Let me start out by saying that I consider myself to be a fairly thrifty person. So it came as a surprise to me when my 1977 Yama 10-speed started developing issues last Spring, I shelled out for a pretty nice bike (Trek 7.5 disk – swapped out the 7.3 frame because I liked the color better”). My wife encouraged me to go ahead with the purchase since I pretty much commute by bike full time now.
When it started to get dark for my ride home towards the end of October, I popped in to a local discount store and plopped down 20 bucks for the Bell Dark Flyer Bicycle Light Set.
In retrospect, it was kind of like buying a Brooks Brothers suit and then buying a one dollar tie to go with it. (Okay, the tie was actually 98 cents and, coincidentally, also purchased in 1977).
Last week the back light started developing some issues. In order to get the light to come on I would have to open it up and mess around with the switch. Friday night’s ride was a misty, nasty ride home and I found out that the rear light had died somewhere along the route home. It lasted just over two months.
Now, I consider myself to be pretty good at internet searches but for the life of me I couldn’t come up with a support contact for the Bell accessories, like this light. Thus, I didn’t even get the satisfaction of having someone say “Dude, it’s a ten dollar light, just go buy another one.”
So, should I go buy another disposable rear blinky, or should I spend more for something that will last me a few seasons? Any suggestions?