Too close for comfort!!!!!!!!!!

Rich158

I had a bloody close call in the country lanes last night, tbh I feel like I'm v v lucky to still be here.

It was one of those nights, first my big Fenix front light died, so I switched to the smaller unit, which is more than adequate on full power, although it does get somewhat swamped by car headlamps. Hitting the really dark lanes I realise my smaller unit is loosing power and when it went into flashing mode decided it's time to switch batteries, luckily I always carry a spare set. I decided to stop at a lay-by just up the road, so took it easy. A few cars went past in either direction, when I noticed a car pull out up ahead and was painfully aware their headlights had completely swamped my dieing light.

All of a sudden I heard the screeching of tyres that accompanies brakes locking, from behind, and too close for comfort at that, which carried on for more than a quick lock-up, this was a full on out of control skid from speed :shock: Given that the roads were damp and slippery I really did think that was my lot, there was nothing I could do other than wait for the inevitable impact :? which thankfully didn't come. Then a long wheel base transit goes past at about 50mph, narrowly missing the oncoming car, who must have had a prime view of what was happening and slowed down.

I was still shaking when I got home, how the idiot didn't see me, with two rear lights, a bright yellow high viz jacket, and reflective piping everywhere I'll never know. Add to that the fact that I must have been silhouetted in the cars headlights and I must have been pretty hard not to see.

This happened a few hundred yard from my off in the summer, I think it’s time to find a new route home.

Oh and does anyone have a recommendation for the mother of all rear lights

fenboy369

Smart 1/2 watt rear times 3. One on seat post on solid beam, one on each seat stay on flashing. (Do they do them in the mental 'stobing' pattern?)

markp2

I expect the transit driver saw you - he was just being a tw*t!
I had a similar experience last night except that the Transit driver decided to overtake on a blind bend forcing an oncoming car brake hard and swerve into the hedge
We had a full moon here last night - maybe van drivers are actually werewolves?

unscarred

Moments like that always make your blood run cold. I've not had it on the bike YET but I have in a car a few times, it's never pleasant.

Glad you're OK.

Dazzza

Rsp astrum, it's two smart superflashes in one light, first night i went out drivers were queuing behind only to pass 3-4ft away.

camerone

get an Exposure joystick, and a red eye plug in rear light. this means no dying front lights and a rear light to rival a car fog light.

as an aside - the amount of times i have read about how terrific these far east lights are, no good if the stupid battery life everyone is willing to put up with costs you your life.

BentMikey

IMO there are only three uber-powerful rear lights currently worth thinking about. And in case you think a smart 1/2 watt is brilliant, these certainly are good lights, but seriously outclassed by the following:

BLT Fantom XR9
Exposure Redeye rear light
Dinotte of various models.

My vote goes for the exposure redeye - it has very good diffusion, and isn't too expensive. You can run it off an exposure piggy back battery if you don't have an exposure front light.

Stevo_666

Cateye LD-1100 works well for me. 2 independently controllable sets of bright LED's (including ones that shine sideways) with constant, flash and 'Night Rider' modes . Also the batteries seem to last a good while.

Steve.

Rich158

Thanks for the advice guys

I have got a Smart on my rucksack but not the 1/2 watt that's always set to flashing, and a pretty powerful cateye TL-LD 150 on the bike. I have considered one of the Fibre flare lights for the rear stay.

The Fenix have been great, it was my fault for not making sure the batteries were charged.

Stevo_666

Rich, if its any consolation for you, I almost star-fished myself on the back of a Walkers crisps van in East Dulwich this morning after he pulled up a bit sharpish :oops:

Rich158

Lol, I nearly do that on a regular basis. Hit the gas expecting the van to keep moving, only to end up with my nose pretty much up against his tailgate :shock:

solsurf

As someone else said, the van saw you, but his little brain said:

Bike = must get past doesn't matter if I hit it as they squish quite easily. :evil:

Rich158

Personally I think he was going way too fast for the road and conditions. It's a small busy, country road, with just enough room for two transits to pass and that's about it. he must have been doing 60 mph plus, and at that speed your looking at the side roads and driveways, not the road in front of you, which at a cursory glance may have appeared clear. I have a theory that the brightness of oncoming cars headlights, especially if they're not dipped, blot out our fairly measly bike lights, which is quite likely with the oncoming car.

