Riding at night: a strategy for survival?

ComandanteBanana wrote:
On May 1, 5:24 pm, Jens Müller wrote:

ComandanteBanana schrieb:


Anyway, now my next door neighbor wants to ride at midnight... And he
ain't one of those crazy bums on a Huffy. He even bought a vest with
blinking lights

Args. Please don't use this blinking bull****s. It just distracts other
drivers and makes them focus on the blinking.


So how is it the blinking rear lights are OK? I don't think any solid
light will be strong enough to be seen by drivers who simply aren't
looking for bikes at that time... if they are paying any attention at
all.

If two solid lights are enough to mark every four-wheeled vehicle
smaller than a lorry or bus (assuming they have additional ones on the
upper corners of their backside-silhouette) why then is one not
sufficient to mark a two-wheeler?

Tadej
--
“It is difficult to get a man to understand something when his salary
depends upon his not understanding it.”
Upton Sinclair in The Jungle

On May 1, 5:49*pm, ComandanteBanana wrote:
On May 1, 5:24*pm, Jens Müller wrote:

ComandanteBanana schrieb:

Anyway, now my next door neighbor wants to ride at midnight... And he
ain't one of those crazy bums on a Huffy. He even bought a vest with
blinking lights

Args. Please don't use this blinking bull****s. It just distracts other
drivers and makes them focus on the blinking.

So how is it the blinking rear lights are OK? I don't think any solid
light will be strong enough to be seen by drivers who simply aren't
looking for bikes at that time... if they are paying any attention at
all.

I was told the same thing about having blinking lights on the canoe,
which I fixed.

3M makes some pretty spectacular reflective tape that you can use for
all sorts of situations. For example, I have a black helmet. I put a
strip of the black reflective tape (which reflects white) on the back
of the helmet. During the daytime you can't see it (it just looks
like a piece of electrical tape) but it is BRIGHT during the night.
Anything you can do to increase your visible profile is helpful.

ComandanteBanana schrieb:
On May 1, 5:25 pm, Jens Müller wrote:
ComandanteBanana schrieb:

All those lights are nice so you can see, but to be seen all you need
is that blinking vest. I guess.
Fortunately, that blinking bull**** is illegal, at least here.

Where's that, Germany? What is required there?

A normal, permanently shining light (red on the back, white on the front).

ComandanteBanana schrieb:
On May 1, 5:24 pm, Jens Müller wrote:
ComandanteBanana schrieb:

Anyway, now my next door neighbor wants to ride at midnight... And he
ain't one of those crazy bums on a Huffy. He even bought a vest with
blinking lights
Args. Please don't use this blinking bull****s. It just distracts other
drivers and makes them focus on the blinking.

So how is it the blinking rear lights are OK?

They aren't ok.

On May 2, 1:36*pm, Jens Müller wrote:
ComandanteBanana schrieb:

On May 1, 5:24 pm, Jens Müller wrote:
ComandanteBanana schrieb:

Anyway, now my next door neighbor wants to ride at midnight... And he
ain't one of those crazy bums on a Huffy. He even bought a vest with
blinking lights
Args. Please don't use this blinking bull****s. It just distracts other
drivers and makes them focus on the blinking.

So how is it the blinking rear lights are OK?

They aren't ok.

Wow, I read somewhere they are not OK in Germany, but why?

Hey guys, how about this little light for my Topeak rack?

http://www.topeak.com/products/detail/205

They also have this one...

http://www.topeak.com/products/detail/204

I'm reading in other forums though that some people ride with as many
lights as possible.

Isn't a basic strategy of survival to be seen, no matter what?

rms wrote:
Well, our dinosaurs (SUVs and motorboats) make us get smarter and get
nocturnal.

Take heart: mammals emerged into the sunlight after a worldwide
catastrophe. That catastrophe is occurring right now: slow in man-years
but an eyeblink in geologic time.

In any case, pay close attention to nighttime lighting. Both distance
viewing and depth perception are greatly reduced with cheaper
headlamp/bikelights. $2-300 for a quality high-wattage bikelight system I
don't think would be out of line if you are serious about night-riding,
especially on a fast roadbike.

I wouldn't base the quality on the price. You can spend $200-300 and end
up with low-power lights that aren't suitable for a lot of types of
night riding, and you can spend $60-100 and get something that works
very well.

The short version is a Cree 3W emitter flashlight and a high power LED
tail light that has some side pointing LEDs as well as rear pointing ones.

Just to nitpick, it's old-school to talk about "wattage."

On May 2, 12:47 pm, ComandanteBanana
wrote:
Hey guys, how about this little light for my Topeak rack?

http://www.topeak.com/products/detail/205

They also have this one...

http://www.topeak.com/products/detail/204

I'm reading in other forums though that some people ride with as many
lights as possible.

Isn't a basic strategy of survival to be seen, no matter what?

Roger, too much ain't enough... light it up with as much battery power
as yer willing to carry. But don't stop there, get a dyno hub and
light it up some more. You got to be really bright 'cause motorists
ain't.

Args. Please don't use this blinking bull****s. It
just distracts other drivers and makes them focus
on the blinking.
So how is it the blinking rear lights are OK?
They aren't ok.

=v= You've asserted this three times now. What's the basis?
Are there actual field studies indicating that blinking lights
are a hazard? Have they actually been correlated with greater
danger for cyclists?
_Jym_

On Fri, 02 May 2008 19:36:06 +0200, Jens Müller wrote:

ComandanteBanana schrieb:
On May 1, 5:24 pm, Jens Müller wrote:
ComandanteBanana schrieb:

Anyway, now my next door neighbor wants to ride at midnight... And he
ain't one of those crazy bums on a Huffy. He even bought a vest with
blinking lights
Args. Please don't use this blinking bull****s. It just distracts other
drivers and makes them focus on the blinking.

So how is it the blinking rear lights are OK?

They aren't ok.

Why not?