Front light too bright!

peteh80

Having just recieved delivery of my new front light after a long 4 and a half week wait, i decided to give it a test run on my morning commute to work in the darkness that is now standard in the uk at this time of year.
Its this light off deal extreme
http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.25149

All was going well until an irrate driver pulled along side me at the traffic lights and proceeded to basically "b*****k" me for having a light so bright that it blinds drivers!
Now, having almost been knocked off TWICE so for this winter from dozy car drivers, followed by a pathetic "im sorry-i didnt see you" jesture at me, i thought it wise to "be seen-be safe" after all, this is what our own bloody government are preaching to us all the time!!!!!

it just seems a little strange and got me right wound up till the point where a full on row was taking place with said person about me being seen or not and having a light thats too bright for cycling- :evil:

little does he ralise that i still a further TWO light units exactly the same to fit, one on my helmet and another to my bars!

Im not being silly here but were talking 2700 Lumens of light here, but after nearly being killed twice i see it as acting safe- surely?

volvicspar

Ignore him, he's a tosser. You can ever have lights that are too bright

Tonymufc

volvicspar wrote:

Ignore him, he's a tosser. You can ever have lights that are too bright

+1

volvicspar

I suppose your light could have slipped and be pointing upwards towards their rear view mirrors. Thats the only legitimate reason he could complain.

Check that they aren't slipping ? :?

thistle_

Did you have it on flash or steady mode? A couple of us here think the flash mode is brighter than steady and it seems to irritate drivers more (friends have been flashed :roll: by cars but not had rows).

I still think they are not as bright as most modern car headlights so I wouldn't worry about it too much - just be sensible.

If your light is pointing upwards to throw the beam further so you can see where you are going (e.g. riding on a country road at night) then you can put your hand over it a bit so it does not blind anyone or nudge it down temporarily.

hopper1

Having recently ordered two, I'm glad to hear of the effect they are having!
If your lights are set up correctly and aimed at the road ahead, then there's no grounds for complaint (IMHO!).
The fact that the driver bothered to mention it proves that he did see you, which can only be a good thing.

geoff_ss

It's a good idea to have a bright light but if it's set to dazzle other road users it may be counter-productive. Make sure it's pointing down a bit when it well-lit areas or in the face of on coming traffic. Modern car lights must be far brighter anyway.

I'm very dubious about bright lights on helmets (or any light on a helmet when on the road; off-road is different). The act of looking at on-coming vehicles means that you're likely to dazzle them which could cause an accident - even to another cyclist.

Just curious about how you acquired it. Did you import it from the US? If so, did you get it stopped by customs for import duty and VAT? Importing mail order goods from the USA is notoriously liable for duty and VAT and, to add insult to injury, a whopping £12 charge COD for the privilege of paying it to your postman. OTOH I've never been caught out from either Hong Kong or Japan (for model aircraft parts).

Also, is the supplied Lithium charger OK for 250v ac? They have wimps mains voltage in the USA of only 115v ac.

Geoff

shouldbeinbed

I wonder if the driver would be as quick to have pulled up another driver on full beams and yelled at them.

get some stuck on your helmet and then maintain eye contact with the next bell end that harangues you :twisted:

shouldbeinbed

Geoff_SS wrote:

I'm very dubious about bright lights on helmets (or any light on a helmet when on the road; off-road is different). The act of looking at on-coming vehicles means that you're likely to dazzle them which could cause an accident - even to another cyclist.

are you dubious about high level brake lights on cars too?

agreed tho, they do need to be set as clearly visible but not in the eyes. I've had my wife in our car and a pal with a van check out mine to be sure they're seen but not blinding.

thistle_

Geoff,

There are several threads on this light dotted around. £50 for claimed 900 lumens means for some reason they are very popular :roll:

They come from Hong Kong rather than USA. The charger has a USA plug, but works fine on UK mains with an adaptor (e.g. shaver adaptor)

freehub

What light do you have? 2700lumens seems allot. I get by in the countryside with 180lumens.

nwallace

shouldbeinbed wrote:

I wonder if the driver would be as quick to have pulled up another driver on full beams and yelled at them.

No but had he been behind me and it had been a problem, the rear fogs would have gone on.
Oncoming would have got full beam and hella driving lamps.

AidanR

We are all road users - this 'us vs them' is not always very helpful. Yes, there are some bad drivers, but you shouldn't blind them all to deal with the few.

LEDs can be particularly dazzling. 900 lumens is to see by in the same way that cars use their full beams on unlit roads. If you're going to use them, set them up properly so they're not shining directly at people coming the other way.

