the cyclops

Is it legal to run a red blinky up front with your headlights? The only reason I ask is I just received these from nashbar...(yes I love nashbar,thank you very much)

and the way I have my bike setup,the only real way to mount them is on my handle bars.I have a rear rack bag,and I already have a rear blinky for night time use so no where to mount the red one in the rear where it could be seen.
I have two BRIGHT headlights also,but the headlights dont strobe,so I bought these lights for daytime use to get the cagers attention...the red is really supposed to be used as a tail light,obviously,but kind of like it up front,anyone know the laws or "bicycle etiquette"on this???

mikeybikes

What state?

I'd imagine in most states, this is not legal. I know in Colorado, for example, you can only have red lights that are rear facing.

10 Wheels

White and Yellow in Front
Red in Rear

the cyclops

NC.Yes I was afraid this was the case,damn it....Gonna have to find a use for this light though,maybe clip it to my hlemet? I must admit though,with 2 CREE LED's up front,and these 2 on either side blinking I would sure have attracted some attention

the cyclops

and......Its on my helmet.Not the way I really wanted it,but does the job.Oh what would I do without zip ties???

bhop

Dunno how legal it is, but IMO it's pretty stupid.

the cyclops

Im getting a blue one also to go up front with the red one.

Pete In Az

Only emergency vehicles can run red lights visible from the front and, in some places, blue might be questionable.

Go to your states web site and look it up. I'm sure they have the various statutes and regulations on line.

KD5NRH

Yellow/orange/amber in any direction, for most states. That's why I wish more "be seen" stuff would be yellow, so it will look right anywhere on the bike.

fuji86

I'd think for the sake of less confusion that red would be illegal up front, but white or blue, like halogen lamps for cars are ok ?

the cyclops

You know,thats not a bad idea,an orange blinky or rear light might be a welcome addition.At night with my particular setup,I have little worries that Im not gonna be seen,but during the day Im hoping that my lil blinkys will get the attention of drivers.I do have a blackburn mars 3.0 in the rear as well,but lets face it most blinkys during the day arent that noticable,besides a dinotte of course.

sudo bike

....

Well played.

I've long held the theory that in many cases a flashing yellow light would be far more attention-grabbing than a red one, since yellow usually implies "caution". Drivers see a red blinky and assume it's a cyclist, and exercise as much care as normal (which ain't always a lot), but seeing a flashing yellow light may imply construction, or warning sign, or something which causes them to take caution and slow down. Basically the theory is that drivers respond with more caution from yellow blinkies than red. Never got to really test it, so it's just a theory.

shopan

I like this Idea....

KD5NRH

I've seen pretty good results from a yellow BikeBrightz on the left seatstay, but it seems to be the only cheap-but-bright blinky-like device that comes in yellow. I wish one of the PBSF clones would make a yellow version.

TireFlys would be another good application for a yellow light, but the only yellow ones I've seen have been no-name knockoffs on eBay.

the cyclops

Yeah,I just did a quick google search and came up w/nothing.Hmmm sounds like a niche in the market,ie MONEY.

the cyclops

https://www.google.com/products/catal...d=0CG4Q8wIwAA#

ItsJustMe

Blue is even more illegal than red, in most states. ONLY emergency vehicles are allowed to have blue lights regardless of which direction they're pointed.

mikeybikes

I remember when a friend of mine got ticketed because he had blue lights on his wiper blades. I gave him so much crap for that.

njkayaker

It's completely legal as long as he goes "waah! waah! waah!" loudly as he rides!

njkayaker

White is OK. The "blue" halogen (xenon) are have a bluish tint and are not really blue (like a cop car light). And some of the extreme cases might not be legal.

KD5NRH

There's a reason they call those "loser beams."

Pscyclepath

State laws concerning what's legal for bike lights are tabulated here:
https://conspicuouscyclist.net/conspi...ight_Laws.html

the cyclops

Nice link,thanks man.Do you have one regarding bicycle laws in general?Such as helmet,riding on sidewalks,etc?

the cyclops

https://www.bikexprt.com/streetsmarts/usa/index.htm

AltheCyclist

Forget legal, question is whether it's a good idea to have the opposite color on a safety light to what the rest of traffic is used to seeing?