CityCyclingEdinburgh was launched on the 27th of October 2009 as "an experiment".
IT’S TRUE!
CCE is 15years old!
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RULES No personal insults. No swearing.
Only about fifteen people on the NEPN on my way home last night with illumination in the Golidlocks zone; the remaining thirty-odd were more over- than under-illuminated.
One reason for wanting to get round to re-fitting a Phillips Saferide is that my Lumotec's well-defined isosceles trapezium's top two corners look in danger of being tweaked over number-plate level as the handlebars swivel.
Last night was bonkers. Issued a second 'Blinder!' (© gembo) of the season probably to the same person as before, who seems to be using burning magnesium taper to light their progress - intense, totally unfocussed ball of fire.
Worst though, was a guy apparently using an EasyJet life jacket for his lighting system. Minute glowlamp on his right shoulder, which was bad enough but he had an evil, totally unlit twin lurking just behind him. Issued a totally spontaneous 'Jesus wept!' as we brushed sleeves in the gloaming, which is worrying as it's what my old man says. Seem to have internalised the old git and he sneaks out when I'm scared.
You could try shouting "DIM!", pitching it somewhere between imperative and adjective. I've been varying between "Can you point that down a bit, please? It's too high and too bright" where time allows and "WAAAAAAYYYYYY TOO BRIGHT" when the hyper-illuminatreant inhabits the same physical body as one of these people who steams south up the Roseburn as fast as possible.
I'm sticking to the road from now on. Innocent path this morning, in daylight, and just as someone passes they virtually mutter, "Your light's too bright," with no chance to respond as they're going downhill and I'm heading up towards the tunnel with a particularly heavy pannier load. I wish I'd pithily thought of, "You turn down your brought yellow jacket," at the time.
This isn't even an insanely lumened eye scorcher of a light. Never had this with my really powerful Hope Vision 1, or when testing ridiculously powerful Minewt lights. Definitely roads from now on.
The solution to this nonsense is to put lights on the towpath. Above the towpath I mean. The ones in the ground have just encouraged nocturnal stealth strolling. It's almost like no one will spend money on any route a car can't use.
I can't have seen it because it's crazy, but last night my visual cortex reported a fella on an MTB with one rubbish blinky on the handlebars and a second, slightly better blinky on the top tube about two thirds of the way towards the saddle. Being an MTB this meant his legs would 'only' have been obscuring it three quarters of the time.
I engaged with a chap on the canal the other day who was running both white and red flashers on his seatpost, leaving me in doubt about which way he was going.
He was Italian though, so I left him to it, grateful that he was using any form of lighting at all.
I had my blinker on when using the NEPN yesterday as my cateye 300 was on low battery, lasts much longer on blinker mode.
Having reading the posts, I am guessing a 300 lumen cateye is not overly bright although possibly it’s the angle that matters most. What I wondered what of using the blinker at all, on paths the strobe effect has to be annoying, I only sore one other person with the blinker on.
Seriously, WTF is someone doing with a light flashing like this on the NEPN? I had to shield my eyes from it, because it was quite literally blinding me. The light without the flashing is _clearly_ bright enough to make other path users aware you are there.
If you suffer from photosensitive epilepsy, seriously don't watch this video.
Actually, I'd agree with you on flashers on the paths. Erm. Yes. I've had a couple of blinders recently, but hey, just go by and fine - the ones that really make me wonder are the high powered blinkies, as much as anything because one really snuck up on me a couple of days ago. Looked miles away, then suddenly coming straight at me (in the middle of the damned path!) just 5 yards or so away.
The other thing with those is how can you accurately see where you're going?
Anyway, my light is now angled further down. Not so good for me seeing my route, but no complaints so far.
I passed a couple of riders in the park near Murrayfield yesterday and had no idea where they were, only that I was riding towards some kind of UFO explosion. Luckily as I bother to wear a cap other riders' lights never get in my eyes, but nevertheless I usually like to know roughly where they are, rather than cycling (or driving) at them blindly!
Very odd behaviour.
In other news, I still have one regular moaner on NEPN. S/he's going to have a long tedious winter... it amuses me all the more because more than half of my commute is actually unlit, so I know very well that my dynamo cut-off light is pointing well down, since I can see the razor line on the ground and vegetation roughly two car lengths ahead.
I've been wondering about learning to recognize said moaner (they always shout on the way past, when I have no chance to figure out who it is) then I may start to un-dip my light for them.
Dave - do you really think that someone would bother to shout at you every day if your lights weren't getting in their eyes?
Dave, you cant win, mine although bright are angled well down and two incidents yesterday made me wonder about the effectiveness of lights full stop - on way to work (darkness) a motorbike pulled in front of me, then on way home (again dark) a pedestian with a dog on extendable lead walked right across broomhouse path in front of me - I emergency stopped, he apologised, said the classic car driver SMIDSY then wondered why I was giggling to myself.
SRD - the lights definitely aren't in anyone's eyes.
