WNG

Too sunny out here in PHX for most bike lights to be effective. I only use them for night rides, sunrise/dusk, very cloudy days (rare). Solid LED flashlight up front at night, white blinky instead for cloudy and dusk rides. Rear is a flashing 1/2W unit.

If I was commuting out here, I think I'd construct 3W LED flashers or xenon strobes to improve being seen in bright daylight. The Valley is not a bike friendly place. Downright hostile.

rccardr 

Always. Always. Always. Always. and...Always.

Blinking Planet Bike Turbo on the back, Knog Beetle on the front. I may annoy some people but at least they know I'm there.

I do much of my daily riding on MUP's and it's amazing how many other users are just totally zoned out and paying no attention to what's in front of them. Blinkies help, as does a friendly sounding bell.

RoadTire 

I bet you lights are as noticeable as your font. Howard - what are you running now? I've used the info in your threads from BLF and here to pick up flashlights for night riding, (thanks again!) but my Superflash tail light is not really noticeable on the highway in bright sunlight. If I'm in high traffic / questionable lighting I would like to have a better but inexpensive solid rear red LED tail light.

SJX426 

Yes, both ends. MUP I turn the front off. I use a "head" light in the front in blinking mode. I am surprised how long the batteries last on the PB Blinky.

I have no way of knowing but I believe that if I had used a flashing light on the front of my bike in 2009, I would still have a fully functional left eye, no plate in my left arm and still be riding my Motobecane Le Champion.

crank_addict

I have lights on all bikes. Screw the morons texting or drone driving. I use the blinky front and rear at night and during daytime only in inclement weather.

In addition for night, I use an old halogen 20 watt dual beam battery pack headlamp set-up and swapped between bikes. I'm actually thinking of something larger.

Velocivixen

When I get onto a multi user path I turn off the front light. Don't want the strobe to cause someone to have a seizure. No, really, I don't want to be annoying. It's on the street that I'm more careful.

cehowardGS

For rear, Check out the Serfas..

I upgraded from the Superflash in the rear.. Now, I am running a super bright USB Serfas rear light on the seattube, and a USB Cygolite Hotshot rear light on the helmet..
[h=1]Up front, sometimes I run a single in the daytime, but most of the time, I double up with 18650s up front..[/h]
There is no ifs, or doubts about it, they see me.. I am not about to get hit, dragged, and most likely killed by somebody claiming they didn't see me.

Also, for the so-called inconvience to others, first of all we are only in view for a short time. If they are uncomfortable to look it, just like a car's bright lights, by all means don't look. I am quite sure, a lot fo them that have bit the dust behind a cage running over them, if they were just running half of what I am running, they would still be alive.

When we ride, our whole family is riding with us. What happens to us, happens to our family. With that in mind, I am staying bright. BTW, I am not talking about MUPs, and bike paths, I am talking about balls out knock down rush hour traffic..
Just my two cents..

AZORCH

Absolutely.

Italuminium

Blinkers are stinkers. I don't believe lights have much use in the daytime, but at night, sure. Dusk and dawn are tricky, but it's best to use them as well at those times, since bad visibility and drowsy drivers/cyclists is a bad combo. I used to be more lax about it, until I got my drivers' licence and had a few close encounters of the third kind with ninja cyclists. the difference a small light makes is enormous.

crank_addict

No doubt each and everyone of us can talk of close calls or worse.

BUT DO I CARE ABOUT HURTING OTHERS FEELINGS with a flashing strobe on the road or bike path? LOL. I'm always coming across others - walkers with dogs, runners, mother and strollers, and BIKERS in my lane and even going so far as swerving further into my right side!

