Submitted by
MC SAN ANDREAS
a Downhiller
from Chandler Date Reviewed: March 29, 2009
Favorite Trail:
South mtn
Duration Product Used:
2 Years
Price Paid:
$22.00
Purchased At:
Supergo
Strengths:
nice light unit , selectable flash patterns
Weaknesses:
the screw on mount is to thin and broke at the retention nut
Similar Products Used:
Cateye
Bike Setup:
San Andreas
Bottom Line:
It fit my bike great I either need to fab a new mount or bur another one ,, Bumma
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Kevin
a Cross Country Rider
from Hartford, CT, USA Date Reviewed: May 29, 2004
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Price Paid:
$25.00
Purchased At:
Newington Bike
Strengths:
Brightest red blinking light I've seen. Easy to turn on and off.
Weaknesses:
Mounting device stinks, but will fit mounts from other flashers/brands - use one of them.
Similar Products Used:
Vistalite, Bell
Bike Setup:
Trek 720
Bottom Line:
I rec. this light to EVERYONE that wants to be seen. I commute to work by bike virtually every day, year-round, regardless of weather, and it's been working flawlessly the whole time. Don't understand all of the poor reviews I've from other cyclists. Maybe it's b/c I have mine mounted on my helmet (for better visibility) which may reduce some of the shock it would otherwise get from a seat post or frame? I'm wondering when they will make a clear or amber lens so I can get one for the front of my bike!
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Pablo
a Weekend Warrior
from Victoria, BC, Canada Date Reviewed: October 11, 2003
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Price Paid:
$25.00
Strengths:
While it worked, it kept me visible and kept me from getting killed.
Weaknesses:
Mounting bracket is absolute crap, light failed to work
Similar Products Used:
Now I have a CatEye.
Bike Setup:
Rocky Mountain Vertex
Bottom Line:
I can't believe Specialized it still selling this! I bought this light during my blind Specialized brand loyalty. When I first got it, it was great. Really bright and easy to mount. It has a mounting bracket with a belt-like strap that goes around your seat post, no tools required. However, after just a few weeks of use, the "belt buckle" on the strap ripped a hole from one loop to the next. I tried super glue and tape but nothing fixed it. So I duct-taped it on to the seat. A while later, when I dropped it from waist level, one of the lights stopped working permanently. It was then I decided to buy a CatEye. You can't go wrong when you buy Japanese. Remember that, son. Truly a race of superhumans. Hitler's dream is alive and well.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Andrew
a
from Portland, Oregon, USA Date Reviewed: June 5, 2003
Duration Product Used:
More than 3 years
Purchased At:
Gift
Strengths:
Very Bright, Diverse flash modes, extensive battery life
Weaknesses:
Horrid mounting strap, both LEDs died within a week or so of each other
Similar Products Used:
CatEye Something or other
Bike Setup:
Gary Fisher Tassajara for urban use only
Bottom Line:
I got this as a birthday gift in 2000 and was thrilled to see that someone finally gave up on the impossible to fit screw and bracket mounts. But, I soon realized, like every other writer in this segment, that the cruddy little strap that saved a few minutes would wind up being a hassle in just a few weeks. I managed to keep the strap together with frequent Scotch tape patchings but even those didn't last long. Just a few weeks ago, I was riding up a dark stretch of roadway with no streetlights and I followed my habit of checking up on the light's status. This had become especially important ever since the left LED had shorted, then blown out all together a few days earlier. I was shocked to see that the light had completely failed. I assumed it to be a dead battery and when I got home, I swapped batteries and it still didn't work. The other LED had also died. All in all, I'm not very satisfied and I am very happy with my replacement CatEye taillight with 3 LEDs.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Philip Buri
a Weekend Warrior
from Bellingham, Washington Date Reviewed: May 16, 2003
Favorite Trail:
Around Lake Samish
Duration Product Used:
6 months
Price Paid:
$20.00
Purchased At:
Burlington Cycles
Strengths:
It is bright and catches your eye
Weaknesses:
Terrible rubber strap that splits easily. Light is not waterproof and I gouge the housing each time I open it up to change batteries
Similar Products Used:
vista light flasher
Bike Setup:
Raleigh Technium modified for commuting.
Bottom Line:
Very disappointing. I bought this light because my vista light fell off my back rack and never was quite the same.
