Self Illumination?

[Midnight]

I am planning of doing just that this year! I also plan to get a big santa hat that can fit over a helmet.

As well as making me more visible, I think that providing some mild amusement to other road users I'm less likely to attract aggression

Something like these? Flashing Hats They also sell some rather fetching Flashing dreadlocks that I think'd suit you Jez

 

[Jezston]

I went through a 'crustie' phase in my teens. Never again.

 

[Number14]

Ay-Up lights are great for self illumination.

Mount on the rear rack and put the red cap on one light, turn the other light right round and point it at your back. You now have a big flashing rear light.

Of course it helps if you can get it to light your back instead of your ar$e like I manage each evening

 

[davefb]

Doesn't work in Portsmouth

I was told by a Taxi driver who pulled out in front of me at point blank range that he had thought I was a motorbike, and as they have good brakes could have stopped quicker, the fact I almost hit him was because bicycles have poorer brakes.

Not of course that pulling out in front of either is a stupid move!

the amount of drivers who work out 'can he stop' instead of 'will he have to slow down' beggers belief... and its getting more and more.

 

[killiekosmos]

I used one of those little, single led lights tied to the zip on my jacket. Dangling down, it provided enough light and reflected off the reflective strip on my hi-viz waistcoat quite effectively

+1 I have a constant front light and attach a flashing yellow LED to my Hi-vis jacket at front. Rear has contant LEd and flashing LED and rear wheel has a spoke light - not too good for wheel balance but very visible side on as it looks like a red disc.

 

[Rhythm Thief]

Just get a hi vis vest. There's no need to start arsing about pointing lights at yourself from all points of the compass.

 

[Jezston]

Hi vis vests don't create their own light, RT. They are still invisible if there is no light pointing at them, and even less so if the user has very bright forward facing lights on their bike.

 

[Rhythm Thief]

Hi vis vests don't create their own light, RT. They are still invisible if there is no light pointing at them, and even less so if the user has very bright forward facing lights on their bike.

No, I know that. But they do make a massive difference to your visibility from the point of view of a driver coming towards you. They can also pick up light from other sources which is then reflected to the eyes of a driver waiting to pull out, say. In my experience, after good lights a hi vis vest is the single best thing a cyclist can do to help themselves get noticed.

 

[gaz]

Putting on my "driver" hat, I can say with confidence, that even the brightest lights are very often confusing to decipher. When a cyclist is riding towards you, with a car behind (them (often with its own high intensity led/zenons) the bike light gets totally lost in the surrounding "Halo". it makes it harder to figure out how far away the bike is (in relation to its following car). None of this is an excuse, Car drivers just need to understand this and take their time to work out what the lights are....problem is, they just dont.

I'd like to see how "self illumination" works in this particular application (whether it also gets lost in the halo of confusion)

In addition, on a dark unlit (or poorly lit road) a bike light is also sometimes hard to work out, I saw a chap on an MTB with two fronts and a helmet light and I honestly (despite having almost identical set up) was confused as to what he was, I mistook him for a work lamp on the traffic island that he was straddling as his main light seemed too "high up" to be a bike. I was shocked that it took me so long to work out he was a cyclist.

If he was self illuminated I know for sure I wouldn’t have been confused.

On this subject, I wonder if consistency is the key and if all bike lights were legally set to a standard height (like cars) and a standard (not common) colour ,,,maybe a coloured tint, would it make it easier to identify a bike at a glance?

A question is, do we want to look like a cyclist?

Whilst i will agree that bike lights can get lost amongst car lights. With a high power light at a different level, it becomes harder for it to get lost.

 

[BentMikey]

Proper lights is the way forward.

 

[Rhythm Thief]

Proper lights is the way forward.

Indeed. One flashing, one constant at each end of your bike.

 

[gaz]

Indeed. One flashing, one constant at each end of your bike, minimum.

FTFY

 

[BentMikey]

That's a bit of a proscriptive imagination. You don't need a setup like that, a quite different one will work very well too.

 

[Rhythm Thief]

Very possibly. But that's what I use and it works for me; it's also the most easily noticed setup from behind the wheel, in my experience.

 

[BentMikey]

My taillight happens to be ~6W LED, or roughly equivalent to 20W of halogen. You'll have to try extremely hard not to see it no matter whether it flashes or not.