apologies for new cycle light....

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runner

Guru
Location
Bristol
If you were one of the 3 riders who were blinded by my cateye nano shot plus this evening on the bath-bristol cycle track...sorry! It's very hard to get the balance right by turning the light down or to the right ....actually I usually tend to turn down and then cover when cycles approach. It would appear my new light is very bright but I could say that for the rest of you....I am quite often blinded by uncoming cyclists....and I am too good natured to call you a nasty name...
 

downfader

extimus uero philosophus
Location
'ampsheeeer
I often cup my hand over the top, too. Even on the lowest settings some Exposure lights can be too bright for others if you're both just approaching the brow of a hill from different directions. There was a bloke that used to ride around these parts with a Magicshine on full rave party strobe, properly angled up into people's faces. Not nice.
 

simongt

Guru
Location
Norwich
On my morning commute there was a cyclist who had FOUR tail lights under his saddle so bright that it was like staring into a car high level brake light. If I was unfortunate to be behind him, I had to drop back to at least 100 metres or I couldn't look straight ahead without being dazzled. On one occasion I was ahead of him and as he came up to me, I said that his rear lights were really too bright for comfort of those behind him. The rider, a man in his fifties, wearing 'proper' cycling kit and on a decent road bike replied 'F**k off - !' It has of course occurred to me that when one fits good bright lights on a bike, how many of us then actually stand some distance in front of / behind the bike and actually see how bright those lights are from another cyclists / drivers viewpoint - ? But was HIS reply really necessary - ?:huh:
 

downfader

extimus uero philosophus
Location
'ampsheeeer
On my morning commute there was a cyclist who had FOUR tail lights under his saddle so bright that it was like staring into a car high level brake light. If I was unfortunate to be behind him, I had to drop back to at least 100 metres or I couldn't look straight ahead without being dazzled. On one occasion I was ahead of him and as he came up to me, I said that his rear lights were really too bright for comfort of those behind him. The rider, a man in his fifties, wearing 'proper' cycling kit and on a decent road bike replied 'F**k off - !' It has of course occurred to me that when one fits good bright lights on a bike, how many of us then actually stand some distance in front of / behind the bike and actually see how bright those lights are from another cyclists / drivers viewpoint - ? But was HIS reply really necessary - ?:huh:

I have in the past ridden with an Exposure Redeye light fitted. Its 80 lumens. Incredible output - but you have to mount it low for common sense.
Great in the day time though. The newer Blaze kind of mitigates that down to 30 lumens on the lowest setting thesedays
 

jonny jeez

Legendary Member
Front lights never bother me but super bright rapid flash (like strobe) rear lights are a friggin nightmare to ride behind, they blind your view of a clear overtake and just annoy other traffic users. I wonder how many people with undiagnosed epilepsy treat these lights. I started to get a headache (literally) riding behind a guy on the way to work the other day, every time I passed he crept to the front again at the lights. I had to have a word with him in the end.
 

jonny jeez

Legendary Member
On my morning commute there was a cyclist who had FOUR tail lights under his saddle so bright that it was like staring into a car high level brake light. If I was unfortunate to be behind him, I had to drop back to at least 100 metres or I couldn't look straight ahead without being dazzled. On one occasion I was ahead of him and as he came up to me, I said that his rear lights were really too bright for comfort of those behind him. The rider, a man in his fifties, wearing 'proper' cycling kit and on a decent road bike replied 'F**k off - !' It has of course occurred to me that when one fits good bright lights on a bike, how many of us then actually stand some distance in front of / behind the bike and actually see how bright those lights are from another cyclists / drivers viewpoint - ? But was HIS reply really necessary - ?:huh:
You perhaps should have used a different approach when you spoke to him. I didn't get any drama, actually had a good chat, when I had to have a word. People don't like to be criticised by total strangers, I know I wouldnt and my natural instinct would most likely be to reject them...even if they had a point.
 

downfader

extimus uero philosophus
Location
'ampsheeeer
Front lights never bother me but super bright rapid flash (like strobe) rear lights are a friggin nightmare to ride behind, they blind your view of a clear overtake and just annoy other traffic users. I wonder how many people with undiagnosed epilepsy treat these lights. I started to get a headache (literally) riding behind a guy on the way to work the other day, every time I passed he crept to the front again at the lights. I had to have a word with him in the end.

Epilepsy isnt really ever going to be a problem from these lights. IIRC only about 4% of all epileptics suffer from photo-epilepsy - and epilepsy itself is pretty rare.

