Dinotte Love & Apology
 

Dear Dinotte,

Your tail light is the bestest, brightest, longest burning, and most happy light in all the lands. I'm sorry I doubted you and even after owning one I purchased and tried products from Orfo, Stupid Bright Light, Niterider, L&M, Lumina, and others thinking something better was out there.

I was wrong. You are the bestest.

With fond affection,

Oldfatslow

Are you saying I really ought to get the Quad?

Have debating it. If that's the one you have, how's charging it work? They're website doesn't show it.

You just charge using a USB cord that comes with the light. I love my Quad, except for the much shorter battery life vs. what is posted on the website.

Thanks, Slack. How do you take it on and off the bike? I assume there's some sort of quick release mechanism but that's now shown.

Also.. what is the battery life you're getting?

Dinotte provides the most comprehensive set of mounts I have seen. Clamps are provided for many different tube diameters. The mounts are mostly standard reflector mounts, and the Quad slips down on them and clips in place. Removing it is a simple press of the spring clip and slide it off. To fall off, it would need to bounce pretty much straight up for over an inch and overcome the spring tension -- seems incredibly unlikely.

I haven't run the batteries down to dead, and recorded time. But see the link below. The differences in battery life I mention above vs those on the website are from the Dinotte's own documentation and email response, not from my own testing.

http://forums.thepaceline.net/showth...=dinotte+heads

I want to emphasize that I'm happy with the light overall, but I am disappointed in the actual vs. claimed battery life on the website. The info on the website implied that I could go a whole week of commuting on one charge, but I cannot because that info is erroneous.

Last tail light I had died. Even new batteries wouldn't revive it.

I love my Quad Red.

As for battery life, I run mine almost exclusively on the fast flash mode (strobe, maybe?) and my commute is 30-35 minutes each way. I charge once a week on the weekend.

I'm going to have to get something like that if I'm doing randonneuring this summer.

I have one and run it for around four hours and then put it in the charger when I get home. The nice thing is that I don't have to think about turning it on and off if I stop for a bit. Comes with around a dozen different adaptors to make mounting easy. It's really bright too. Great light. Best I've had.

You'll want non-flashing mode for that if you are doing RUSA-sanctioned events, and probably something not as bright. My L&M vis 180 is borderline too bright.

For rando, I run two PB Superflash lights in steady mode. You need something with modest power for that application. Furthermore, these are mounted low on the seat stays so as to stay out of the eyes of those behind me. I also sometimes have a Dinotte 300R on the back too, if I know we are going to be on a few less than safe roads during the day, where I will run it in lazer beam mode on such sections. I never use the Dinotte at night when riding with others. Even at 10% steady mode, it's too much for someone to ride behind.

I switched from dinotte to the lupine rotlicht. It is cheaper at $125 than the dinotte tail lights not as bright but still plenty bright and has anaccelerometer so that when you brake it switches from flash mode to non flash mode.

My quad battery lasts a really long time. I've noticed it lasts less when it's really cold but it's never run out on me and I've been using it 5x a week for over a year now.

just did some travel to thankfully warm weather, had the luxury of doing a bit of pre-dawn riding & finishing up at sunrise. the dinotte quad lights it up like nobody's business.

best investment in bike accessory i ever made.