Drafting people whilst running a mad strong front light

Greg T

Don't do it . . to me . . . can't see a fecking thing when I shoulder check behind me - bar some drafting fairy wearing the sun on his handlebars

Kieran_Burns

buy a District 3

Put it on the BRIGHT setting

No one will come within 50' of you for fear of burning...

gosport_commuter

Kieran_Burns wrote:

buy a District 3

Put it on the BRIGHT setting

No one will come within 50' of you for fear of burning...

LOL! +1

king_jeffers

Spotted a cyclist about a half a mile away when waiting at a junction, only spotted him because of his crazy super bright light. No idea what is was, was completely blinding tho and flashing... I can see the Daily Mail picking this issue up in a couple of months.

prb007

King Jeffers wrote:

Spotted a cyclist about a half a mile away when waiting at a junction, only spotted him because of his crazy super bright light. No idea what is was, was completely blinding tho and flashing... I can see the Daily Mail picking this issue up in a couple of months.

Now they're cheap - everyone's gettin 'em...

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/CREE-XML-XM-L ... 20c5013dc9

they used to be £100 ( 18mths/2yrs ago); now less than £30 :shock:

You can spot them a mile off...literally!

de_sisti

Greg T wrote:

Don't do it . . to me . . . can't see a fecking thing when I shoulder check behind me - bar some drafting fairy wearing the sun on his handlebars

Slow down and wait for them to overtake. Or, if you're feeling nasty, slam your anchors on, while enjoying the sound
of them trying to avoid you and ending up in a heap in the middle of the road.

DonDaddyD

King Jeffers wrote:

Spotted a cyclist about a half a mile away when waiting at a junction, only spotted him because of his crazy super bright light. No idea what is was, was completely blinding tho and flashing... I can see the Daily Mail picking this issue up in a couple of months.

Why is it car headlights, which are brighter than most if not all bicycle lights, are never considered an issue?

bdave262000

DonDaddyD wrote:

King Jeffers wrote:

Spotted a cyclist about a half a mile away when waiting at a junction, only spotted him because of his crazy super bright light. No idea what is was, was completely blinding tho and flashing... I can see the Daily Mail picking this issue up in a couple of months.

Why is it car headlights, which are brighter than most if not all bicycle lights, are never considered an issue?

I think it might be to do with the position of the light. Car lights tend to be lower and dipped, where as bike lights are high and tend to point straight ahead. Cycling through RP in the dark you do get alot more glare from bike lights than cars.

Hoopdriver

DonDaddyD wrote:

King Jeffers wrote:

Spotted a cyclist about a half a mile away when waiting at a junction, only spotted him because of his crazy super bright light. No idea what is was, was completely blinding tho and flashing... I can see the Daily Mail picking this issue up in a couple of months.

Why is it car headlights, which are brighter than most if not all bicycle lights, are never considered an issue?

Because car headlight beams are at a set angle that is not likely to give you a straight shot in the eyeball, whereas cyclists clap the headlights on their handlebars any old way, too often without thought to the fact that zapping someone directly in the eyes with 3000 lumens isn't going to win you many friends

the_prophet

De Sisti wrote:

Greg T wrote:

Don't do it . . to me . . . can't see a fecking thing when I shoulder check behind me - bar some drafting fairy wearing the sun on his handlebars

Slow down and wait for them to overtake. Or, if you're feeling nasty, slam your anchors on, while enjoying the sound
of them trying to avoid you and ending up in a heap in the middle of the road.

sounds like a great idea to me :roll:

maybe they'ce caught up to a slower rider, and just catching a breath before passing? pointless overtaking if you can't keep up momentum and end up holding someone up. had the same problem on ride home from work other night, guy in front riding slower than me, i caught, initially couldnt pass due to traffic, he slowed more and more due to checking over his shoulder repeatidly after seeing my light. Hardly my fault.

walkingbootweather

I find a well directed snot-rocket is very effective at keeping drafters at bay

King Jeffers wrote:

I can see the Daily Mail picking this issue up in a couple of months.

Nah, it'll be fine if you are using a bright white light. The Daily Mail will only complain if the light is coloured

arthur_scrimshaw

DonDaddyD wrote:

King Jeffers wrote:

Spotted a cyclist about a half a mile away when waiting at a junction, only spotted him because of his crazy super bright light. No idea what is was, was completely blinding tho and flashing... I can see the Daily Mail picking this issue up in a couple of months.

Why is it car headlights, which are brighter than most if not all bicycle lights, are never considered an issue?

Well don't know about you but it's generally the cars I'm looking out for when I look over my shoulder, so being able to see them (or their lights) is a bonus. Maybe my neck isn't owl like enough to enable me to cop the full force of it?

Headhuunter

Hoopdriver wrote:

DonDaddyD wrote:

King Jeffers wrote:

Spotted a cyclist about a half a mile away when waiting at a junction, only spotted him because of his crazy super bright light. No idea what is was, was completely blinding tho and flashing... I can see the Daily Mail picking this issue up in a couple of months.

Why is it car headlights, which are brighter than most if not all bicycle lights, are never considered an issue?

Because car headlight beams are at a set angle that is not likely to give you a straight shot in the eyeball, whereas cyclists clap the headlights on their handlebars any old way, too often without thought to the fact that zapping someone directly in the eyes with 3000 lumens isn't going to win you many friends

Although plenty of car drivers seem to drive around London on full beam or with fog lights on....

the_prophet

walkingbootweather wrote:

I find a well directed snot-rocket is very effective at keeping drafters at bay

King Jeffers wrote:

I can see the Daily Mail picking this issue up in a couple of months.

