..my mistake, got carried away on a quick spin after work, rush rush to get out in the daylight. Had a great spin on the good stuff then time to head for home with some of it roads. Go into bag and my cheapo rear light isn’t there, bollox! Big Street lit roads so hopefully I’ll be ok riding pavements where possible. So therefore is it acceptable on the one bit where I drop on to the road for a van to come right up behind and genuinely sit on the horn? Scared the **** life out of me as I was expecting the worse! What followed wasn’t pretty I have to admit. Flame away….

And I’ve just seen the rear light on the other bike in the dining room 😳
I really don’t know how folk cope with regular road riding.

Not a good idea to ride in the dark with no rear lights not acceptable as in police can get upset and you can get squashed. Van driver was still a ball sack as im guessing your return volley might have made you.
I keep a couple of cheap rear lights on each bike that only get used when i forget to fit the main light or get caught out.

I keep a couple of cheap rear lights on each bike that only get used when i forget to fit the main light or get caught out.

whatever happened today, this is the bit to learn ^

always a good idea to have two rear lights anyway in case one fails/falls off/battery dies, little silicone ones that take a button cell can be had for a quid or two on ebay (often cheaper than buying replacment batteries!), just buy a bunch and stick one on the seatpost of any bike that might conceivably end up on the road at some point in its life.

I have a rear light on every bike, main commuter has two both USB rechargeable so I can recharge them at work if need be.

If you don’t want to go that route for the MTB then make sure you’ve got one (charged) in your rucksack or whatever.

Probably had the desired effect, instead of forgetting you forgot your light, it might stick in your mind a bit so you don’t forget it next time 🙂

(ready that back it sounds a bit sarcastic, but not meant that way!)

Much less of a problem on brightly lit roads, but on the dark, narrow roads where I live, it’s really hard to spot a badly lit bike or pedestrian when there’s a car coming the other direction with lights on, and you can get surprised and frightened when you suddenly spot someone in the dark. High-viz and/or lights make a massive difference.

In your case, it sounds like he was just being a bit of a self righteous dick

So therefore is it acceptable on the one bit where I drop on to the road for a van to come right up behind and genuinely sit on the horn? Scared the **** life out of me

Depends if he only saw you at the last minute, you could understand why he might react like that. If he saw you then did it to tell you your a prick or something, then no. Same as a cyclist swearing or hitting a car for having no lights, no need, signal and tell them, and keep your mutterings to yourself.

Just buy some more lights and make a better system so you don’t get caught out again.
The van driver was mostly in the right, you were in the wrong.
Some kittens have died somewhere.

I had this happen to me once in rural wales in the middle of nowhere. It was on the first day of a 3 day tour, I came to switch my rear light on to find the batteries flat. Every time a car passed I pulled up and stopped and loads went past beeping. Eventually a copper came along and asked what I thought I was doing? (very dark roads) so I told him and that my B&b was about 2 miles away. The copper was very reasonable and followed behind me with his warning lights on, while I cycled along. And that is how I cycled into Welshpool one september evening with a police escort. 🙂

I once came up behind an unlit cyclist at a roundabout and had to stand on the brakes. I was going to sound the horn but went over a manhole as I stopped which resulted in a short skid and the tyres chirruping, I think that was a lot more effective judging by the brief panicked wobble 😆

Light always on camel back and another on my helmet. Van driver was a knob though too.

Rear lights are so cheap that there isn’t really an excuse not to have one on you.

I always have at least one light fitted to my road bike; normally two and if there is even the slightest inkling that it’s getting dark or visibility is reduced, they go on.

Was the van driver a knob….dunno. Depends on the sort of roads you are riding on, how dark it was, were you dressed like a ninja or did you have any reflective bits….

FWIW, I have rooted at cyclists with no lights on plenty of times but it will either be a toot toot toot from a distance on the approach or a sustained toot, once I am past them – last thing I want is them wobbling under my wheels.
I have also slowed down alongside riders and shouted at them to get some lights on roads where there is space to do so. This normally results in plenty of arm waving and swearing, but hey ho….

The van driver doesn’t know that this was a one off though and he just sees a careless cyclist. Maybe he’s sick to death of almost running over unlit cyclists, especially ones who weave in and out of the road and onto the pavement. Maybe he thought he was doing you a favour by putting the fear of God into you.

