I-Like-To-Bike

That's right, and it can now be revealed that one light with fully charged batteries is better than 2 lights with dead batteries.

striegel 

I'll take the redundant option. My bike has PBSF on the rack set to steady, another PBSF set to blink on the single pannier to the left, a Cateye set to steady just under my seat, I wear yet another PBSF on the back strap of my helmet blinking.

In addition, I keep a spare no-name with fresh batteries on the pannier.

Think that's enough? Two steady and two blinking should cover all the bases.

(and yes, I've got redundant headlights too)

Waves77

I have a Mars 3.0 on my camelbak or backpack and a PBSF on the seatpost. They are both on flash, especially with the different flashing patterns I feel it's a lot more effective than a solid light. P7on the front, and waiting for 2 spokelit's for the sides

CB HI

My ride home was cold; all the way down to 20 degrees.

CB HI

Oops, did I forget to note that temp was in centigrade? Still cold at 69F.

JinbaIttai

Good point, I stand corrected.

Basil Moss

I use two taillights, both solid. In the UK it is law that you must have one taillight solid, and only then can you have another blinking. Not that the lovers of flashing lights take any notice, it isn't enforced. Nor are bike light laws in general, which is a shame.

Personally I find the blinking lights (on other folks bikes) distracting when I'm cycling. Motorists I speak to are evenly divided between those who find the blinky ones distracting and those who like them because you know right away it's a cyclist. Over here flashing lights are emergency lights, so a lot of folks don't want cyclists going around as though they were an emergency!

geo8rge

"In the UK it is law that you must have one taillight solid, and only then can you have another blinking."

Wow, there must be like a gazillion pages of useless laws in the UK. Is any of this based on scientific study or did someone just write pages of this stuff based on their own perception of common sense.

chipcom 

That's the whole point of them...to distract the driver from whatever else they are distracted by so that they notice me. It's all about me - f everyone else.

I-Like-To-Bike

Is there really a lot of folks (or anyone) in the UK who can't distinguish between an emergency vehicle with a whole array of flashing/rotating lights, and a bicycle with a blinky or two; at least when within 500 meters of the light source?

Basil Moss

Who knows? I just don't like them because Cambridge is stuffed with cyclists, so you are usually riding behind somebody else on a bike. It's irritating when they have a flashing light on their bike. I don't know how people cope with the flashing front lights, that would drive me bonkers. I suppose if the motorists in your area have never seen a bicycle before, maybe you do constitute a travelling emergency, but in Cambridge, they are REALLY common. You just need a light so motorists and pedestrians see you, same as motorbikes, same as cars. Cyclists aren't some kind of special case- just one type of road user.

In any case, as to the UK having useless laws, I don't think the US is any better- what's all that about *****es being illegal in some states unless sold as an "educational device"!?!

dynodonn

How about the law that requires railroad signs to be nine feet, four and one half inches off the ground in order to be seen by a person on horseback.

I-Like-To-Bike

What "all that about *****es " are you reading or hearing?

Where are you reading or hearing "all that"? The English Tabloids? Talk Radio? Your neighborhood pub?

CB HI

Yet, I have had motorcyclist ask me where they can get the same exact blinky, so they can also ride with it for their own increased safety.

WPeabody 

On observation while driving on a busy narrow road at night, with a lot of oncoming headlights, the part of the cyclists I noticed the most is of the reflectors on the pedals. Even better, more reflectors on the shoes and legs. This being the only moving part of the bike visible from behind. Even blinkies are hard to see, (except the very bright blinking helmet lights and the PBSF, which I have) because of other car lights shining at night.
The unique movement of the feet tells me right away there's a cyclist up ahead, and it really stands out.
During the day, the most visible object on the cyclist is hi-vis yellow. Seems to be a popular color nowadays for most local road cyclists and commuters riding in light mist and overcast days. I can see them a long way off, which is helpful especially when the speed limit is 45.

JinbaIttai

Actually I've changed my mind, after riding home last night.

On a road without streetlights, maybe 30 cars passed me. There wasn't one single passing car that was able to blot out my lights. The spot on the ground from my lights was too intense. Perhaps I am one of those lesser cases because I am putting out a lot of light. (2 SSC P7 flashlights on hi power).

But then again, I don't know how it looks from the driver's perspective. When I get a bike rack (and a new camera) I'll have to take some experimental pics.

chipcom 

Again, that light ain't squat to a driver coming up behind you with his headlights on. He's gonna see the light (reflective or active) that is aimed towards his direct field of vision. If there is none (no taillight or reflective bits), the combination of his lights and your bod is gonna make the light you are throwing out in front of you pretty much invisible...though he might see things that your light reflects off...like signs, reflective markers, etc.

But I've only been driving and cycling for over 30 years, so what do I know. You go right ahead and ride at night without a tail light and put your trust in our competent, polite, patient, alert Ohio drivers.

GutterNinja!

You should also ignore all the other road users who use blinking lights for safety purposes. Cops, firefighters both do it. Firefighters often have great scene lighting up in a pretty short period of time, but they still use the flashing lights, because that's what drivers see first.

JinbaIttai

Let me clarify.

The scenario proposed is to use a PBSF on blink mode in the back, and a high powered modern LED light in the front. A driver could use my headlights as a point of reference to fix to, so as not to get hypnotized moth-effect style, and veer into me.

I am leaning towards agreement with chipcom that my headlights are ineffective, but I'd like to take pictures from inside a car, since my experiments say otherwise. They didn't have 1000 lumen bike lights 30 years ago BTW.

dmac49

Anything less than 2 would not qualify as Fred.

I-Like-To-Bike

I suggest that you do not base your personal safety on Internet Legends such as the increased risk created by an alleged hypnotized moth-effect of bicycling blinkies.

2manybikes

It's that time of year again. So here we go....bike tailight on roof of car, car tailights on...

Basil Moss

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Texas_obscenity_statute

I-Like-To-Bike

I'm not in the habit of reporting about hearing all about everything posted on wikipedia.org. Are you, or your British comrades?

doskiez

This thread is making me want another light. For all the debate on wether blinky or solid is best wouldn't one of each be the most effective?