Viewing 34 posts - 81 through 114 (of 114 total)
  • Lights etiquette, what’s the consensus?
  • georgesdad
    Full Member

    To clarify, I was deliberately forced to a stop against the side of the road. I’m fairly convinced he went the other way at first and then turned round and came back past me, and made me stop by pulling right over in front of me and giving me nowhere to go. Now I should also add I do see his point, but he way he came across was barmy. He could have just asked politely. Sadly the fact I’d just crushed my helmet into my forehead, walloped my knee and hurt my already bad shoulder didn’t help my attitude. I may have been less than a perfect ambassador for MTBers.

    However,in future I think I’ll knock my helmet light off on road sections and reduce the other one down to minimum. Had a look tonight and the 2000lm bar light in your face renders pretty much everything behind it invisible.

    Also, I’m not trolling, I just wondered what other cyclist do, if its ever happened to anyone else and if I was in the wrong basically.

    Never really gave it much of a thought last night,but the man did have a point. It won’t stop me enjoying night riding, just the road bits 😂

    Malvern Rider
    Free Member

    would I make a cheap version of those interesting but insanely expensive German lights linked to earlier?

    No. But why buy insanely expensive versions? A Sigma Aura 80 or a Fenix BC25R will get you decent cutoff beams in all-in-one USB-chargeable units for about £45-£50. IIRC both will also accept powerbank charging whilst in operation. That’s a lot for not a lot.

    However,in future I think I’ll knock my helmet light off on road sections and reduce the other one down to minimum.

    Again, it’s more the angle and pattern that is the problem (do the look-back driver’s eye/sightline test from down the road test, it’ll be a lower angle required than you thought, almost pointing down 45deg or more. So get that right first, and yes then also use lower/lowest output setting 👍🏼

    Then get a compact road-specific light 🙂

    DezB
    Free Member

    so, you’re saying the OP has got to go and replace all his lights with different beam pattern ones just because one aggressive dickhead was a bit annoyed by them? Wowzers.

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    Malvern Rider
    Free Member

    so, you’re saying the OP has got to go and replace all his lights with different beam pattern ones

    No. That’s up to him.

    just because one aggressive dickhead was a bit annoyed by them? Wowzers.

    Because 350lms(?) to +2000lms of unfocused, centre-weighted LED/s easily dazzles and momentarily blinds other road-users, thereby endangering everyone in the vicinity.

    Whether OP follows suggestions to seriously lower both angle and output of MTB light, or else add a road-specific light unit/or swap MTB light for multipurpose (dual-beam) light is…

    … up to him. Was (like most responses here?) assuming he was asking for suggestions?

    Poopscoop
    Full Member

    georgesdad

    It won’t stop me enjoying night riding, just the road bits

    Glad to hear it mate, night riding is great. Spooky sometimes but great.😁

    georgesdad
    Full Member

    I do in fact appreciate the suggestions, thanks all 😉

    I bought cheap lights to try night riding this year. If there are better options for not annoying folk I’ll look into it next autumn I think 👍

    Meanwhile I’ll do what I said, turn off the helmet light and turn down the other one.

    pdw
    Free Member

    so, you’re saying the OP has got to go and replace all his lights with different beam pattern ones just because one aggressive dickhead was a bit annoyed by them?

    One aggressive dickhead, plus probably a load of normal people who were annoyed and inconvenienced by them but managed to not be a dick about it.

    There’s a reason beam alignment is part of the MOT for cars. Bike lights can now be easily as bright as car lights, but there’s no MOT so just be responsible about it.

    If I’m on a road with MTB lights, I typically turn the bar light right down when passing cars, but keep the helmet light on. It’s got a much tighter beam so easier to keep it out of people’s eyes by turning your head a bit.

    Malvern Rider
    Free Member

    but keep the helmet light on. It’s got a much tighter beam so easier to keep it out of people’s eyes by turning your head a bit.

    Trying to think what use is a helmet light on the road, especially if you have to think about turning away from others when the natural and useful inclination is to be looking around, over shoulder, at other hazards, cars, cyclists, peds, etc?

    Malvern Rider
    Free Member

    Meanwhile I’ll do what I said, turn off the helmet light and turn down the other one.

    Don’t forget the angle – most important, and reflectives can be cheap yet super-useful*

    *Especially for your added safety/side-visibility – as most MTB (and even uk ‘road’)front lights seem not to provide any side-illumination.

    spooky_b329
    Full Member

    I do the ‘hands over light’ for walkers or the odd car on quiet roads, and an exaggerated ‘point lights down’ where I am riding in traffic for a few minutes.

    However, I’m now very wary of using a helmet light of any reasonable power on the road. I had a car pull out on me that was waiting patiently for me to pass which resulted in a collision. I suspect its because I had made eye contact with the driver, and then looked back ahead, but from her perspective she saw a a fairly bright light which then suddenly dimmed when I looked away. I think she presumed that I had turned into the junction she was pulling out of, and my main light probably just merged into the headlights of the cars in the second lane.

