Online: www.REI.com
URL for this product:

From the U.S. and Canada — Call 1-800-426-4840
Mon. through Sun., 4 a.m. through 11 p.m. PT.
International — Call 1-253-891-2500
Mon. through Sun., 4 a.m. through 11 p.m. PT. English language only.

RED

Princeton Tec Swerve Rear Bike Light

$25.00

(15)

Item # 792655

REI Members get back an estimated $ 2.50 on this item as part of their annual member refund.

The REI Member Dividend

The REI dividend is a unique benefit of membership in the REI co-op. It's comprised of your member refund—typically 10% back on eligible purchases—and/or your REI Visa® card rebates.

Each March, active REI members and REI Visa cardholders who earned a rebate receive a refund in the form of an annual dividend notice.

Only active members receive annual dividend notices. To maintain your active status as an REI member, you need to make net merchandise or shipping purchases of at least $10 per year, unless you joined that year. Member numbers are issued in one name and only that person receives the member refund. Your number can be used by others in your family, but it cannot be transferred to someone else.

Questions? Call us at 1-800-426-4840 for more about your dividend or its redemption.

Learn more

This item may be available in your local REI store.

FREE U.S. STANDARD SHIPPING Through February 20. No minimum purchase! Learn more

More videos

To view videos or use the zoom feature on REI's websites, please download the latest version of Adobe Flash Player.

NOW PLAYING

The Princeton Tec Swerve rear bike light uses 2 high-powered LEDs and alternating beam patterns, resulting in a very high level of visibility.

A combination of a diffused lens and a collimated focused lens creates a very bright 180° beam pattern that alternates between a wide beam and a narrow beam
Because the eyes must juggle these 2 beams, they don’t relax and therefore, the light always remains highly visible
2 lighting modes: flash pattern or a steady light
On/off toggle switch extends beyond the perimeter of the light for easy use while on the bike
Abundant mounting options: handlebar, seatpost, seatstay and fork mounts are included; plus, the built-in clip allows for attachment to your helmet, pack or messenger bag
Swerve is resistant to heavy rain, heavy splashes and even the occasional dunking
Light output equivalent to 7 lumens
Includes 2 AAA batteries

Imported.

Item 792655

View all Princeton Tec products

REI Membership

REI Membership $20.00

Princeton Tec Swerve Rear Bike Light Customer Reviews

REVIEW SNAPSHOT®

by PowerReviews

Princeton Tec Swerve Rear Bike Light

4.4

(based on 15 reviews)

86%

of respondents would recommend this to a friend.

Pros

Great visibility (13)
Long battery life (10)
Helmet/removable mount (3)

Cons

Best Uses

Rear safety light (12)
Good for commuting (8)

- Reviewer Profile:
- Avid cyclist (12)
- Was this a gift?:
- No (9)

REVIEWS

Reviewed by 15 customers

Sort by

Displaying reviews 1-10

Previous | Next »

May

2009

(6 of 6 customers found this review helpful)

4.0

Not a SuperFlash,but a Contender

By gnissley

from Wash DC

About Me Avid Cyclist

See all my reviews

Pros

Adaptabletool-free mount
Great switch
Long battery life

Cons

Could be brighter

Best Uses

Multiple bikes
Night commute
Rear safety light

Comments about Princeton Tec Swerve Rear Bike Light:

I bought this after I saw a magazine review. I figured,hey,*two* 1/2 watts. That's twice what my Planet Bike SuperFlash has. In practice though,it could be alot brighter.

First the bad news. Only one of the LED's is really bright. The second one is hampered by a diffuser. The idea is it's supposed to shine the light out to the sides for wider visability,but all it does is dull it. They should either redesign the duffuser,or replace the second 1/2 watt with regular side LED's. Beyond this,it's all good. The switch rocks. It's a large lever that it easy to use and allows you to tell by touch if the light's on or not. It can also be flipped around for left or right hand use. The clip on the back of the light is large and has gripper teeth to help it stay put. And the strap mount is really sweet. It uses a big O ring to wrap around the seatpost to hold the light in place. It comes on/off the bike in seconds with no adjusting for seatpost size. This lets you move it from bike to bike quickly and easily. It also makes it a snap to remove/install the light when locking up. This is one of the better mounting systems I've used. Battery life is good and the light is totally waterproof.

