Dimming lights

[steveindenmark]

I am always surprised how many cyclists just bung lights on bike and never get to see what it looks like from the front.

It sounds like the OP may need to get his Blue Peter lessons in order and make a filter for his light.

 

[Ajax Bay]

If you mount your front light on a fork, that gives you a longer throw on the road surface/gutter/verge (I mount mine on the nearside fork - separate battery) and it keeps the central beam of a powerful light away from drivers' and approaching cyclists eyes, but is still very visible. Quite useful to any rider directly in front too. Just be careful not to poke your fingers into the spokes when operating any buttons and think ahead when switching from low to high power (in my case via flashing and dark modes). I think the 'hand over the top of the beam' action (bar-mounted light) is a nice gesture, though, a bit like waving a greeting, however carefully your light is directed.

 

[mjr]

Just be careful not to poke your fingers into the spokes when operating any buttons and think ahead when switching from low to high power (in my case via flashing and dark modes).

Or I've just put the switch on the handlebars...

 

[dim]

I have one of those powerful cheap Chinese Solarstorm with the 3 lamps:

these are as bright as a Volvo bus's headlights. I need a strong light as I commute on some lanes/cycle paths that have no street lights and very dark

I use the headband, and it works brilliant .... if I want to see a bit further ahead, I tilt my head up slightly .... if another bike approaches, I look to the left or right or down, so as not to blind them. I use mine on the lowest setting (it has 3 settings), and even with that setting, I can maintain speeds on 28-30km on very dark roads. My light was £16 off ebay last year, and I very much doubt than any light that costs approx £100 will be better or brighter

 

[T.M.H.N.E.T]

I have one of those powerful cheap Chinese Solarstorm with the 3 lamps:

these are as bright as a Volvo bus's headlights. I need a strong light as I commute on some lanes/cycle paths that have no street lights and very dark

I use the headband, and it works brilliant .... if I want to see a bit further ahead, I tilt my head up slightly .... if another bike approaches, I look to the left or right or down, so as not to blind them. I use mine on the lowest setting (it has 3 settings), and even with that setting, I can maintain speeds on 28-30km on very dark roads. My light was £16 off ebay last year, and I very much doubt than any light that costs approx £100 will be better or brighter

The brightness of a light (or quoted lumens) is pretty irrelevant if the thing is so bright or hot spotted that the light it gives is unusable.

Some of my clubmates have them, couldn't look back down the group as they just blurred to nothing

 

[MontyVeda]

I reckon it's only a matter of time before the super-bright bike lights are tackled by the authorities. I have one, it points at my front tyre as that's the only position it's not in dazzle-mode. I keep meaning to fettle one of these onto it to sort out the beam pattern.

 

[fossyant]

I reckon it's only a matter of time before the super-bright bike lights are tackled by the authorities. I have one, it points at my front tyre as that's the only position it's not in dazzle-mode. I keep meaning to fettle one of these onto it to sort out the beam pattern.

Those lenses work well. You can also buy self adhesive tape.

 

[ianrauk]

And another twit on this mornings commute. In bright daylight with a strobing flash aimed far too high.

 

[Bazzer]

I have one of those powerful cheap Chinese Solarstorm with the 3 lamps:

these are as bright as a Volvo bus's headlights. I need a strong light as I commute on some lanes/cycle paths that have no street lights and very dark

I use the headband, and it works brilliant .... if I want to see a bit further ahead, I tilt my head up slightly .... if another bike approaches, I look to the left or right or down, so as not to blind them. I use mine on the lowest setting (it has 3 settings), and even with that setting, I can maintain speeds on 28-30km on very dark roads. My light was £16 off ebay last year, and I very much doubt than any light that costs approx £100 will be better or brighter

Some lights are painful/blinding even at a distance. I am not sure why you would want to put something like that around the eye level of another cyclist. A motoring compare would be sitting in low slung sports car where your eyes are level with the headlights of other cars. Even dipped lights coming towards you can be blinding.

 

[fossyant]

This is the sort of light these kick out, which on road is down right dangerous. It's why I used Hope 1's on low for the commute as the beam is quite tight, and I even aimed them down. Below is a 2x LED tiny Yinding (same as the 2x Solarstorm), and my lower powered Ding light (that lights up the ground under the bike as well). That on flash is blinding !

 

[HarryTheDog]

Strobe lights are a pet hate with me as well, blind the cack out of you and I read something that its harder for cars to judge the distance to you, also I worry that cars at side turnings may think you are "flashing" them so they can pull out.
I use a exposure Strada as a main light( theres a light on my fly 12 camera as well but it saps the battery terribly) and on the first 6 miles on my commute its rural with some fast descents so 900 lumen light pointed sllightly down as you need to see a lot of road when approaching 30mph ( recorded 38mph on monday)with leaf mould, potholes and deer as a possible hazard. If something comes the other way it has a separate remote dip button to take the power down. Then its 11 miles of urban road so I turn it down to around 300 lumen slightly lower angle. Then finally 6 miles of cycleway, lowest setting pointed down a lot more. I have to finely tune the mount so its movable but does not slip. So basically I vary the power and angle to the conditions.
I would not trust the old hand covering trick as only one hand on the bars and you may not see something.

 

[Ihatehills]

I have one of those solar storm lights, and am very conscious of the blinding potential. I had a more expensive light that I didn't find bright enough for cycling on unlit country lanes, and from that aspect the chinese light is really good, but I do now point it at the ground if I meet anyone, as my commute is mostly on quiet roads i don't meet many cars so it's a compromise that works for me

 

[Tim Hall]

And another twit on this mornings commute. In bright daylight with a strobing flash aimed far too high.

There was a very bright, splash it everywhere light on the way home last night. I said "My dear fellow, have a care sir, have a care." Or something like that, honest guv.

 

[Jody]

I would usually put my hand over the light if approaching someone off road. I use an X2 also and sometimes it does road duty if out on the tarmac but will generally be pointed at 35-40 degrees. I took a picture for @mjr last time I was out but didn't bother uploading it, as it shows the angle I run at so not to give oncoming traffic too much of a problem.

 

[dim]

The brightness of a light (or quoted lumens) is pretty irrelevant if the thing is so bright or hot spotted that the light it gives is unusable.

Some of my clubmates have them, couldn't look back down the group as they just blurred to nothing

well I can tell you that I have not seen a sub £100 light that is as bright as this. I only paid £16 for mine last year

I travel long distances in pitch dark on unlit cyclepaths and roads. The difference that it makes is that with another light, I'd be cycling between 12-15km per hour vs 25-27 km/hr with this solarstorm.

use mine on the dimmest setting on a headband. It's bright and I can see far. I have a large garden.... (back garden is approx 40m long .... on dim, I can see the neighbour's garden shed very clearly which is approx 50 meters away