Originally Posted by jrickards

There are 2 things I find funny about ^ this light (in photo below). (1) Compare the brightness of the 12,000LM headlight with the dim (I have one) rear blinky. (2) Notice on the headlight the arrows at the sides pointing forward; probably to prevent blindness as a result of mounting it backwards.

Originally Posted by jralbert

This is my second year of every-day cycle commuting, and this year I decided to address some of the deficiencies from last year: proper rain gear, a bike appropriately outfitted for all-weather riding, and a significant upgrade to lighting and visibility. To that end, I ordered a slew of red blinkies for the back of the bike, fanned out in an arc so vehicles get a good view of them both from behind and as they pass; I've been very happy with the results. I also bought one of those 3200-lumen CREE LED monster lights that I've mounted to my helmet. More than half my ride is on unlit trails, some in the deep forest - it is DARK out there - and the new light has been an absolute revelation. I can see everything! I can see a hundred yards or more downrange, and the light tracks with my gaze, unlike my bar-mounted battery lamp. Deer threatening to jump across the trail, pedestrians without reflectors, dogs off the leash, branches down across the trail - I see them all now, with plenty of time to react. I had been very happy with the improvement.

Yesterday, however, I was accosted while riding after dark by a very angry dog walker out on one of these unlit trails, who shouted that my light is "like staring into the sun", and that I ought to "turn it off and just ride slower". A good deal more expressive language was employed. I'm tempted to write the guy off as a crank - he seemed way angrier than the situation warranted - but at the same time, I don't want to be obnoxious to other trail users. I try to turn my gaze down and away when I'm aware that I'll be passing another trail user, but having done so in this situation didn't seem to appease this fellow at all. The light's switch is on the lamp housing itself, so turning it off for each pass would be awkward, and I don't think I'd enjoy proceeding at speed during the momentary full blackness that would ensue.

So of course I'm doing what any reasonable person would do: asking the internet's opinion! How would you handle this? I don't want to give up the fantastic visibility I've got now, I just don't want to blind people either. Thoughts?

Originally Posted by PaulRivers

What I specifically did is buy a light designed with a cutoff.

This pic does a decent job illustrating how it works (it works like car headlight on low beam):


Notice how the light hits the ground, but doesn't hit the guys face.

Originally Posted by Gresp15C

I can't speak for the others, but there was an occasion when my light was aimed above the horizon, and I got "comments" from oncoming cyclists in the form of symbolically putting their hands in front of their eyes as they rode by.

Originally Posted by no motor?

I'm just curious here as I know we're not going to change each others opinions on the subject, but I am curious about one very important detail you and noglider keep omitting during your frequent and lengthy posts on this subject. You've both gone to considerable expense and put considerable effort into making sure the lights you use on your bicycles don't offend others, and you're posts about your lights often have pictures, sources and maybe even a few charts to back up your preferences. But you never mention any comments you get from the others you've gone to such great lengths to avoid offending. Aren't they grateful for the efforts you've made for them? The lights I use are the lights you despise and find inappropriate, yet it's extremely rare I get a complaint about them. And the few complaints I've received have usually been from people dressed in dark clothes walking on the bike path in the dark. But when people do comment about my lights, they usually say things like "I like your lights", "I wish other bikes had lights like that" "I could see you coming from way back there, you're hard to miss", and the occasional "where can I get lights like that?". Again, I'm just curious, but it seems like if your lights really are as good as they look from the pictures and you're riding around enough people to justify their use it seems like somebody should express their thanks or approval of your lights. And that mentioning these comments would make your assertions that more valid.

Originally Posted by jyl

5. (Many times) A car starts to move like the driver hasn't seen me, usually this is a developing "right hook" but sometimes also a "pull out from cross street", I raise my head and put the spot through the car's rear window to light up the rearview mirror, or through the car's windshield to light up the driver's face. The drivers always hit their brakes. That's not a verbal reaction, but still a useful one.

Originally Posted by cyccommute

There is no reason a light should be "aimed above the horizon". A bicycle light should be aimed where you can see and avoid road hazards. Aiming it any higher serves no purpose.

Originally Posted by cyccommute

You need to look at that picture again. The only reason that the light doesn't hit the guy's face is because he is close to the source. If he were standing off the trail at the 60 to 80m point (about even with the riders in front of him), the light would certainly be illuminating his face. Looking at the two riders that are riding away from the light source, the shorter rider would have the light in her (assuming a woman) face at that distance as well. The other rider (the man in the white shirt) might not have light in his face but he appears to be rather tall.

Originally Posted by PaulRivers

That's why I said "decent job" rather than "perfect". It's either a simulated pic or they have the light aimed a slight bit to high.

The Peter White image shows better how it should be aimed, but there's no person in it -

The ideal height (in my opinion) is to aim so the top of the light hits the average adults waist (or to put it another way, so that the top of the beam is just very slightly aimed down from parallel to the ground so basically parallel). It's aimed slightly to high in the pic above, leaving it hitting the close guys chest and almost hitting the eyes of the riders further down the road.

Just haven't run across a pic with the beam aimed exactly right that also has people in it.

Originally Posted by no motor?

What are you using for lights now cyccommute? I learned a lot about bicycle lights from you back when you were making your own and the Fenix L2D with eneloops was a big deal, and remember reading how you quit making your own and started buying light sets when it became cheaper/better to buy.

Originally Posted by Leebo

I only spend about 10 minutes out of an 1.25 hour commute on a MUP. The rest is on roads or dark forest. The 350 lumnen on my helmet and bars are just enough not to out run them at 15 - 20 mph. More light need for rain or snow. I find wheel lights and other bike lights helpful for side visibility. My helmet light is great for " getting " drivers to notice you. Do most of the night commuters out there run both a helmet light and a bar light?

Originally Posted by Daniel4

Some people are concerned that having a beam that’s too bright would be a bother the pedestrians. Funny how pedestrians and cyclists approach safety from opposing perspectives. Where a cyclist ensures that he or she is seen by wearing lights and reflectors, pedestrians have a bad habit of dressing in dark clothing. If my light is too bright, then I can be sure I see that pedestrian and a collision is mitigated regardless of how annoyed he is at me. Do pedestrians complain that motor vehicle headlights are too bright?