Customer Reviews

Planet Bike 3018-1 Rack Blinky 5- 5 LED Tail Light with Rack Mount and Batteries

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I installed a bike rack that had a mount and standard reflector, but since my neighborhood jaunts take through traffic at times, I wanted something a little more visible to cars.

This blinky has 5 bright LEDs, two lighting options (blink or steady), and an option to clip it to clothing or bags, mount it to your seatpost or attach it to a reflector mount on your rack. Both mounts are included in the package, along with batteries. At least one of these mounts, the Planet Bike Rear Rack Taillight Mount 3108, sells separately as well.

The bracket mounted to the rack easily, and the light clip snaps into a groove. I did take the precaution of hanging the light so that it must be slid up to remove it after bending back the catch, rather than slid down.

Its obscenely bright, but that's what I wanted, and doesn't hang too low in the rear bracket, but fits perfectly under the rear of my Bontrager trunk rack. When I start commuting, I think I'll get a second to mount on the seat post, and then unclip the light and attach it to the trunk-bag when it's on the rack.

while the Blinky 5 performs to the level I expected it didn't come with any directions on how to open and install batteries...so after some research I checked out planet bikes website. In the FAQ there are generalized directions for opening the light which make you wonder why it's not just printed on the box. "Place a coin in corner of light where the parts meet and twist. Insert Batteries."

I like Planet Bike's products and chose this one specifically because it came equipped to mount on a rear bike rack (getting harder to find these days). After trying it, I wound up returning it and paying another $10 for a $25 Planet Bike Super Flash tail light instead ( and I am VERY HAPPY with the PB Super Flash and recommend it; click My Other Reviews to see my Super Flash review and other bike gear). Here's why I returned the Blinky 5:

Not bright enough. With 5 LEDs, I was expecting pretty bright and able to hold its own in suburban traffic. Other reviewers seem to find it bright. I did not; with two different sets of fresh batteries I just could not get it to yield adequate light. Disappointing. The lens seems designed so as to get some side-view illumination, but my unit wasn't bright enough for that. I found it less bright than the Blackburn Mars 1 for instance (itself a nice light, although nothing is as bright as the PB Super Flash.) So I returned the Blinky 5/upgraded to the $25 PB Super Flash, very happy, end of story.

Might be adequate for exclusive quiet-bike- trail riding where brightness is not a prime concern, but in my opinion just not bright enough to count on getting a car driver's attention when you need it. If you plan to share the road with car drivers even occasionally, check out the Super Flash.

This is a very good value for money. It is extremely bright at night,I have 1 other light that I bought a few years ago that is only half as bright as this one. Light comes with batteries and can be mounted to seat post, bike rack, belt, or seat rack. It comes with all mounting brackets.

I bought one of these so I could get a mount for my rack but after I installed the light and liked it more than the super flash as it had more lighting I use it now. It is bright but just has two modes, flash and steady but I use the flash mode only, which I think will get you noticed sooner. I like and have several super flash but wanted more lights on the rear of my bike for night riding. I now have three of these lights (not all on the same bike) and would recommend these to others. I have changed all three of my bikes lights over to Planet Bike lights so I can move them from one bike to another if I need to. I have not found anything that I don't like or would change with this light except I wish that they had a Amber replacement lense so I could have a amber rear light. You'll like this light.

Perfect.

1. It comes with several mounts for your bike rack/seat post and a waist clip as well.
2. It's brighter than my last light.

That's all I needed from a brake light.

One final, small detail: The brake light can be removed from the mounts by pushing a tab and sliding it upwards.
If it's blocked by the seat, you can't remove the light without tools. In my case, this is perfect and will prevent theft.
If you want to remove it frequently (bike to a trail then hike with it) then you'll need some top-side clearance to remove the light.

Very bright and easily installed on my rack. Rack mount is very fragile and broke when I bumped it with my leg. I was able to epoxy it back together but was disappointed with how fragile the mounting system is.

I got one with the rack mount. Fits perfectly on my Bontrager bike rack. Quick and easy installation. Easily slides on and off the rack mount. Very Bright. Blinking option is very spastic.

I purchased this as an additional tail light for my commuting. I like the fact that it comes with a number of different mounting options. From seatpost, to seatstay, to rack to backpack. Plus like all other Planet Bike taillights, it easily fits into existing mounts for other PB taillights. So if you're upgrading from a 1 to a 3 or 5 blinky, you don't have to redo the mounting brackets. It does mount a bit low on a rack, but no lower than a seatpost mount. I've decided to mount this one higher, so it's cliped to my backpack for now. to fill in the middle ground between the helmet light and seatpost/seatstay lights. Super bright and good life on the batteries. I think I might eventually replace my 3 Blinkies with the 5.

Pretty good--it's nice to find a rack-mountable taillight these days. Nevertheless, this one has some issues. First, the mount places the light relatively low--sort of needs to, because that centers it vertically on the rack--but one result is that the tab that you press to release the light sticks down quite a ways. If your rack is mounted close to the tire, or if you have fenders, you may find that the tab touches the tire or fender, which can be a problem--mine just barely clears the fender. Also, the light seems heavy for the mount. On the plus side, you can interchange nearly all of the PB taillights, so this mount will nicely hold a SuperFlash as well as the light with which it ships.