If PT could sort the second 1/2 watt out,this could be a SuperFlash killer. But it still makes an excellent light for urban riders or people with multiple bikes.

Oct

2011

(3 of 3 customers found this review helpful)

5.0

Attention-getter!

By TropX

from Kalamazoo, MI

About Me Avid Cyclist

See all my reviews

Pros

Easy to Use
Great visibility
Secure mounting

Cons

Best Uses

Comments about Princeton Tec Swerve Rear Bike Light:

This is a VERY bright light. Two of my riding buddies have the SuperFlash Stealth and both commented on how much brighter this light is (I don't know how it compares to the standard SuperFlash, though). It is easily seen even during the day. The switch design makes it simple to safely turn on the light while you're in the saddle. I also like the mounting hardware; it seems less flimsy than some competitors. I agree that the cover seems to pop off very easily and while I was concerned about this, it hasn't come off (and if you know anything about Michigan roads, that's saying something). It's endured several hundred miles of trouble-free operation, including one century and one ride in the rain. I suppose my only other criticism is that it's not as sleek and stylish as, say, the SuperFlash. But that's picking nits, because otherwise it's been a great light and I feel a little safer with it blinking happily away.

Oct

2009

(3 of 3 customers found this review helpful)

5.0

Great light, although a bit heavy

By Seattle Biker

from Seattle, WA

About Me Avid Cyclist

See all my reviews

Pros

Great visibility
Long battery life

Cons

Best Uses

Night commute
Rear safety light
Trail riding

Comments about Princeton Tec Swerve Rear Bike Light:

We recently completed a 600km ride in 38 hours of mostly pouring rain. All of my lights had major water leakage, however due to the mechanical switch on this light it continued functioning fine. I just shook out the excess water every time I changed the batteries. The Planet Bike super blinky eventually stopped working when the push button switch was fully soaked. The PT Swerve also uses even less power than the Planet Bike super blinky, even with two steady emitters. The PT uses 50mA well regulated down to about 2V, which is clearly way less than 1/2 watt per emitter. The Planet Bike Super blinky is not regulated and starts very bright at around 1/2 watt with alkaline batteries at 3V, but quickly drops to around 65mA at 2.5V with NiMh batteries. It appears that the PT Swerve might have more modern emitters since they are running less than half the current of the Planet Bike light with similar brightness, although that is pretty subjective.

Jul

2009

(3 of 3 customers found this review helpful)

5.0

Highly visible in bright daylight!!!

By small e

from Atlanta GA

About Me Avid Cyclist

See all my reviews

Pros

Great visibility
Helmet/Removable mount
Long battery life

Cons

Best Uses

Rear safety light

Comments about Princeton Tec Swerve Rear Bike Light:

I got this light to make myself more visible to traffic during daytime riding. It is highly visible in bright daylight at a considerable distance - even more so in shadow conditions.

Since I've been using it, I notice that drivers stay way the frick away from me. Once someone went all the way into the opposing lane to pass me, nearly causing a head-on collision - nice.

The bracket mount did not work anywhere on my bike because it has no round tubes (Kestrel frame) so I just use the pocket clip to mount it on the seat bag. That works great and puts it higher anyway.

You will not be disappointed

Aug

2010

(2 of 2 customers found this review helpful)

5.0

Great removeable tail light

By Jtucker

from Charlotte, NC

About Me Casual/ Recreational

See all my reviews

Pros

Great visibility
Helmet/Removable mount

Cons

Best Uses

Night commute
Rear safety light

Comments about Princeton Tec Swerve Rear Bike Light:

I picked this up to be an additional tail light for riding with my dog on suburban streets after work. I've currently got it attached to the rear down fork on my mountain bike. It can easily be removed to ride the trails and reinstalled without fuss or tools after the ride. Simple operation, highly visible, and very flexible on mounting locations due to the included bracket and method of attachment (the bands). Great US MADE product.