Ps. I'm in the US of A

Velocivixen

I have a brass Crane Suzu bell on almost every bike and on the trails (multi user paths) I always ding my bell WELL before I'm close to pedestrians and slow way down near them too. They inevitably say "Thank you. I like your bell!"
So if my riding takes me from road, to bike lane in the road to multi user paths, I turn my front light on/off depending whether or not I'm near cars.

triggahiccups

What about battery life? I have USB chargable lights and the battery lasts exponentially longer on strobe mode. If I'm going to have these on during the day it seems logical to save my battery life for the night time (If it comes to that) and keep them off or on strobe. I've had batteries die in the middle of a night ride, and it is pretty damn scary knowing you are hardly visible to traffic. I get that it might annoy other riders, but being in a big city, I am far more conerned about cars than other cyclists, and I think a strobe will stand out much more to drivers. From a distance (while in a moving car) a solid light may seem to be stationary and/or might not be as easy to follow.

Velocivixen

My headlight is USB rechargeable. Rear is battery. Mine lasts a long time between charges. The light on top changes color to tell me it's time to charge. Yeah, getting caught out in it when it's pitch black would not be good. I'm in the city and there are lots of lights at night.

The Golden Boy 

I thought I posted this... must not have hit "submit..."

Oh well.

I have Planet Bike rear blinkys. 2 USB chargeable and one AAA. My wife's is battery operated.

If I'm riding at dusk or dawn, I use the "pulse" setting on my light. I hate the strobe, but I think the pulse serves the same porpoise. If I'm riding at night and I'm prepared, I have my bright light on as illumination and a 'less bright' light blinking.

As a car driver, I think I'm a little more aware of cyclists than the average bear. When I see a steady light- I process that mostly as a "light in the distance" and I don't give it much of any thought. When I see a strobing or flashing light, I have to think about what that is and then I recognize it as a cyclist.


A few years ago, I got a half watt Planet Bike light and I was OK with it. I wanted more, so I got a 2 watt Planet Bike light, that was much better than the half watt, but it still left me wanting more. Last year I got a Light & Motion Taz 1200. That light is in a league of it's own. (or a "really good and therefore really expensive" league) It's embarrassingly bright. I'm going to get another Light & Motion light- they're so good. I also have rear light that is industrial. It was given to me by the director of the Spinal Cord Injury unit at the VA Hospital. It's actually battery operated a road flare. That's going to get zip tied or something to the rack when it's time to go out at night.


I guess it's important to understand the difference between illumination and visibility. They can be served by the same light- but you have to think about what you're doing. IMO.

RobbieTunes

Yes. If I'm riding, and remembered it, it's on. Any time.

3speedslow

No, I carry one just in case I am caught out late or when bad weather happens. Then the flashers come on. If it is daylight, it does not get turned on.

longbeachgary

Yes. Always. I start out early in the morning (6am) and just keep it on when it gets light. It's just one more thing that a distracted driver MAY see and not run me over.

RoadTire 

Ya, do the same thing. Love it when the nice looking ladies say they like my bell. Running the heavy traffic on the roads though on dreary days I'll be using a 18650 and steady rear light.

Howard, which USB Serfas tail light did you get?

RoadTire 

Can I ask? What happened. That sounds like it was a really terrible accident. I'm really sorry to hear it happened.

leicanthrope

For me, it varies based on environment. During the day, I almost always have a Cygolite Hotshot flashing in one of the medium speed modes. In urban settings, I often use a Lezyne Zecto headlight on "daytime mode" (sort of a flash-flash-pause pattern vs. a strobe). I've had entirely too many drivers pull out of driveways into traffic right in front of me, and my hope with the latter is to differentiate myself from the background visual clutter a bit.

In general, I straddle the fence on the debate about "target fixation". In the context of wide open roads, I see this as a bigger issue. I'm much more inclined to just go with a solid light. In denser urban traffic, it's all about standing out from all the other lights and being recognized as a cyclist, versus something else.

SJX426 

@RoadTire - Sure. I actually tried to capture the events in a document. At my age some things get fuzzy overtime. It is like the game where people sit in a semi-circle and one person tells a short story to the next and at the end of the transfers, the story changes. That happens in peoples head too! Here is the description of what happened without the follow up.

