On Thursday, June 30, 2016 at 6:19:16 PM UTC-7, sms wrote:
On 6/30/2016 5:30 PM, John B. wrote:
On Thu, 30 Jun 2016 14:15:53 -0700 (PDT), Sir Ridesalot
wrote:
On Thursday, June 30, 2016 at 2:28:59 PM UTC-4, sms wrote:
On 6/29/2016 8:41 PM, Lars Lehtonen wrote:
-----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE-----
Hash: SHA1
If you have the time to wait, you can get really nice lights from France
for the same money:
http://www.xxcycle.com/dynamo-front-...-muller,en.php
Those lights have two issues:
1. The optics are not well suited for bicycling
2. They lack a flash mode
The Planet Bike Blaze dynamo is not the best dynamo light I have, the
MR16 lamp with a Cree MKR LED is better, and more efficient, but the
Blaze dynamo is a nice complete package and one of the only dynamo
lights with full functionality.
Whan are you going to get it through your extraordinarily thick skull that a flashing mode is NOT a necessity on a bicycle light?
Sheesh!
Cheers
Whatever are you saying? Why, everyone knows that a flashing light
protects the cyclist. All over the world you see people riding about
with flashing lights on their bicycles. Even in darkest Africa and on
remote desert islands, flash, flash, flash.
Daytime flash mode is not legally required so in that sense it is not a
"necessity." But given that nearly every battery powered light sold has
a flash mode, it would be exceedingly foolish to not use that capability
during the day, given the evidence of how much more conspicuous it makes
cyclists.
Daytime flash mode is not necessarily legal at all. Flashing white front lights on vehicles are generally illegal in Washington -- which is ten miles from downtown Portland and a place I intend to ride this weekend. They're also illegal under Oregon law, notwithstanding Bob Mionske's opinion to the contrary. See ORS 816.350 "Except as otherwise allowed under this section, all flashing lights are prohibited on all motor vehicles on any street or highway except for turn signals, hazard lights and headlight flashing systems described in ORS 816.050 (Headlights)." Bob says that cyclists are exempt from the lighting requirements for cars, which is true. But he misses the prohibitions -- which do not have an exception for bikes. Flashers are prohibited on "motor vehicles" -- which seems like a slam dunk because bikes aren't motor vehicles, but the VC applies to bikes in the same way as any other vehicle. ORS 814.400(1).
So, at least in Oregon and Washington, flashing front bike lights are probably illegal. Do the cops care . . . apparently not.
Data point on DRLs -- I almost got head-on'd by a car this evening EVEN THOUGH I HAD A FRONT FLASHER ON. I was riding on hard shadows through the hills on the way home tonight, so I put on my front flasher. On my way home in pretty bright light on flatter roads, some ass-wipe chick in the opposite lane pulled right into my lane to go around a turning car. I was lane center in the opposite lane and had to dive to the curb. So much for my magical flasher. That's the closest call I've had in quite a while. Frank and Steve get me killed -- riding lane center with a flasher. I would have been better off as a gutter bunny.
-- Jay Beattie.