Rear light etiquitte advice wanted.

Dear Bicycling Abbys:
When riding at night I am often passed (almost never is it the other
way around) by other cyclists whose rear LED lights are dim, sometimes
to the point of barely being visible. What is the preferred method of
alerting them to the need for a battery change?
Signed:
"In the Dark in San Diego" (Robert Leone ).

Riders in your town use lights at night !? How odd. Never seen
anything like that around here. But then we don't know that there are
riders out there till we pull over to see what the scraping noise under
the truck is............

Seriously, just tell them as they pass by. That's what I'd like to
happen if I were the one with the dim tail.
==================
Leon McAtee
from the land that time - and sanity - passed by

sd / msg
.com dtd 16 Oct
2005 08:23:51 -0700:

When riding at night I am often passed (almost never is it the other
way around) by other cyclists whose rear LED lights are dim, sometimes
to the point of barely being visible. What is the preferred method of
alerting them to the need for a battery change?

Simple: you bid them a cheery good evening as they pass, and if the
light is dim call "hey, friend, your battery is nearly out!". I can't
believe that any meaningful proportion of light-using cyclists would
resent this, I certainly would not.

Guy
--
May contain traces of irony. Contents liable to settle after posting.
http://www.chapmancentral.co.uk

85% of helmet statistics are made up, 69% of them at CHS, Puget Sound

wrote in message
ups.com...
Riders in your town use lights at night !? How odd. Never seen
anything like that around here.

Maybe not among POB. But every December I do a little hard-core commuter
census. I count the number of bikes I see on the I-90 trail, from Factoria
to Rainier, coming the other direction. For data consistency, I try to do
the census at about the same time (7:00 - 8:00 AM on a December morning),
and under the same conditions (under 40 degrees but above freezing, in the
rain, and of course for those hours, in the dark). I figure anyone riding in
December, during the darkest time of year, in the rain, when it's under 40
degrees, are all year-round, consistent commuters. I typically count about
20 bikes for the 8 or so mile stretch. Only once have I ever seen anyone
without lights.

Seriously, just tell them as they pass by. That's what I'd like to
happen if I were the one with the dim tail.

Since I'm as slow as a slug on a lettuce leaf, by the time I'd notice their
dim tail light, they'd be long-gone before I'd have a chance to call out,
and I would have difficulty catching up to let them know.

--
Warm Regards,

Claire Petersky
Personal page: http://www.geocities.com/cpetersky/
See the books I've set free at:
http://bookcrossing.com/referral/Cpetersky

wrote:
Dear Bicycling Abbys:
When riding at night I am often passed (almost never is it the other
way around) by other cyclists whose rear LED lights are dim, sometimes
to the point of barely being visible. What is the preferred method of
alerting them to the need for a battery change?
Signed:
"In the Dark in San Diego" (Robert Leone ).

Paintball

wrote:
Dear Bicycling Abbys:
When riding at night I am often passed (almost never is it the other
way around) by other cyclists whose rear LED lights are dim, sometimes
to the point of barely being visible. What is the preferred method of
alerting them to the need for a battery change?
Signed:
"In the Dark in San Diego" (Robert Leone ).


Don't bother. Everyone must notice how bright their lights are when they
turn them on. Nagging doesn't make the world a better place.

"Peter Cole" wrote in message
...
wrote:

When riding at night I am often passed (almost never is it the other
way around) by other cyclists whose rear LED lights are dim, sometimes
to the point of barely being visible. What is the preferred method of
alerting them to the need for a battery change?

Don't bother. Everyone must notice how bright their lights are when they
turn them on.

Not necessarily. Someone might turn them on in the brightness of their
well-lit garage, or even in a well-lit parking lot, where it's hard to tell.
Or they turn them on when they leave the office when it's still light. The
difference between OK lights and fading lights is hard to discern under
these conditions.

I'll turn on my headlights during the day in the rain, and sometimes the
only way I can tell they're on is by passing my hand in front of the bulb.


--
Warm Regards,

Claire Petersky
Personal page: http://www.geocities.com/cpetersky/
See the books I've set free at:
http://bookcrossing.com/referral/Cpetersky

On Mon, 17 Oct 2005 13:57:35 GMT, "Claire Petersky"
wrote:

"Peter Cole" wrote in message

Don't bother. Everyone must notice how bright their lights are when they
turn them on.

Not necessarily. Someone might turn them on in the brightness of their
well-lit garage, or even in a well-lit parking lot, where it's hard to tell.
Or they turn them on when they leave the office when it's still light. The
difference between OK lights and fading lights is hard to discern under
these conditions.

I'll turn on my headlights during the day in the rain, and sometimes the
only way I can tell they're on is by passing my hand in front of the bulb.

Or the light is bright at turn on, but goes dim, due to a weak
battery. If I reach back and turn on my blinky, while on the bike, all
I can tell is if it is on.
Don't tell them twice, that might be nagging.

Like most topics, it is how you say it, as well as what you say. Tell
them in a friendly, caring way, and only a jerk will react badly.


Life is Good!
Jeff

wrote: (clip) What is the preferred method of alerting
them to the need for a battery change?
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
The question was posed about someone passing YOU. Usually, when I get
passed, there is not really enough time to make observations about the
rider's lights or any possible mechanical problems, and then decide it would
be appropriate to tell them about it. By the time you formulate the idea
and the message, it would probably require shouting.

OTOH, on those few occasions when I pass someone else, there is ample
opportunity to observe,, and the passing speed can be adjusted so that it is
easy to talk. I would start by saying, "Excuse me, but I couldn't help
noticing..." The age, gender, appearance and demeanor of the rider will
have a lot to do with the rest of it.

"Claire Petersky" wrote in message
ink.net...

wrote in message
ups.com...
Riders in your town use lights at night !? How odd. Never seen
anything like that around here.

... Only once have I ever seen anyone without lights.

Maybe that's Seattle, but not Chicago. On my winter commute, I amuse myself
by counting cyclists with/without front lights. It's almost always well
under 50% with lighting.

The brilliant street lighting on the main arteries means you don't need
lights to see, but you still need lights to be seen.

I've had people tell me my rear blinky is getting dim, and appreciated their
concern. In the dark shed in the morning, things seem brighter than they do
on the street.