Hats off to all you commuters

jeremyrundle

I am NOT a dark time cyclist, I go out in dull weather and when it is dark occasionally to the shops, so when I drove the 24 mile roud trip to B and Q yesterday at 18:30 I was amazed.

I passed nine cyclists all must have been going home, how the H%^L do you all do it, I must (as a cyclist) have been the ONLY driver to stop, wait for a length of clear road then pass with a six foot gap, others were passing the cyclists as if theywere not there, I take my hat off to you all.

However on a down note, only ONE cyclist had superb (still just one front and rear) lights, extremely bright, another only had a flashing front light and dim rear, ALL had just one front and rear thjough one had "very dim" helmet red lights.

Worst of all none and I say it again NONE had reflective clothing, ALL looked completely BLACK except where the lights lit them, do only those of you who commute in town, long distance etc wear reflective clothing or do I throw caution to the wind and say are the countryfolk simply D*M :!:

roger_merriman

I work all sorts of hours and most days I leave in dark and come home in dark, I sometimes do 13 plus hours a day.

big lights and confident but not aggressive riding means most folks give me space, and those that do, while careless aren't near misses just a little close.

iPete

I don't wear any florecent clothing, have high vis on my wheels, calves and small details on my jacket, apart from that I'm dark clothed head to toe. Prefer to rely on 3 rear lights and 2 up front.

I do it with the right kit, I suffered last winter as I'd just started out, this one is proving much much easier even when it gets down to -5 and pitch black I have no issues with riding to work.

wgwarburton

jeremyrundle wrote:

..Worst of all none and I say it again NONE had reflective clothing, ALL looked completely BLACK except where the lights lit them, do only those of you who commute in town, long distance etc wear reflective clothing or do I throw caution to the wind and say are the countryfolk simply D*M :!:

How many cyclists didn't you see?

I usually have a reflective cover on my backpack, and my jacket was yellow once, but apart from that I rely on one rear and one front light. This is for a rural commute of about five miles and a mile or so in the capital.

Is there any evidence that drivers are more aware of Christmas trees than normal cyclists? Bear in mind the number of people who ride around with no lights at all... while it appears to be dangerous I think you'd be disappointed if you chose it as a suicide method...

I suspect that, for many people, dressing in fluoro and illuminating their bikes is a coping mechanism for perceived danger. It gives the illusion of control and allows people to think that they have made themselves safe. In reality, they wern't in danger beforehand but the activity addresses the perception (whether it's theirs or their family's).

But hey, it's just a theory and I'm well known on this forum for my ludicrous attitude to road safety...

Cheers,
W.

iPete

Agree with the above, however, I strongly believe that a good front light is the difference between someone turning across you from head on or stopping.

snailracer

In some jurisdictions I have lived in, bicycles are not even legally required to have a rear light at night, but must have a rear reflector (and FRONT light). That's because a rear reflector is visible in most situations (except the one where an idiot motorist does not have their headlights on - unfortunately rather common in the UK).

Some may argue that bright bike lights just accustom motorists to not look properly for those with dim lights, or no lights.

jeremyrundle

Good, well then my five RSPs on the back flashing and 12w front lights should help them see me. As long as they see ME that is all that matters to me, sorry.

meanredspider

WGWarburton wrote:

jeremyrundle wrote:

..Worst of all none and I say it again NONE had reflective clothing, ALL looked completely BLACK except where the lights lit them, do only those of you who commute in town, long distance etc wear reflective clothing or do I throw caution to the wind and say are the countryfolk simply D*M :!:

How many cyclists didn't you see?

.

....the ones he ran into the side of....

As I've said before, I think I have a duty to other road users (oh, & my family) to be visible - which includes "active" (lights) & "passive" (reflectors, bright clothes etc) measures. I'm not sure I see a downside.

Blacktemplar

I agree with WGWarburton - it does no harm to add hi-viz and lots of lights, and in some cases can help the more inattentive of drivers to see a cyclist.

IMHO I think reflectives are more effective as no matter how many lights you have, in a crowded light-polluted environment like a city, lights just tend to become part of the background noise for drivers.

I ride 24 miles a day in all weathers through Glasgow - despite wearing hi-viz clothes, two bright lights each front and rear, and reflective stickers on bike & helmet - have still had a few close shaves with the SMIDSY's

mattsaw

jeremyrundle wrote:

Good, well then my five RSPs on the back flashing and 12w front lights should help them see me. As long as they see ME that is all that matters to me, sorry.

Aren't you the guy with 10 MD80's as well?

Do you do everything in mad quantities? Do have 7 wives, 15 televisions and 98 cats?

cjcp

Two to three front and rear lights, a HUMP reflective backpack, reflective tape on the frame, reflective detailing on my jacket (sometimes where an Altura Night Vision jacket).

As far as cycling year-round is concerned, it's that or the train and tube.

rhext

snailracer wrote:

In some jurisdictions I have lived in, bicycles are not even legally required to have a rear light at night, but must have a rear reflector (and FRONT light). That's because a rear reflector is visible in most situations (except the one where an idiot motorist does not have their headlights on - unfortunately rather common in the UK).

Some may argue that bright bike lights just accustom motorists to not look properly for those with dim lights, or no lights.

Speaking as a cyclist and driver, my experience is that rear reflectors are nowhere near good enough to take the place of a decent rear light. You want to stand out from the background, and headlights reflecting dimly off an inch square of red plastic is never going to be as effective as a couple of half-watt LED flashers.

rolf_f

Why be more scared cycling at night - it's much easier to make yourself standout at night than the daytime. Its dusk that worries me most.

Freshfunkmeister

In my expeience of commuting on my bicycle, motorbike or car ( though only twice last year in the car ), the people who nearly knock you off or whatever do so because they didn't look, not because they looked and didn't see you. I feel safer having a couple of lights front and rear but I don't thinks that it's going to help with dozy buggers not even bothering to look.

bigmat

WGWarburton wrote:

jeremyrundle wrote:

..Worst of all none and I say it again NONE had reflective clothing, ALL looked completely BLACK except where the lights lit them, do only those of you who commute in town, long distance etc wear reflective clothing or do I throw caution to the wind and say are the countryfolk simply D*M :!:

How many cyclists didn't you see?

I usually have a reflective cover on my backpack, and my jacket was yellow once, but apart from that I rely on one rear and one front light. This is for a rural commute of about five miles and a mile or so in the capital.

Is there any evidence that drivers are more aware of Christmas trees than normal cyclists? Bear in mind the number of people who ride around with no lights at all... while it appears to be dangerous I think you'd be disappointed if you chose it as a suicide method...

I suspect that, for many people, dressing in fluoro and illuminating their bikes is a coping mechanism for perceived danger. It gives the illusion of control and allows people to think that they have made themselves safe. In reality, they wern't in danger beforehand but the activity addresses the perception (whether it's theirs or their family's).

But hey, it's just a theory and I'm well known on this forum for my ludicrous attitude to road safety...

Cheers,
W.

+1

It also stops over zealous PCSO's pulling you over to the side of the road.