Is anyone else getting annoyed at overly bright lights from other cyclists on cycle paths? That and the strobe setting is truly awful.
I've asked some other cyclists on the Innocent Railway to tilt their lights down.
CityCyclingEdinburgh Forum » General Edinburgh
Blinding bike lights
(41 posts)-
Posted 6 years ago #
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Yep, it's been an ongoing topic here for some years now. The main problem is that most bike lights these days are thrown onto the handlebars as an afterthought and many people don't check the angle their light's pointing. (Switching on with the bike propped against a wall or fence, walking a few metres ahead,turning around, and assessing how dazzling or otherwise it is.) The normal angle is to set it so that it illuminates reflective signs - hence dazzling anyone approaching. As for flashing or strobing, that's even more annoying on paths (not so bad on busy roads) I suspect many chose flashing mode to preserve battery life. Head torch combined with bar mounted light is another over the top set up on shared paths.
Posted 6 years ago # -
i think many choose the flash because they believe it makes them more visible.
and when i cycled on a shared path in the countryside, it was clear that some people were using super lights to allow them to go same speed as in the daytime. eejits.
Posted 6 years ago # -
I agree flash mode makes it more noticeable especially in busy traffic -- but on shared cycle paths? - don't think so. I always wonder too about the warning that "the following report includes flash photography" in most news reports on tv What about "warning , this cycle path includes loads of flashing lights"! I'm assuming the warning is for photosensitive people.
Posted 6 years ago # -
Very interesting article by Chris Juden (ex CTC Technical Officer) :-https://www.cyclinguk.org/blog/chris-juden/bobby-dazzlers
Posted 6 years ago # -
I find very bright lights irritating. I've never been blinded nor had my retinas seared.
Mostly I switch between on and pulse for off/on road purposes, but sometimes I just forget, and if I have my biggest winter gloves on, it's nigh on impossible to do.
Only the other week I had an oncoming cyclist point and my light and bark aggressively at me that my light was "eye level"
His aggressive blatant lying annoyed me more than any oncoming bright/blinking light.
Posted 6 years ago # -
In those sort of situations I always ponder why the other person might have said this.
Posted 6 years ago # -
Likewise. So I look at my light which is on my handlebar (two feet lower than his eye level) pointing down and to the left. Then I ponder why someone thinks aggressively lying to a passing cyclist is a good use of their time.
I usually conclude that there are morons who ride bikes too.
Posted 6 years ago # -
i have read that the flashing lights actually make it harder, not easier, for oncoming road users to gauge distance. i haven't got time to look this up now, but it was to do with the human eye struggling to recalibrate after each bit of darkness.
so if i were going to do with a flasher, i'd have a solid light next to it, and have the flasher slightly less bright.
Posted 6 years ago # -
"A few lamps on the UK market however, are made to conform with German traffic regulations, which limit the intensity of light emitted by a cycle headlamp, above the horizontal, to 200 candela. And an international (ISO) standard for cycle lamps is currently in preparation, which is likely to be adopted by CEN and will consequently replace the present confusion of different national standards for bike lamps in Europe. This ISO closely follows German regulations, including the dazzle limit of 200cd"
That'll be good. Hopefully it'll eventually mean the possibility of finding a battery-powered emergency-spare light with the same beam-shaping as a dynamo-driven Saferide or B&M. All my current battery-powered front spares have to be pointed quite far downwards to be inoffensive.
Posted 6 years ago # -
Even handlebar mounted lights can dazzle quite badly if you're heading downhilland oncoming cyclists are going uphill.
I experienced this quite badly yesterday going up Leamington walk. two cyclists were coming from Warrender direction, down the quite steep/angled path, with incredibly bright lights, even at an angle from me. I accelerated and got past them. Then a less offensive light on a bike coming down the main path. I suspect that this light was not overly bright, and well-positioned, but for me looking up hill it was unpleasant.
Posted 6 years ago # -
I find very bright lights irritating. I've never been blinded nor had my retinas seared.
A velomobile acquaintance of mine in Belgium was recently attacked by a car driver who was aiming a handheld green laser. His retina was seared, and he may not recover full sight in one of his eyes.
