View Full Version : "Turn your blinker off." Why?
I was riding tonight on a bike / pedestrian trail, and it was near dusk. I have an amber light on the front, and a red light on the back. I especially use them on my early morning road rides, but had them on this evening because it was getting dark and I was having trouble seeing some folks. I always have both flashing so that 1) I am best seen and 2) I don't waste batteries.
One guy in a big group of bikers spoke loudly, "Turn your blinker off", like I was supposed to know better. Please inform me if blinkers are bad for some reason, on some trails, in some bike positions, or what.
Walter
I don't accept orders from strangers very readily, so I'd just keep using it. If it helps you be seen at night, that's all that matters.
MediaCreations
08-03-06, 07:37 PM
That's a little weird. You're the one responsible for your safety so unless it's causing other people a problem you should just ignore the guy.
DieselDan
08-03-06, 07:51 PM
Rear red blinkers are usually allowed by statute.
Only reason i could see is if it was really bright. I got on to one rider because he had some blinker he made him self from supper bright visible ultra violet leds. They hurt your eyes. That don't help you to be seen it just makes it more dangerous. But unless yours is the same way and i doubt it is ignore him.
Bikepacker67
08-03-06, 08:26 PM
visible ultra violet
Is that like Jumbo Shrimp?
Dogbait
08-03-06, 08:33 PM
......................... If it helps you be seen at night, that's all that matters.
It also matters that you may be blinding someone who is riding behind you
It also matters that you may be blinding someone who is riding behind you
If I was riding behind someone and thier blinker bothered me, I would;
A: Pass.
2: Slow down.
C: Finally admit that I'm an old codger that gets annoyed by dumbass ****.
Az
moxfyre
08-03-06, 08:39 PM
I was riding tonight on a bike / pedestrian trail, and it was near dusk. I have an amber light on the front, and a red light on the back. I especially use them on my early morning road rides, but had them on this evening because it was getting dark and I was having trouble seeing some folks. I always have both flashing so that 1) I am best seen and 2) I don't waste batteries.
One guy in a big group of bikers spoke loudly, "Turn your blinker off", like I was supposed to know better. Please inform me if blinkers are bad for some reason, on some trails, in some bike positions, or what.
Walter
Makes no sense to me... the best rear LED lights are bright enough to be seen easily, but not to hurt anyone's eyes. I don't know why anyone would object to you being a responsible guy and trying to make yourself visible. I say, keep up the good work :)
Maybe they were german? (In Germany, red rear blinkers are illegal, they must be solid)
I'd stand behind my bike and just double check that its not too bright. If its fine, they were just jerks.
\Being visible is good (see the thread I'm about to create)
mechBgon
08-03-06, 08:47 PM
He didn't say they were behind him. kk4df, were they behind you and annoyed at your rear blinkie, or were they in front of you and annoyed at your flashing headlight?
As a point of curiosity... http://www.bicyclegeorgia.com/galaw.html Looking at the laws as they're stated, a flashing front light is probably not road-legal (and the laws also say they apply to paths too). Does it attract attention better? Probably so.
the best rear LED lights are bright enough to be seen easily, but not to hurt anyone's eyes.Don't be too sure :) My blinkie versus my 13-watt HID headlight:
http://www.mechbgon.com/megablinkie2.jpg
I'm doing a 50-mile fundraiser ride this weekend. What to do about the Nova BULL megablinkie... hmmm... :D maybe I'll just set it for steady-fire.
2manybikes
08-03-06, 08:52 PM
He didn't say they were behind him. kk4df, were they behind you and annoyed at your rear blinkie, or were they in front of you and annoyed at your flashing headlight?
As a point of curiosity... http://www.bicyclegeorgia.com/galaw.html Looking at the laws as they're stated, a flashing front light is probably not road-legal (and the laws also say they apply to paths too). Does it attract attention better? Probably so.
I'm doing a 50-mile fundraiser ride this weekend. What to do about the Nova BULL megablinkie... hmmm... :D maybe I'll just set it for steady-fire.
Some states (mine) also require a white light on the front. Possibly the color is a problem there?
-----------------------------------------------------
You said it was a red Nova BULL blinkie...