Nah, it'll be fine if you are using a bright white light. The Daily Mail will only complain if the light is coloured

also, disgusting. may as well spit on someone as they ride past.

DonDaddyD

3000 lumens whether dipped or not - and in London they are very rarely dipped - will always be brighter than the 1800 lumens given in the link above.

People never complain about car lights but do about bicycle lights.

My only conclusion for this is that they lights often flash and draw more distracting attention or are focused into a finer beam that appears brighter. But on the face of it cars put out often more than double to lumens a bicycle light does so there shouldn't be any issue, unless you are placed in a situation that Greg described.

pangolin

the_prophet wrote:

also, disgusting. may as well spit on someone as they ride past.

If they're riding past there is no issue!

Greg T

the_prophet wrote:

maybe they'ce caught up to a slower rider, and just catching a breath before passing?

Ram it...

This guy was hanging on for dear life.

Next time I'm going to say something

the_prophet

your right, but I'm saying if you purposely clear your nose when someones behind - i.e whilst there waiting for a gap in traffic to pass, its no better than spitting on them as they ride past. both are equally disgusting and unnessecary.

the_prophet

Greg T wrote:

the_prophet wrote:

maybe they'ce caught up to a slower rider, and just catching a breath before passing?

Ram it...

This guy was hanging on for dear life.

Next time I'm going to say something

like what?

jedster

DDD,

There are three issues that make bright bike lights particularly dazzling even though their absolute output may be lower than car lights
1) most of them are really just high powered torches - they have a tight, round spot of intense light. Car lights spread their power across a broad area, power per square meter illuminated may be very high for a bike light and if its focused on your eye ball...
2) car lights are generally dipped (top off beam chopped off). Even if angled down, a torch type beam will still spill a fair amount of light upwards into the eyes
3) bike lights are often used flashing - this is a GOOD THING with low powered lights and a VERY BAD THING with high powered lights. Your pupil dilation cant react fast enough to the strobe so just when your pupils have adjusted to being dazzled its gone dark so they open up fully ready to be zapped again

Kinda obvious isnt it?

pangolin

Like learn how quotes work? Or I will find you and spit on you as I ride past.

walkingbootweather

the_prophet - sneeze be upon him

the_prophet

for the quoting - i apologise, it seems the "quote" button merely adds text you want to quote, but doesnt format it.

for my views on "snot rockets" and people getting upset by others following, regardless of circumstance I don't. if they are drafting, and hanging on for dear life, let them go / ignore them / drop them. not hard and hardly worth getting upset about, its going to happen.

walkingbootweather

the_prophet - easiest way to quote is to use the quote button in the message of the person you want to quote, then chop out what you don't need. Formatting is taken care of automatically.

Re snot-rockets - I think we are mostly joking

Kieran_Burns

walkingbootweather wrote:

the_prophet - easiest way to quote is to use the quote button in the message of the person you want to quote, then chop out what you don't need. Formatting is taken care of automatically.

Re snot-rockets - I think we are mostly joking

Yeah. Don't get snotty

pangolin

the_prophet wrote:

for the quoting - i apologise, it seems the "quote" button merely adds text you want to quote, but doesnt format it.

for my views on "snot rockets" and people getting upset by others following, regardless of circumstance I don't. if they are drafting, and hanging on for dear life, let them go / ignore them / drop them. not hard and hardly worth getting upset about, its going to happen.

Not a problem till you genuinely have to brake hard and they plough into the back of you.

Have had this happen twice. Once I stopped for a red, he didn't, and broke my rear mudguard. Pointedly ignored me shouting at him and he rode off, I had to wait while I fixed it.

Second time I stopped when a ped nearly stepped out. Cue screeching and shouting from behind me. If you can't brake fast enough, don't draft random people.

SimonAH

Anyone spitting or snot rocketing at me is going to help me discover how many CO2 cylinders will fit in the anus of an unwilling subject. Just saying.

the_prophet

Pangolin - point taken, wasnt thinking about stopping / starting was thinking along lines of lights flickering around when travelling at a decent pace. But yes, anyone who's following that closely in the dark, whilst filtering etc should back off. without the prompting of a snot rocket.

wbw - thanks for that! :oops:

Having had someone eject a nose full in my direction earlier in the week, done without a shoulder check, it's a sore point for me. and for the record, there was no drafting involved, I was closing at speed on a single carriage way road without traffic.

Greg T

the_prophet wrote:

Pangolin - point taken, wasnt thinking about stopping / starting was thinking along lines of lights flickering around when travelling at a decent pace.

I don't mind flickering around, I don't mind fairies that much. I mind very much not being able to see behind me as I'm blinded by the light of my shadow. It's a bit rude riding up someone's arse and blinding them at the same time...

rjsterry

SimonAH wrote:

Anyone spitting or snot rocketing at me is going to help me discover how many CO2 cylinders will fit in the anus of an unwilling subject. Just saying.

How are you going to get their leg through the spokes when you need to reinflate a tyre? You've not though this through.

cyclingprop

Greg T wrote:

the_prophet wrote:

Pangolin - point taken, wasnt thinking about stopping / starting was thinking along lines of lights flickering around when travelling at a decent pace.

I don't mind flickering around, I don't mind fairies that much. I mind very much not being able to see behind me as I'm blinded by the light of my shadow. It's a bit rude riding up someone's ars* and blinding them at the same time...

It's their way of telling you you need to MTFU and pedal faster.