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singlespeedexplosif
Joined: 20 Feb 2007
Posts: 1082
Location: Lancashire
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 Posted Thu Nov 5, 2009 10:24 am |
solid, front and back.
Rear: flashing. Only cyclists have flashing (rear or otherwise) lights, so this instantly tells drivers that there's a bike, somewhere up ahead and to get ready to move out / give a bit of space
aye, because if it's a solid light it must be a car, motorbike or van, in which case don't move out or give space, just drive into the back of them, right? Very odd argument, that one...
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BentMikey
Joined: 07 Mar 2005
Posts: 4681
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Posted Thu Nov 5, 2009 10:30 am |
| injuredbymotorist wrote: | I use both - solid and flashing lights front and rear, along with high viz jacket with reflective stripes from head to toe.
This didnt stop an 85 year old motorist ploughing into me from behind on a well lit 40mph road.
Needless to say the driver was ok and the cyclist is now an ex cylist.
Until ALL roads have cycle paths I, nor my children, will use roads to cycle on again! |
I'm sorry to hear of your crash, that's awful.
p.s. don't be counting on cycle paths to improve safety, they actually make the danger slightly worse for cyclists.
My bikes
My skates |
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hisoka
Joined: 04 Oct 2006
Posts: 412
Location: Nottingham
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Posted Thu Nov 5, 2009 1:19 pm |
I used to think solid only, but have had enough good arguements/reasons to change by experienced and trusted cyclists. I plan to have one of each now, well when I find a space.
"This area left purposefully blank"
Sign hung on my head everyday till noon.
FCN: 11 (apparently) |
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CdrJake
Joined: 25 Sep 2009
Posts: 134
Location: Dartmouth/Portsmouth
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msw
Joined: 11 Aug 2008
Posts: 79
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Posted Thu Nov 5, 2009 1:48 pm |
Riding in London, where I never need the lights to actually see where I'm going and there's no total darkness, I use:
- front: flashing, as it's all about being seen both in people's mirrors and by cars coming the other way. I can't compete on brightness with car headlights so I reckon a flashing light makes me more noticeable than I would be with a steady one. Also I might not be in their mirrors (eg if I'm central in the lane) whereas a following car's right headlight would be.
- back: steady one on the bike and a small flasher on the helmet or the outside (right-hand) pannier. I feel that it helps to have something flashing at an extremity (of height or width) to give drivers some idea of your overall dimensions.
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Matt.K
Joined: 02 Sep 2009
Posts: 33
Location: Near(ish) York
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Posted Thu Nov 5, 2009 2:51 pm |
| singlespeedexplosif wrote: | solid, front and back.
Rear: flashing. Only cyclists have flashing (rear or otherwise) lights, so this instantly tells drivers that there's a bike, somewhere up ahead and to get ready to move out / give a bit of space
aye, because if it's a solid light it must be a car, motorbike or van, in which case don't move out or give space, just drive into the back of them, right? Very odd argument, that one... |
It makes perfect sense to me.
If you're driving along at 60mph on a country lane you come round a corner to see a small red light in front of you. It could either be a motorbike further in the distance of a cyclist who is a lot closer but has a smaller light.
The flashing light helps to determine that it is a cyclist.
Also, the closing speed between a cyclist at 20mph and a car at 60mph is 40mph (obviously). If the driver thought it was a larger vehicle traveling at a similar speed to them they may be shocked when they suddenly find themselves a few meters away from rear ending you and closing fast.
[url=http://www.TickerFactory.com/exercise/wZ9CWOr/]
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Sicknote
Joined: 20 Aug 2008
Posts: 746
Location: North London
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Posted Thu Nov 5, 2009 2:52 pm |
| Matt.K wrote: | Easiest solution as other have said is to have both.
