Flashing LED front light?

DavidTQ · June 2007

Just been around a LBS and spotted the flashing LED front lights they sell, Wouldnt want one as a main light for night use, but just thinking that they looked bright enough to use for day light commuting to call a drivers attention to their left wing mirrors when you are in a cycling lane, just so they know you are there?

BentMikey · June 2007

They *might* help, but personally I wouldn't be relying on anything to make a driver look and see me. I see enough motorists who don't look and would thus have missed a bus. I also wouldn't be undertaking in a cycle lane most of the time, I'd be overtaking.

My bikes
My skates

If I had a baby elephant, I'd teach it to skate.

DavidTQ · June 2007

I was thinking of something that helps in the same way the hi viz gear helps, just a little extra help not something where you can assume the drivers seen you. stationary bus's get rear ended by cars at times so nothing can guarantee another road user has seen you [:D]

The problem with the road Im thinking off is the regular changes in speed, its a 40 limit, and so its very easy to get "caught" on the outside of the traffic being undertaken by cars and unable to get back over to the left side, or being a moving road block in primary. The cycle lane really is the most efficient way to go through a lot of this road, you can have a nice clear run through the whole way between two towns, whilst the cars are going 0-40-0-40-0-40. On average Im not necesarily taking much longer than a car along the route because I can carry on at constant speed in the cycle lane. But at any point I could be doing 20mph less than the surrounding traffic, I dont want to find myself doing 20mph on the outside with cars coming up the inside of me at 40, and spaces to pull into when finishing overtaking can be hard to find. Ive never seen any cyclist down here overtaking on the outside except at one point near a roundabout where I can do the same. Also almost all the 0mph sectiions are near turns to the right, I dont want to be going down the outside when one of the cars turns right from 0mph traffic without indicating.

Maybe if my road bike finally arrives monday I will try being down the outside more often, but I dont fancy it much with the 40 limit and the changeable speed of the traffic on the road.

BentMikey · June 2007

Ah yes, you see I'm not much of a believer in hiviz either. In the daytime, if a driver is looking, they will see you without hiviz or lights, if they are not looking, nothing will help them to see you, though an airzound can be quite satisfyingly shocking to them.

The overtaking thing is much easier than you think. I've never got stuck on the outside, even when having to filter left through two lanes of traffic. It's just a matter of timing and negotiation. Have a read of Nutty's website at http://www.nuttycyclist.co.uk/

My bikes
My skates

If I had a baby elephant, I'd teach it to skate.

Oddballcp · June 2007

I mounted a flashing red light on my handlebar end, facing backwards, and I got the impression that it helped a lot. I personally wouldn't bother with a flashing front light.

http://victoryatseaonline.com/war/kellys.html

Hackbike 6 · June 2007

You changed the bottle on your airzound.How long does it last now?

is it a 2 litre bottle.

I may buy another airzound to complement my Moped Horn.

Hackbike 8 Commuting Debut 09/09/2006Dawes Audax 2006 New 20/09/2006 

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DavidTQ · June 2007

The airzound is on the list of things to get [:D] That does strike me as a good idea if someone starts drifting into the cycle lane.

Hackbike 6 · June 2007

Very loud it is.Tends to upset motorists a bit.[:D]

Hackbike 8 Commuting Debut 09/09/2006Dawes Audax 2006 New 20/09/2006 

 Cycle Commuting since 1981 

Cycling Proficiency Test 24 May 1977 (30 years ago)

 Ride to work part 1 of 8 http://tinyurl.com/ypjapc
Ride to work part 2 of 8 http://tinyurl.com/2jfagu
Ride to work part 3 of 8 http://tinyurl.com/2jcldv 

Most Sickening Car Advert 2007 http://tinyurl.com/36nq2e

BentMikey · June 2007

Yeah, it's got a 2l coke bottle now. I don't beep that much, so I've not seen how long it lasts yet. I also had to make the air tube much longer so I could have enough pipe to store the bottle in the tailfairing. I doubt I'd have a 2l bottle on a normal bike, waaay too big, LOL! I did that by sacrificing an old airzound and cutting and joining the airtubes from both. Used the plastic tube from a ballpoint pen refill to do that.

My bikes
My skates

If I had a baby elephant, I'd teach it to skate.

jel · June 2007

Cover your bike with lights. It's fun, an outlet for your creativity and is amazingly satisfying if someone does hit you: they haven't a leg to stand on and know it. I'm also a fan of retroreflectives.

cougie · June 2007

Can't do any harm. If you want to - do it. Personally I like Hi Viz - I know nothing is fool proof, but hi viz stands out in a way that most colours just don't.

Cadfael · June 2007

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by DavidTQ

Just been around a LBS and spotted the flashing LED front lights they sell, Wouldnt want one as a main light for night use, but just thinking that they looked bright enough to use for day light commuting to call a drivers attention to their left wing mirrors when you are in a cycling lane, just so they know you are there?
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">

You would be very surprised at how bright some of these LED front lights are. Especially the super-white multi-cluster lights. I have this...

Bike Hut Ultra White

... it has flashing modes as well as static. It is good enough for night cycling under street lighting. It is a good light to be seen by... but not a very good light to see by. If the daytime is dull or raining I then put it in flashing mode. But, as was said above, a non observant driver will miss a bus... or hit is as the case may be.

dangerousjules · June 2007

if you've got deep pockets check out exposure enduro range of lights, in the winter cars have pulled over thinking i'm an emergency vehicle because the light is so bright!

dangerous jules.
i'm thinking of buying one of them elephants to do my washing...do they eat alot?

vitesse169 · June 2007

I've just bought a flashing LED front light to use late evening/early morning as an eyecatcher for the drivers that are nearly awake!!! As has been said, can't do any harm...