It's a perenial problem when small roads are used as a rat run by commuters who are going way to fast

will3

We get a lot of that round here. It's the main reason that I don't follow the radial route out of town. I found that if I put a slight dogleg in my route, I avoided the worst of the commuters, who all seem to be in a tearing hurry.

On your rear lighting: have you ever actually propped your bike up and wandered up the road to see how it looks from behind?

markshaw77

Rich - which way are you going at the moment?

If I remember from your accident, you are taking a loop around/behind where I am (right by the Darenth hospital!), but not quite sure which route you take.

Some of the roads are great in the summer, but pretty lethal in the winter - particularly now with all the locals trying to avoid Bluewater traffic!!

DonDaddyD

Rich, mate, perhaps a new route.

In all seriousness.

Rich158

markshaw77 wrote:

Rich - which way are you going at the moment?

If I remember from your accident, you are taking a loop around/behind where I am (right by the Darenth hospital!), but not quite sure which route you take.

Some of the roads are great in the summer, but pretty lethal in the winter - particularly now with all the locals trying to avoid Bluewater traffic!!

It's Station Road, from the roundabout off the A2 through Betsham going towards Southfleet Road. I have though about using the London Road through to Dartford but that can be even more lethal at times.

For me it's pretty much the only route unless I go out of my way, and just about every country road is a rat run where people go way too fast

cougie

Glad you're still around.

What about trying your fenix in Strobe mode on the back ? You can get a diffuser cap for it - makes it look like one of those things they guide planes in with, or even just a red lens cover. Would be attention grabbing.

markshaw77

Yeah - tricky one - options are limited by crossing points across the high-speed rail line

Only other option is to cut through past the Ebbsfleet Eurostar terminus from Thames Way and then pick up the cycle path that runs adjacent to the A2 and comes out on Roman Road and the go past the Hospital and into/round Dartford from there - tricky to see on Google maps if you haven't used it before, but if you're interested just shout and I will plot it manually on bikehike

teticio

if i had to ride on roads with cars on my way to work then i would definitely buy one of these



http://www.dinottelighting.com/Products.htm

Specialized Needs

Rich158 wrote:

It's Station Road, from the roundabout off the A2 through Betsham going towards Southfleet Road. I have though about using the London Road through to Dartford but that can be even more lethal at times.

For me it's pretty much the only route unless I go out of my way, and just about every country road is a rat run where people go way too fast

Not nice Pepper Hill to Southfleet Road, particularly the bits either side of Betsham itself: narrow lanes, high hedges and no kerb/pavement/bail out - at least London Road has visibility, pavements, speed limits, usually enough traffic to moderate the speed and the odd GATSO (but bigger hills!). Possibly preferrable in the winter rush hour ish?

markshaw77 wrote:

Yeah - tricky one - options are limited by crossing points across the high-speed rail line

Only other option is to cut through past the Ebbsfleet Eurostar terminus from Thames Way and then pick up the cycle path that runs adjacent to the A2 and comes out on Roman Road and the go past the Hospital and into/round Dartford from there - tricky to see on Google maps if you haven't used it before, but if you're interested just shout and I will plot it manually on bikehike

Well, not somewhere I often cycle, but if you have time I'd appreciate a map of that route as it might prove useful at times.

For Rich it might provide an alternative, especially if he can use the route out of Gravesend, past the new police HQ towards Ebbsfleet Utd's ground and then take a left up past the Eurostar Entrance towards Swan Valley, then down to the A2; although that first bit up to Ebbsfleet seems a bit of a racetrack.

Rich, are you going through Bean? If so, what about a bit of a zigzag through Foxhounds, Park Corner, Sandy Lane. Much quieter roads as they go nowhere in particular (so the WVM probably don't use them) but they add a lot of slower cycling to the route and are isolated if anything goes wrong, so maybe not ideal.