I'm currently running:
Front
Reelight SL120 at axle level -flashing
Hope vision 1on bars - constant
Petzl Tikka XP on helmet - constant
Rear
Reelight SL120 at axle level - flashing
Smart Kidney Bean thing on back of rack bag - constant
Built in LED light in helmet - flashing
Also, as snellgrove said, bikes are the only vehicles with flashing red or white lights, so it marks you out to a motorist in the distance that they're going to be closing on you at a fair speed on a country lane. |
That is not right as some cars have orange bulbs that can look almost white, so that is why I have both when on my bike plus two of the small Tesco's lights on my rucksac when I have it on, also the white one on my helmet but that did not stop a van pulling out on me money night and yes you got it right, I got SMIDSY 
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singlespeedexplosif
Joined: 20 Feb 2007
Posts: 1082
Location: Lancashire
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Posted Thu Nov 5, 2009 3:07 pm |
It makes perfect sense to me.
If you're driving along at 60mph on a country lane you come round a corner to see a small red light in front of you. It could either be a motorbike further in the distance of a cyclist who is a lot closer but has a smaller light.
The flashing light helps to determine that it is a cyclist.
Also, the closing speed between a cyclist at 20mph and a car at 60mph is 40mph (obviously). If the driver thought it was a larger vehicle traveling at a similar speed to them they may be shocked when they suddenly find themselves a few meters away from rear ending you and closing fast.
fair point. Assuming the driver picks out the flashing light, that makes a bit of sense.
I'm not sure where the horses I saw last night fitted with flashing reds come into this though...closing speed of 55mph by that argument...hope the driver's not expecting it to be more like 40 
In the scenario you describe you'd also obviously see the area of light cast by the front light, which would give you an idea of how far ahead the bike/motorbike is. Unless, of course, someone's using really feeble lights or flashing lights on the front...
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Matt.K
Joined: 02 Sep 2009
Posts: 33
Location: Near(ish) York
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Posted Thu Nov 5, 2009 4:04 pm |
| Sicknote wrote: | | Matt.K wrote: | Easiest solution as other have said is to have both.
I'm currently running:
Front
Reelight SL120 at axle level -flashing
Hope vision 1on bars - constant
Petzl Tikka XP on helmet - constant
Rear
Reelight SL120 at axle level - flashing
Smart Kidney Bean thing on back of rack bag - constant
Built in LED light in helmet - flashing
Also, as snellgrove said, bikes are the only vehicles with flashing red or white lights, so it marks you out to a motorist in the distance that they're going to be closing on you at a fair speed on a country lane. |
That is not right as some cars have orange bulbs that can look almost white, so that is why I have both when on my bike plus two of the small Tesco's lights on my rucksac when I have it on, also the white one on my helmet but that did not stop a van pulling out on me money night and yes you got it right, I got SMIDSY |
I was try to say flashing lights, without people telling me that other vehicles have flashing lights such as emergency, RAC, doctors, ect... but they're not red and white.
That still might not make sense, but it does in my head! 
[url=http://www.TickerFactory.com/exercise/wZ9CWOr/]
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jimmypippa
Joined: 12 Dec 2008
Posts: 562
Location: Peak District
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Chicane-UK
Joined: 31 Mar 2008
Posts: 68
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Posted Thu Nov 5, 2009 10:06 pm |
Static on the front and flashing rear light. I want the rear light to be as noticeable as possible to motorists, so they definitely know I'm there! On the front however, flashing front light is fine until you descend down some unlit back-roads and country lanes - if you've got flashing mode on, I feel like I'm suddenly experiencing an epileptic fit... not very nice at all!!
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biondino
Joined: 11 May 2008
Posts: 5153
Location: Putney, SW London
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Posted Fri Nov 6, 2009 12:35 pm |
When I'm driving along see a flashing red light ahead of me I assume it's a formula one car and accelerate to 160mph to make sure I'm at the safe ambient speed.
