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Why does it seem to be beyond the comprehension of your average cyclist that their extremely bright LED lights are effectively blinding oncoming pedestrians and cyclists when it's dark on towpaths, trails, bridleways etc?
It's not like they can't see cyclists oncoming from about 2 miles away sometimes given the light output of both parties.
Do they not notice that the oncoming cyclist dipped and/or dimmed their light as a courtesy? Why take that as an invitation to then shine your light in their face at full illumination?
Braindead perhaps, or just couldn't care less?
Is this part of the general trend of idiocy and bad cycle-craft all too often displayed on paths these days? The same blinkered fools who absolutely must pass oncoming traffic on their right, or insist on always riding two abreast on narrow bridleways forcing oncoming cyclists off the path?
I know sometimes that when pitch black it can be hard to see pedestrians when they're wearing matt clothing regardless of how powerful your lights are, so I give some allowance there.
Not exactly easy to do. Well yes and no but what I mean is you need to usually take a hand off the bars or stop to cycle through the lights to a dimmer setting, and theres no system allows you to dip a light.
A bar clamp with a flip that went from straight(ish) to dipped would be a good edition. 3D project for someone there I would think.
They identify as an Audi.
A bar clamp with a flip that went from straight(ish) to dipped would be a good edition. 3D project for someone there I would think.
Or a light with a beam pattern that doesn't dazzle incoming folk - something that complies with the STVZO standard.
http://www.light-test.info/en/faq-en/169-stvzo-bike-lamps-regulations
This also annoys me.
I guess folk buy a decent light from a shop and few have a good pattern for road use.
One of the benefits of the smaller exposure lights is that you can rotate them on the bars when approaching people.
Until you have been dazzled it’s not something you will think about.
Fwiw I have a svtzo ligt ( b+m iq-x ) aimed onto the floor Infront of me
I still get folk complaining I'm blinding them.
(Well shiiit. Don't look into the light )
I take the dog out riding early morning round the park.
So many other dog walkers have bright head torches. It looks like War of the Worlds some days! 😂
But yeah, they hear me coming and inevitably turn to face me, seemingly oblivious of their retina burning rays. I can't see shit and hold my hand over my eyes.
When I approach people I just cup my hand over the light so it's only lighting downwards.
you need to usually take a hand off the bars or stop to cycle through the lights to a dimmer setting, and
The light I use, if you press it too quickly it goes onto boost mode. Cycling through to a lower setting also involves cycling through the higher settings first if it is in a mid setting.
Easiest thing to do is run it on 3/9 most of the time and not fiddle with it other than rotating it down on the bars when approaching others.
Still, you'll never keep daily mail readers happy 😉
I assume some people simply havent bothered getting a mate to hold the bike/balance it against something and take a stroll to see what the output looks like.
There does seem to be a belief in some that the light should point directly out as opposed to angled towards the ground which can be a tad irritating, at least when I used to commute.
I suspect people mostly don't realise just how annoying their lights are. Some of the lights that are annoying you may well be pointed down, but without a proper cut-off in the beam pattern they're still firing plenty of light up into your eyes.
It doesn't help that lights with a suitable beam pattern are still relatively rare and expensive compared to a cheap MTB light with 50 million lumens.
As an aside, this thread prompted me to see if Exposure are doing a decent road light yet. Their website shows pictures of their Strada being mounted upside down under the stem, so I'll take that as a "no".
Is this part of the general trend of idiocy and bad cycle-craft all too often displayed on paths these days?
You complained about dog walkers and their dogs, then people with headphones not paying attention then people walking In the middle of paths now people with lights. D’you think you might want to find some more remote locations to cycle on away from just “other people using a public space like me” 😂
D’you think you might want to find some more remote locations to cycle on away from just “other people using a public space like me” 😂
😀
I'm also interested in why this is a complaint NOW when daylight runs from 6ish to 8.30+. Not many people ride their bikes outside of those times, and not many people walk their dogs/walk along towpaths or bridleways in the pitch black. (My daily commute hasn't been plagued with dazzlers for weeks, although the amount of loose dogs more than makes up for that.) Is this just a complaint for the sake of complaining?
Why does it seem to be beyond the comprehension of your average motorist that their extremely bright LED lights are effectively blinding oncoming pedestrians, cyclists and other motorists?
I reckon I've seen bright bike lights about 3 or 4 times. Whereas car headlights, either on full beam or those crap new overbright LEDs... well countless.
Why does it seem to be beyond the comprehension of your average motorist that their extremely bright LED lights are effectively blinding oncoming pedestrians, cyclists and other motorists?
Because we've got used to shielding our eyes from car headlights? Or, more likely, most people don't encounter cars in properly dark, narrow places when not in a car themselves. And that might be the reason for the original complaint?
This used to be a problem for me when I lived in the lanes of South Devon, as a student - you'd be blinded for the rest of the stumble home if you had a car coming towards you, unless you closed your eyes.
And during the winter I've often contemplated the same question as I ride to work alongside a busy road, facing the headlights. (It's a cycle path!) It's well lit, but I've often been dazzled enough to almost ride into street furniture.)