CityCyclingEdinburgh Forum » Commuting

Dim Your Lights (Please?)

(107 posts)
  • Started 9 years ago by Wilmington's Cow
  • Latest reply from acsimpson

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  1. Wilmington's Cow
    Member

    I don't mind being told my front light is bright, in fact I'd rather know if I was blinding all and sundry, but I'd rather the person telling me didn't assume I was simply awkward. "Dim your light*," with the pantomime covering of the eyes, while not delivered with fury, would still have benefited from a 'please' tagged onto the end. And being alongside me as the admonishment was delivered in the Meadows means I had no chance to issue an apology and so look even more the bad guy.

    Thing is, I've had that light mounted there (it's fixed in a specific point on my front rack with no option to move up or down) for months with no complaint, and tried to conduct tests myself on the luminosity, and so genuinely thought there was no eye-searing going on. I wasn't thoughtless in my light positioning, so would have appreciated just a little politeness.

    If it was you, then I apologise for the position of my light, and will be moving it to a different point tonight so as not to repeat the feat tomorrow night; but equally, a little common courtesy goes a long way. Just saying.

    Posted 9 years ago #

  2. stiltskin
    Member

    I suspect people are beginning to get very fed up with having their eyeballs seared..hence the lack of courtesy. When people first starting complaining about this on the net I just put it down to whinging. However I do think it is getting beyond a joke on shared use paths.

    Posted 9 years ago #

  3. SRD
    Moderator

    Was that me? Seems possible, but I always try to say please. And only mention it is totally in my eyes. Have hardly ever done so in the past but this week has definitely seemed worse than usual to me.

    No pantomime though. I find the lights absolutely glaring. Maybe it's my riding position/ shortness. Maybe I'm getting old.

    (Good to see you back here; sorry we keep meeting this way...)

    Posted 9 years ago #

  4. Wilmington's Cow
    Member

    Don't think it was you SRD, wrong accent. I get that it's becoming ridiculous, I guess I just take exception to someone clearly thinking I'm a muppet when up to this point everything I've done, checked, and experienced have counted against my light being a problem, didn't just whack the thing on and leave it at that.

    Posted 9 years ago #

  5. BenN
    Member

    This was shouted at me in Roseburn park a few weeks ago, and actually got to me a little (thin skin?). I put a lot of work into making sure my light is just right; I use a Phillips Saferide with the horizontal cutoff set at low torso, and very little light leakage, and make sure it is on low when in lit areas such as the park.

    I was actually cresting the little humpback bridge into the park, and the shouter was heading up the other side, so my light was temporarily in their eyes. A dazzling was utterly unavoidable in this situation, although it did strike me later that this individual was clearly at the end of their tether and just took it out on me...

    Still, not a nice start to the day.

    Posted 9 years ago #

  6. Lizzie
    Member

    I'm not sure why cyclists need to use really bright lights on shared use paths, especially paths that are lit. It does seem very inconsiderate to other users (inc other cyclists). Folks could use a low setting or turn their light to point much more downwards for these sections of their journey.
    I too get fed up with being blinded by overly bright lights. They are becoming a hazard. And also I tend to feel that cyclists with the really bright lights are also the ones going far too fast.

    Posted 9 years ago #

  7. Wilmington's Cow
    Member

    Thing is, this light is nowhere near as bright as previous lights I've had. If I'm going to be shouted at I'll just avoid the shared use paths - as I say, been using this light, in this position, for months, without an issue. If bright bright lights are an issue (and I agree, they are, I've been blinded a few times, but I guess everyone has certain camel straws they can bear) it's still no excuse to be impolite. That's all I'm saying, thank you for telling me my light is angled incorrectly, just add 'please' and give me the benefit of the doubt.

    Posted 9 years ago #

  8. amir
    Member

    My OH tells me off for using P's and Q's; it's not so common in other cultures.

    Posted 9 years ago #

  9. Bigjack
    Member

    Yep it's that time of the year again. The canal path is possibly the worst for the uber-brighters angled up towards approaching eyes. Yes, good lights are important on unlit paths but please consider other path users. There are some cyclists who use real overkill with multiple retina-burners on the handlebars and a fair few who also insist on having helmet-mounted front lights in addition which are even worse as they look straight at you meaning you have absolutely no chance of seeing anything either past them or beside them. Unfortunately it all seems to be a result of no regulation/standards for cycle lights anymore and so people just buy whatever the shops are pushing at whatever price in many cases.

    Posted 9 years ago #

  10. stiltskin
    Member

    I now use a small button battery'd LED for use on the NEPN and keep the brighter lights for the road.

    Posted 9 years ago #

  11. Bigjack
    Member

    That's a good idea Stiltskin- your right, full beam is definitely not needed on the NEPN.

    Posted 9 years ago #

  12. steveo
    Member

    I've given up caring, my racers lights are okay not great as they're currently an unshaped beam for off road use. But the number of complaints even on the fixed with its auto dim feature* still gets whinged at so I set things up as socially as possible and just get on with life.

    *slightly under powered dynamo drops in brightness very quickly with speed reduction going to almost off at walking pace, ideal for passing peds on the canal.

    Posted 9 years ago #

  13. steveo
    Member

    I very rarely use the nepn but I expect I'd do the same on light sections when I am using a powerful battery light.