Jul

2009

(2 of 2 customers found this review helpful)

5.0

Excellent Rear Safety Light!

By malcolmjl

from New Orleans, La

About Me Avid Cyclist

See all my reviews

Pros

Great visibility
Long battery life

Cons

Best Uses

Rear safety light

Comments about Princeton Tec Swerve Rear Bike Light:

Rear light is easily the best I've used, as it's easily visible, and durable enough for long night rides (thirty-five miles) through rough roads of a major city. Compared side by side with knog bullfrog and skink, and Prince tec RF6; this is the best of the best.

Aug

2011

(1 of 1 customers found this review helpful)

5.0

Buy this!

By BikeKing

from Rainy, Snowy and sometimes Sunny Seattle

About Me Competitive Cyclist

See all my reviews

Pros

Great visibility
Long battery life
Versatile mounting option

Cons

Best Uses

Bikes with Seat Mast
Night commute
Rear safety light

Comments about Princeton Tec Swerve Rear Bike Light:

I am a Road and Cyclocross racer and early AM and night commuter, via bike, year round, in Seattle area.
This light is the brightest, eye catching flash pattern, long range visibility even in Seattle fog/rain.
Mount options are great. The rubber band type mount works on my race bike with an aero integrated seat mast (Giant TCR Advanced SL) and on the standard round post on my cross bike. The light mounts and dismounts w/o tools. No brackets needed, the whole light/mount comes off so it goes between bikes easily and I only need the one light for all my bikes. Only rubber touches the frame, so my carbon race bike doesn't mind wearing it.
TOTALLY CLEAN SET-UP, SUPER BRIGHT. STOP SHOPPING and BUY IT.

Oct

2010

(1 of 1 customers found this review helpful)

5.0

Best Tail Light Currently Available

By InlandNWBiker

from Pac NW

About Me Avid Cyclist

See all my reviews

Pros

Great visibility
Long battery life

Cons

Best Uses

Night commute
Rear safety light

Comments about Princeton Tec Swerve Rear Bike Light:

I looked at most of the available rear lights, and this one is clearly the best you can get as of today (Oct. 2010). The clip is vastly superior to the Planet Bike light, and so is the switch. It's super easy to actuate the switch even while you're riding: up for constant on, down for flash. Simple.

As previously noted, this unit is bright enough to repel vehicles even during daytime.

The mounting system is ingenious and you'll surely be able to make something work between it and the clip. I actually was able to modify my bike rack so that the light would slight right on and clip solidly into place.

The one caveat with this light is that it is very directional so you will have to mount it so that it is vertical in order for it to be most visible from the rear. Clipping it to a droopy seat bag will just point the light at the ground and it will be no more effective than a cheaper model. It's not a defect, it's just how well the reflectors are designed.

Mar

2010

(1 of 1 customers found this review helpful)

5.0

Great Tail Light!

By Oatsoda

from Lynchburg, VA

About Me Avid Cyclist

See all my reviews

Pros

Great visibility
Long battery life

Cons

Best Uses

Rear safety light

Comments about Princeton Tec Swerve Rear Bike Light:

I just put on of these on my go-fast roadie; previously I'd used Superflashes on that and my touring bike.

Installation was a breeze-- no tools required. You'll find yourself using your lights more (which is probably safer) because you can adjust this light's settings while riding and you can tell by feel how it's set. The large switch-- as opposed to the Superflash's pushbutton-- is great.

If I had to buy a new tail light tomorrow for my touring bike, this is what I'd buy.

Oct

2011

5.0

Very bright directional taillight

By TK the outdoor geek

from Seattle, WA

About Me Casual/ Recreational

See all my reviews

Pros

Great visibility

Cons

Best Uses

Night commute
Rear safety light

Comments about Princeton Tec Swerve Rear Bike Light:

I use this light for commuting to work by bike. I've found this to be one of the most attention getting bright tail lights I've seen. The powerful dual lights that blink in a kind of random pattern are very attention getting. I feel much safer with this thing.
Only con is the light from this thing is pretty directional so I'd probably pair this with a 2nd tail light that is more omni directional.