One of the notified on the Roseburn yesterday should have been clearly able to perceive the anti-aircraft-searchlight effect caused by his upward-angled beam in the light mist.
CityCyclingEdinburgh Forum » Infrastructure
Those over-bright lights again
(141 posts)-
Posted 9 years ago #
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What is worse? Over bright lights or unlit students?
At least with the unlit students you do sort of see them but with the Undipped over bright lights you are blinded.
Posted 9 years ago # -
There is almost certainly more than enough light being generated for every cyclist to be adequately illuminated; anyone have any idea about how to redistribute the lumens?
Posted 9 years ago # -
Coming off the aqueduct last night I was dazzled by an oncoming rider just as the path narrows and curves. Had to completely stop to allow my eyes to readjust, see my footing and ensure I didn't become water-bound!
I really don't see the point of helmet-mounted lights. Do wearers realise that oncomers are temporarily blinded by them?
Posted 9 years ago # -
I really don't see the point of helmet-mounted lights. Do wearers realise that oncomers are temporarily blinded by them?
This only happens if they look at you. If they direct the light downwards, helmet lights are less dazzling than bar lightsPosted 9 years ago # -
What is worse? Over bright lights or unlit students?
Over-bright lights are far worse
Unlit students may have flame-retardant properties, but you just need to add a tad more petroleum
Posted 9 years ago # -
What is worse? Over unlit lights or over-bright students?
I suspect a few riders were suffering from flat batteries this week as I passed a few regulars on the bridge with the unlit lights. Assuming there is streetlights or other ambient illumination I prefer unlit to overbright but I can't say I'm an expert on judging the intelligence of passing cyclists.
@Stiltskin, I suspect helmet mounters have the best intentions about not looking at oncoming traffic but often seem to forget that said traffic is coming from the direction they are travelling in. What I don't understand is why you would want to put a lever on something which can already increase the risk of neck injury.
Posted 9 years ago # -
I have a wonky, downward pointed helmet light.
I like it for three reasons:
1. Seeing my lock, keyhole etc
2. Being seen over cars, especially if I am queued behind turning cars.
3. Because it lives on the helmet, I'm less likely to forget it (when I'm in the habit of wearing my helmet....)Posted 9 years ago # -
I really miss when I'm out without my helmet light.
I like being able to give drivers a quick "flash" in the window when they look like they're about to plough through a roundabout containing me. It seems to work.
Also handy for going round sharp unlit bends in the dark (you get see where you're going before you get there)
But generally it points about 2ft in front of my front wheel unless I really crane my neck.
Posted 9 years ago # -
I've a Cateye Volt 300, although someone did tell me last year (on the tow path) that this was too bright. From what I've read and from recommendations on here it would seem to be fine -I hope so, I intend to keep using it. I do angle it down. As a smout I am regularly dazzled by others, but I put that down to being nearer the ground. Flashing on the towpath is just bad manners really, no excuse for that.
Posted 9 years ago # -
I've been trying to work through this in my head. I think the biggest problems are cases where you can't see a pool of light on the ground. I know if I can't then the lights are probably going to be pointed straight at me.
Agree, strobing on the canal is just plain rude.
I do also worry that my lights are too bright, but generally try and point the brighter light to the side as I pass people. The exception being the case when I suspect I'm going to be blinded.
Posted 9 years ago # -
I've been quite impressed with the light pool of the Cateye Volt 200 that I bought recently. There's a spot in the distance and a pool directly underneath the light, so you can see the ground a few metres ahead and what's directly underneath your front wheel at the same time.
A previous Volt that was eventually stolen didn't have such a sophisticated direction for the light.
Posted 9 years ago # -
Apologies if it was you I blinded on the NEPN tonight around Ravelston, causing you to yell "Your light's WAY too bright, mate!". I hadn't notice that the huge gust I'd been hit with shortly beforehand had actually blown my not-terribly-tightly-attached Magicshine clone upwards at an angle of about 45 degrees.
