Super bright flashing bloody lights

[mrcharly-YHT]

That's why I like having two lights; one pointed about 6ft in front of bike, the other about 20ft. Turn on off and I've 'dipped' my lights.

[Cudzoziemiec]

Dip switches is the way to go, long term. Till then we have to make do with switching additional lights on and off, or thumping them up and down. B&M seem to have the idea with their IQ shaped beams, give it a few more years and they might add a full-beam.

[Kim]

That's why I like having two lights; one pointed about 6ft in front of bike, the other about 20ft. Turn on off and I've 'dipped' my lights.

Agreed.  I must look in to fitting a remote switch to my Ixon IQ (which usually does 'main beam' duty above a Cyo).  I've been somewhat preoccupied by trike fettling recently...

[matthew]

My Hope Vision 2 will only flash in low power mode, there are then steady modes at low, normal, high and max power. Anything over normal power and I either angle the light towards the left kerb or shade it with a hand when there is on coming traffic.

[Regulator]

I use a Smart (or similar) on the rear in flash mode - sometimes with a steady red as well - for my normal riding/commuting.  If riding in a group for any period of time (other than the 'gathering at the lights' moments) then it goes onto steady.

I have a steady beam on the front, with a low intensity flash as well.

I use my Dinotte 600 quite often.  Low beam or low beam/flash (the Dinotte has both) combo in traffic, medium or high beam on dark and twisty roads.

The lights themselves aren't the problem - it is how they're set up/angled that is the problem.

As for a steady beam being easier to judge distance from, IIRC the TRL research doesn't support that, which is one reason why flashing lights were permitted on the roads in the first place.

And as for:

If a rider has only one lamp, a steady lamp is easier for other road users to position.  It gets done by driver autopilot, normally.  This applies to front and rear.  Other road users are, after all, used to looking for other lit vehicles, which have steady big bright white lights front and red lights rear.

I don't them judging on autopilot - I want them to consciously note where I am.  Drivers operating on autopilot is one reason why we have so many 'SMIDSYs' - drivers 'automatically seeing' but not consciously acting on what is around them.

[Kim]

Indeed.  Driver autopilot works on the assumption that a pedal cycle is travelling at no more than about 8mph, for a start.

[tom_e]

Maybe a fresnel lens across the top of the light?

It's not quite that simple unfortunately.  If you just had light coming direct from the LED source, then the stuff at the top of the output face would be creating the top of the beam, and vice versa.  But most torches are constructed with a reflector.  This means output from top and bottom of the light may be travelling mostly forward, not the up or down respectively you would expect.  If anything, the top edge of the most intense far field beam may be coming from the bottom of the face.  Stare at your light and gradually move up or down.  See which portion of the face appears brightest as you move out of the edge of the main beam.

Not to say a simple cowl wouldn't help, but getting efficient reshaping of the beam once it has already been formed by a reflector doesn't appear easy.

[mattc]

Indeed.  Driver autopilot works on the assumption that a pedal cycle is travelling at no more than about 8mph, for a start.

Well that seems to refute the benefits of blinkies - they have become synonymous with 'pedal cycles' these days. So if you flash, you'll probably be SMIDSYed!

[clarion]

It's a good point.  While I feel that a flashing light (in conjunction with a static one) makes me more visible, I've noticed that motorists will pause when I just have the Cyo on in the dark.  I think it's a moment of thinking, 'Is that a motorbike?', which buys me space.

[Kim]

Indeed.  Driver autopilot works on the assumption that a pedal cycle is travelling at no more than about 8mph, for a start.

Well that seems to refute the benefits of blinkies - they have become synonymous with 'pedal cycles' these days. So if you flash, you'll probably be SMIDSYed!

It depends, doesn't it?  Blinkies on the front would be bad for that reason.  A decent static light on the front means you could be a motorbike or something, which means less pulling out at junctions in front of you.

But this thread was about rear lights.  If people approaching from behind assume I'm arbitrarily slow, then that's a good thing...

[clarion]

At the back I have a Fibreflare on the top of my saddlebag and a Cateye mounted on the rack both flashing, and a Smart 1/2 watt on constant on the bag loop.  Sometimes, if my saddlebag isn't too full, I use the little Knog blinkie on my Bagman.

[Regulator]

At the back I have a Fibreflare on the top of my saddlebag and a Cateye mounted on the rack both flashing, and a Smart 1/2 watt on constant on the bag loop.  Sometimes, if my saddlebag isn't too full, I use the little Knog blinkie on my Bagman.

Where do you put the power station necessary to recharge all the batteries?   

[clarion]

Actually, they all last a surprisingly long time.

[Notsototalnewbie]

I have done some of my fastest riding on FNRttCs when I was trying to get in front of someone with an awfully bright rear light!