    I got away with it due to kicking off her wing rather than being driven into/over.

    pdw
    Free Member

    Trying to think what use is a helmet light on the road, especially if you have to think about turning away from others when the natural and useful inclination is to be looking around, over shoulder, at other hazards, cars, cyclists, peds, etc?

    The places I find myself night riding on an MTB I’ll typically see a handful of cars in a ride. When I see one, I turn the bar light down to almost off, but keep the helmet on normal. Being a tight spot, you don’t have to turn it away so much, so you can actually see more of what’s in front of you when you’re struggling against oncoming lights.

    Besides, there’s not much point in looking around when it’s pitch black and your only light is pointing forwards.

    If I’m actually going for a road ride, I use a road light.

    dudeofdoom
    Full Member

    Trying to think what use is a helmet light on the road, especially if you have to think about turning away from others when the natural and useful inclination is to be looking around, over shoulder, at other hazards, cars, cyclists, peds, etc?

    Yep not being able to look where your going in the dark doesn’t really sell it 🙂

    The other issue I have with them is that to oncoming traffic they give a false visual cue, effectively you look further away than you are and they’re really annoying putting bright lights at eye level isn’t going to make you any friends.

    Great for off road thou as they put the light where you need it.

    dudeofdoom
    Full Member

    Ahh lights with a cut off are very good but having ran one for a few years on the psychopath people will still bang on about how too bright and dip your lights,when they mean totally switch your light off which sort of defeats the object of having a light in the first place.

    BadlyWiredDog
    Full Member

    would I make a cheap version of those interesting but insanely expensive German lights linked to earlier?

    If you mean the Exposure lights I linked to, it was because I was intrigued that they actually, possibly eve exist – or don’t rather than because I was suggesting buying them. I’m not sure they’re even in production. There are plenty of much more affordable lights with a cut-off out there precisely because they’re legally required for road use in Germany.

    I picked up my relatively expensive German-spec light relative cheap five years ago or so on eBay fwiw.

    tjagain
    Full Member

    I have used a head torch for road riding and find it useful. Not a zillion lumen offroad light but a petzl head torch ( used in conjunction with two bar lights – one broad beam one narrow) this is urban riding. What I do is have it set fairly low so it does not dazzle but when I see a car in a side turning that is acting like its about to pull out I deliberately shine it at them. Its stopped a couple of cars pulling out

    endomick
    Free Member

    Having been on the receiving end of a head torch straight in my face, it does literally blind you temporarily, some dick rode at me on the pavement with a similar set up and left me seeing spots for a while after, head torches are for trails and if you do see a dog walker or anybody else cover the beam and don’t look directly at them like that moron did to me and also tilt the lights down.
    Get a friend to ride your set up at you and see how your eyes handle it.

    sirromj
    Full Member

    How do you think the baby robins feel about this?

    ta11pau1
    Full Member

    I use a 300lm headtorch when running down unlit lanes and river paths, if there’s a cyclist/pedestrian coming the other way I always point it down/into the verge, last thing I want is a head on with a cyclist at a closing speed of probably 20mph…

    taxi25
    Free Member

    so, you’re saying the OP has got to go and replace all his lights with different beam pattern ones

    Is that such a bad idea for riding on the road ? Cars/motorbikes have to be able to dip their lights, so why not bicycles if their lights are as bright.
    I’ve got an Exposure Strada, the remote switch lets my swap between high and low beams. As soon as I see oncoming traffic going straight down into low gets an instant dipped beam from other vehicles. Had zero problems since I got it.

    RichPenny
    Free Member

    I used to have a few drivers flashing their lights on the road part of my commute. That was with a Hope R2 on lowest power, I think 600lm? Occasionally I’d forget and leave it on 1400 lm. Experimented with lowering the light, then under bar mounting, still seemed to have issues. Eventually got a Ravemen CR900 which has a road specific beam pattern. No issues since, now just switch the Hope off for the road unless I’m on the fast road descent where I need it.

    tjagain
    Full Member

    so, you’re saying the OP has got to go and replace all his lights with different beam pattern one

    Yes – or point his lights at the ground

    Otherwise he is breaking the law, annoying all other road users including cyclists and walkiers and increasing the danger significantly

    As an aside and after discussions on here I now set one of my rear lights pointing up so the flashing red illuminates me not the road behind.

    molgrips
    Free Member

    However,in future I think I’ll knock my helmet light off on road sections and reduce the other one down to minimum

    This is a good idea.

    I use the lowest setting I can get away with on the bars, never a helmet light for road. If you have a spotty beam.on your main light this can be quite low, 150lm at a minimum although 250 is preferred. So 2000lm is far too much.

