My wife and I often have to walk the dog in the dark and lately it seems that the cyclists on their way home from work are blinding us both with lights that are so bright we're often left quite dis-orientated. To add to this these cyclists don't slow down and we have no idea how close they are and on which side of the path they're on...often waiting to be 'mowed down'
I've never used lights on a bike, so don't really know if you can dim them on the fly like with cars.
Anyway, one light was so bright tonight that my missus got so startled that when she threw the dogs ball it hit the cyclist and he gave her a barrage of abuse. It was a genuine accident, but is there/should there be some kind of light etiquette on shared paths?
Yawn obvious troll.
On the flip side i frequently see dog walkers with no lights on them or their dog nor even anythin reflectveand often an invisible lead across the path .
Ill keep my bright lights so at least one of us can see the other.
You could wear lights as well 🙂
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Carry an off road strength light yourself and burn their retinas so they recognise the problem they are causing?
I mount my lights on my commuter lose enough that I can tip them forwards if I need to dip them. There are very few bike light equivelents of car dipped headlights. I think some German dynamo lights have a beam pattern with a spread that avoids light going high.
I think he's got a point. I know my commuter lights are bright, I try and adjust them so they mainly point at the road ahead. I get pissed off with cyclists who just point bright lights straight forward and dazzle everyone with them.
why would you throw a ball whilst dis-orientated?
i find putting a blue filter on a strobing front cycle light, while blowing a whistle soon clears the doggers away from a path.
I think he's got a point. I know my commuter lights are bright, I try and adjust them so they mainly point at the road ahead. I get pissed off with cyclists who just point bright lights straight forward and dazzle everyone with them
These people also drive cars with foglights on all the time when not on their bikes,commonly referred to as numbnuts.
I'm generalising a bit but the really bright lights tend to be off-road lights which have a broad beam that is great for seeing where you are going but not great for anything or anyone heading towards you. I would assume that if the lights are 'that' bright then the oncoming cyclist will have seen you and you should just keep on going along as you were and they will avoid you. If the ambient light is such that full beam is not necessary then it would be polite for the cyclists to reduce the power of the light to a suitable strength but this is not always the safest option.
Wearing some kind of light or reflective material yourselves would help the situation as would keeping your dog either on a lead or under close control when on a shared path.
Anyway, one light was so bright tonight that my missus got so startled that when she threw the dogs ball it hit the cyclist and he gave her a barrage of abuse. It was a genuine accident, but is there/should there be some kind of light etiquette on shared paths?
your on a shared path, do you throw balls into the road? would you be complaining if after throwing a ball into the road that your dog was hit by a car? If your throwing a ball how is the dog under close control????
Mines pointed down and left tbh and mostly flashing but on a pitch black shared use path i will use a higher setting to identify dogs and leads in my path
How bizarre, "I saw you coming, but was startled, so threw a ball at you".
More like she threw the ball at the cyclist because he was dazzling her. Either way, silly thing to do. No wonder she got abuse, if my OH had done that I'd have given her some abuse too.
Walk somewhere else then.
Humm, a mixture here of consideration & sense towards fellow outdoors people and show of MTBer sense of entitlement.
The OP was a polite question from a fellow path user (and premium member so probably NOT a troll) who happens not to on a bike at the time in question. I have some serious lights for off-road but do try hard to not blind others; just seems like a basic courtesy to me.
While you not likely to be mown down, all users should be able to feel safe too. I'd like it too if nearly invisible dog walkers didn't spread their leashes across the path but our countryside is a shared space and we are still building some sort of etiquette up, together.
An eye for an eye and the whole world goes blind.
Wow, a lot of aggression in here. Defensive much?
women in black, walking a black dog on a 10ft lead, on an unlit shared use path says to me
"your light is too bright"
hmmm.
new light is german dynamo light and is traffic friendly, bright on the ground but only lit above, like dipped beams on a car - tis great.
Definitely not a 'troll'...been biking for over 20 years!
Beside the path there are a few open fields where we throw the ball...as my wife was about to throw the ball a cyclist crested a hill on the path, dazzled her with his lights and she turned as she was throwing the ball...hence hitting him.
All I am asking is it reasonable that cyclists should dip their lights (the really bright ones) or slow a little when on a shared path in the dark? I know I would.
Ha, was just about to post something similar OP.
Except I commute by bike with lights but don't feel the need for 1000 lumens on a canal path in central London. To me it just seems like willy waving...grrr, look at my bright lights...
Mostly you can turn them down a notch or two and you can certainly point them more at the ground.
But perhaps then you wouldn't look so manly. Or something...
All I am asking is it reasonable that [s]cyclists should dip their lights (the really bright ones)[/s] dogwalkers refrain from throwing stuff or slow a little when on a shared path in the dark? I know I would.