In 2008 I decided I needed to get back into biking after nearly 30 yrs. I lived almost 9 miles from work and since it was mostly downhill from the house, I decided to do the one way thing for a couple of weeks then move to round trip. My choice ride was (still have it) a 97 RockHopper I picked up in ’98 at a close out sale. The advantage was the gearing as there was a very steep section going home, 20%+ for a couple of blocks. Eventually I was able to ride all the way up to the house which was at the top of the hill. I did a total of about 750 miles that summer and fall and was feeling pretty good with an average of 17mph with 1.75 wide tires with minimum tread pattern.

In spring of 2009 I started riding my Motobecane Le Champion to work. I think the gearing was 40/21 and I was able to make it up the hill. My average was 2-3 mph faster with the lighter bike and the experience of joy from riding of my 20’s was the light at the end of a tunnel. In May, on the way to work @ 6:30 in the morning, I was in a bike lane with a slight downhill doing about 21 heading west. The rode was effectively 3 lanes wide with a bike lane on either side. The center lane was a turn lane. The sun was up pretty far for the hour as is the custom in spring.

I approached a residential access road, like a T intersection, that was on my right. A car came to a stop as I was nearing. I watched him intently as they sometimes wait for you before pulling out just as you approach! No traffic was behind me, I wear a mirror on my helmet and very little was coming the other way, 1 or 2 cars as I recall.

Just as I passed the beginning of the curb radius for the side road, I saw a car approach from my left. I believe you call that a left hook. I had just enough time to say “Oh Shi...” when I hit the front fender. I remember looking at the driver who was looking straight ahead oblivious to my presence.

The road had a slight curve in it to the left from my direction. This meant that the driver should have seen me, nearly in front of her. The sun was higher so she should not have been blinded by it; this was an east/west direction. She simply did not look for me and drove full speed into the turn without any awareness that anybody else could have been around. After moving to the Washington DC area, I have learned everyone drives with this mentality around here!

The front wheel went right and the handle bars went left. I went straight over the bars landing on the intersection of the roof and windshield. I remember the glass breaking under my left hip and thinking, “good something to absorb the energy!” My next thought was “I will be fine as it must be over” Wrong! It was the bottom of a bounce! As I was flying through the air, I thought “Now what should I do?” Wham.

Found myself on the street, on my stomach with my head facing right. My left arm was tingling like it was asleep with the intensity never experienced. My thoughts were more about if my back was broken and should I move. I was able to wiggle my toes so I shifted my legs. They felt fine. I move my head verrrrrry slowly and if felt fine. I turned my head to the left to look at my left arm. The right one was working just fine and looked normal.

The left arm didn’t look right and felt really bad. A off duty paramedic came to me and started asking me questions which I don’t now remember. I could hear the driver saying something that I didn’t care about and don’t now remember. I do remember asking “why me?”

SJX426 

I should reveiw my lighting configuration after reading this thread. I feel comfortable with my Planet Bike rear Super Flash. I use to do this but deleted the flashlight. I have better ones now that I could and should mount. The Planet bike headlight is too expensive, so I only have one. It does an effective job at being visable in flash mode, I think. More could be better. I use to ride in the dusk and early evening and used this setup. A flashlight for a steady light and the other for getting attention.

The Golden Boy 

I was listening to a "memory expert" on NPR- someone who studied memory. He said the most authentic memories are the ones you don't remember. Each time you remember something, you change something about the memory. But if you recall something for the first time, it's more than likely correct. Think of it like an old vinyl LP. The more you play it, the more it wears and gets scratched and stuff- but the record you put away and pull out in 20 years is perfect.

In any case, I'm glad you're still with us!

1nterceptor

I ride in an urban environment; this is why I choose to run my lights in flashing mode(day or night).
I shut off my lights in the daytime on the bike paths and have them on low or medium at night. In
this video; you can see how a rider stands out in NYC traffic even in the daytime:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_G74...6zPoymgKaIoDLA

OldsCOOL

Cool vid!