Flashing Lights...my eyes my beautiful eyes

mudcow007

anyone's eyes go funny when there is a flashing light close by?

i went for a twilight ride last night to test my new light configuration an noticed after about 2 miles my eyes felt weird. i'm putting it down to my light flashing about 20ft in front of the bike.

besides having the light on static or wearing sun glasses i cant think of anything else to do

UndercoverElephant

I only have mine on flashy-flashy when there's street lighting, once I'm in the proper dark I have to turn it to constant, otherwise the strobe effect makes riding quite difficult. That said, I'm on dynamo lighting this year, which is constant only.

mudcow007

i live in a quite built up area so the light is basically always on strobe. its only when i go on the (disused) railway track i have it on constant

my head/ eyes felt like i was back in a 90's acid rave

bails87

Why would you point it at the road if it's on flash? If it's flashing you obviously aren't relying on it for illumination, so it doesn't need to point at the ground. You are relying on it to be seen, so you want it pointing towards drivers and peds eyes, not their feet.
Unless it's too bright for that. In which case, see one of the many "lights that aren't quite right" threads!

Ride hard

Aceeeeeeeeed!!!

If you're having problem with your eyes then maybe you should try some amber tinted lenses as they are perfect for a bright sunny day and night time alike. Alternatively, if you're looking for a quicker solution, put your light on solid. Mine is always on solid and makes me feel safer for some strange reason.

UndercoverElephant

bails87 wrote:

Why would you point it at the road if it's on flash? If it's flashing you obviously aren't relying on it for illumination, so it doesn't need to point at the ground. You are relying on it to be seen, so you want it pointing towards drivers and peds eyes, not their feet.
Unless it's too bright for that. In which case, see one of the many "lights that aren't quite right" threads!

Pointing at the road is the way forward. Most decent lights can still be seen for a hell of a long distance in this position, it's not like they're lasers.

rolf_f

I tested my twin RSP Asteris indoors in flashing mode - it made me feel like I was badly drunk - all dizzy headachy spinny. I couldn't have managed more than a few seconds of it.

Kieran_Burns

I always have my front lights on constant, unless it's dusk then the Vision 1 is on flash; but as soon as I can see the light on the road all lights go on constant.

I quite commonly have the rear lights on constant as well - it confuses drivers behind and that moment of confusion causes them to slow and be more wary

bails87

UndercoverElephant wrote:

bails87 wrote:

Why would you point it at the road if it's on flash? If it's flashing you obviously aren't relying on it for illumination, so it doesn't need to point at the ground. You are relying on it to be seen, so you want it pointing towards drivers and peds eyes, not their feet.
Unless it's too bright for that. In which case, see one of the many "lights that aren't quite right" threads!

Pointing at the road is the way forward. Most decent lights can still be seen for a hell of a long distance in this position, it's not like they're lasers.

But if it's causing him problems......

mudcow007

UndercoverElephant wrote:

Pointing at the road is the way forward. Most decent lights can still be seen for a hell of a long distance in this position, it's not like they're lasers.

i know my light must be viewable from quite a distance even with it pointing at the ground as traffic signs are reflecting my disco strobes back at me 100yards up the road

i seem to have a lot of cars staring at my front light too which i can only imagine is a good thing

the light is a Moon X 300

walkingbootweather

mudcow007 wrote:

i seem to have a lot of cars staring at my front light too which i can only imagine is a good thing

You do know that cars don't really stare don't you? Those things that look a bit like eyes are in fact headlamps. Next you'll be telling us "that car looked at me a funny way"

bails87

Brum?

walkingbootweather

bails87 wrote:

Brum?

Isn't that where you're from bails?

bails87

Solihull old bean, not with the riff raff in Birmingham

Kieran_Burns

bails87 wrote:

Solihull old bean, not with the riff raff in Birmingham

Oh yes. Birmingham. The only city with Zero population

No one comes from 'Birmingham' (Brummagem ) they come from Acocks Green or Aston or flipping Bournville or bloody Moseley, Saltley, Yardley, Stirchley et al

Nah. No one lives in Birmingham.

rick_chasey

Kieran_Burns wrote:

bails87 wrote:

Solihull old bean, not with the riff raff in Birmingham

Oh yes. Birmingham. The only city with Zero population

No one comes from 'Birmingham' (Brummagem ) they come from Acocks Green or Aston or flipping Bournville or bloody Moseley, Saltley, Yardley, Stirchley et al

Nah. No one lives in Birmingham.

