I-Like-To-Bike

We will have to agree to disagree that deliberately blinding and distracting oncoming motor traffic, pedestrians and bicyclists with one or more dazzling high intensity lights and strobes aimed at eye level is necessary to accomplish the mission of safe cycling.

acidfast7

i agree with you 100%.

i was riding my bike home yesterday and it was very dark. with the bikes over here (detecting that it's dark and automatically turning the lights on by dynamo) when you walk the bike with a front dynamo you get a strobe effect with the front and rear light ...

and holy crap was it awful and super distracting to me also on a bike ... if i was driving i would say something to a cyclist who did that on purpose ... especially when the lights are super bright as they are on the new generation of city bikes over here

bjorke

Bicker, bicker Pick lights that make you feel safe & ride!

I personally don't like bright front flashers much because they are disorienting to me when riding. But I will apologize to "annoyed" drivers only when I can manage to ride even ONE day without having some motorist honk or left-hook or cross without signalling or ignore the stop sign or use the bike lane as a wrong-side passing lane.... and I do mean that this happens every. single. day.

Until then I will keep expanding & revising my lights collection, and running at least a bright rear flasher in the day, too

BTW It's a rare motorist who worries about such things as "how to chose my headlamps?", except for the sake of attention (e.g. guys in suburban traffic with spotlessly-polished SUVs sporting winches and bolted-on shovels and a row of halogens across the roof).

Here is a nice automobile decoration found in local traffic just yesterday

spivonious

^ Wow, I guess I'm lucky. In three months of commuting, I've had one short honk, a minor right hook, and a few close passes. Maybe it's something in the way you're riding?

I-Like-To-Bike

Oh yes, another mission of annoying lights is discussed, a revenge weapon for annoyed cyclists. Blind and distract and confuse as many motorists as possible motorists because some motorists displease him.

acidfast7

gotta agree.

cehowardGS

In all due respect again, I don't recall ANYBODY stating that they aim their lights at eye level. In fact, almost all the posts to the letter who state they have bright lights up front, also state that they aimed them DOWNWARD. What is your problem with trying to MAKE like everybody aims lights upward in drivers eyes?? I mean no harm or disrespect, just asking an honest question.

Also, the line about cyclist trying to draw attention to themselves, that is a good thing, we want everybody to know we are on the road with them, and we want them to share the road. Again, what is the problem with that??

cehowardGS

I will politely ask if you are familiar with the term "STUFF SHIRT"??

Grishnak

I will politely ask if you are familiar with the term "STUFF SHIRT"??

Over here thats "stuffed shirt" but you hit that nail firmly on the head. Car driving is boring,anything to help keep drivers awake,without dazzling `em...

MNBikeguy

The problem is a smattering of posts here expressing smug pleasure at the consistent feedback they receive that their lights are distracting and annoying. The false conclusion is "mission accomplished-I'm safe." Far from it. Frankly, it seems like an odd manner of problem solving.

I-Like-To-Bike

Read the OP again and the rest who state that distracting and/or annoying others with their lights is not only OK but IS Mission Accomplished!
Read the posters/drama queens who whine and cry about the big bad motorists on the road so its OK to dazzle them all with super bright obnoxious headlights.

cruiserhead

We were walking not driving.

and you discuss this as if it's either hyper-flashing 1000000lumen freak out light or none at all.
why did you completely ignore the very next sentences
"The light would have been just as effective solid, it was so bright.

It wouldn't have been objectionable if the flashing was slower."

Everyone always has to go to extremes to make a point around here. I like bright lights and flashing lights... and bright flashing lights.
But yeah, you know what? Some of that strobing is unnecessary and distracting to others. So yeah, I think people have a legitimate point.

I-Like-To-Bike

You ain't polite, and neither is your screaming font. And despite your own opinion of yourself you are NOT the spokesman for bicyclists that commute day in and day out, in rush hour, non-yielding traffic in the dark!

bjorke

Like I said, what makes you feel safe.

The naysayers should try riding 20+ miles each way in city traffic some time.

Commodus

Well I do that ever day, and I stick to a solid front head light. I dunno, it's been a few years and I'm still alive.