It is hard to tell where a light beam is pointing exactly, especially if it is a fairly strong one. The cyclist will have probably been able to see you even though you may not have seen them. It is alot easier to continue riding and get out of your way than to take action to dim a light that may also still be pointing in your face. As you say the cyclist came over a 'crest' so was perhaps a shock to him as much as it was for you.
Most lights can be dipped but taking a hand off the handlebar at even slow speed, usually on bumpy surfaces, can be dodgy. I recently bought some lights with different brightness settings and got complaints from walkers. My immediate defence was , it's pitch black where are your lights, it felt like, what else is expected, not enough light on the road and too much offroad.
Having thought about it I leave it set low on shared pathways now and don't get as many complaints BUT I would urge you to get a light for your dogs collar, wear reflective clothes and carry a torch. It would help us see you. And please if a cyclist is coming dont trail the lead across the path between you and the dog!!
I'd like to complain about my route to work and home of the dog walkers who are in cloud cuckoo land and have a whole field to walk and cr&p their breeds, who choose to amble across both the cycle path and footpath and have no interest in others around them. They blatantly talk on mobiles, have headphones in and have no dog control. So lights I use in the winter months , pointing to the ground, only seem to make them want to stare at how bright they are and hypnotise themselves have only themselves to blame. 🙄
And the dog cr&p on my tyres is another rant of lack of clearing up after their dogs and use the bins provided. But thats for another day. 😉
I get this occasionally while commuting on a shared access path which is unlit and very dark. Numpties with lights on full beam coming the other way and make no attempt to dim or shield their rayguns of doom.
Then there's the complete opposite, dog walkers wearing dark clothing, no reflective bands/clothing and no torch.
Grrrr....
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I always try to be courteous with my light (a helmet mounted Exposure Diablo).
I think the beam pattern is more of a spot than some of the other flood lights available and I'll always have it pointed down and to the left. Never had any complaints from anyone, but have no idea how my light affects others in reality!
I dip mine but I've hardly got Portland Bill on my handlebars. My lights are more so people can see me.
Throwing balls on a cycle path? So presumably you have a dog running up and down a path at random chasing a ball? You are kidding, right?
I really don't like it when you approach an uncontrolled dog on a path and don't know if it is going to stay put, run in front of you or try and bite you.
Definitely not a 'troll'...been biking for over 20 years!Beside the path there are a few open fields where we throw the ball...as my wife was about to throw the ball a cyclist crested a hill on the path, dazzled her with his lights and she turned as she was throwing the ball...hence hitting him.
Its possibly a little unfortunate, if she was slightly downhill from the cyclist, as even if his lamp was dipped, she'd still have been dazzled due to being lower down than him and the viewing angle as a result.
All I am asking is it reasonable that cyclists should dip their lights (the really bright ones) or slow a little when on a shared path in the dark? I know I would.
Why some need their lights so bright I don't know. Flashing ones seem to be a good idea, although its harder to judge distance.
I am beginning to worry about my soon to arrive 60lux B&M light
An ignorant twunt was cycling towards me with a bright light so in retaliation I threw a ball at him. Imagine my surprise when he became very angry. What should I do? Post up on a cycle forum and ask all cyclists to turn off their lights?
Many cyclists have a single really bright light with umpteen modes including high, medium, low, slow strobe, fast strobe, sos and off. OK for off road but not really suitable in traffic. It's not possible to dim the light without cycling through all modes to get back to the point where the light is correct. I can understand it though. Its an arms race out on the roads. Car HID headlights and LEDs are getting brighter and cyclists are having to fit brighter lights to compensate.
I have 3 lights. One is a blinker for visibility, another with a cut off beam pattern pointing down and the third is a single mode cree torch for main beam which I turn off when I see people coming towards me. Despite my courteous intentions people with no lights or reflective clothing sometimes don't get the benefit of my well thought out lighting arrangement because I don't see them looming in the shadows until the last moment. I wouldn't expect them to throw a ball at me though and probably wouldn't be too happy if they did.
If it's a regular problem turn on the back light on your phone so they can see you in time to react. When they slow down they'll be an easier target. Then throw a ball at them.
I have the main beam about 15 foot in front on the deck. Really not that hard to push the light so it shines downward without flicking through modes plus on dimmest setting an offroad light is plenty bright enough on an unlit river path (cheapo DX)
Why some need their lights so bright I don't know.
Ever tried doing 40mph in the pitch dark? You suddenly become all too aware of the limitations of your lights.
With lights though, I've said it before, and I'll say it again. It's sometimes very difficult to know how you appear to others, as there's no real standards for bikes as there is with cars. I always push mine down towards the floor when I see people on shared paths, but depending on your mount you may not be able to do that - and it'll do the paint on your bars no good.
