Commuting - When lights are too bright?

I'm all for good bright lights -- especially now that the days are shorter and more of my commute is in the dark. Sections of my 5+ mile commute are on dark stretches of urban bike paths (old RR beds, above and below grade... very scenic stuff!)

IO've recently experienced several instances when bikers, with front mounted and helmet mounted lights of around 400 million candle power (I exaggerate), approached me, and as they did, I was basically unable to see anything. On one of those, the rider was at the rear of a group of 4 kids on bikes WITH NO lights. At about 25 feet from the group, they ghost riders suddenly appear to me. Yai! Then as I'm about 5 feet from the lit rider, I discern a rider, to his left, on the center line of the path, about 6 inches from my handlebars. On other ocassions, I have to shield my eyes from the light just to see the edge of the path. I'm sure in neither case were they aware of my inability to see.

I'm al for bright lights, but I wonder if there is some way to focus the lights a bit lower?

Just putting out the thought on a fine cool fall day.

It's like the 'mutually assured destruction' doctrine of the cold war era. the only way to counteract bright lights is with even brighter lights of your own.... these days if you're not putting out over 1,000 lumens you're not even in the game. :D

That is one of the major reasons why I do not ride the MUP on my morning commute. The joggers/walkers/pedestrians without lights/reflectors listening to their Ipod/radio while remaining oblivious to the world around them, along with ninja cyclists or those with blindingly bright lights (on a straight asphalt MUP that is quite visible due to streetlight spillover and ambient light) make the road the safest place to be.

After several near-misses with the aforementioned folks, I took to the road and I am not only am safer, but able to ride faster as well.

Unfortunately, almost all bike headlights available in the US are intended for off-road use (or are simply ultra-bright flashlights) and have no cutoffs. It's not that they're too bright, it's that they shine their light in the air instead of at the road where it should be.

There are some good lights, but AFAIK they are all made in the EU.

Personally I run with an HID but I've added an aluminum cutoff shield. I do have an LED flashlight, but only as an emergency backup if the HID fails.

my bar mount lights couldn't blind a gnat, I keep them aimed at the road tho. My HID-offroad light is helmet mount when I use it so I only blind the ones I want to blind like all drivers stopped at an intersection who would invariably go once they see it's "ONLY a bike, fine to have that smash into my car as I pull out into it's path..." I also blind all newspaper delivery people who are only focussed on reading their list with the dome light on and chucking the papers out the window without looking to see if it's clear... I had a driver pull up next to me at a stop light and say my light hurt his eyes, told him it was to keep his car from hurting my body!

I had a driver pull up next to me at a stop light and say my light hurt his eyes, told him it was to keep his car from hurting my body!

Damn right. When I use my light, I'm on the road, and it's pointed straight ahead. At night, I find the roads safer than an MUP anyway.