It's more like a Nova RED BULL blinkie. :)
2manybikes
08-03-06, 08:55 PM
Don't be too sure :) :
You only beat me by about 5 minutes. :rolleyes:
mechBgon
08-03-06, 08:57 PM
You only beat me by about 5 minutes. :rolleyes:Like moths to a flame, we are... :p
Perhaps he thought you should conserve your battery charge for night riding.
moxfyre
08-03-06, 09:00 PM
Don't be too sure :) My blinkie versus my 13-watt HID headlight:
http://www.mechbgon.com/megablinkie2.jpg
Wow! Where do you get that insane tail light?
He didn't say they were behind him. kk4df, were they behind you and annoyed at your rear blinkie, or were they in front of you and annoyed at your flashing headlight?
Oh that woyuld annoy me. Some people are very senstive to bright flashing white/yellow light (People with overly bright turn signals give me headaches). Also those lights are more concentrated, so the difference would be very annoying.
It also matters that you may be blinding someone who is riding behind you
This is true.
mechBgon
08-03-06, 09:16 PM
Wow! Where do you get that insane tail light?Here's some info, I posted pics of how it's attached and stuff: http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=202062 Daylight shots from medium range, too, I use it day & night to help get detected from longer distances than without. I think it might be working :D
Post #10 in this thread shows comparison pics between the Nova and a Cateye LD-1000: http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=207885
EDIT: I don't ride MUPs. I agree that it wouldn't be very thoughtful to tow a Nova down a dark MUP, it's not like I have to worry about dangerous rear-end collisions on a path. For that situation, I'd probably use just my little Planet Bike blinkie or my Cateye LD-500.
Maybe he was just being nice and wanted to let you know your turn signal was on.
Oh...wait, wrong blinker.
*slinks away*
2manybikes
08-03-06, 09:21 PM
Like moths to a flame, we are... :p
slvoid must be fixing up his new place right now ! :)
I always ride with a red winky blinky light on the rear. It is turned on every time I ride.
If someone does not like it, that is too bad. If they noticed it, it has accomplished my purpose in having it on.
moxfyre
08-03-06, 09:28 PM
Here's some info, I posted pics of how it's attached and stuff: http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=202062 Daylight shots from medium range, too, I use it day & night to help get detected from longer distances than without. I think it might be working :D
Post #10 in this thread shows comparison pics between the Nova and a Cateye LD-1000: http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=207885
Very cool... if I ever move out to somewhere not swamped in light pollution (e.g. back home to good ol' Michigan), I'll consider one of those.
I've considered building my own homebrew LED-based lighting before, after taking a few electronics courses, but I've been really frustrated with information on available LEDs. It seems there aren't many places willing to sell ultra-bright white LEDs in small quantities for hobbyists. Does anyone have good sources? Also, the intensity ratings on some sites seem to be downright misleading. :-/
Only thing I can think is a problem with the amber in the front. Blinking amber would make me think of a construction barrior or something.
I always ride with a red winky blinky light on the rear. It is turned on every time I ride.
If someone does not like it, that is too bad. If they noticed it, it has accomplished my purpose in having it on.
I think thats what those jerks with massivly powerful driving lights (non-street legal) on thier jeeps think. They're not making the road safer, but more dangerious
Granted, red rear bike lights are not exactly blinding in 99% of cases.:D
Only thing I can think is a problem with the amber in the front. Blinking amber would make me think of a construction barrior or something.
Hey, back in the days before good blinkie lights, some of us did use the construction barrior lights. Heavy, but they worked great for being safe.
+1 for the street legality issue. They would not be legal where I ride, but a) ymmv and b) nobody has ever blamed me for being too visible. Why a fellow rider would be so anal retentive is beyond me. Have you checked the rest of Advocacy and Safety threads, maybe someone is boasting right now how they educated the guy with illegal lights the other night?
--J
I-Like-To-Bike
08-04-06, 03:40 AM
Why a fellow rider would be so anal retentive is beyond me. Have you checked the rest of Advocacy and Safety threads, maybe someone is boasting right now how they educated the guy with illegal lights the other night?
Or bragging about how he snitched on the blinking evil doer to the police.
He didn't say they were behind him. kk4df, were they behind you and annoyed at your rear blinkie, or were they in front of you and annoyed at your flashing headlight?