    Posted 9 years ago #

  14. Kenny
    Member

    I don't have as much of an issue with very bright lights in comparison to epileptic fit-causing strobe flashing flare lights, such as on the NEPN below. I mean, I can vaguely understand the reasons for having such a thing on the road, but why on _earth_ have such a light on the NEPN? Alas, the video of this light doesn't do justice to how bad it really was to a human eye. I could barely see afterwards for a few seconds.

    [+] Embed the video | Video DownloadGet the Video Widget

    Posted 9 years ago #

  15. 559
    Member

    Due to approaching speeds, audibility issues, if you do decide to complain to the approaching light owner, you have a very small "complaint window" available to get your objection communicated.

    Posted 9 years ago #

  16. ARobComp
    Member

    I solve this problem and maintain my "too kool for skool" aura by wearing sunglasses at night while on shared use paths. Sure it means I'm blind 80% of the time but it also means that my retinas remain unseared. Plus, my mum thinks I'm cool.

    Posted 9 years ago #

  17. Instography
    Member

    " you have a very small "complaint window" available to get your objection communicated."

    Indeed, so you should keep your response short. Maybe two words. One of them "off".

    Posted 9 years ago #

  18. 559
    Member

    @Instography, agreed

    Posted 9 years ago #

  19. Kenny
    Member

    I can't determine whether ARobComp is being sarcastic, but I do the same. I know my mum does not think I'm cool though.

    Posted 9 years ago #

  20. Snowy
    Member

    @Instography

    'switch...'. Good call.

    I've gone back to using my cree on the canal. Yes, I know. But I'm usually a bit later than the majority (I only passed one cyclist going the other way tonight between E'Park and Harrison Park).

    But wantonly blinding everyone isn't the game. The rubber-bandy fastener thing works really well for dipping. I just tip it forward so it's basically pointing at my wheel when I see someone coming the other way. I don't mind the minor effort.

    However, I'm now wondering if I can construct some sort of horizontal cutoff with a bit of plastic attached to the barrel. Time to see if the glue gun is up to the job...

    Posted 9 years ago #

  21. Arellcat
    Moderator

    …you should keep your response short. Maybe two words. One of them "off".

    Inspector Grim put it quite succintly.

    Edit: The URL was supposed to link to 1'35" in.

    [+] Embed the video | Video DownloadGet the Video Widget

    Posted 9 years ago #

  22. Ed1
    Member

    highbeam off

    Posted 9 years ago #

  23. chdot
    Admin

    "The URL was supposed to link to 1'35" in."

    You added #t=1m35s to the link - but that didn't work.

    Anyone know why?

    #t=1:35 ??

    (Would be very useful to get it to work!)

    Posted 9 years ago #

  24. Dave
    Member

    The nice thing about having a proper road-legal light is you can smugly ignore any complaints, exactly as I would ignore someone who pulled up beside my car and told me they didn't like its lights.

    At the weekend I dug out my collection of cycling caps again. I don't bother shouting at people, just lower my head slightly so that their light can't shine in my eyes (but I can still clearly see the ground).

    Job done.

    Posted 9 years ago #

  25. DaveC
    Member

    I wear a peak cap so I can dip my head at bright lights. I have found asking others to dim their lights gets a rude two word response. SO now I don't bother. If they are coming towards me on my side then they just get run into.

    Posted 9 years ago #

  26. PS
    Member

    Is some of this just down to the fact that the human eye is drawn to points of interest such that the alleged offender can be perfectly considerate in their light choice/setting but the alleged offendee unconsciously looks at the light, with the resulting natural pupil constriction leading to "blindness"?

    When I'm driving at night I try to look at my lane ahead, rather than at the headlights of oncoming cars. I find that helps me see where I'm going.

    Posted 9 years ago #

  27. chdot
    Admin

    "When I'm driving at night I try to look at my lane ahead, rather than at the headlights of oncoming cars"

    But the main difference is that cars have lights that dip 'properly'.

    Posted 9 years ago #

  28. zesty
    Member

    Cycling into work there are a lot of unlit roads so I have quite a bright light, however the beam is pointing 6-10ft in front of me and I still get people complaining.

    I agree with Steveo in that I've given up caring. Most of the complainers are roadies who are tucked down so they are lower down as I'm on a mtb.

    Your not going to please everyone all the time so why bother trying. If its in your eyes then dip your head a little so your helmet visor blocks it, feel free to complain to me but my headphones will block it out!

    I'd care more about where I'm going and what I can see than if you are momentarily blinded (cause your lower down) and cant go in a straight line for 10 meters until you pass me.

    Posted 9 years ago #

  29. PS
    Member

    But the main difference is that cars have lights that dip 'properly'.

    Well, yes. But even when the car lights are dipped, if you look directly at them your night vision is screwed up for a few seconds. Especially nowadays, with car lamps getting brighter. Which is nicely analogous with the brighter bicycle lights.

    I'm not condoning bright bikelights pointing into people's faces, rather trying to explain why a courteously directed bright light might still cause (undeserved) offence.

    Posted 9 years ago #

  30. wingpig
    Member

    "just lower my head slightly so that their light can't shine in my eyes (but I can still clearly see the ground)"

    "If its in your eyes then dip your head a little so your helmet visor blocks it"

    What if there's something ahead of you and behind/beside the overbright light that you want to remain visually aware of?

    ***

    Even if you don't look directly at overbright lights a blurry purple patch a few degrees away from the centre of your field of view can be very irritating, especially when there might be something less extravagantly-illuminated appearing in the same place further down the path.

    Posted 9 years ago #

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