I can't remember if you have a dynamo or not, but it's really obvious where the line is (even on NEPN) and in my case the light hits the ground a couple of car lengths in front - i.e. the light is tilted forwards compared to how I would have it for an audax bike or something used on the open road.
I think it's more likely that there is someone who just shouts at everyone with a vaguely bright light, since I pass about a hundred riders each day who say nothing.
The light is certainly bright, but then again it's specifically designed and regulated for use on continental paths very similar to NEPN, so what's a man to do?
Consider that you need two lights or one adjustable, one set for NEPN where the oncoming is very close, with the other for road use set higher essentially aiming at the car drivers eye line.
"...essentially aiming at the car drivers eye line..."
Nnnnooo. Car drivers need to be able to look directly enough at things to be able to accurately judge their speed/distance too. A weaker light for lit-path-use is reasonable, if a main light is still bright enough outside of it's razor-sharp cut-off to be annoying.
@wingping understand your point, and partially agree, but the other aspect is if the driver is unclear as to your position they will slow down.
Finally had my first couple of absolute blinders on the NEPN around Craigleith on Wednesday between 16:45 and 16:50. Couldn't see anything at all once they got about a few car-lengths away from me - just a total visual white-out.
It was rather frightening and not something I want to experience again now that the nights have drawn in.
Seriously, you should get a cap. Planet X will sell you one for a couple of quid.
I just look down a tiny bit so that an oncoming rider's lights are above the rim of my cap, and if anything, it's easier to see where I'm going than before because their own light adds to mine on the ground.
Especially on the canal, I find this great because you're literally riding straight towards each other but no matter how bright the light, you can happily see where you're riding.
Lots of points to the clever chap I observed passing Haymarket yesterday evening, who had mounted a small, white Low-power LED light on his handlebars, facing back towards himself, thereby lighting up his hi-viz jacket like an enormous cycling glow worm. Maximum visibility, minimum hazard to other people needing to use their eyes.
@kappers
I like that idea, a bit like the lights on a plane that light up the tail.
"lighting up his hi-viz jacket like an enormous cycling glow worm"
Sounds good.
There has been previous discussions about red and white light on front and/or rear.
I noticed on MMW the other day bikes with 'front facing red lights'. Except that it turned out to be normally positioned rear lights with a lot of spill.
@kaputnik
Clever. I think I'll try that - need to get an emergency front light anyway. Had to turn back this morning as I'd left the low orbit photon canon on the charger.
just reminded me to stick the back one on charge. Merci beaucoup
Managed a great BLINDER today
both going slowly on Towpath at Harrison Park neaar the barge cafe. I was able to put my hand up as a shield to his shining orb for good couple of seco0nds then shout in jolly way BLINDER as he passed.Will also change battery on one on my helmet. Have wee Skully in desk drawer for even further emergencies.
I used to have a Red LED pointed at my back from the handle of the trailer when using it. Worked well with the Hi-Viz from what my wife said.
Lots of points to the clever chap I observed passing Haymarket yesterday evening, who had mounted a small, white Low-power LED light on his handlebars, facing back towards himself, thereby lighting up his hi-viz jacket like an enormous cycling glow worm
Yes! I saw him (or someone with the same idea) today:
Makes sense!!
It does. He was extremely easy to spot, but the light was gentle on the eyes. I do wonder how distracting it is for him, though?
NEPN wasn't too bad on the way home, apart from the two ultrashiny turnips at the end:
So my Blaze light has given up, and is fit for the bucket. Therefore, for the past few days, I have been investigating a replacement light, which I shall get for my birthday. And it arrived, courtesy of Amazon, today. It's a Moon XP500, with (you guessed it) 500 lumens.
Now, my current working light has 220 candlepower, and I thought it was reasonably bright. The new light arrived at work and I put it on (purely for testing purposes, clearly - my birthday is still many weeks away) in the kitchen to see how bright it was. Seemed fairly bright, but nothing spectacular.
However, this evening, I tried it out in the dark. And holy crap, I now understand the warnings about not running this thing on a street (or, even worse, on a cyclepath) pointed upwards in any way - this thing is ridiculously dazzling. I had it pointed right at the ground and stood some way away from it and yet it was still unbelievable.
My plan had been to run it on the lowest setting (120 lumens, I think), mainly because I figured that would be bright enough on the roads and it would mean that it would run all week without needing a re-charge. That's totally what I will be doing too, having seen how bright it is!
But in the context of this thread, it now explains to me what occasional cyclists have on their bikes that blinds us. Even with this thing pointed at my front wheel, it was still dazzling when on the full 500 setting! Therefore, I can only guess that some people assume that the light pointed down will mean it doesn't dazzle people, but the brief testing I did with this light shows that such lights can still be a menace if left on such a power, irrespective of where it is pointed.
(YMMV, of course, depending on your light and its cut-off settings. You'll see from Moon's web site that it has different "spot" and total angles, which I could tell when shining the light in the pitch dark; there is a definite brighter centre, with a much less aggressively lit wider area of light. Goodness only knows what it would be like if I was looking at it while standing in the "spot" angle...)
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