As a point of curiosity... http://www.bicyclegeorgia.com/galaw.html Looking at the laws as they're stated, a flashing front light is probably not road-legal (and the laws also say they apply to paths too). Does it attract attention better? Probably so.
They were actually coming at me, seeing a flashing amber LED light. It's not all that bright, but maybe you're right about the GA laws. It looks like GA wants a white light up front and a red reflector (and optional red blinkie) in back. The LBS recommended the flashing amber up front as a way of being more noticed. I also have a solid white light on my helmet for my early morning rides, so that probably fulfills the white light requirement.
mechBgon
08-04-06, 07:06 AM
I don't know of any off-the-shelf amber blinkies that are powerful enough to cause problems for people coming towards you. So leaving aside legal technicalities, using a run-of-the-mill amber blinkie on a bike/pedestrial trail isn't that outrageous.
bike2math
08-04-06, 07:11 AM
I just had a driver tell me at a stop light in the middle of the afternoon, "Your head light is on".
I was tired, out of breath, and sweaty so I just thanked him and smiled. Afterwards I thought:
A. Saw me didn't you?
B. Has he not seen motorcycles driving around with their lights on all the time?
C. Has he not seen every new car with running lights?
D. Has he really had his head so far up his ***** that he hasn't heard of study after study showing that vehicles with a headlight on all the time are much less likely to be involved in an accident.
sgtsmile
08-04-06, 07:24 AM
or perhaps he was trying to be nice? Lets not get so defensive that we assume evil motives of every other road user. I am glad for the sake of advocates everywhere that you were hot and sweaty and out of breath ;p
Here is a thought about the OP amber light on front: maybe the guy thought it was a red light? He could have been colourblind...
2manybikes
08-04-06, 08:40 AM
I don't know of any off-the-shelf amber blinkies that are powerful enough to cause problems for people coming towards you. So leaving aside legal technicalities, using a run-of-the-mill amber blinkie on a bike/pedestrial trail isn't that outrageous.
+1
The last one I saw coming at me on a crowded bike path, I thought it was a good idea. I noticed him earlier than normal.
Paul L.
08-04-06, 10:10 AM
visible ultra violet
Is that like Jumbo Shrimp?
No she's a super hero.
Brian Ratliff
08-04-06, 10:15 AM
I've heard that a blinking lamp at dusk makes it very difficult to judge distance. I'd imagine that from the front, it'd look kind of weird to have a blinking lamp at all. I'd recommend putting your front and back blinkers to a stead light at dusk. On the front, keep it a steady light. On the back, put it back to blinking mode only after it is fully dark.
I usually leave no doubts and use a real headlight on the front of my bike (either a Nitelight if I need to see, or a white LED with a focused reflector if I only need to be seen) and two red blinkies on the back (one on top of the other; never side by side), one blinking, one steady.
I am mounting one of these on my helmets to make sure I am seen and can be seen
http://www.surefire.com/surefire/content/templates/main/main/hellfighter.jpg
http://www.surefire.com/maxexp/main/co_disp/displ/prrfnbr/24279/sesent/00
chipcom
08-04-06, 10:23 AM
Hey, back in the days before good blinkie lights, some of us did use the construction barrior lights. Heavy, but they worked great for being safe.
:beer:
chipcom
08-04-06, 10:28 AM
I've heard that a blinking lamp at dusk makes it very difficult to judge distance. I'd imagine that from the front, it'd look kind of weird to have a blinking lamp at all. I'd recommend putting your front and back blinkers to a stead light at dusk. On the front, keep it a steady light. On the back, put it back to blinking mode only after it is fully dark.
I usually leave no doubts and use a real headlight on the front of my bike (either a Nitelight if I need to see, or a white LED with a focused reflector if I only need to be seen) and two red blinkies on the back (one on top of the other; never side by side), one blinking, one steady.
Dusk & dawn is when I put my Vega headlight in blink mode and in the winter I add a cheap amber blinkie on the handelbar bag as well. Rear lights are a blinkie on the saddlebag, a solid Toplight on the rack, additional blinkies on the panniers in the winter. Why the extra in the winter...it seems so much darker!
Lions and tigers and bears, oh my!