My Focus / My Bob Jackson
Blog (includes bikes) |
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sarajoy
Joined: 14 Jan 2009
Posts: 1231
Location: Totterdown, Bristol
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Posted Fri Nov 6, 2009 12:56 pm |
I have experimented a little on my route home - and incredibly unscientifically I am almost entirely sure that cars are more likely to give me room when it's flashing - some even in queues will pull over a little bit when they see flashes on their left. I got a lot less of that with the steady beam.
That said I want to get another front light (so I can have one steady, one flashing), and a better & bigger rear light (I have a cateye and a smart superflash - but ehn, I'm paranoid and the cateye's rubbish).
EDIT: also, when driving I like to see a flashing light both front and rear on a bike, it grabs my attention in the mirrors as opposed to just looking like another far off-headlight or streetlight - but of course they're less good as the batteries get old, they flash slower as well as less brightly.
More on swing dance in Bristol, & the Facebook group |
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cougie
Joined: 21 Apr 2004
Posts: 11580
Location:
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Posted Fri Nov 6, 2009 12:56 pm |
Steady on the front if I need to see things, otherwise I may use it on flash.
At the rear -= you always need 2 lights - so I have one flashing and one steady. Best of both worlds.
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BentMikey
Joined: 07 Mar 2005
Posts: 4681
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Posted Fri Nov 6, 2009 12:59 pm |
| sarajoy wrote: | I have experimented a little on my route home - and incredibly unscientifically I am almost entirely sure that cars are more likely to give me room when it's flashing - some even in queues will pull over a little bit when they see flashes on their left. I got a lot less of that with the steady beam.
That said I want to get another front light (so I can have one steady, one flashing), and a better & bigger rear light (I have a cateye and a smart superflash - but ehn, I'm paranoid and the cateye's rubbish). |
You'd love the Exposure MaXx-D I run. Only one light needed, because flash mode leaves it on "dim" with a regular pulse at the full 960 lumens. It has an amazing effect on queuing motorists, just as you describe.
It's good enough that if you're a little bit naughty and leave it on steady beam just before a speed camera, and then turn it to flash at the camera, motons will stress out magnificently.
My bikes
My skates |
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Cafewanda
Joined: 08 May 2009
Posts: 745
Location: Balham: London
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BentMikey
Joined: 07 Mar 2005
Posts: 4681
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Posted Fri Nov 6, 2009 1:11 pm |
A little, but then those motons wouldn't stress if they weren't naughty speeding criminals.
My bikes
My skates |
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SPOODZILLA
Joined: 08 Nov 2007
Posts: 79
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gabriel959
Joined: 04 Aug 2008
Posts: 1024
Location: Cambridge, UK
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Posted Fri Nov 6, 2009 2:12 pm |
I use the following on unlit country roads:
Front
Helmet Light: Fenix L2D on medium
Bike Light: MagicShine HA-III P7 on Full
Back
2 Smart 1/2 Watt Lights - one flashing, one steady
1 Cat Eye on my saddle bag on steady
2 reflective bands on my ankles
Small reflective stuff on me...
x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x
Giant SCR 2 - FCN 2
Sabbath Silk Road - FCN 2
Doing something for charity! |
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singlespeedexplosif
Joined: 20 Feb 2007
Posts: 1082
Location: Lancashire
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Posted Fri Nov 6, 2009 2:15 pm |
I use the following on unlit country roads:
Front
Helmet Light: Fenix L2D on medium
Bike Light: MagicShine HA-III P7 on Full
Back
2 Smart 1/2 Watt Lights - one flashing, one steady
1 Cat Eye on my saddle bag on steady
2 reflective bands on my ankles
Small reflective stuff on me...
not dissimilar - my setup for all roads:
helmet - L&M Arc on full
bar - 2x HA-111 P7s on full
Back
2 CatEye holy hand grenades on steady- one on seatpost, one on rack
2 Smart 1/2W on steady - one on helmet, one on seatpost
2x fibre flares - one on each seatstay
try saying you didn't see me now...
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