Maybe.

Fully Street lit road, lights on both sides, several cars had passed me as it was a climb. White sombrio flat shoes, blue baggies with vizzy stripes red soft shell with vizzy stripes so no ninja wear, black tyres and bike though so that may have been it. There is no way he couldn’t have seen me, especially in an elevated position like the van. He was wearing glasses though, however not the Stevie Wonder kind. I know I should have had a light on but I get the feeling he would have been the type to try and squeeze by at any cost,however he couldn’t do this as I was a good metre out so as to hopefully be seen and there was a car coming the other way. I won’t make the mistake again but I’ll be keeping an eye out for him. Oh and fwiw his passenger sat there looking a bit sheepish whilst we were “chatting”

Spare light on the helmet is a good idea, too.

I use front and rear blinkers on winter road rides during the daytime when it’s overcast and/or raining. Hugely improved visibility.

I could do with some more rear lights so now would be a great time for some recommendations.
I’ve only got some cheapish cat eye ones and like the idea of USB rechargeable. What’s good?

It’s a good job that deer, fallen trees, blown over bins, stuff that’s fallen off lorries, pedestrians who have fallen and the like all have lights on too, ‘cos that means that drivers don’t need to drive in accordance with how far or how well they can actually see any more! 🙂

Lights obviously help but it does seem that the lack thereof is mainly just another thing for people to whinge about rather than a genuine concern.

So therefore is it acceptable on the one bit where I drop on to the road for a van to come right up behind and genuinely sit on the horn? Scared the **** life out of me as I was expecting the worse!

In his defence, he may have been genuinely surprised and just as upset as you.

However, if confronted by a such a split second decision, surely you’d concentrate on not squashing people, rather than hitting your horn?

On balance, hang him.

Op what did you hope to accomplish having a go back? was it just anger shouting? I would always just leave it in situations like that and move on thinking what’s the point.

so you were being a tit and got called on it and then you got stroppy.

van driver shoulda just hit you i guess, you know the courts would have sided with him right?

if you rode home with no light and nobody said a thing, you feel its ok and do it again.

van driver 1, cyclists everywhere 0, thx.

Aye, couple of little flashy bobs in the pack at all times, main and a spare on the road bike.

You’ve let us all down, wrightyson, let us all down. >Sigh<

Fully Street lit road, lights on both sides, several cars had passed me as it was a climb.

Whilst the guy may well have just being a Richard, I think what many people don’t realise is that if it’s starting to look dark whilst cycling, it’s probably as good as pitch black while driving. And the vast majority of drivers in those conditions will just be looking for lights. No lights, and you’re practically invisible to anyone not paying attention.

I’ve seen a few people out at dusk these past few nights on my drive home from work. And they’ve probably been caught out just like yourself, though I wonder if they think it’s still light(??) Regardless of rights, wrongs and all the rest of it, it’s a dangerous situation to put yourself in. Personally I’d stay off the road altogether while there’s cars on it unless absolutely necessary,

strap a button battery powered rear led on to your helmet.
Its always on the right bike then.

so, if the van driver had hit you because he didn’t see you with no light on, who’s fault would it have been?

SMIDSY would be eliminated if none of us used lights. The couple of times I’ve had one break on me, ever fecker has seen me and pointed out I didn’t have a light. When I have a good one they just don’t notice me and try to run me over.

On the subject of rear lights. Tesco had their Unicom lights normally £10 down to 50p (inc batteries) last time I was in there. Reduced to clear, so be quick. They had the rechargeable fronts for £1 from £12 too! I might have picked up a set or 4 for the kids and wife’s bikes.
Their rear light is retina destroying on flash mode.

http://www.tesco.com/direct/unicom-led-rear-light/340-9616.prd?pageLevel=&skuId=340-9616

Looks like it is in store only.

it all sorts itself out – in the winter i count how many cars/vans i see without lights in the dark versus how many cyclists – usually I see more vehicles than cyclists on a 1 hour or so cross city commute time trip to junior antigee’s sport

– probably because the vehicles are obvious in the middle of the road other drivers register their presence and we have street lights which if you are actually watching for hazards help more than car lights designed for high speed driving in the countryside

….wanders off to scrape the cyclists I didn’t see off front bumper

Your innocent mate.

Drive a van = instant ****