Here's an update a few weeks later:
- I'm now using a Take-a-Look mirror, and the knowledge of my pack position definitely improves decision making. However I'm not so sure I like the head-mounted type as much as I thought I would, and I may switch to the Myrracle STI-mounted option, or end up using both.
- I've also been more conservative when I identify problematic cross-traffic, and I'll scrub speed to make more space if it will help the situation. However, I have dozens of such encounters every day and I find the judgment call to be pretty challenging at times. I think I'm still vulnerable, although I believe my risk is lower and the severity of a possible accident is probably lower as well.
- Not fully trusting my own judgment in second guessing cross-traffic, I'm convinced that a good helmet mounted light is a key component. Right now I'm walking around my equipment in daylight from 20-50m to gauge effectiveness from the motorist's point of view, later on I'll film myself riding past from cross-traffic perspectives. Initially I bought a 1/2W Blaze, however I was disappointed to discover it doesn't have a "Superflash" mode like the other two Blaze models (I wasn't reading the fine print, dangit), and it is quite wimpy in full daylight. I'm also not impressed with the Blaze beam pattern. It's very focused with no flood, so I would need to aim it very carefully to be effective (which is kind of hard to achieve at the speed of traffic). I'm moving towards something 200 Lumen-ish for my daylight helmet light, i.e. my Romisen RC-N3 II does well (which is convenient since I wasn't impressed with it as a bar-mounted headlight). Once my DX Aurora P7 arrives it will go on the bars, and if I like it I might get a Q5-type from DX with a flashing mode to replace the Romisen, and I think that is about ideal for the helmet in daylight. The helmet light will be dimmed for nighttime use. (So I'd expect an LD20 to be ideal for the helmet, but I'm trying to avoid blowing that much dough on a ~200 Lum light - hopefully DX will come through for me...)
- I'm having a hard time getting used to the Airzound's position as currently installed, so it hasn't been really useful so far (I also haven't really needed it). I may add a bar-extender which would help out a lot. Airzounds are probably more useful with upright bars. Nonetheless there are times when I'll hover over the Airzound as I go in front of a crossing car who has fully stopped. (I think that drivers give me a particular look when my hand is hovering over the horn, like they sense that I'm threatening something but they don't know what. The look comforts me.) The theory I'm working on is that I can catch them right when they budge and they'll stop again before crossing my path. The Airzound is a huge step up from the bell, I think it is about as loud as a car horn, which is my goal. Some people think it is closer to a truck in volume, but I think that is just because you never hear your car horn sitting right next to it, you hear it from inside the car. I do wish that the pitch was lower, like a car horn, because I would prefer to be identified as a car.
- We know that lights and horns are not proof against accidents, since a car has a pair of ~700 Lum headlights and a 115 dB horn which they can blast even while slamming the brakes, but motorists still manage to wreck and kill themselves. Still, I think that equipment goes a long way to alleviate the problem which is particular to bikes, which is being inexplicably unseen. I never had a problem with right-on-red-category-dodos while driving my car.
Last edited by christofoo; 04-12-10 at 05:24 PM.
Reason: additions