01 CAt Man Do

Well I think we are begining to understand each other. I look at riding on the road like this; The moment you enter the domain of the cars, trucks, etc. you are playing a game of Russian roulette. The best thing you can do to *"not lose" ( *get yourself killed) is to not play. This of course is not an option to the avid bicyclist. Fortunately you don't hear about cyclists getting run down everyday. Thank God for that.

Today I happened upon a cyclist riding a recumbent bicycle. I almost couldn't believe how well he blended into the surroundings ( as I almost didn't even see him ). He was going the opposite way and when he passed I looked in my mirrors and noticed a little dinky (single?) red led light on back of his helmet. It was so dim that I almost didn't see it although I could see the rider without too much problem ( early evening and still a bit light outside ). I couldn't help but think to myself, "Geez, why even bother"? By the time you see the light you are almost right on the rider.

This is when it dawned on me, " The purpose of a decent lamp is to get the rider seen by the motorists BEFORE what would normally be considered "ambient visual contact range" (without a lamp ). In complete darkness this is pretty easy to do and doesn't require a really bright light. Still, having a brighter light will generally be more noticeable ( although as noglider has pointed out there is a point of diminishing returns ). This is even more important when other bright lamps are in the same area and are competing for attention.

One of the reasons I like "flashing ( blinkies ) lights" is because I've found over the years that when ever I see a cyclist using one, "It's the BLINKIE" I see first THEN the cyclist. This is not always true when I see a cyclist using a lamp with a steady output. This is why I personally use both. Steady light for seeing where I'm looking and the blinkies ( front and rear ) for being seen.

Personally I don't assign mystical powers to bike lights. They have their effectual limitations. I'm not going to argue over "What is bright enough or what is too bright". To each their own. I've had people tell me they could see my ( rear ) lights a mile down the road. They also said they didn't think it was a bike but were fascinated when they got close enough to see it actually was a cyclist. That made my day. Now if you ride areas with shorter lines of sight a brighter light is probably not so important

Parting thoughts: Having a brighter lamp isn't going to increase your chances of getting killed. On the other hand choosing NOT to use a bright lamp isn't going to increase your chances of staying alive. Find that "happy medium" that gives you better road presence. Your choice, now let's all spin that cylinder and hope for the best.

Dave Cutter

+1

lopek77

Quick comparison of 2 very popular tail lights. Solid and proven Blackburn Mars 4.0 with 1 Watt LED vs. CygoLite HotShot with 2 Watt LED ( premium version with up to 500 hrs of run time, and 5 customizable modes ). Both are considered as a "day time" tail lights. ($20-$30 as of today)

Bicycle Tail Lights Cygolite HotShot 2 Watt vs. Blackburn Mars 4.0 1 Watt LED Comparison - YouTube

ItsJustMe

Good effort on the video, but IMO any taillight comparison really should show off-axis as well. I generally go about 10 degrees off axis to show a car that may be approaching from behind on a slight curve or in another lane, then 45 degrees off, and also from the side.

I hate videos with music, but there's always mute.

lopek77

It's about 10% on the video. HotShot have wider lens, and is much better visible from greater angles than Mars. And hey...you like mute button better than my music????

vXhanz

Nice video, but what distance was that shot at? I've seen plenty of video's where it's shot across the street, in the garage, or out at the mailbox. I haven't seen too many video's where someone puts it into a drivers perspective or even films it in a car while they are driving by.

I would rather be seen 1/2 mile down the road where the driver starts to wonder "What's that?" vs. from a close distance like most of the video's on youtube. I'm beginning to think I'll need a Dinotte light as the primary, with two blinkies or even three as secondaries.

V

ItsJustMe

Wow, the Mars is spottier than the HotShot? My only complaint about the HotShot is that it's too spotty. Crazy that someone else is even worse.

lopek77

Yup...Mars is almost like a laser light lol Very strong, but only at the right angle. I can't complain about either of the lights for my needs. If someone is riding in the city and between other cars - HotShot would be a much better choice than Mars 4.0. On the side roads with little traffic both are more than enough. Nobody should complain...it's only $20-$30. Many riders don't use any light, which is plain stupid.

01 CAt Man Do

Just the other day I was sitting at an intersection in my work vehicle when I noticed a rather bright red light emanating from the traffic that was to my left ( roughly 90° ) waiting their turn at the traffic light. When I focused more on the light I noticed that it was a cyclist. I have to admit I was pretty impressed. I have no idea what it looked like from the back but it definitely rocked from the side. Once again this is a case where the light gets seen first and later identified as being a cyclist.

10 Wheels

My set up for night centuries.

lopek77

I don't see any 110v cable behind your bike, or do you have a tiny power generator inside your bag? Don't you miss the night time feel when you riding at night?

10 Wheels

I ride at night to get away from the scorching heat of the sun.