Imagine a scenario where you dazzle an oncoming motorist, who then fails to see another cyclist and ploughs into the back of them... I'm not saying you'd be automatically to blame in such a situation, but I'm just drawing attention to the fact that we're all road users together.

geoff_ss

shouldbeinbed wrote:

Geoff_SS wrote:

I'm very dubious about bright lights on helmets (or any light on a helmet when on the road; off-road is different). The act of looking at on-coming vehicles means that you're likely to dazzle them which could cause an accident - even to another cyclist.

are you dubious about high level brake lights on cars too?

agreed tho, they do need to be set as clearly visible but not in the eyes. I've had my wife in our car and a pal with a van check out mine to be sure they're seen but not blinding.

I think they're pointless and merely a stylish addition but at least they don't move into your eyes. I'm not a great fan of rear fog lights either - I think they should be turned off once another vehicle is following and has seen you.

Bright front lights on helmets are not a good idea IMO, always liable to dazzle oncoming traffic and mostly unnecessary - my wife used one on the back of the tandem for map reading at night for example. Good for reading signposts in the pitch dark on quiet roads as well.

I used to use at least 2 rear lights when commuting - one mounted on the saddlebag mount just behind the saddle and the other on the rear mudguard. I used 3 on my trike - 2 on the rear axle near the wheels and the other on the seat pin.

Geoff

APIII

I've had several oncoming cars flash their headlights at me in the past. The problem isn't just the power of the light, it's the spread of the beam. Many of these lights are designed with mtb'ers in mind, so have a wide spread which isn't always optimal for the road. My light is mounted on an o-ring, so now I just dip it when cars are coming towards me. I'm not sure what mount you've got, but maybe slacken the clamp off slightly so you can 'dip' the light?

bompington

Like he just said, the magicshine light has a really broad spread. I don't find it lights the road up much further ahead than my old Fenix, it just lights up all of it rather than a tiny spot.
I actually angle mine down quite a lot all the time, because otherwise you're just lighting up the trees nicely. Drivers who don't dip their headlights usually get the message when I flash it up at them though.

N0bodyOfTheGoat

Perhaps check the position/orientation of the light, at various distances from a parked car on level ground first then on incline?

Towards the right side of your bars (when you are on bike), slightly twisted towards your kerbside, so less than half of the intense beam goes inside a typically sized car windscreen at 5m?

peteh80

Did you have it on flash or steady mode? A couple of us here think the flash mode is brighter than steady and it seems to irritate drivers more (friends have been flashed by cars but not had rows).

I did have it on flash mode then put it on full beam ewhen i have to cycle down dark country lanes. i agree that it is brighter that way and can draw more attention to it.

The thing is i already had two cateye lights on aswell, a total of 10 leds from them but there just not bright enough, hence why i bought this light.

I do understand about the beam pattern and this light is more of a "flood" light so ill have to dip it slightly.

It just seems that there are soooo many drivers out there with little or no respect for cyclists these days that it has turned into a "us v them" scenario!

didnt realise that it would cause this much rection from other cyclists,

but i will continue to use it

British Government moto----BE SEEN, BE SAFE!!!?????

guinea

I've mentioned it before in other parts of the forum and might as well make the same point here. Cycle lights can be too bright. Try cycling in Richmond Park in the dark when three cyclists with megalumen lights are coming at you. They are far brighter than cars or motorbikes.

It is impossible to focus on the road ahead without being dazzled and losing night vision. I have to look down to the verge on my left and hope there's nothing in the road.

It's like an arms race in there.

The irony is that it's not even very dark anywhere in london and a normal cateye lights the way just fine.

dilemna

peteh80 wrote:

....... driver pulled along side me at the traffic lights and proceeded to basically "b*****k" me for having a light so bright that it blinds drivers!...........

Did you then turn it on him and shine it straight in his eyes :twisted: ?

cougie

If the guy pulled up beside you - how did he know how bright your light was ?

He's probably just a tosser though and looking to pick a fight. God knows how many times I've been blinded by cars on full beam. That doesnt happen nearly as much now I have the P7 torches.

And yes - you can get by on far less lumens - but once you try the brighter light - you'd be mad to go back.

I managed 50m night rides as a schooly with really crappy Everready Lights. It was doable - but you had to concentrate to see obstacles.

