Your super powerful rear lights

[mattc]

There are a lot of issues like this where it's difficult to weigh-up an individuals needs (in this case, safety) against the effect on everybody else (in this case, other road users).  I find the best way to asses the pros and cons is to ask:

What if everybody did this?

[Biggsy]

Maybe cyclists are too shy to complain, because we can't get near enough to complain without shouting  

Ok, perhaps I too would risk pissing people off with the brightest lights I could get if I felt I needed them.  I just don't though, on normal roads & conditions at least.

[Wendy]

Aaaahaahahahaha, you're not srsly suggesting that motorists are too shy to complain?   

[Biggsy]

I bet they complain, you just can't tell what they're complaining about   "Beep beep blurrraagh".  We all get the beep beeps.

I'm complaining anyway.  The latest generation of super powerful lights bother my retinas.  Sometimes I haven't even got the choice when they overtake and stop right in front of me.

[De Sisti]

The bright light of a Dinotte may well save Wendy's life. That's probably more important
than upsetting a few people because they think it's too bright.

[Valiant]

I know also have a 3w cree headtorch

[Biggsy]

The bright light of a Dinotte may well save Wendy's life.

I wouldn't complain if I believed that.

[De Sisti]

The bright light of a Dinotte may well save Wendy's life.

I wouldn't complain if I believed that.

As long as the person with the uber bright light thinks it may save their life, then the
opinion of others as to whether it's too bright doesn't matter. 

[LittleWheelsandBig]

That opinion is why I avoid riding anywhere near one occasional Audaxer.

[Biggsy]

As long as the person with the uber bright light thinks it may save their life, then the
opinion of others as to whether it's too bright doesn't matter.  

Until the lights get banned when they're so bright that many people's eyesight is damaged.  It's got to stop somewhere.  Meanwhile I think it's worth thinking again if a super bright rear light is really going to save your life on an ordinary road, bearing in mind all factors, including risk compensation.

[Wendy]

There's another reason why cyclists are more likely to dislike bright rear lights than car drivers: since drivers have so much more front light available, their nightvision is going to be compromised by that already.

Audaxers might be on the other end of that spectrum with relatively poor cycle front lights, dark roads and long hours.  What's more, given that car brake lights aren't going to be around for more than seconds at a time, no wonder they dislike bright rear lights.

I often enjoy chatting with drivers at the lights, so if there was a real problem, at least one would have raised it by now.  People's eyesight getting damaged?  That's beyond unrealistic at this stage.  Let's back away from the excessive polarisation of this debate.

[Biggsy]

Also the light from car headlights means the cycle light appears less contrasty to the driver than a cyclist.

I don't know if eyesight damage is unrealistic.  That is my main concern, especially when one of these lights is parked right in front of me.

[TimO]

I don't know if eyesight damage is unrealistic.  That is my main concern, especially when one of these lights is parked right in front of me.

There is no significant risk of eyesight damage from these lights, the level of light coming from them, at worse, is barely brighter than sunlight.  If there was an issue, we'd have lots of blind light engineers from the TV, Film, and Theatre industries wandering about.  If nothing else you'd close your eyes pretty damned fast if it was that bright.

They're not lasers, the light isn't coherent, and they're not as finely focused.

[Wendy]

Some comments from riding behind me in daylight:

it was fine imo. Not blinding me, i could comfortably ride behind you.

It was fine Mike. Set at a good angle as to not be an irritant.

And you can see from the bus vid that I am close behind you with the light reflecting off my jacket... but it wasn't in my eye's.

[LittleWheelsandBig]

Audaxers might be on the other end of that spectrum with relatively poor cycle front lights, dark roads and long hours.  What's more, given that car brake lights aren't going to be around for more than seconds at a time, no wonder they dislike bright rear lights.

This particular Audaxer uses excessively bright flashing lights front and rear in daylight when riding in the middle of large bunches.  When asked to swap his lights to steady mode (not asked to switch them off), he looks at you as if you offered to rape his dog.  I halved my riding speed until he was a kilometre or so up the road so as not to audibly swear.

On another occasion when we were slowly catching him on the road near dusk, I was happy he stopped for a time allowing us to get in front quickly.  Some riders' epilepsy can be triggered by bright flashing lights.

[Biggsy]

Even if not yet proven as permanently damaging, I can feel my eyes straining, and there's an impression on my retinas left for a while after I have looked away.  It can't be healthy.

I'm referring to cylists using super-bright lights at night on urban ordinary roads, not pointing down.

[Wendy]

Absolutely LWaB, I'd turn mine to low constant in that situation.

Strobe mode on the dinotte is particularly unkind if you're near it, not from the brightness so much as the flash pattern, five quick flashes and a pause, repeated.  The on constant low plus even flash once or twice per second mode is much more friendly.

[frankly frankie]

There is no significant risk of eyesight damage from these lights, the level of light coming from them, at worse, is barely brighter than sunlight. 

But the iris is much wider open than it would be in sunlight.

[vorsprung]

Usually when I'm riding an event and there is a bright flashing rear light ahead I catch them and mention that it is a bloody nuisance ( in the nicest possible way ) Usually this fact is met by indifference but by they are behind me

I remember doing the Brevet Cymru a few years ago and on that last climb there was someone just ahead strobing away like a nail in my head.  I couldn't catch them and I didn't want to stop/ slow up because I was in a bad way and needed to finish

[Wendy]

Audax type riding is a special case though.  It's not normal commuting, where super bright LEDs are perfect for use.

[Somnolent]

Usually when I'm riding an event and there is a bright flashing rear light ahead I catch them and mention that it is a bloody nuisance ( in the nicest possible way ) Usually this fact is met by indifference but by they are behind me

I ride with an additional relatively dim cheapy on steady - and will always turn off the bright "flasher" if requested.  Unfortunately not everyone requests (politely or otherwise).

I remember doing the Brevet Cymru a few years ago and on that last climb there was someone just ahead strobing away like a nail in my head.  I couldn't catch them and I didn't want to stop/ slow up because I was in a bad way and needed to finish

It wasnt me - you'd have caught me easily (had I been there)

[Hot Flatus]

I don't see a huge issue. If somebody's lights are bothering you on an audax, either overtake them or wait 30 seconds.  That said, if I'm likely to have other riders near me, I'll switch my frikkin lasers to constant

[De Sisti]

As long as the person with the uber bright light thinks it may save their life, then the
opinion of others as to whether it's too bright doesn't matter.  

Until the lights get banned .........

Who's going to ban them then?

[itsbruce]

There was a small crowd on the last FNRttC who had eye-meltingly bright rear blinkers, despite the standard request on these rides to tone rear lights down.  It was certainly an incentive to keep ahead of them, but that didn't make it any less antisocial.

[Jaded]

If I am in a group I put my Dinotte on dim, if on my own it is on flash or blink.

It always points down.