[dasmi]

guilty as charged  

these rear lights are very directional.....keep a couple of feet to one side and the intensity drops off dramatically

If we're talking of  banning these lights can we add to the list the lights used by the vendettes on PBP....caused me to stop dead i my tracks.....totally blinded

P.S i stick a piece of masking tape over the light when riding in groups

dave   

[mattc]

It depends, doesn't it?  Blinkies on the front would be bad for that reason.  A decent static light on the front means you could be a motorbike or something, which means less pulling out at junctions in front of you.

But this thread was about rear lights.  If people approaching from behind assume I'm arbitrarily slow, then that's a good thing...

[rereading Andy's OP, I _think_ it's about white lights, but it's a bit vague, so it's no surprise we've covered both ends!]

I guess a slow appearance is good for being spotted as a hazard
HOWEVER
When someone is overtaking me - and remember this is the No1 priority for any driver - I'd like them to assess and predict my size and movement as accurately as possible.

I don't much like the trend here for MISinformation - in the long run I think it can only backfire on us

[Androcles]

A solution for group riding with a seatpost mounted light could be to add a seatpack directly above the light.  This would allow the full fury of the light to be seen by following car drivers at a distance but would not shine upwards into the eyes of a rider on your wheel.  I've considered this for my son's bike as his rear light scatters light in all directions - including up.

On the back I run a dynamo powered Toplight which is on steady.  This has some sort of refracting wedges moulded onto the inside of the lens which spreads the light out over the full width.  I also use a Smart type LED which I put on flickery mode which seems, to me anyway, to be less of a strain on the eyes than flash.  I think that it's because it's a good bit dimmer on flicker and there's always one of the LEDs on so there's no real light/dark contrast.  It still is blinky enough to say "cyclist". 

I haven't used my helmet torch much on the road as it gets washed out by the Cyo beam but having read this I think that I'll start to use it on flash under streetlights where there's a bit more traffic.  I am conscious when driving of the risk of missing a bike light, particularly if the bike is being followed closely by a car, so I'm sure that something flashing on the front would help.  I wouldn't ride with just a flasher on the front though after a near-SMIDSY last autumn (I was the driver, saw the bike just as I was starting to pull out).

[corshamjim]

I do find helmet mounted lights particularly confusing.  You expect a bicycle light to be at a given height and then suddenly there's this UFO somewhere up in the sky.

IMO both cars lights and bicycle lights need much tighter legislation to reduce this picadilly-circus stuff going on now.

[Androcles]

It's all very well being lit up like a Christmas tree, but for the next 6 weeks - so will everything else

[Cudzoziemiec]

I do find helmet mounted lights particularly confusing.  You expect a bicycle light to be at a given height and then suddenly there's this UFO somewhere up in the sky.

IMO both cars lights and bicycle lights need much tighter legislation to reduce this picadilly-circus stuff going on now.

I agree with this as far as helmet lights without bike-mounted lights are concerned. Both the height and the directionality are something out of the expected. No problem when used as additional lights to one on the bars/fork crown/etc though.

[citoyen]

flashing lights and over-bright lights are particularly stupid in a group.

Also when you're proceeding down a cycle-path when there might be another cyclist (ie me) coming in the opposite direction.

I thought I was having a Close Encounters moment yesterday evening when I was faced with two cyclists armed with the kind of lights that might be suitable for midnight singletracking in rural locations but are eminently unsuitable for situations where my retinas might be subjected to their laser-like beams.

One of the pair gave me a cheery hail-fellow-cyclist-well-met type greeting as he passed. I wasn't nearly so charming in my response.

d.

[Wendy]

My front light is normally on constant at night, but you would HATE me Andy. This is London, and it's bright everywhere, so I'm a fully paid up member of Teh Road Lighting Wars ^TM.  It's on Exposure flash/constant in the daytime.

My rear light is sometimes on constant, but mostly on Dinotte evil flashing strobe pattern. I hope her_welshness didn't hate me too much last night, as it's really rather poisonous.  Want a free headache?

[Gandalf]

My front light is normally on constant at night, but you would HATE me Andy. This is London, and it's bright everywhere, so I'm a fully paid up member of Teh Road Lighting Wars ^TM.  It's on Exposure flash/constant in the daytime.

My rear light is sometimes on constant, but mostly on Dinotte evil flashing strobe pattern. I hope her_welshness didn't hate me too much last night, as it's really rather poisonous.  Want a free headache?

Oh well, looks like I've joined the arms race as well, just ordered a Magicshine MU-872.

[corshamjim]

I'm worried aircraft might land on me when I'm cycling so I'm going to sellotape a couple of dozen lazer pens to my helmet all pointing upwards.

[CamPhil]

I'm worried aircraft might land on me when I'm cycling so I'm going to sellotape a couple of dozen lazer pens to my helmet all pointing upwards.

That will upset the pilot of the black helicopter.