Just a brief thanks to the fellow cyclists who don't seem to realise or care about oncoming cyclists and pedestrians.
Last night as I cycled west on the canal tow path around 5:30 at Meggetland two such numpties approached me in quick succession. I asked each in tun if they could dim their aircraft searchlights to which the first reply was " f### off" while the second one's response was f### off you f####ing a####hole"
Charming, and Merry Christmas to them as well!
Nuff said.
CityCyclingEdinburgh Forum » Infrastructure
Those excessively bright/badly adjustedfront lights yet again!!!
(33 posts)-
Posted 9 years ago #
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So you pushed them in the canal?
Posted 9 years ago # -
I've been giving serious consideration to mounting my off road major antisocial lights to my wrist when running just so that I can give super flashers and badly adjusted twonks an indication of how annoying it is. >2000 lumens in the face should make the point...
Posted 9 years ago # -
You could write "
WAY TOO HIGH/BRIGHT" in retro-reflective tape on a board, for mounting at above handlebar height for journeys along the NEPN and canal at night. Could also be mounted on the back of the head for those people whose presence behind you is announced by the appearance of your shadow on overhanging trees or the reflections from signs eight feet above the ground at junctions.Posted 9 years ago # -
"2000 lumens in the face should make the point"
Probably not, just confirm to them that bright lights are 'normal'.
Posted 9 years ago # -
I found myself behind a cyclist with a dazzlingly bright and pulsing rear light on my way home along the towpath last night. They were held up by slower moving traffic on the Slateford Aqueduct which allowed me to close the gap relatively safely and then go for an overtake along Meggetland (strangely the light wasn't as bad close up so its main beam was presumably quite focussed), partly because I was cycling faster than them anyway but partly also to point out that their light was rather too bright.
Posted 9 years ago # -
Probably not, just confirm to them that bright lights are 'normal'.
Probably. Though the plan was to only activate them when said twonk was closer then off again. I wonder if I could carry an audi head lamp...
Posted 9 years ago # -
I'm amazed none of the cycling companies have done a car type light with two LEDs where the dipped beam is always on and a full beam controlled by a switch with the option to press briefly for a flash or hold to lock on / off. Given many lights now have two really bright LEDs it would seem a great alternative to having multiple power levels.
Posted 9 years ago # -
I wonder if I could carry an audi head lamp...
Camera flash gun?
Posted 9 years ago # -
@tk I'm pretty sure lights manufacturers don't give any thought to the use or usability of their lights. My latest shopping trip revealed that Lezyne's main contender had something like EIGHT OPERATING MODES. Why would I ever need such things?!? Presumably they can be made to pulse in time to your favourite style of music.
Posted 9 years ago # -
I'm amazed none of the cycling companies have done a car type light with two LEDs where the dipped beam is always on and a full beam controlled by a switch with the option to press briefly for a flash or hold to lock on / off.
I would really like that for mine. Trying to scroll down to the lowest level on an icy Innocent with cold gloved hands can be quite tricky.
Posted 9 years ago # -
Camera flash gun?
Ah now you're talking!! :D
Trying to scroll down to the lowest level on an icy Innocent with cold gloved hands can be quite tricky.
My Leyzene has a "race" mode which cycles between high and low avoiding messing around with mid and flash, presumably for off-road events where you'd want low on the climbs and every available photon for descents. Its not quite so useful on the road as sometimes mid is quite handy but I'd never use it on flash.
Posted 9 years ago # -
My Lezyne is attached with a rubber strap - makes it easier to dip down when people coming the other way.
Also easy to change between high and low settings, flash etc. I use a flashing light on the roads, low light dipped on bike paths, bright light on the super-dark part of the Innocent.Posted 9 years ago # -
Well jdanielp I think you may be expecting too much in thinking that consideration should be given to a following stranger.
It is far too common now that cyclists riding in a group with "friends" seem to feel that it is appropriate, let alone discourteous at best, to use overly bright and/or flashing lights.
What chance then any thought being given to you or me?
Posted 9 years ago # -
Vice versa, I was being followed the other night by someone with a massively bright flashing front light. I'd passed them and much to my irritation they speeded up to sit on my wheel. The brightness of their flashing light overwhelmed my own (non flashing) lights to the point that I was at the point off having to stop to let them get in front again. Fortunately a junction intervened and our paths diverged.
