I often find it quite difficult to work out the speed and course of a cyclist using a flashing light, so I recommend solid mode. (This is less of an issue under street lights.)

It’s important to mount the light completely level, as designers depend on this when working out off-angle visibility and other factors. Do not point it at the ground in lieu of just buying a less dazzling light!

That said, you can safely ignore anyone who says flashing lights aren’t road legal – this hasn’t been the case for about a decade.

Because the RSP Astrum hasn’t passed the relevant tests it isn’t road legal when used on its own (in any mode).

I’ll write more about this separately, but unless you go for a dynamo (all dynamo lights are genuinely road legal), it’s true of pretty much anything a bike shop will sell you.

Useability

The Astrum has a central and large rubber button which is a breeze to use, even with gloves. This is a much better solution than the end-on ‘soft body’ style buttons you can find on other lights (like the Smart Lunar R2).

It has a simple “press for next mode” (including the “off mode”) which makes it straightforward to change on the fly whilst riding. You don’t need to count half a dozen clicks as is often the case (Cateye! I’m looking at you…)

So far my Astrum is still going strong after two and a half years. A big part of this is the quality of construction of the ‘interface’.

Battery life

The Astrum runs on two AAA batteries.

We get around the stated battery life (80 hours flashing, 20 hours solid). Remember that the temperature at which you use the light and the type of battery used both influence that figure.

With rear LED lights it’s important to bear in mind that brightness and battery life are a direct trade-off. Almost all are manufactured using essentially the same mature technology and LEDs which are broadly equal in efficiency.

All you need to decide is whether you’d like twice as many photons for half as much battery life, or vice-versa.

The RSP Astrum produces quite a lot of light and so is fairly battery-hungry.

A word on those 2×0.5W LEDs…

If you know battery life, you can work out the true power draw of your light using simple mathematics.

Two AAA batteries max out at around 1200mAh each, and so the 20 hour runtime of the RSP Astrum points to a current draw of (1200 x 2 / 20) = 120mA. At 1.25V this is (0.12 x 1.25) = 0.15W

A genuine 0.5W LED current draw would give a battery life of just six hours on AAA, so 2×0.5W would give just three!

Durability / waterproofing

The Astrum is well sealed, as it would have to be to survive three winters unscathed.

The quality button construction (see above) plays a large part in this.

Assuming you run mudguards, you can improve the reliability of any rear light by mounting it under the saddle (fairly sheltered) instead of on your body or bag.

Overall

The RSP Astrum 2×0.5W rear LED light is a great little number – well built, easy to operate, extremely bright and with a mount that’s head and shoulders above some competitors.

Again, Amazon are selling it for £15 delivered (25% off) at the time of writing (it doesn’t seem to be stocked by the usual mail-order companies).