As others have said, I am not sure the issue was your visibility (particularly if your rear lights were working well) but rather the type of rat run that area is, and I don't know what you can do to improve matters, other than change your route.

Personally, I'd still opt for the London Rd option or markshaw77's route? As you say, though, not much option getting from one side of that area to the other. How about moving to Dartford :twisted:

Rich158

Some interesting ideas guys, I like the idea of the zig zag, and going past the eurostar. It's always a bit dodgy getting across the A2 from Sainsbury's ans onto Station Road, going past the eurostar terminal looks a lot better, then I can pick up Sandy Lane and Shellbank Lane down to Green Street Green, from there it's usually fine.

I'm not keen on the cycle lane up the side of the A2, I've used it before, although if I want a bit of hill climbing practice it may do in the mornings.

Specialized Needs

Rich158 wrote:

Shellbank Lane

Nice downhill BUT.... be very careful of ice/mud at the bottom of that hill, although I am sure you are aware of that.

markshaw77

This is the route across the Eurostar terminal, but Rich is right it involves quite a climb up to Roman Road and can often be covered in a lot of leaves and other cycling-unfriendly stuff - it is traffic free though!!

http://www.bikehike.co.uk/mapview.php?id=27449

To be honest - I'd probably go with London Road at this time of year for the reasons that duncedunce gave.

Rich - which way do you go from Green St Green?

I only do the whole hog to Paddington once or twice a week (less in the current weather!!) and tend to just keep in a straight line from Dartord-Crayford-Bexleyheath-Welling-Shooters-Greenwich-Bricklayers-E&C-Westminster-Hyde Park-Paddington. Be interested in some other options.

cjcp

Rich - :shock: . Glad it was only close, mate.

iain_j

Glad it was only "close" - take care out there people!!

I also agree that the driver must have seen you, just he was driving way too fast for the conditions - darkness, damp road, etc. A bendy road I presume? No matter how good your back light / your hi-viz / his headlights are, light can't travel round corners... hence driving more slowly!

greg66_tri_v2.0

Rich

I'd guess the van man saw you, but misjudged his speed vs yours vs the oncoming car's.

It won't be a consolation, but someone like that wouldn't have adjusted their approach mo matter how well lit you were.

You got unlucky and lucky at the same time. Good job it was in that order.

Rich158

markshaw77 wrote:

This is the route across the Eurostar terminal, but Rich is right it involves quite a climb up to Roman Road and can often be covered in a lot of leaves and other cycling-unfriendly stuff - it is traffic free though!!

http://www.bikehike.co.uk/mapview.php?id=27449

To be honest - I'd probably go with London Road at this time of year for the reasons that duncedunce gave.

Rich - which way do you go from Green St Green?

I only do the whole hog to Paddington once or twice a week (less in the current weather!!) and tend to just keep in a straight line from Dartord-Crayford-Bexleyheath-Welling-Shooters-Greenwich-Bricklayers-E&C-Westminster-Hyde Park-Paddington. Be interested in some other options.

From Green Street Green, I go over Darenth Hill onto the Hawley Road, and up Oakfield Lane. From there I can either drop down to Crayford, Bexleyheath, Shooters Hill to Greenwich or go through Bexley Village, Blackfen, Eltham, using the Bexley Road, then I drop through Eltham to the Well Hall roundabout and along Rochester Way (not the A2) to Kidbrooke and Black Heath. The Bexley Village route has less hills, and is marginally quicker for me

prawny

Yeah rich new time me thinks, for the dark at least. I have the option of some quieter lanes on my route to work, but for safety I take the main chester road into brum because it's wide and straightish. It's a 50 limit but I don't get buzzed often because the road is nice and wide. The lanes on the other hand would be perfect on a weekend social ride but during the rush hour it would be deadly.

BiggerBoat

Put a 1/2 watt Smart on the back of your helmet, its higher up. The does increase your viz but does not deter knobheads.

Headhuunter

These Dinotte lights, am I right thinking that they take standard AA or AAA batts? How do they get them so bright on standard batts? Do the batts fit into the body of the light or in some kind of separate battery pack?