Posted 9 years ago # -
I think the battle to get everyone to use dim lights / multiple lights / change modes / physically re-adjust their light was probably lost years (decades?) ago.
I like just having a peak so I'm not dazzled by anything (tilt your head forward so the light source is behind the peak - you can still see miles of the surface coming up).
Flashing front lights so you can't easily work out where the oncoming rider actually is, that is a LOT more annoying than a light which is a little bright IMO.
Posted 9 years ago # -
The non-h*lm*t*d can get the same effect by wearing peaked headgear such as a bunnet, a baseball cap, etc.
Posted 9 years ago # -
"I'm amazed none of the cycling companies have done a car type light with two LEDs where the dipped beam is always on and a full beam controlled by a switch with the option to press briefly for a flash or hold to lock on / off."
Luxos IQ2 U does exactly that. And charges your phone from the switch :)
Also has daytime running lights, to continue the car-type-ness
http://www.darkerside.org/2013/11/luxos-iq2-u-dynamo-headlight-review/
Posted 9 years ago # -
"I'm amazed none of the cycling companies have done a car type light"
In any case, even if you have such a light, there's no guarantee it will satisfy oncomers.
I've been using cut-off beam lights for as long as I can remember, and since every commute has an unlit section I can see the light is well aligned, but every so often I still get a "shouter". I just figure they will gradually succumb to blood pressure...
Posted 9 years ago # -
I almost forgot about a new entrant I spotted in the Light Wars. Last week a woman was pushing a buggy towards me on the pavement and the buggy was fitted with a pair of searchlights.
They will be everywhere by next winter.
Posted 9 years ago # -
When dazzled I can often become 'disoriented and veer all over the place' which seems to have the required effect on most over bright lighted road users - it also makes the point to be shading my eyes with one hand as I veer like a moth towards the source of the light.
Posted 9 years ago # -
Another new entrant in the Light Wars. Two in fact. A woman running along South Bridge with a very bright head torch on. Then later on, near my street, two more women running, one also with a head torch. Freaked me out as they came up behind me and I saw the light bobbing and didn't know which way to move. Since when did it become de rigueur to wear a head torch when running in streetlit places?
Posted 9 years ago # -
Totally agree Min; but it is possible to run somewhere unlit and forget to turn ones headtorch off when one returns to lit roads. The WTF person I saw the other day was running on the pavement wearing a green LED armband. Possibly useful on the towpath, but on a pavement nowhere near the towpath?
Posted 9 years ago # -
It didn't seem possible in these cases for the wearers not to have noticed given the bright white light they were casting!
Posted 9 years ago # -
Have seen quite a few joggists with the LED arm bands, pretty useful I think as the arm movement of a jogger is distinctive and it draws your eye/attention to them. Given the likelihood of a jogger to suddenly change direction without notice (I find it's only hardened cyclists who forget they're off the bike who run down the road making hand signals before turning), it's good to be able to pick them out.
Posted 9 years ago # -
The Roseburn path roller-skier's head-torch had an initially-puzzling pattern of movement.
Posted 9 years ago # -
(I find it's only hardened cyclists who forget they're off the bike who run down the road making hand signals before turning)
I thought it was just me! Also shoulder checking before changing direction even when walking on the BH path.
Posted 9 years ago # -
"Freaked me out as they came up behind me and I saw the light bobbing and didn't know which way to move. "
Dogs with lights can be really freaky
Posted 9 years ago # -
@kaputnik but why do you need to be able to see joggers?
Posted 9 years ago # -
@fimm as noted above, joggers on pavements (or shared path) may suddenly change direction as they dodge dogs/pedestrians/puddles etc. with much more rapidity than a pedestrian. They may often in my experience be in "the zone" and perhaps not paying quite so much attention as to what's behind/infront/to side of them.
I've almost been caught out a few times by joggers launching themselves off of pavements without looking to either divert around an obstruction or to cross the road. I also had a jogger run into the side of me once as we both crossed a toucan crossing on the Broomhouse path. We were alongside and he suddenly made a left turn into me as he decided to change his route (or suddenly became aware of where he was on his route and that he was about to miss his turn).
So it's good to keep an eye out for them and be aware.
Posted 9 years ago #
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