Passing observations suggest to me that despite some fabulous lighting systems being available the actual rider remains quite invisible.
Hi Ian!
For awhile, I rode with a setup like you are suggesting. I simply affixed an LED flashlight with 8-LED array to the reflector bracket on my rear rack...and aimed it to illuminate my neon high-viz yellow-green wind jacket. The flashlight only lit my back, not my profile or front.
I looked like a huge, yellow-green blob atop the bike, but feedback I got from car drivers at traffic lights told me I did *not* "look" like a cyclist to them and they didn't like it. Because I did not fit their expectations of what a visible cyclist should look like at night -- blinky and/or solid red rear lighting, pedal reflectors and/or reflective trouser clips -- they weren't really sure what to do. I always ride with an eyeglass-mounted rear, and a number of closing drivers seemed to develop a sort of target fixation as they drifted to and then over the white-painted line marking the bike path on the road shoulder.
After a few more experiments and reactions of this sort, I returned to a more conventional setup.
My own taillight scheme varies depending on where I am riding. I dense urban commute traffic, I keep my LEDs set to blink night or day and do the same on twisty rural roads with limited sightlines. In all other circumstances except bright daylight, I se the LEDs to solid-on.
My favorite setup for long day rides is shown on one of my randonneur bikes below. I use a B&M Toplight Line Plus taillight powered by a SON28 dynohub mounted to the center of my Tubus Logo Evo rear rack. On each side of the rear wheel, there are Portland Design Works (PDW) Radbot 1000 1-watt LED blinkys. They can be set to solid-on, a rapid sort of stutter-flash, and my favorite, which they call Zzz-POP! The light sort of swells to a large discharge, then builds again in a series before discharging. In denser traffic I use both at once, and they go in and out of sync which is very visible. On longer 300-400kn rides, I generally use one and then the other so I don't have to change batteries midway. Though they are rated for 30 hours on solid and 15 hours blinking, they do not operate at full brightness thoughout, so I generally figure on 24 and 10 hours tio operate at full brightness. I use Eneloop rechargeables and find they work well.
I chose the Rabot 1000s because they were 1-watt point-source LEDs with a distinctive pattern *and* user-replaceable batteries. There's a lot of very nice LED tailight on the market now (I'm mightily tempted by one Serfaf model), but they are USB rechargeable and have embedded batteries. If you use them much, many have an effective service life of about a year before the battery will no longer take a full charge and recharge times lengthen. This would not be such a problem in commuting, but for long-distance touring or randonneuring/Audax rides, it is a decided drawback. If I expect to be out for a long time, I just toss in a couple more pre-charged Eneloops and change as needed. If I'm on an extended tour, then I just use my dyno-charging setup and/or solar panel to recharge my AA and AAA batteries as needed.
The line pattern of the Toplight Line Plus does make it easier to judge closing distance for me as a car driver. Point-source lighting is good for grabbing attention, but that alone doesn't give much reference for distance.
I'm old-fashioned and value *good* reflectors as a backup to my lighting. The Radbots and Toplight Line Plus taillights have nice reflectors and so do my Shimano Click'R T-400 clipless pedals. Add a lot of reflective elements on my clothing and a special reflective vest for rano work, and I feel pretty visible.
Best,
Dan.