Sorry :-(
Posted 9 years ago # -
These things happen threefromleith. I suppose it's the downside of lights having to be clamped onto handlebars as an aftertought. It's an all too common problem unfortunately with lights either ending up poiting up at the stars or down to the earth's core.
I'm a strong advocate of dynamo lights which are generally more securely fixed/bolted on and therefore an integral part of the bike rather than an afterthought, always assuming that they are fitted correctly in the first place of course. It's also partly that the lights aren't loaded up with the extra weight of batteries as is the case for single unit lights without separate battery packs.Posted 9 years ago # -
I caught up with a guy at Gray's Loan/Myreside Road lights this evening whose rear light was very bright angled in such a way that it was painful to be behind him. I followed him at a distance along Myreside Road and was trying to stay patiently behind him up Craighouse hill, but realised that I just couldn't see anything other than red, and I was going to have an accident. I had to overtake (easier said than done on that hill) just to get away from the searing red light.
Posted 9 years ago # -
@threefromleith I was going home the quick road way early yesterday afternoon so it wouldn't have been me but that's very similar to what I say to face-illuminators.
Someone going east along Duke's Walk on Wednesday had a rapidly-stuttering blinky which I was pleased to be able to get ahead of. Not as piercingly bright as a Light & Motion like Insto had but upward-pointed enough to swamp other things in your field of view.
Posted 9 years ago # -
I reckon that these lights on a customers bike should light the road and not stun/dazzle all oncomers.
Nazca Gaucho 28 / SON with B+M Luxos and Line Brake by LaidBackBikes, on Flickr
The rear is the B+M Line Brake which gets brighter as you slow down. Think a few forumers have these.
I was an earlysuckerconvert to dynamo lighting and ran halogen front lights for years on the school run tandem. (Amba helped sort out tech stuff for me back then - a contact made via the Bicycle Works).
One upgrade we made (in 1997) was to fit the Senso switch box from Shimano that would switch on our lights going under bridges etc.Posted 9 years ago # -
"One upgrade we made (in 1997) was to fit the Senso switch box from Shimano that would switch on our lights going under bridges etc."
Mind = Blown
Posted 9 years ago # -
Interesting experience coming along the towpath at Meggetland this evening.
Chap coming towards me held his hand over his eyes and complained (perfectly politely) that my light was too bright. Now I have a B&M cyo dynamo light with a very strong beam cut-off mounted on my fork crown. When I go close to a wall or hedge, I can see the bright section of light extends horizontally from the bike about three feet off the ground.
I am of the @Dave school of thinking that my light is blameless. I was (to put it mildly) surprised by his complaint. I stopped and said 'really?', and we had a short conversation about it.
He did acknowledge that it was very bright (rather than dazzling as such), which was an interesting perspective. We moved on to talk about black-clothed pedestrians and unlit dogs, and then went our separate ways on good terms.
So, these dynamo lights aren't completely blameless, but maybe aren't as bad as people think when they see them. I know that when I've passed @Dave on the towpath I've noticed that his light is very bright, but it's not dazzling.
Was it you I spoke to? You had the hallmarks of a CCE member (read into that what you will). What was your perspective on my light?
Posted 8 years ago # -
I dip my front light so that the Beam is just in front of the wheel but that would not work on the towpath in the dark. It is lighter now in the morning when I come on the towpath using the cut up at Allan park. I don't use it at night.
Not every light on the towpath is completely dazzling but they are all much brighter than say ten years ago when being blinded was rare.
On the whole the towpath users are mostly a sensible lot with the odd exception. Cutting through George sq then down through the meadows tonight was a lot more random.
Posted 8 years ago # -
One upgrade we made (in 1997) was to fit the Senso switch box from Shimano
Back in 1994 I converted my Cateye HL1500 to run off an external battery, overvolting at 7.2V and with a remote switch mounted under my left-hand brake lever. You didn't even get that with posh Vistalites back then.
Posted 8 years ago #
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