jbarros

Hey Guys,

So, I'd been riding my bicycle to the train with a friend of mine. His light arangement is 2 headlights on his bars, and a blinker on back. Mine is the same in back, but I have a headlamp on my helmet instead. He says this bothers him because he keeps catching a glimpse of it over his shoulder and thinking I'm a car or something. Personally, I commute a few miles before sunup to get to his house at dawn for our commute, and I like being able to look a driver in the eye, and then know that he saw me. That being said, I don't want to piss off the guy I ride with. (who is also the guy who's been very patient with me, teaching me how to put bikes together, and begging borrowing and doing everything but stealing to get me on a good roadbike cheap)

The ride to work and back are both dawn/duskish rides on high traffic arteries.

Suggestions?

Thanks

-- James

newbojeff

I have good handlebar lights and am hoping to add a helmet light (probably for next winter). Makes sense to double up lights in front and in back and many here are running way more than 2 and 2. Also makes sense to have a light that high up to let motorists know that you are a bicycle. Given that, can't be sure what it is about your set up that is causing your riding buddy to get bent out of shape.

If you like riding that way, you should keep doing it.

deputyjones

Any chance you could use a bike mounted main headlight and a lower powered or different colored helmet light? They make lots of elastic headlights (last time I was at Home Depot they had a selection of about 20) with decent LED's that come in different colors too.

jbarros

eh, I climb, so I was just using my super light led headlamp on my helmet (as in elastic one that mounts to the head) the ones I've seen in the HW stores are alot bigger and dimmer, so perhaps I'll just try dimming mine and see how that goes.

-- James

Az B

Why don't you ride in front?

Az

tsl

Coming at the issue from another direction, at the Tuesday night off-season group ride I join up with, early in the (off-)season about a third of the group sports helmet-mounted lights. The other two-thirds of us find them damned annoying in a group because every time a rider so equipped turns to talk with you, or looks over their shoulder (two things that are essential in a group ride) , BAM you get it right in the eyes.

It's sort of entertaining when two helmet light guys try to talk to one another. In fact, that's usually all it takes for them both to figure out that helmet lights may be just fine when riding solo, they're discourteous to others when riding in a group. It only takes a couple of weeks before all the helmet lights disappear from that group, even though it's all the same riders and bikes.

Could be your buddy can't quite bring himself to put it to you this way?

froze

Seems kind of a pity thing to be bothered about! You sure you want to ride with him? What if you change that then he comes up with some other thing that bothers him? I understand he's helped you with your bike, but was that help just him controlling you to buy what he wanted for you instead of you buying what you wanted? If all that I said is completely wrong then you should be able to talk to him about your lighting situation without fear of him getting angry...though I have a feeling I'm not wrong because your already afraid of "pissing him off".

But then again I can also understand TSL's position, you don't want to be flashing your friend in the eyes everytime you talk to him while riding either. The old light in the eyes really screws with your night vision.

So again a conversation with your friend is important to find out what he thinks.