Knog Frog Strobes
Discussion
I've just bought a pair of these for when I'm riding at dusk/night. So far I'm very impressed. They are not bright enough to illuminate the road like a full-on headlamp will be but they are VERY noticeable on the strobe mode, and hopefully will be a good way of catching people's eye when the light is fading.
What drew me to these is the ease in which they fit to the bike, no brackets or wires needed, they simply wrap around the handlebar or seatpost, and stretch back over themselves (they are made from a rubbery silicone), once on they are tight and have no chance of moving around. I don't plan on parking up anywhere with my bike but they are removable in literally 2 seconds by unclipping them, and they'll fit in a pocket no problem.
If anyone is looking for a simple, no fuss solution to a lightweight front and rear strobe setup, on a budget, these get my vote.
I paid $29.99 for the pair from eBay.
I'm a big fan of the Knog lights, I run two Frog Strobes front, one rear and a larger "Skink" on the seatpost.
I love the ease of attachment and the lack of bulky brackets, plus the fact that until you turn them on you hardly spot them. They also easy to secure as they can be threaded on to your lock when you park your bike, rather than having to carry them with you.
They are not perfect though, they get through batteries fairly quickly compared to bigger lights, and the batteries are expensive from regular shops. I got around this by ordering a pack of 100 off ebay for a tenner, but it's something to be aware of.
They are also not 100% waterproof. They are fine in rain and spray to a limited extent, but one of mine (the red one I mounted low on my seat-stay, which got worst hammered by the weather) has suffered from being used daily through the worst of the winter and has pretty much packed in.
Despite all this, I'd still recommend them. Great little lights
(Oh, and the Skink has been 100% trouble free and runs on regular AAA batteries which last much longer)
I love the ease of attachment and the lack of bulky brackets, plus the fact that until you turn them on you hardly spot them. They also easy to secure as they can be threaded on to your lock when you park your bike, rather than having to carry them with you.
They are not perfect though, they get through batteries fairly quickly compared to bigger lights, and the batteries are expensive from regular shops. I got around this by ordering a pack of 100 off ebay for a tenner, but it's something to be aware of.
They are also not 100% waterproof. They are fine in rain and spray to a limited extent, but one of mine (the red one I mounted low on my seat-stay, which got worst hammered by the weather) has suffered from being used daily through the worst of the winter and has pretty much packed in.
Despite all this, I'd still recommend them. Great little lights
(Oh, and the Skink has been 100% trouble free and runs on regular AAA batteries which last much longer)
They're great, although for more than occasional use it's worth going for their ones that take AAAs (Gekko/Boomer/etc)- much brighter, last longer, batteries are cheaper.
I was given a set of Frogs which are great to keep in a bag as a backup (when regular lights fail, or get caught out on a summer evening) but you see way too many people buying them as their only lights and they're just not bright enough IMO. Better than nothing though, I guess.
I was given a set of Frogs which are great to keep in a bag as a backup (when regular lights fail, or get caught out on a summer evening) but you see way too many people buying them as their only lights and they're just not bright enough IMO. Better than nothing though, I guess.
sjg said:
but you see way too many people buying them as their only lights and they're just not bright enough IMO. Better than nothing though, I guess.
How good are they at actually being seen? I see far too many people cycling around (London) with pathetic lights, yes, they're legal, but they're not likely to be seen with a pathetic light on the front and another pathetic light on the back which rather defeats the object! I'm tempted to back up my Smart set with another light or 2 (potentially 2 red light tubes on the triangle at the back 
) - would these be good enough for the front if I were to get 1 or 2 to add to my normal front light?AyBee said:
sjg said:
but you see way too many people buying them as their only lights and they're just not bright enough IMO. Better than nothing though, I guess.
How good are they at actually being seen? I see far too many people cycling around (London) with pathetic lights, yes, they're legal, but they're not likely to be seen with a pathetic light on the front and another pathetic light on the back which rather defeats the object! I'm tempted to back up my Smart set with another light or 2 (potentially 2 red light tubes on the triangle at the back ) - would these be good enough for the front if I were to get 1 or 2 to add to my normal front light?I bought a couple of these for the front:
NiteRider Click 1,2 & 3 LED versions available.
On the 2.0 the illumination on constant is enough but not great, it'll pick out ironwork and potholes where there's no street lighting, but hen they're flashing they are very noticeable.
NiteRider Click 1,2 & 3 LED versions available.
Mac. said:
What drew me to these is the ease in which they fit to the bike, no brackets or wires needed, they simply wrap around the handlebar or seatpost,
The NiteRiders are very similar. One flipped out a bit when it got completely soaked and took a while to turn off but otherwise they're great.On the 2.0 the illumination on constant is enough but not great, it'll pick out ironwork and potholes where there's no street lighting, but hen they're flashing they are very noticeable.
Edited by donfisher on Thursday 3rd March 09:38
donfisher said:
The NiteRiders are very similar. One flipped out a bit when it got completely soaked and took a while to turn off but otherwise they're great.
On the 2.0 the illumination on constant is enough but not great, it'll pick out ironwork and potholes where there's no street lighting, but hen they're flashing they are very noticeable.
Of course (from my point of view - as I've been running Knogs for years.) - the Frog Stobe with it's lens (better for peripheral 'be seen' qualities) and superior surface mounted LED technology - makes for killer little light... and the fact that Knog are the original designers of the tool less - simple on - simple off - is the better entry level light choice. On the 2.0 the illumination on constant is enough but not great, it'll pick out ironwork and potholes where there's no street lighting, but hen they're flashing they are very noticeable.
Edited by donfisher on Thursday 3rd March 09:38
I quite liked the look of this one: http://vimeo.com/20080494 (skip to 2:00 or so if you don't want to see a hipster ride through a tunnel).
What do you reckon the odds are of running into trouble with one in the UK? Could it be seen as iffy having a red/blue strobe?
What do you reckon the odds are of running into trouble with one in the UK? Could it be seen as iffy having a red/blue strobe?
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