Brian Ratliff
08-04-06, 10:41 AM
Dusk & dawn is when I put my Vega headlight in blink mode and in the winter I add a cheap amber blinkie on the handelbar bag as well. Rear lights are a blinkie on the saddlebag, a solid Toplight on the rack, additional blinkies on the panniers in the winter. Why the extra in the winter...it seems so much darker!
Lions and tigers and bears, oh my!
The above what just what I've heard; kind of heresayish. I have a hunch that it matters very little, especially on a trail.
If they saw you and even better didn't hit you, then your blinkies served their purpose.
Quote:
visible ultra violet
Originally Posted by Bikepacker67
Is that like Jumbo Shrimp?
No she's a super hero.
First im a he not a she.
Second go to your local autoparts store and pick up a nice AC leak detector kit. One that uses leds. They have a UV component to the light and a visible spectrum component. The visible spectrum part is just at the border where it goes from visible light to uv light. I se one for when im working on computers helps to lite up any screen printing on the mother board.
cudak888
08-04-06, 01:38 PM
I just had a driver tell me at a stop light in the middle of the afternoon, "Your head light is on"...
Mid-afternoon - was it dusk/dark yet? If not, he might have pointed this out, simply assuming that you didn't intend to have it on.
-Kurt
cudak888
08-04-06, 01:42 PM
Beats me why headlamps aren't placed halfway up the fork blade, in the good old British fashion, anymore. Still easily visible, the lower position helps light the surrounding pavement better (which is an advantage, where I ride), and reduces the chance of glare for oncoming riders.
Take care,
-Kurt
Wogsterca
08-04-06, 07:09 PM
Rear red blinkers are usually allowed by statute.
Dan:
Here in Ontario, Canada, like in many parts of Europe, red blinking lights are technically illegal, this is why many cars made in Europe use amber turn signal lamps. A 3 LED rear bike light, to be legal in the most places, should use a steady red centre LED, and two blinking amber LEDs. The blinking amber would actually be more visible, in that amber lenses do not appear as dark, as red ones. I have never heard of anyone being charged for a red blinky, but then I run mine in steady mode only anyway. I do very little night riding, in that it's often hard enough to deal with idiot cagers during the day.
DieselDan
08-04-06, 08:22 PM
Copied and pasted from the online version of the State Code of Laws:
SECTION 56-5-3470. Lamps and reflectors on bicycle. [SC ST SEC 56-5-3470]
Every bicycle when in use at nighttime shall be equipped with a lamp on the front which shall emit a white light visible from a distance of at least five hundred feet to the front and with a red reflector on the rear which shall be visible from all distances from fifty feet to three hundred feet to the rear when directly in front of the lawful upper beams of head lamps on a motor vehicle. A lamp emitting a red light visible from a distance of five hundred feet to the rear may be used in addition to the red reflector.
ken cummings
08-04-06, 09:04 PM
It also matters that you may be blinding someone who is riding behind you
I had that problem with an amber Zenon strobe taillight when I did night rides with the Orange County Wheelmen (SoCal). Within seconds of rotating to the front of the group someone would complain and pull through. So I just stayed in back in group rides.
If someone complains now they can drop back or pass.
The only light complaint I have obeyed was at the junction of the Cherry Creek and Platte River bike paths in downtown Denver, Colorado. Someone yelled, "Shot Off That G*****d Light!" As that area was known for drugdealers back then I shut off the light and got on out of there.
mechBgon
08-05-06, 12:19 AM
Last winter some guys in a pickup tried to tell me to turn off my HID headlight, with threats and etc to accompany it. They were very lucky my digicam had no CompactFlash card in it that night. I persecuted them by following them through the city traffic on the ice & snow for a good 1/2 mile, however. :evil:
HID jealousy. < classic Batman > Some days, it's so hard to get rid of a bomb... < / Batman >
rrruuunnn
08-08-06, 10:29 PM
blinkers are required in texas, otherwise you get a ticket by the cops.
geo8rge
08-10-06, 05:25 AM
Maybe you heard wrong, or the person thought you did not realize the binky was on.
egonlou
08-10-06, 06:08 AM
One of the other reasons for a solid in front and a blinky in back is to distinguish whether you are coming and going from someone approaching you.
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