When passing people I think you should always slow down and show a little courtesy, day or night. Something that sadly doesn't happen often.
Even dipped bike lights can be pretty annoying, as they spill a lot of light in all directions.
Bike lights have come on a huge way in the last couple of years in terms of increased brightness and reduced cost, making offensively bright lights very affordable, and I think most people buying bright lights simply don't realise what it's like to be on the receiving end.
You do need a fair amount of light to ride on a completely unlit road or path, and there are very few lights that put enough light on the road spilling it everywhere else too. Sadly there's no British equivalent of the German regulations for bike lights, so manufacturers happily sell what should be off-road lights as suitable for on-road use.
I use a shared use path alongside a busy A road on my commute, and with a bit of glare from oncoming traffic it can be very hard to see the few pedestrians you encounter, even with good lights. I accept that it's my responsibility to be able to see and stop if necessary, but pedestrians wearing just the slightest bit of reflective clothing make it so much easier.
40mph?
Just a recommendation: lumicycle road lights are very good. They have a tighter beam than most offroad lights, they also have a bit on the top that reduces the light out the top. They are still bright but when tilted down (the mount is good for dipping) they don't seem too bad. I have tried looking at them from in front of my bike and I am happy that they are not anti social. I don't get flashed by cars either unlike when I used an offroad light once. Also I was happy doing 40mph down into Chepstow tonight 🙂
Oh given that walkers and dogs seem to have no code of conduct on shared paths I only use a few uphill sections. In my opinion they are unsuitable for commuting speeds and only any good for families taking the kids out for a bimble. Use the roads it's what they were made for.
I need all my lumens to pick out dark-clothed, headphone wearing, torchless pedestrians on an unlit, tree-lined shared path on my commute.
Out in the sticks, it seems that anyone walking down a quiet country lane after dark carries a torch, yet in a city on a dark shared path, logic seems to evade people.
Hornits scare the living crap out of the headphone brigade
Carry a mirror with you. If the oncoming cyclist complains that you are dazzling them point out that no, they are merely being dazzled by the brightness of their own lights... 8)
I need all my lumens to pick out dark-clothed, headphone wearing, torchless pedestrians on an unlit, tree-lined shared path on my commute.
I use a shared path every day on my commute, and part of it is pitch black. My commuting light is perfectly adequate, except when cyclists with stupidly bright lights are coming from the opposite direction, thus making it completely impossible to see pedestrians ahead of me.
i can understand why it would do peoples head in. I find that some of the flashing lights used in traffic have become so bright they are just dazzling, it can be counter productive
OP makes a perfectly fair point.
I bike a canal towpath very regularly at night and I'm running 600L minimum. That kind of power directly in your face is totally and utterly blinding. So, I see someone I tip my lights forward.
Easy, it costs nothing to be courteous...
I bike a canal towpath very regularly at night and I'm running 600L minimum. That kind of power directly in your face is totally and utterly blinding. So, I see someone I tip my lights forward.Easy, it costs nothing to be courteous...
^^ This.
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Yep, I commute with a bright headtorch with quite a tight "spot" beam pattern. Once I've spotted a hazard on the path/road I can slow down and shine my bright light on it until I know it's safe to turn it away so as not to dazzle it unnecessarily. Great whilst circulating roundabouts too.
Agree that pedestrians / dogwalkers should learn to recognise that they're using a shared path, but there's usually enough space for everyone.
If you want to commute at 40mph then stick to dual carriageways.
I'll bite.
About 6 miles of my commute is completely unlit rural shared-use path - with trees around it and no nearby street lights, so [i]properly[/i] pitch black.
I ride with an circa-2004 Lumicycle Halide. It's an off-road light (13° beam), seriously bright and has no low power or dipped modes, just on and off.
I wouldn't ride with anything less. There are hazards on the path to look for: dog eggs, broken glass, potholes, gates, frogs.. as well as the odd all-in-black ninja dog-walker with accompanying unlit black lab.
Occasionally I see people riding on that path with rather weedy "two for a tenner" lights. Usually these folk are either wobbling along at walking pace, stopped at the edge of the path, or in one case pulling himself out of a bush. 😀
I do try to "dip" my light (by pushing it forwards) as I approach other people - though I only do this if they are lit too in some way. If they are unlit then I need to know where they are!
[i]My wife and I often have to walk the dog in the dark and lately it seems that the cyclists on their way home from work are blinding us both with lights that are so bright we're often left quite dis-orientated. To add to this these cyclists don't slow down and we have no idea how close they are and on which side of the path they're on...often waiting to be 'mowed down'[/i]
Surely as you're an elderly retired couple you could walk your mutt in daylight?