However such a light is a problem in another way. It is broadly distracting and that is a problem on a busy road.
 
OP
OP
runner

runner

Guru
Location
Bristol
If I have my light wrongly angled and it goes straight in the sight of incoming cyclists then I accept their f*ck off with no malice as I would feel the same if it was done to me....but as I said above i'm too polite to say so...
 

simongt

Guru
Location
Norwich
You perhaps should have used a different approach when you spoke to him. I didn't get any drama, actually had a good chat, when I had to have a word. People don't like to be criticised by total strangers, I know I wouldnt and my natural instinct would most likely be to reject them...even if they had a point.
What I'd actually said to the manny was that his lights were a bit on the bright side for those behind him. As he obviously took that as a criticism, maybe he should have his blood pressure checked - ?:becool:
 
On my morning commute there was a cyclist who had FOUR tail lights under his saddle so bright that it was like staring into a car high level brake light. If I was unfortunate to be behind him, I had to drop back to at least 100 metres or I couldn't look straight ahead without being dazzled. On one occasion I was ahead of him and as he came up to me, I said that his rear lights were really too bright for comfort of those behind him. The rider, a man in his fifties, wearing 'proper' cycling kit and on a decent road bike replied 'F**k off - !' It has of course occurred to me that when one fits good bright lights on a bike, how many of us then actually stand some distance in front of / behind the bike and actually see how bright those lights are from another cyclists / drivers viewpoint - ? But was HIS reply really necessary - ?:huh:

You should have :boxing:ed him!
 
Not exactly commuting, but a fairly regular run for me for both business and leisure, is through the Two Tunnels route in Bath. I am constantly bewildered by the people who insist on riding through it with photon death-rays set to 'kill all life-forms' despite the perfectly adequate lighting in the tunnels. I don't bother remonstrating, just hold up a shielding hand, palm out as if sheltering from paparazzi and hope they get the point.

The other day however, I found myself in the middle of the tunnel, and passing a large group of young children who were on an organised ride. Of course, they had all decided that the thing to do was to try out their 'new for Christmas' lights, which were naturally, aimed in every possible direction, from up at the ceiling to straight into my face.

Happy to see new cyclists, I gave a resigned sigh and raised my hand to the customary position, from which I could peer out and see enough of the left hand wall to navigate. Glancing up to check if I had reached the tail of the crocodile, I saw the two adults acting as 'sweepers' looking curiously at me. 'Why is he doing that?' one of them asked her colleague, 'Oh, I expect he's embarrassed' the other one replied . . .
 

oldstrath

Über Member
Location
Strathspey
What I'd actually said to the manny was that his lights were a bit on the bright side for those behind him. As he obviously took that as a criticism, maybe he should have his blood pressure checked - ?:becool:
Of course he may in the past have used more 'sociable' lights and discovered that motorists ignore them/claim not have seen them, and feel much safer with these. I know that has happened to me in the past, but never since fitting bright tail lights. I know that with my history I'd be a bit irritated by criticism of my choices, though I agree the swearing was wrong.
 
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I had a complaint about mine...

Then pointed out politely that on the unlit track it enabled me to see muppets wearing dark clothing and with no lights

Just like the guy complaining
 
OP
OP
runner

runner

Guru
Location
Bristol
Not exactly commuting, but a fairly regular run for me for both business and leisure, is through the Two Tunnels route in Bath. I am constantly bewildered by the people who insist on riding through it with photon death-rays set to 'kill all life-forms' despite the perfectly adequate lighting in the tunnels. I don't bother remonstrating, just hold up a shielding hand, palm out as if sheltering from paparazzi and hope they get the point.

The other day however, I found myself in the middle of the tunnel, and passing a large group of young children who were on an organised ride. Of course, they had all decided that the thing to do was to try out their 'new for Christmas' lights, which were naturally, aimed in every possible direction, from up at the ceiling to straight into my face.

Happy to see new cyclists, I gave a resigned sigh and raised my hand to the customary position, from which I could peer out and see enough of the left hand wall to navigate. Glancing up to check if I had reached the tail of the crocodile, I saw the two adults acting as 'sweepers' looking curiously at me. 'Why is he doing that?' one of them asked her colleague, 'Oh, I expect he's embarrassed' the other one replied . . .

that long tunnel is amazing cycled when it first opened and thought the classical music midway was brilliant...
 
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