Suggestions for rear light/turn signals?

[Jacky Zhou]

You should try this 8-Color Bike Taillight with 15 Modes & IP66 Waterproof (Ebike signal light)

 

[m@Robertson]

Since bicycle turn signals are not separated by a few feet apart they look just like any other rear blinky to me.

And this, plus the much faster closing rate of a motor vehicle vs. any bicycle - is why turn signals on a bicycle or ebike tend to be worthless.

I tried them on the ends of my handlebars to solve the separation problem. The product is called Wing Lights and they seemed like a good idea sitting at the computer. But riding on the road they proved to be the opposite.

Drivers often don't accept bikes as having the right to share their road and the signal became a signal for someone to accelerate and cut me off, if for no other reason than to prove the point to me that I don't belong with the cars on the road (there was an angry confrontation over that one). They created the opposite of a safe situation. They only stayed on the bike for about a month.

Urban cycling has relied FOR. EVER. not on turn signals but on riders paying attention to what is behind them (I use a helmet mirror so I don't have to look backwards while riding forwards), to yield and wait until it is safe to cross a clean traffic path. If the road stays crowded, you get across at the intersection via the crosswalk as a last resort. Yeah sure cyclists have the right to share the road blah blah. But urban reality in the US is different. It may only be different in that bad way for 1 out of 100 motorists, but you get passed by 100's of cars every day. There are smarter ways to safely go about your ride.

Which Rear Bicycle Lights Should I use?

Should you use blinking lights? Steady lights? Bright lights? Daytime lights? Here’s what I do and why.

talesontwowheels.com

Also I tried the Gator with the accelerometer that someone mentioned above. Its not as bright as is needed for broad daylight usage. Works fine in other settings but washes out in direct sunlight.