Not Responding · June 2007

I have a mega-rechargeble LED light (Exposure? or something). It's like riding with car headlights; it's Bright.

It also has a setting for flash mode. Which, not wanting to hypnotise myself or give oncoming drivers epileptic fits, I've never used.

<hr noshade size="1"><h6><center>Wearing a helmet for normal cycling is pointless in terms of safety and serves only as a vote for compulsion.</h6></center>

Cunobelin · June 2007

BLING!

He that buys land buys many stones.
He that buys flesh buys many bones.
He that buys eggs buys many shells,
But he that buys good beer buys nothing else.
(Unattributed Trad.)

The Endorser · June 2007

I get the same effect if I light my farts whilst riding!

Eating baby elephants since 1969

Tynancp · June 2007

'Should not be used in flashing mode on public roads.'

not cheap is it?

650 candle power! oof

be looking for lights come the dark evenings

gralegav · June 2007

Most motorcyclists have used 'daylight running' lights for years, for exactly this reason.

If anything reduces the chances of being hit, I'll give it a go, so I use a flashing front and rear unless the sun is so bright as to make them pointless.

I also have a rather fetching front mounted hi viz reflecty ghost!

The Endorser · June 2007

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by gralegav

Most motorcyclists have used 'daylight running' lights for years, for exactly this reason.<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">
Indeed, proper running lights or a 'dim dip' system are beneficial, but simply riding round with the normal dipped bam on, as most seem to do, actually increases their chances of getting t boned (you're gonna ask me how now...)

Eating baby elephants since 1969

Tynancp · June 2007

'a rather fetching front mounted hi viz reflecty ghost'

go on then, what the merry hell is that then?

I was taught to ride the scooter with the headlight on, why does that increase the risk of an accident?

The Endorser · June 2007

Honda (who own one of the largest searchlight/optical lensemakers in the world) and the TRRL (as it was then) both did some analysis of motorcycle accident figures in th early 90's.

They actually both found that riding in good conditions with the normal headlight dipped beam on actually made you significantly more likely to get T boned.

Honda delved further and made an interesting discovery - the human brain calculates the velocity of an approacing (or receding) object by observing the rate at which the objects size increases (or decreases) in relation to the background scenery. Having a normal headlamp (instead of a dim/dip or day runing system) breaks up the outline of the rider and machine, making it much harder for a driver waiting to pull out to correctly judge the oncoming bikes speed. Kerpooowww!!!!

I did hope you wouldn't make me type all that!

Eating baby elephants since 1969

Tynancp · June 2007

does 'normal' mean full beam?

no argument if so

The Endorser · June 2007

Yeah, normal 'dipped' beam, as opposed to side or running lights(I guess even motorcyclists aren't mad enuff to ride round with high beam on).

Eating baby elephants since 1969

dondare · June 2007

I heard of a motor cyclist who was killed in an accident because of his headlight.
He was approaching a junction with a speed hump just before the junction. A motorist was waiting to pull out. The motorist saw the motor-cyclist, but as the bike went over the hump the light seemed to flash, which the motorist took as a signal that the biker was letting him go first. So he pulled out and the biker went straight into him.

"da sapienti et addetur ei sapientia doce iustum et festinabit accipere."

Tynancp · June 2007

that sounds like a lie to me

I think you'd take the speed on the oncoming vehicle into account and maybe, just maybe allow for the speed bump causing the flash, not like speed bumps are that rare is it

dondare · June 2007

If you ever watch a vehicle going over a hump then you'll see the lights appear to flash. A deliberate flash is often given by one motorist giving way to another. (In fact, when I'm filtering past traffic, I always look for such flashes as they can indicate that a motorist turning into or pulling out of a side-road is being let through, and they're probably not expecting a cyclist.)
Perhaps the story was made up, but it seems plausible enough.

"da sapienti et addetur ei sapientia doce iustum et festinabit accipere."

Tynancp · June 2007

good lies usually do

did the driver really not know there was a speed bump there from other vehicles or from seeing the motion of the bike?, really not judge the speed of the bike?

it's great when the other bloke dies because you can say what you want

anyway, Highway Code is quite clear on being flashed and it ain't 'it's alright to go'

Ghost Donkey · June 2007

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by Tynan

that sounds like a lie to me

I think you'd take the speed on the oncoming vehicle into account and maybe, just maybe allow for the speed bump causing the flash, not like speed bumps are that rare is it
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">

I beleive this happened to me in my old car. I was driving at night, slowed down and cleared a speed bump and a car in a side street started to go. I slowed down as a precaution thinking "he isn't really going to go, is he?" and that must have made the driver think I was slowing even more to let him out. Very nearly had a collision. It could have been something else, but I don't see what. Not to worry, we both stopped, he looked sheepish and went on his way.

Tynancp · June 2007

uh huh

but surely a car flashing it's lights and a car going over bumps are quite different things, to mistake the two is plain bad driving

gralegav · June 2007

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by Tynan

'a rather fetching front mounted hi viz reflecty ghost'

go on then, what the merry hell is that then?

<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">

hope this works!

http://i53.photobucket.com/albums/g41/d ... 0120-1.jpg

Flashing LED front light?

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