Out of the box, the Afterburner Pro Taillight works great and looks cool. But then the design flaws kick in. To mount the light, I had to pull a rubber strap around my seatpost and fit a little plastic knob into one of the pre-made holes in the strap. Good enough. Over time, the rubber strap loses its stretch and even worse, the holes begin to split and turn into one big hole.
I discovered all this when I looked down one morning to see the lights flashing forward at my legs, not at the cars behind.
Can anyone make an inexpensive, bomb-proof taillight flasher?
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Dan
a Cross Country Rider
from Mercer Island, Washington Date Reviewed: November 28, 2002
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Price Paid:
$25.00
Purchased At:
greggs bicycles
Strengths:
Very bright. Can be seen in a rain shower.
Weaknesses:
Very poor mounting system. Poor housing seal against water. I feel bad for the engineering group that had to sign off on the final design.
Similar Products Used:
Vista 7 LED light. I'd still be using it if it were not for a wayward driver that crunched it.
Bike Setup:
Trek 8500 that has been modified to the bomb commuter bike.
Bottom Line:
Throw away the mount. Dig through the bag o' parts at your LBS to make one to fit your needs. Run a strip of electrical tape around the seam of the lens housing and battery housing to seal unit against rain. This light is excellent if you are a commuter that rides in screwball weather and are willing to modify an existing product to fit your needs. Bottom line: unless you REALLY need a bright rear light, don't buy this light, it is overpriced and poorly engineered. 1 chili for value. 4 chilis for product with aftermarket modification.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Glen
a Weekend Warrior
from Orlando, FL Date Reviewed: May 13, 2002
Duration Product Used:
6 months
Price Paid:
$25.00
Purchased At:
LBS
Strengths:
This light is the brightest that I have found. It will almost blind the other riders behind you.
Weaknesses:
Horrible mounting system. I hope that Specialized will re-engineer the mount. Like the guy below I had to throw away the mount that came with the light and modify an older mount that I had.
Similar Products Used:
Cateye and others
Bike Setup:
S-Works
Bottom Line:
If it had a good mounting system then it would get five chili's, but it doesn't. However, it is so bright that you really stand out on the road which makes me feel a lot safer after dark.
If you want to be seen and can modify an old mount, then you need this light.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
david
a Weekend Warrior
from portland, oregon Date Reviewed: March 8, 2002
Favorite Trail:
mean streets
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Price Paid:
$25.00
Strengths:
extremely bright, looks neat-o. well sealed against water.
Weaknesses:
TURRIBLE mounting system. i tried to get batterys for one of the smaller specialized tail lights i bought a few months ago, and when the HOT girly behind the counter realized that the entire mounting system and it didnt work right with the batteries they had, she GAVE ME this light. BRAND NEW. RIVER CITY BICYCLES IN PORTLAND OREGON OWNS ME NOW. i was floored by their excellent customer service.
PS-the mounting system sucks, which seriously affects its rating, which is too bad because the light itself is a really slick unit.
Similar Products Used:
the smaller, wimpier version
Bike Setup:
'01 Schwinn Panther, carbon, XTR, race-face, clipless, oh-yeah; i took the reflectors off too. It's the ultimate pub-crawl/commuter bike.
Bottom Line:
great lite, awful mount.
River City Bicycles is a class act.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Glen
a Weekend Warrior
from Orlando, FL Date Reviewed: November 3, 2001
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Price Paid:
$25.00
Purchased At:
lbs
Strengths:
Light is very bright. It is definately one of the brightest tailights that I have seen for the price.
Weaknesses:
The mounting bracket stinks. I had to modify a mounting bracket from an old light in order to use it.
Bottom Line:
If you want to be seen at night and have old tail light that can be modified then be sure to buy this light.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Gary
a Cross Country Rider
from Houston Date Reviewed: May 25, 2001
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Price Paid:
$25.00
Purchased At:
Specialized Webstore
Strengths:
Very bright, numerous flashing patterns, easy to mount.
Weaknesses:
Terrible mounting system. Some sort of "universal" spider mount. Impossible to tighten adequately to prevent slippage, especially on non-traditional seatposts (XCR). Plastic mounting strap guaranteed to stretch and fail eventually.
Similar Products Used:
Cateye, Niterider
Bike Setup:
Standard XC MTB, w/ XCR seatpost
Bottom Line:
Feel safer with this light because of brightness, but give me a solid mounting mechanism for this price please!
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
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