Mind you it's a pretty bright light and I do have a blinky on the rear.

SouthernGothic

When I am in a car at night, the blinking light is a distraction for me. It makes it difficult to pinpoint the exact location of the bike and which way it is heading. With a solid light, I can tell what they are doing.
I notice this less when I am on a bike as well, but it is still there.

We have a lot of elderly people driving here in Florida and I certainly don't want to confuse them that way either. I personally prefer the solid on lights.

noglider 

We can't ever know if these things work. We can only know if they don't. :-(

Squidwalker

I also say mission accomplished. I have a red light I put on flash in the back, and white in the front. First week of riding I put front light on solid. Then I saw someone on their bike coming from the other way, and theirs was flashing. Wow did that really point them out to me, in the early morning hours with only street lights on and no sun. I have now been putting my front light on flash mode, but I do tilt it down slightly.

Consider this regarding front light and bothering people though. Aren't they way on the other side of the road?

ChrisM2097

I run my tail light (PDW Danger Zone) flashing 100% of the time. The headlight (NiteRider MiNewt 500 wireless) is only flashing during the day. Solid @ night. I had it flashing one early morning, and went under a freeway overpass where the ceiling was only inches from my head. The rapid flashing light actually made me feel like I was losing my balance, and affected my vision for a short time. It was a very unnerving feeling. Hopefully I've never caused any epileptic seizure episodes.

I've had only one comment from a driver regarding my lights. Last week on my commute home, a woman driving the opposite direction as me rolled her window down, smiled and said "Nice light!".

tergal

This to be honest the only remarks i have had in regards to my lights are positive. In saying that i only run 1 front light on sold at night this is my to see where the hell i am going light .

I do see this one guy who rides on dark streets at night with only a front strobe he has it aimed down so it doesn't blind but but how the hell does he see where he is going .

i avoid him at all cost.

ChrisM2097

Maybe people around here are just used to bright lights shining at them...there are many, MANY people that drive around with their high-beams on, and it doesn't seem to bother anyone. I see many motorcycles that always have 'hi-beams' that seem to have a strobe-like effect, also.

david58

Looks to me like an opportunity for a considerate mod to put a lock on this one....

Mark Stone

The only comments I get on my lights are always positive, too. I have three NiteRiders on the handlebar now - two of the new Lumina 650s and in the center a 1500 Race. This is 2,800 advertised lumens, but is actually probably "only" 2000 to 2100. But what I have going for me is that in my city (El Paso) bicyclists are rare, so we don't have much of an anti-bike culture among the cagers. So when people see my commuting/urban setup, especially the lights at night, they're more interested than intimidated. Viewing my lights from the front, the brightness seems similar to what you would expect from a modern car or motorcycle. During the day, I use only one of them in flash - at night all three with no flash. Here's the setup:


The ability to see at night is special But no one ever gets angry, or calls them blinding. I imagine if I was a MUP dweller I would need to tone it down, but in a city/urban setting it's appropriate.

Mark Stone

Why? Seems rather cordial to me . . . Comparatively speaking, anyway

Edit: OK, reading some of the earlier posts I see what you mean. Most threads have disagreements, however

cplager

When I too my motorcycle training class (over 20 years ago), I was told that 25% of motorcycle accidents were cars turning in front of motorcycles. Granted motorcycles move much faster than cars, but every motorcycle made this millenium (and most on the rode from the last one) always have their headlights on. And yet cars often don't see them. This is why they sell devices to make motorcycle headlights flash lo-high beams.

If a motorcycle with a solid bright (compared to bicycle headlights) is having trouble being seen during the day, what does this about bicycles and their puny little headlights?

Once it's dark, I turn my headlight on solid so I can see. I sometimes run a second one flashing at the same time. In daylight, I run my headlight flashing. So I can be seen. And all I've ever gotten in the form of feedback is, "Hey, nice lights, I saw you."

As far as Europe goes, it looks like some of the laws don't say that flashing lights are illegal, but that a solid light is needed. Meaning having two headlights, one flashing, one solid looks to be legal in some of these cases.

Cheers,
Charles