Pross

Did you have it on high or low? Low should be fine in a built up area. Plus as others have said make sure it's pointing downwards so that it only lights up the area of road ahead that you need to see to ride safely. Also, if it your only front light it should be set to constant and not flash in order to make you legal (same with rear lights). Flashing lights help get you notice but should be secondary. I would use a less powerful light on flash at the front as an extra if worried about being seen.

mingmong

I've just received a light from DX as well. One with good 'flood' as apposed to 'throw' - MTE SSC P7-C (claimed max 900 lumens)

I've had oncoming drivers put full beam on me. I use the low mode until I get to the trails.

Very good VFM.

downfader

IIRC theres no legislation on the brightest a light can be. The law or any court case would have to prove that said light had caused an accident, was angled incorrectly etc etc...

I beleive the center spot of all lighting is supposed to be angled down to something like 10m infront of you. I see car head lights everyday (and I MEAN every damn day) that are set up incorrectly to fire upwards and into omcoming traffic, not to mention the sheer volume of main-beamers.

I began navigating through past some parked cars this morning in the dark. I have a single Race Maxx2 on the bars to see by, plus a flasher on the fork. Three cars approached from the opposite direction, all main beam on and not giving way so I put the Race Maxx on full beam to make a point. :x I know I shouldnt have but I'm sick of this.

I even made a video a couple of weeks back about this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=svAsIOxcEek

IMO the driver who had a go at you is a pleb who doesnt know what the hell he was talking about. As longs as you're logical there should be no issue.

alfablue

Pross wrote:

Did you have it on high or low? Low should be fine in a built up area. Plus as others have said make sure it's pointing downwards so that it only lights up the area of road ahead that you need to see to ride safely. Also, if it your only front light it should be set to constant and not flash in order to make you legal (same with rear lights). Flashing lights help get you notice but should be secondary. I would use a less powerful light on flash at the front as an extra if worried about being seen.

Having the light on steady will not make it legal. The only thing that will make a bike light legal is if it is BS (or equivalent) Approved - 99.9% of bike lights are not. Although, a light that only flashes may not need BS approval, but any light that also has a steady mode does - weird mess, I know! :evil:

oxoneil

So pleased to hear people rate this light cos I ordered one last week. Not so happy about the probable delivery time mind.

Pross

alfablue wrote:

Pross wrote:

Did you have it on high or low? Low should be fine in a built up area. Plus as others have said make sure it's pointing downwards so that it only lights up the area of road ahead that you need to see to ride safely. Also, if it your only front light it should be set to constant and not flash in order to make you legal (same with rear lights). Flashing lights help get you notice but should be secondary. I would use a less powerful light on flash at the front as an extra if worried about being seen.

Having the light on steady will not make it legal. The only thing that will make a bike light legal is if it is BS (or equivalent) Approved - 99.9% of bike lights are not. Although, a light that only flashes may not need BS approval, but any light that also has a steady mode does - weird mess, I know! :evil:

Never knew that most lights don't comply to the BS! :shock: The point with flashing mode is that it would be obvious to a passing copper that it isn't legal. I pass about 20 cyclists on my way home most nights on busy Cardiff streets. On average I would say half have no lights at all and 7 or 8 of the others have flashing mode only on at least the back light if not both. I wonder if some people find the roads too safe and like to add a bit of risk to make life more interesting!

I'm tempted by the lights the OP is using but think I'll go for a pair of Fenix torches for the extra modes.

peteh80

oxoneil wrote:

So pleased to hear people rate this light cos I ordered one last week. Not so happy about the probable delivery time mind.

Thats the only downside to this light, thank god. But once it arrived i was well made up with the performance- you will love it!

peteh80

Pross wrote:

Did you have it on high or low? Low should be fine in a built up area. Plus as others have said make sure it's pointing downwards so that it only lights up the area of road ahead that you need to see to ride safely. Also, if it your only front light it should be set to constant and not flash in order to make you legal (same with rear lights). Flashing lights help get you notice but should be secondary. I would use a less powerful light on flash at the front as an extra if worried about being seen.

It was on flash mode at the time. He past me then was in front of me all the way to the traffic lights.
I also have two of these on constant all the time too....
http://www.jensonusa.com/product/ls/LS296A30BLK.jpg

ive even got two smart lights on the rear and two flash bars on the rear stays also, like a bloody xmas tree me!!! lol....

jedster

900 lumens on flash? Jeepers. I reckon that is completely antisocial

bompington

jedster wrote:

900 lumens on flash? Jeepers. I reckon that is completely antisocial

Wasn't enough for WVM to notice me the other week before he pulled out in front of me. Mind you, it might not have shown up that well in the bright, clear morning sunshine that was illuminating me from the perfect angle for him to see.