Lights on bikes, 25 Jan 13

[ColinOldnCranky]

I love how people pick on the irrelevant stuff. The OP puts contextual information in a post, a bunch of people ignore the key message and bitch about the meaningless detail.


Sent from my iThingy...

Spot on. If it was worth my time I'd search and correlate unnecessary application of motorist and bogun stereotyping by some of these same complainants.

The thread is about lights.

I don't mind that so many riders get motivated in illogical ways. Often that is by putting themselves in tribal gear.

I DO mind a bit that simple things like lights and bells are dispensed with. And with those stereotypes mentioned it surely can't be for reasons of cost and preparation. Fit the damned things and kill this thread off.

[Wal42]

I've got one or 2 blokes at work that believe that if you run flashing lights on the rear of your bike (at night), you open yourself up to the inebriated hooligan type to throw stuff out of cars at you as they go past.

I don't subscribe to this, I run 2x1200 lumen headlights, 1x2 watt flashing taillight on the seat stay, 1x1 watt flashing taillight on my back pack, a flashing light on my helmet & usually some flashing skulls (they flash red.green,blue) on my seatpost, I find at night the cars give me more room, maybe because they can't tell exactly where you are on the road. I find mornings or afternoons (when they can see you clearly), the 'worst' time to ride, forget a metre, some of them think that if they don't clip you with their mirror then they've left you enough space.

I see heaps of bikes without lights, (I've got reflectors on one of my commute retro's) I've asked local highway patrol coppers about the law stating you must have reflectors on a bike, they've said that if you are properly lit (ie with lights), they'll ignore the lack of reflectors, but must agree with the OP, I've seen quite a few people (lycra wearers & general commuters on either MTB's or commuting bikes) with nothing at all, no reflective or light coloured clothes, no lights, basically they are relying on good luck or car drivers attention.

But I've also seen walkers & joggers doing similar, sometimes worse by wearing music devices with earbuds in both ears so they don't even know you're coming up behind them on a bike (don't even notice the headlights or just don't care), it seems to becoming more common, the attitude that you are not responsible for your own actions anymore, that everybody else is responsible to avoid you no matter what you do.

[ColinOldnCranky]

I've got one or 2 blokes at work that believe that if you run flashing lights on the rear of your bike (at night), you open yourself up to the inebriated hooligan type to throw stuff out of cars at you as they go past.

I don't subscribe to this, ...

Yes, if that made sense then the BEST decision for cyclists is to be as invisible and unnoticed as possible. And that somehow the non-hooligans in their masses would somehow never intersect our space while protecting us fromthe far less common hooligans behind us. But we know that that is not how it would work and that it would result in CERTAIN injury/death in a very short time from an average attentive and non-agro driver.

We do not know the mindset of the following drivers but we DO know that, for almost ALL of them we are better off NOT being invisible and unnoticed.

[g-boaf]

Always have lights on mine - even though my riding was only in bright daylight during the summer period.

The front one is not that great, so I will need to find a new setup that is so bright it blinds everyone else.

I've found it's the riders on the small bikes scampering along pedestrian footpaths in dark clothes wearing no helmets are the ones without lights. The road bike riders usually are lit up brightly from what I've seen.

[Wal42]

Always have lights on mine - even though my riding was only in bright daylight during the summer period.

The front one is not that great, so I will need to find a new setup that is so bright it blinds everyone else.

You don't want lights that blind people, you only need to see where you are going, my 2 headlamps are aimed about 3-5 metres ahead of my front wheel, that gives me enough time (even late at night) to dodge anything at 60kph, they don't dazzle the car drivers or ( worse) other cyclists.

[clackers]

.

I've found it's the riders on the small bikes scampering along pedestrian footpaths in dark clothes wearing no helmets are the ones without lights. The road bike riders usually are lit up brightly from what I've seen.

As far as subcultures go, there are plenty of inner Melbourne hipster ninjas - designer black clothes, single speeds, ironic beards, no lights, no helmets, no attention to red lights!