Red Light on the Front of a Bike

meanredspider

Is this a new trend or has Inverness recently hosted the national convention of EXIT? I assume it's "illegal" but recently I've come upon to individuals with flashing RED lights on the FRONT of their bikes. Both have been on the cycle path but it's incredibly confusing. Since they can't be using the lights to see by, I assume they're also using them on the road which strikes me as suicidal....

mudcow007

theres a guy i see most morning who has white lights on his drops pointing backwards....

Kieran_Burns

I guess some people just have a backwards mentality....

veronese68

Saw a bloke the other day riding along quite happily with one red light and one white light. Just that they were fitted to the wrong ends. Looked like he was reversing at speed, most odd.

asprilla

I see it all the time. Nearly cleaned someone up in the park recently.

gtvlusso

My pet hate at the moment is the dazzling effect of excessively powerful bike lights coming at you! Not from cars I hasten to add.

Seriously, some bike lights are way too powerful, on one of the cyclpaths I use is dark, but 400lms dipped is fine - there are some lights that are so immensely powerful and directed upwards. They are simply blinding and leave you riding into a dark hole!

Dip your lights people, don't dazzle.....

inkz

I hope the trend of people cycling the wrong way in a cycle lane (on main road) doesn't combine with this one :S

squired

I once had a quick chat with a woman who was riding across Chelsea Bridge with a red light on the front and white at the back. Her response was that it would be too much hassle for her to switch them over, so she would leave them as they were.

Wrath Rob

Had a similar chat with a guy along Embankment. He hadn't realised that his Exposure light on his helmet was clipped in the wrong way round, 3 second fix and job done. The white light was effing bright from behind though...

Escadrille Ecosse

Almost run over in Polmont on the way home by some wally in a Micra who pulled out from a sidestreet on the right. Apparently they didn't see me because "my red light was pointing the other way", ie behind me. When I asked if he couldn't see the 900 lumen P7 flashing in his eyes, his response was "no need to start being like that". So maybe red is the new white

guzmanword

me too,the trend of people cycling the wrong way in a cycle lane doesn't combine with this .

jimmypippa

Oddly enough, given the OP's usual location I have only noticed this in Scotland, driving along the A82, I saw a cyclist with a flashing white light on the back.

coopster_the_1st

To resurrect an old thread I think I know the reason for this:

I saw this the other day and was trying to work out why the rider had a red light on the front and back of the bike. The only reason I could come up with was cost.

A bright red light costs less than £20(take the Smart R1 as an example). To get a similar brightness for the front, you are looking at over £50 (there are magicshines but listing the ones generally sold by the major retailers). To me front lights under £20 are at best a backup light and definitely not a light that would get you noticed amoung the other lights on the road at night!

armyknife

I've noticed something similar in effect happening recently , couple of days ago, on my local cycle path a bright red light coming towards me, took a while to figure that it was a nicely bright red fixed in the correct place with near 360 illumination, but no front light fitted; hence my disorientation.

The Rookie

Coopster the 1st wrote:

To get a similar brightness for the front, you are looking at over £50

Lidl XPG Torch - £9.99
Bike mount off ebay - £5

£35 saving on your prediction.