Hah, the opposite of Cambridge.

Everyone I speak to goes "oh, I'm from Cambridge!"
Me > "Oh cool, where abouts?"

"yeah, just North of Peterborough"

:shock: Err no, that's not Cambridge.

walkingbootweather

@ Rick and Kieran - spot on.

Met a girl once who claimed to hail from "Shakespear Country". Turns out it was just a suburb of Brum.

mudcow007

walkingbootweather wrote:

mudcow007 wrote:

i seem to have a lot of cars staring at my front light too which i can only imagine is a good thing

You do know that cars don't really stare don't you? Those things that look a bit like eyes are in fact headlamps. Next you'll be telling us "that car looked at me a funny way"

pfft havent you seen knightrider?!



also same thing happens with Liverpool

meet someone on holiday

"oh where you from"...

"Liverpool"

"oh where abouts"

"Birkenhead or Southportl or Widnes or Runcorn" admittingly i wouldn't admit to living in them places either

walkingbootweather

or New Brighton - which is certainly not 'just like Brighton, only newer"

bails87

Kieran_Burns wrote:

bails87 wrote:

Solihull old bean, not with the riff raff in Birmingham

Oh yes. Birmingham. The only city with Zero population

No one comes from 'Birmingham' (Brummagem ) they come from Acocks Green or Aston or flipping Bournville or bloody Moseley, Saltley, Yardley, Stirchley et al

Nah. No one lives in Birmingham.

Whatever peasants!

jedster

I think the ideal set up when its dark is two lights front and two lights rear, one each of fairly high power, carefully angled lights on constant and low power on flash.

Even low power flashers grab the attention and the constant lights mean that you can see (!) and take out the strobing effect of the front flasher. The constant light at the rear makes it much easier for drivers to judge distance and closing speed on you.

roger_merriman

Around town, Flash if you want (as you where) But once dark steady please!

EKE_38BPM

Rick Chasey wrote:

Kieran_Burns wrote:

bails87 wrote:

Solihull old bean, not with the riff raff in Birmingham

Oh yes. Birmingham. The only city with Zero population

No one comes from 'Birmingham' (Brummagem ) they come from Acocks Green or Aston or flipping Bournville or bloody Moseley, Saltley, Yardley, Stirchley et al

Nah. No one lives in Birmingham.

Hah, the opposite of Cambridge.

Everyone I speak to goes "oh, I'm from Cambridge!"
Me > "Oh cool, where abouts?"

"yeah, just North of Peterborough"

:shock: Err no, that's not Cambridge.

This all reminds me of when I was at university and during the first few days of the first year, some knuckle dragger says he's from London.
"Oh, where?" says I.
"Err, to the north" Says knuckle dragger.
"I'm from North London. Which bit are you from?" I reply.
"Luton" answers knuckle dragger who dropped out after about a week.

walkingbootweather

EKE - you weren't studying Geography then?

On a similar note, a mate of mine who was studying Geography asked "which coast of America is Los Angeles on?" When ridiculed about his lack of knowledge he retorted, "they don't teach us where stuff is, just how it got there...."

bails87

walkingbootweather
"We don't do that in geography" is the most common phrase uttered by geography graduates.....

NGale

walkingbootweather wrote:

EKE - you weren't studying Geography then?

On a similar note, a mate of mine who was studying Geography asked "which coast of America is Los Angeles on?" When ridiculed about his lack of knowledge he retorted, "they don't teach us where stuff is, just how it got there...."

a common line of historians is 'That's not my period' when asked a question about history

and with engineers it's usually 'That's not my branch I'm afraid' or 'I'm an engineer, not a spanner monkey'....heard when people ask Jake to fix their car or install a boiler

walkingbootweather

I asked my 6 year old son "what is 6 apples plus another 3 apples?". "Dunno Dad", says he, "The teacher only told us how to do sums with sweets"