Flashing Lights / Night & Day
- rearviewmirror
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Flashing Lights / Night & Day
Postby rearviewmirror » Mon Feb 22, 2010 1:12 pm
What do you lot reckon? Do you run your lights night and day? It took me a while to realize the benefits (possibly perceived), but now I don't think I'll commute without them.
- gdl_gdl
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Re: Flashing Lights / Night & Day
Postby gdl_gdl » Mon Feb 22, 2010 1:26 pm
I use a flashing front light for when the sun is low (and the dark of course!). Not sure if it makes any difference but it can't do any harm.
Cheers,
Gary
- Max
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Re: Flashing Lights / Night & Day
Postby Max » Mon Feb 22, 2010 2:49 pm
Max
Cycling is sometimes like bobbing for apples in a bucket full of dicks. - SydGuy
- Aushiker
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Re: Flashing Lights / Night & Day
Postby Aushiker » Mon Feb 22, 2010 3:55 pm
Higdl_gdl wrote:I always run my rear flashing light for my commutes ( I use rechargeables and I think there is 80 hr coverage so the cost is minimal).
I use a flashing front light for when the sun is low (and the dark of course!). Not sure if it makes any difference but it can't do any harm.
Cheers,
Gary
I am pretty much the same as Gary.
Andrew
Aushiker.com
- twizzle
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Re: Flashing Lights / Night & Day
Postby twizzle » Mon Feb 22, 2010 4:00 pm
...real cyclists don't have squeaky chains...
- wombatK
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Re: Flashing Lights / Night & Day
Postby wombatK » Mon Feb 22, 2010 5:22 pm
Day Time Running lights for cars (e.g. latest European models, Audi's etc.,.) are steady on, not flashing.
Flashing lights are more attention grabbing once seen, but the off-time means the time to first recognition is longer.
While as a motorist you will report that you really notice the flashing light, what you haven't measured is how long it took you to see that light compared to a non-flashing one. The reasoning from DRL's suggests that bicycle safety would be best enhanced by a steady on light. Your biggest threat is the motorist who doesn't see you, not those whose attention drifts after seeing you.
Cyclists flashing lights might be more about concern for battery drain than the effectiveness of the light. With modern Li-ion rechargeables this should no longer be a concern (less if you're equipped with dynamo+high lumen LEDs).
I don't use daytime running lights on my bike, unless it's near dusk or dawn.
Somebody has to do something, and it's just incredibly pathetic that it has to be us -Jerry Garcia
- twizzle
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Re: Flashing Lights / Night & Day
Postby twizzle » Mon Feb 22, 2010 10:10 pm
Flashing light = something unusual which the brain will then take notice of.
And I've had a car almost pull out in front of me despite me just having lit up the car with a 500 lumen HID an hour before dawn. Drivers can't get much dumber than that.
...real cyclists don't have squeaky chains...
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Re: Flashing Lights / Night & Day
Postby Fletcher » Wed Feb 24, 2010 9:26 am
Yesterday I lost my second Niterider Cherry Bomb. First one just fell off a couple of months ago, but yesterday it actually snapped where the sliding catch meets the main casing. They're excellent flashers, and I will replace it with another, but right now I'm using the backup.
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Re: Flashing Lights / Night & Day
Postby HeYeHy » Wed Feb 24, 2010 3:32 pm
Even on cycleways, I have had pedesrians walking towards me (running parallel to a road) complaining that the car wasn't dipping its head light. I called out i was a push bike and could you please keep left. They jumped out of their skin. GOLD.
Flash away. Stay safe.
- rearviewmirror
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Re: Flashing Lights / Night & Day
Postby rearviewmirror » Wed Feb 24, 2010 9:18 pm
- gorilla monsoon
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Re: Flashing Lights / Night & Day
Postby gorilla monsoon » Fri Feb 26, 2010 12:21 pm
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Re: Flashing Lights / Night & Day
Postby silkishuge » Fri Feb 26, 2010 2:14 pm
One rear flasher on. One front flasher on when I am going through certain busy residential roads.
Cloudy
one front light on in flash mode, one rear light flasher
In the dark
Two front lights on. Three rear flashers on.
I use rechargables which I charge at work = FREE!!
I agree that flashers make a difference even in daylight. Cyclist are harder to spot and don't assume everyone is paying 100% attention when they drive.
J
- goneriding
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Re: Flashing Lights / Night & Day
Postby goneriding » Fri Feb 26, 2010 3:10 pm
As soon as the light starts to fade 1 - 2 rear flashers (possibly 3) and a front light. With it getting darker in the mornings I am looking for something better than the current LED. I was thinking about having a go at making a halogen as per Intructables.
- grasshopper
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Re: Flashing Lights / Night & Day
Postby grasshopper » Fri Feb 26, 2010 8:54 pm
- hartleymartin
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Re: Flashing Lights / Night & Day
Postby hartleymartin » Sat Feb 27, 2010 10:54 am
http://raleightwenty.webs.com - the top web resource for the Raleigh Twenty
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Re: Flashing Lights / Night & Day
Postby Rhubarb » Sat Feb 27, 2010 12:28 pm
I am !!!! But at 41, safety is more important to me than style.rearviewmirror wrote:
..... I'm not one of those old guys who rides around in a HI-VIS, .......
I've been commuting for about 5 months now and have been pulled out on / cut off by motorists that just didn't see me on too many occasions already.
Incidentally, I haven't actually had one of those SMIDNSY incidents since I started wearing my flouro orange with reflective stripes about a month ago. I also started using the front flashers at the same time.
My proper night light is a 900 lumen torch which I mount on my helmet. That also helps by enabling me to momentarily "spot" a beam of light into the windscreen of approaching cars just to make sure they know I'm there.
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