The long days of summer have passed and a lot of us now find ourselves still out on the road when the sun has gone down. Without a good taillight it is hard for motorists to see cyclists on the road (and it doesn’t help that some cyclists ride in black gear at night). Fortunately, there are many good bicycle taillights on the market and Cateye, one of the world’s leading manufacturers of cycling products, has several great taillights and they are available at almost any bike shop in America. The Cateye LD610 Taillight is an affordable taillight that should suit the needs of most cyclists.
Cateye TL-LD610 Rear Bicycle Light
The Cateye LD610 Taillight has five bright LED lights and is powered by two AAA batteries. This taillight has four different operating modes (constant on, flashing, random, and side-to-side). Cateye claims the batteries will last up to 30 hours in constant mode or 60 hours in flashing mode—I have found this to be accurate in warm weather, but battery life in cold weather always suffers.
There are three things that make the Cateye LD610 worthy of your consideration. First, it has a tool-free universal bracket that should fit on just about any bike. Second, the mounting bracket allows for either horizontal or vertical mounting. Third, the side-to-side light pattern is one of the most effective light patterns I’ve seen on a taillight.
The Cateye LD610 is well-built and the batteries are easy to change (some taillights make changing batteries a real pain). I need to point out that when I ride at night I always use two taillights. Batteries die, mounting brackets break and anything attached to your bike can fall off.
The Cateye LD610 Taillight retails for $25, but it appears as though the LD610 has now been replaced by the LD650 so you might have to look for it on Amazon.com. Since I have not used the LD650 myself I can’t recommend it (yet), but after looking at the tech specs I have to believe it is even better than the LD610.
irishkatie
September 3, 2012 at 10:45 AM
The tool-free part…is it one of those where the strap slips into a lever and it’s pushed down into position? I once had a cat eye head light that was like that…and it kept slipping though the lever.
I do like the side to side feature though. I have to use tail lights that can attache to the back stays of the bike frame or to the downstays of the rear carrier I have though….because the seat post location does not work for me (because I have a rear pack on the carrier …. I need my sunscreen and other stuffs in there haha)
All Seasons Cyclist
September 3, 2012 at 10:14 PM
The locking mechanism for this light is very secure — not like the one you described. A plastic strip goes through a ratchet and I’ve never had any trouble with it. One of the reasons I like this light is that it fits in locations where some of my other lights won’t go.
irishkatie
September 4, 2012 at 9:37 AM
I am going to try to get to the bike shop today … I want another rear light as I have just the one …and its okay, but I don’t think it has the distance visibility. I will look for the one you show here…but I am not sure it will fit my bike at all.
All Seasons Cyclist
September 4, 2012 at 9:54 AM
Katie, the Cateye light is very versatile, but if you want the brightest light look at the Planet Bike Superflash Turbo (http://allseasonscyclist.com/2011/08/31/planet-bike-superflash-turbo-tail-light/). As mentioned elsewhere, I always ride with two taillights when I ride on the road at night.
dw64 (or Masaaki or Masa)
September 5, 2012 at 5:45 PM
From this time of the year on, we will have less sun light (al least in Japan) and it becomes more dangerous for bike commuters like me to ride bikes especially in the evening on my way home. This piece of information is really and truly useful for people like me!! Thanx!!
All Seasons Cyclist
September 5, 2012 at 6:04 PM
Glad I could help! I have several more reviews planned for other products that are useful on rides at night — stay tuned!
Dmitry Bokov
September 9, 2012 at 1:24 PM
turn it to vertical position to look more cool
All Seasons Cyclist
September 9, 2012 at 8:30 PM
Dmitry – this light works in either horizontal or vertical position, and you are right that it does look cooler in the vertical position!
Kanerva
September 27, 2012 at 1:48 AM
I just wish people would use lights full stop sometimes. I light myself up like a Christmas Tree – lights and reflectors. If I get hit it won’t be because they didn’t see me…
All Seasons Cyclist
September 27, 2012 at 10:45 PM
I agree 100% — “I get hit it won’t be because they didn’t see me”
canadianinjersey
December 2, 2012 at 10:26 PM
I live by “more is better” thinking when it comes to night riding on the road. I commute year round, and have had a couple of scares with drivers being oblivious to me even with 2 forward lights (one flashing) and 2 rear lights (both flashing with different patterns). I’ve upped the ante this year, and now sport: Helmet light (450 lumen NiteFlux from Australia); flashing handlebar light (100 lumen PrincetonTec Push); 3 red flashers (PDW Radbot 1000, Niteflux RedZone 4, and a circular flasher from Home Depot intended as an alternative to road flares); and valve stem green lights that are amazingly visible from the side. I’ve also got lots of reflective patches and stripes, including an Amphipod Xinglet vest, and Glo Glove overgloves, similar to the sports glove version you reviewed. I want drivers to be thinking “I can’t get near this guy. How could I explain to police/judge/jury that I didn’t see him.” The lights seem to make a big difference in driving behavior, with cars giving me more room and passing more carefully. I’ve got the rear flashers and the front flasher going on the commute year round, even when the sun is up.
All Seasons Cyclist
December 3, 2012 at 10:45 AM
I’m with you! When I ride on open roads at night I always have at least two (usually three) flashers (Radbot 1000 and Planet Bike Blinky at least). ON the trails I have over 2,000 lumens of beautiful light (1,000 on helmet and 1,000 on handlebar). However, I also write reviews for folks who I know are only going to buy one 50 lumen light on their bike regardless of where they ride.