    I’ve never been flashed at or had aggro, but cars do sometimes pull in on lanes when they don’t really need to. Either they think I am a larger vehicle; they are blinded; or the extra brightness prompts them to take me seriously. I’ve noticed that being more visible (by using more rear lights and even a daytime light on the front) tends to get you more respect as well as simply being noticed.

    spooky_b329
    Full Member

    What I do is have it set fairly low so it does not dazzle but when I see a car in a side turning that is acting like its about to pull out I deliberately shine it at them. Its stopped a couple of cars pulling out

    This is exactly why I think I collided with a car…my helmet light is not massively bright, but enough to perhaps reduce the drivers night vision momentarily so when I looked back ahead, she pulled straight out into me as she thought I’d turned into the junction.

    epicyclo
    Full Member

    I think the first consideration for lights on your bike for the road is:

    “How do feel about the possibility of a blind driver coming at you in a nearly 2 ton vehicle at 60mph?”

    And base your lighting decision on your answer to that. 🙂

    dudeofdoom
    Full Member

    I use a 300lm headtorch when running down unlit lanes and river paths, if there’s a cyclist/pedestrian coming the other way I always point it down/into the verge, last thing I want is a head on with a cyclist at a closing speed of probably 20mph…

    Hopefully it’s not like the runner I ran(not physically) Into who had a red one strapped to the front of his head whilst running towards me on the psycho path(totally black conditions) and dark clothing.

    It really confuses as it looked like a fellow rider further up the road until I had lights and eyes on him.

    I really didn’t get why you’d run effectively going against all the common norms.

    ta11pau1
    Full Member

    Hopefully it’s not like the runner I ran(not physically) Into who had a red one strapped to the front of his head whilst running towards me on the psycho path(totally black conditions) and dark clothing.

    It really confuses as it looked like a fellow rider further up the road until I had lights and eyes on him.

    I really didn’t get why you’d run effectively going against all the common norms.

    A red light, on his head? – some people do use them (not for running) as they preserve your night vision, so for astromony, animal spotting, military use etc – but when you want to light up the path and let other people know you’re there, no. Why the hell would you do that. All black clothing too? Somebody thinks they’re a navy seal…

    DickBarton
    Full Member

    Jesus wept…sounds like you go sun riding not night riding!

    Another sign I’m aging badly… really don’t understand why you need more than 1000 lumens for night riding (actually 800 is perfectly good)…the race for our own personal sun appears to be very strong in you

    All personal choice so entirely up to you, but putting that much light out, it isn’t night riding you are doing.

    Sorry for sounding grumpy!

    molgrips
    Free Member

    It heavily depends on where that light goes. You need a certain amount of lux in a certain area in order to ride. I’ve had 800lm lights that were less usable than 300lm.

    Malvern Rider
    Free Member

    I’m somewhat hobbled by rubbish unsuitable front light since my 150lumen RSP died before xmas, leaving me with either the SSX2 or this generic verybrightspot/flood LED that is less powerful than the SSX2 but not by much. Obviously it isn’t designed for road use. No cutoff. No wide-angle. It’s a simple conical reflector like many such (effectively) torches marketed as bike lights.

    Tonight I decided to take (hopefully useful)test pics of the mad tilt-angle required to prevent even this tight beam from dazzling oncomers. Bear in mind this light is much more spot-y than (say) the SSX2 unit which requires even more caution/angling down.

    Notes:
    – Unscientific test with distance paced by my 12” shoes.
    – Light set to medium ie (very roughly) around 300 lumens in all 3 examples.
    – ‘Drivers-eye’ shots are all taken from the same road cone and at windscreen height of the car in the last pic.

    Still can’t decide between Ravemen PR900 or Fenix BC25r

    Malvern Rider
    Free Member

    Still can’t decide between Ravemen PR900 or Fenix BC25r*

    *as a replacement for the above cheap blue spotlight/retinal-laser 😎

    As a comparison here is the Ravemen PR2200 mfr’s pic of the low-setting cutoff beam (200lumens)

    Malvern Rider
    Free Member

    ^ *edit PR900 damn autocorrect

    torchythebatteryboy
    Free Member

    The M-Tigersports Theia I’m using just now is as bright as my car headlights on full beam. I use the low setting on lit roads, but keep it on full on unlit roads.

    kentishman
    Free Member

    Some people just like to moan. Had the first comment in 3yr about my light by a bloke in the park. It’s pointed down and on the lowest setting and road specific and I was going very slow as he had a dog. Just said sorry and went on.
    Just goes to show you can’t please some people.

    torchythebatteryboy
    Free Member

    Having been hit by a car joining a roundabout and hat cars cut across me at junctions, I don’t feel visible with less than 500 lumens

Viewing 34 posts - 81 through 114 (of 114 total)

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