Only the other week I had an oncoming cyclist point and my light and bark aggressively at me that my light was "eye level"
Unfortunately for lowlife people like Laid Back and me, on our super reclined machines, car headlights, bus and truck headlights, and pointed-down bike lights are at eye level. It can get very tiring when you're practically blinded at every turn. Remember, too, that sitting behind a recumbent rider is almost as bad, because your headlight is reflected in the mirrors.
Posted 6 years ago # -
When i was run over in Feb while using a 1700 lumens mountain bike light and a smaller body mounted lezyne flashing light the drivers defence barrister argued successfully in court i wasn't adequately lit although my front light exceeded the output of the driver's dimmed headlights ... you cant win
Posted 6 years ago # -
so this evening, while at a stop light i told the cyclist behind me that his flashing light was dangerously bright. i wasn't able to do shoulder checks because i couldn't see anything but his light, and then when i turned back to look front, i still had dazzle.
but on the flip side, his was better than the guy i saw near home, who had no bike lights at all, but rather a tiny red and a tiny white up on his helmet. looked middle aged and middle class, so rather surprising.
Posted 6 years ago # -
i was grumpy at a guy whose light was too bright while he was at the other end of MMW from me. then realised - after passing wing pig and not being able to see him - that my front light was on upside down and pointing up not down. oops.
Posted 6 years ago # -
i managed to shout out to a cyclist that her light had gone completely round the handle bar and was pointing at her jacket. she was happy to hear this while on a side road, not the main one.
Posted 6 years ago # -
I saw a flashing white light in the distance along Seafield Prom, up with which I eventually caught after it turned out to be facing rearwards on someone pedalling in the same direction as me.
Posted 6 years ago # -
Blinder in Inch park. Individual cycling with, I think, some sort of domestic LED array strapped to their handlebars. Retina-searing and not much use for illuminating his/her way.
Posted 6 years ago # -
I guess that these tiny LEDs that give a tiny flash once a second are better than nothing, and perhaps (?) meet the legal requirements, but they are pretty ineffectual. I stepped off the pavement this evening and nearly flattened an all-in-black rider using these things front and back. I had shoulder-checked and got nothing. A second is a long time.
Posted 6 years ago # -
First person covering their eyes as I rode past this evening, it's a bit like Christmas, apparently the four drl lights on the bottom of my b&m dynamo light were dazzling. The sun however was not....
Posted 5 years ago # -
@Steveo - do you have particularly shiny hubs?
Posted 5 years ago # -
Was slightly blinded by Dynamo light this morning. Not hugely sure why it was on coming over the aqueduct
Posted 5 years ago # -
do you have particularly shiny hubs?
Just blingy blue rotor bolts and matching qr, should be gazing longingly not amdram covering eyes!
@gembo I'm willing to accept its not perfectly adjusted but four little leds should not be dazzling.
Posted 5 years ago # -
@steveo, it was not you on aqueduct, that was a largish Dynamo.
Have spotted a few lights on during daylight at the moment. What is this new trend?
Posted 5 years ago # -
Here is a discussion http://www.cyclingweekly.com/group-tests/daytime-running-lights-373627
I have Reelight CIO lights (they use a small magnet on the spoke rather than a hub dynamo). They are meant to be visible in daylight and apparently the visibility is quite good, but they are small, blinky and do not point upwards (unless you actually point them upwards). I'm quite happy with them — they aren't meant to actually light your way, but they solve the 'forgot to charge/forgot to put them on/someone nicked them' problems, which are otherwise a faff for me with the bike being stored outside.
Posted 5 years ago # -
Not hugely sure why it was on coming over the aqueduct
I've not found a reason to switch mine off. Perhaps I should?
I've been using flashing lights during the day for years, so that if a driver says "Sorry, didn't see you", I can even more justifiably raise an eyebrow. Since getting dynamo lights on both bikes, I don't have flashing lights, but haven't found an advantage to switching them off during the day.
Posted 5 years ago # -
Day time lights far less blinding than night time ones
Posted 5 years ago # -
Nah gembo way out of my way these days.
This is mine, tiny little LEDS on the bottom are the only ones that should have been light.
http://en.bumm.de/produkte/dynamo-scheinwerfer/lumotec-iq-cyo-t.htmlPosted 5 years ago # -
Oh arbiter of nepn cycle lighting, I beseech thee reveal thy self...
Posted 5 years ago # -
Did you blind someone this morning, who then shook their fist at you and shouted that they'd tell on you to CCE?
Posted 5 years ago #
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