Customer Reviews

Cateye TL-LD500-R LED Bicycle Tail and Safety Light (Red)

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I really wanted a tail light that I wouldn't have to screw around with taking it on and off the bike when I left the bike locked up somewhere. This was the only light (didn't buy it through amazon, but same model number on the box - TL-LD500-R) I could find, having visited 3 different bike shops, that would attach directly to the back of my bike rack - in my case a Topeak Explorer bike rack.

I found other lights that had a quick release system that would let you attach the light to the bike rack, but this was the only one that attached directly an wasn't easy to take off. Assuming your rack has a (for lack of a better term) hangy down thing to attach something to in the back, you just take the screw, screw it through the hole, and into the body of this tail light.

1. You don't have to unscrew it to change the batteries, you use a coin to pop it open to change the batteries. I suppose someone could pop it open and steal the batteries if they wanted, but I don't leave my bike in *that* sketchy of areas.

2. It's not impossible to get the light off again if you have a screw driver or the right wrench, but it takes some work - enough work for me to not worry about someone stealing it because they walked by and thought "hey, I could use one of those!"

3. Because it's bolted directly on, you don't have to worry about the light flying off when you hit a bump or something (which I've had other tail light do).

My only complaint is I wish it had more than 2 modes (steady on, or blinky).

EDIT: I wanted to add that one thing I'm not fond of on this light is the blinky mode - the light just isn't on long enough in blinky mode. I can imagine someone glancing over at just the wrong time and completely missing seeing the light on. It might be on, at most, half the time. I greatly prefer the blinky mode of the Planet Bike Rack Blinky - it's actually on like 90% of the time, but turns off just long enough to be attention getting.

I run them side by side (the cateye on steady, the planet bike one on blinky mode) so it's cool for my setup. And the planet bike rack blinky slides into a mount, so unfortunately it doesn't attach directly to the rack like the cateye light does. But I would prefer the Planet Bike Rack Blinky blink mode - it's easier to see.

The Cateye TL-LD500-R LED Bicycle Tail and Safety Light is an excellent attention getter for night riders. It comes with all of the attachment hardware neccesary to afix the lamp to the rear of your seat post. It also comes with a clip for your jacket or backpack. It's cheap and its three led's are quite an attention getter. Too, it uses AAA batteries available anywhere.

When riding at night, you need to be sure that you're seen. Although there are brighter tail lights out there (like the Planet Bike Superflash), this light has a long battery life and is bright enough to have you be seen in all but the worst conditions.

I got this together with the Cateye Five LED headlight. This works very well for a tail light, it's a lot more visible that many others I looked at. I usually use the flashing mode because I find it easier to notice than a solid light when I'm driving. I also use reflective ankle bracelets, just in case. This is a must-have if you're going to ride at night.

Great product because the 3 red lights are very bright--and when turned off the reflector part is very visible. This product enhances safety which is exactly what I was looking for!

I'm on my second Cateye TL-LD500-R, because I'm generally very satisfied with it. I have it bolted on a rear rack. I like it because it's one of the few lights you can bolt onto a rack, and it's also one of the few lights that is also a reflector. I did quite a lot of night commuting with it and didn't have problems. I also kept it bolted on a bike that sat outside in snow, heavy rain, and sun, and even after a year of that, it was fine.

My dad is on his second TL-LD500-R for a different reason: The red lens on his fell off during a ride, presumably after he hit a bump, and he lost it. Ever since then, he's wrapped the light in black electrical tape (and has done the same for me). It has to be retaped after changing a battery, but that doesn't happen often - it has very good battery life.

More like 3.5-4.0 stars and like most reviewers, it may well deserve top rating; there are brighter blinkies out there, but there are not brighter ones that mount from what I can tell. There is a European brand, Spanninga I will have to check out some time.

Okay, first, great mounting onto a Pletscher rack (and probably on other racks, in the center on the back), screws on and it's a breeze. one really needs a stable rear light. This is the biggest hassle with blinkie red lights, the way, they can indeed pop off if clipped on, the way the lights can eventually turn around if mounted on the rear seat stays or elsewhere to lose their effect of warning others a bicycle is on the road.

I had to "monkey around" with the rubber button on the back of the Cateye tail light to get it working right and it has been working but I do also maintain a planet bike clip-on red light superflasher like so many have. At first, the rubber button on the cateye would not keep the blinkers on, you'd push it, it'd do it a few times and then go off. Furthermore, for the constant mode, it was hard to get it to go without a lot of fidgetting. I was able to iron this out in about 20 minutes.

The new magazine "Bicycle Times" said really you can't have too many lights and that is close to the truth. Now, the cat eye red light does seem to work but I honestly have reservations about it's long term performance because of the button problem. Let this not be seen as a negative review of a product but a realistic appraisal of a device that indeed, may be important to one's transportation needs at night time. On this note, I have noted some bicycle manufacturers such as Pashley in England and Gazelle in Netherlands have come up with lights on the bikes they themselves make with bike lights almost as big as a motorcycles rear lights. It continues to be a bit of a hassle to ride at night but this does seem functional. I think basically this is a good product and it is also indeed a reflector to boot. While the Planet Bike clip on red light super flasher is brighter, this one is reasonably priced and has a better brightness than most of the others out there.

As usual, one often gets what they pay for and the price on this one is unbeatable. Perhaps there are better ones at a higher cost. Again, if being seen is a big issue with one, it might be best to load up on the tail lights and reflective vests.

For those who use the Topeak Explorer Rack with a Trunk Bag - you will have the same problem as me - that you can't mount this light on the seat post (because the Trunk Bag will obscure it). However, it fits right onto the Topeak Explorer Rack itself - there are two holes that match up perfectly with the light! The screw fits directly through one of them - and there is a small plastic extension that fits through the other one (to hold it in place). The only "extra" thing I had to do was find a small washer for the screw to make it fit snugly. Turning it on is a bit tight, but the benefit is that it's very unlikely it'll accidentally be turned on (unlike my Cateye headlight!).

I was on the Amazon page for the Cateye TL-LD500-R ordering my second one and thought I'd take a moment to write a review.

My first one is going strong after eight or so years of use. It initially rode on my department store mountain-style bike and after a year of heavy use, got moved to my new road bike. Last night, I moved it to a Burley child trailer. Today, I am purchasing a second one for the trailer.

I initially purchased this light instead of others because it acts as an effective reflector (as effective as reflectors can be) in addition to being a light. Places to mount reflectors and taillights on a bicycle can be scarce, and I did not like the idea of not having a reflector on the rear (about the only place on the bike where a reflector is of any use) should the light go out. Also, when a car's headlights line up properly, the reflected light is likely to be more visible that the active light.

The reason that I'm purchasing a second one (besides the fact that it matches the first) is related to it's variety of mounting methods. In addition to a tube mount and clothing clip, this light has a screw hole in the rear for mounting to a rack, as mine spent most of its time on my road bike, or, as in my case now, for mounting through the reflector/light grommets in the back of the trailer.

LED technology has advanced a LOT in the last decade. The one disadvantage of this light is that it is not as powerful as many others available today. On the plus side, the AAA batteries last for a VERY long time. It is also one of the less expensive lights on the market, and should meet the requirements of state law for bicycle lighting after dark.

Bought this light to help me on early morning rides to work.

It mounts to my Topeak rack perfectly so that I can use my bag.

Has blink feature wich I like.

Only problem I had was accessing the light button once it was mounted to my bike rack. I bent the tab that was in the way and can now get my little finger in to turn the light on. Very Minor. :-)

I would recommend it.