At a glance Great all round visibility, long burn time and straight-forward functionality
Tested by
Matt Swaine, tester for The Bike List
Performance
There are few sights as reassuring as the red-glow of this rear light reflected on the dry stone walls that line my nightly commute home. This barrel rear light has a whopping 10 LED bulbs that make you very visible. Six diodes face backwards to let other road users know where you are and there are two pairs that face right and left to improve side-on visibility at junctions. And it's this additional all-round visibility that really sets this light apart from the competition.
It's difficult to gauge just how bright your own rear lights are when you're facing forwards and the light is positioned just below your backside. So the fact that I can actually see the beam from the side-facing diodes reflecting on walls and even hedges is both impressive and hugely reassuring.
I've also be overtaken by co-Bike List reviewer Jon Adams and greeted with a jolly: "You're lit up like a Christmas tree!" - before he disappeared into the distance. And I've pedalled behind other cyclists who were using the same rear lighting and I've been very impressed at the brightness, even at quite a distance. The visibility this light delivers is excellent, making this an exceptionally good choice for any cyclist.
Manufacturer's stated run time is 50 hours on constant and up to 100 hours on one of the flashing modes, and that is more than enough to get me from the end of September right through to the end of March when the clocks go forward. I have even managed two consecutive winters on one set of batteries, so I can vouch for an impressive battery life. And when you do need to change, it's easy to access the water-tight battery compartment without any need for tools.
There are 16 different flashing combinations on the light, and at least 14 of these are totally wasted on me. What I really appreciate, however, is the ease of use: the buttons are simple to operate and are workable without getting out of the saddle, even when you've got gloves on.
As someone who owns and uses more than their fair share of bikes, I've now bought a selection of spare saddle post mounts so I can easily swap this from one ride to another. I have read complaints about the quality of Cateye's brackets but I've been using one of these lights for over three years and have never experienced a light falling off the bike. Others clearly have and this is something worth being aware of.
For real weight obsessives the size of this 10-LED beast might be a negative factor, but this is more than offset by the excellent performance, superb visibility and simple functionality on offer.
Buy from www.wiggle.co.uk
CatEye says:
The TL-LD1100 is the latest and brightest tail light from CatEye. It is highly water resistant, has 4 different modes, and offers side visibility. With 10 super bright LEDs and CatEye OptiCube™ lens technology, the TL-LD1100 is designed to be bright enough to be used even during the day.
Functions:
- 10 LEDs
- 100,000+ mcd
- Runs over 50 hours on constant or 100 hours on flashing
- 4 modes (flashing, constant, side to side & random)
Features:
- Highly water resistant
- Clothing Clip(C-1N) included
- Water resistant
- 23.5 - 32.5 mm seat post mounting
Find out more www.cateye.com
