Are Bicycle Lights Becoming Too Bright?

[BSRU]

The new Magicshine front light is 2000 lumen's and the new DesignShine DS-500, a rear light, is almost 500 lumen's.
Is the bicycle light lumen's arms race getting out of control?

 

[fossyant]

And I thought 85lm of a MJ818 was bright on the back

 

[ianrauk]

I don't think lights are becoming too bright.
It's just those annoying idiots who don't know where to aim the beams.
Nothing worse then getting your retinas burned out by a too high aimed light both front or rear.

 

[skudupnorth]

There's been a few times when i've been blinded by cyclists on my way to college in the car.Being seen is good but annoying motorists and other road users by blinding them is not a good move.

 

[potsy]

I've not seen many people yet with the mega bright lights, but I can see how they could be overkill for a an urban commute.
Saying that I am looking myself for one but only for the unlit sections of my offroad commute,

 

[Stig-OT-Dump]

If you are off road & see a runner / ped coming towards you, please be considerate enough to dip your beam by either angling it or covering the light with your hand. And if any of the cyclists that traipse round Hazelhead Park in Aberdeen read this - having been dazzled too many times by your ignorant behaviour, as well as being forced off the footpath, twisting my ankle on a verge and hitting a wall while dazzled, I will have a go at you next time.

 

[ColinJ]

I was on a forum ride with bromptonfb when he was trying out some mega-bright Hope rear lights. He took a wrong turn and was way ahead of us. I could clearly see his lights in bright sunlight from over a mile away and thought then that they might be too bright at night!

 

[Rezillo]

Are bicycle lights becoming too bright? Not in my opinion but they do need better beam design - even a proper dip setting. Even with the beams aimed low, there is enough top scatter on most of the torches and magicshine-type ones I've seen to dazzle oncoming traffic.

A simple 'prop the bike up and walk down the road to take a look' with my own torches showed just why I was getting flashed. This was with the beam spot only a few metres in front of me and the rest of the road beyond apparently hardly lit.

What is needed is some shaping of the beam as per a dipped car headlight. I stuck a plastic shield across the top of my torch lens, made from the lid of a small plastic pot and sloped to give a better light to the left. Not an ideal solution but it worked.

John

 

[Davidc]

Yes if they don't have properly designed beams to control dazzle.

Having been dazzled this evening by a bike rear light of amazing brighness, which was making it difficult to look properly at the road, I wonder how long before we see some warning actions taken for dazzling other road users (which is an offence).

I also wonder sometimes if excessively bright rear lights may increase the risk of being hit rather than decrease it.

I didn't know Hope made rear lights.

 

[BSRU]

I was on a forum ride with bromptonfb when he was trying out some mega-bright Hope rear lights. He took a wrong turn and was way ahead of us. I could clearly see his lights in bright sunlight from over a mile away and thought then that they might be too bright at night!

I watched a couple of videos for the DesignShine DS-500 rear light, the makers state it can be seen from three miles away on a bright sunny day.

 

[Zoiders]

Stand alone rear units with a single LED are puzzling.

If you search the bay you can find red versions of the emergency services light rigs with the LED light panels, these would be a much better direction to go in.

 

[ufkacbln]

Yes if they don't have properly designed beams to control dazzle.

Having been dazzled this evening by a bike rear light of amazing brighness, which was making it difficult to look properly at the road, I wonder how long before we see some warning actions taken for dazzling other road users (which is an offence).

I also wonder sometimes if excessively bright rear lights may increase the risk of being hit rather than decrease it.

I didn't know Hope made rear lights.

This is the real problem.

The beam of cycle lights is a "complete" beam, a whole circle. Car lights are modified to illuminate the road only

What is really needed is a proper beam pattern.


As for too bright - I use a 900 lumen system and some drivers still can't see it!

 

[pshore]

You'd have thought that all those lumens scattering upwards could be put to use lighting up the ground when on the road.

I have to admit, I like a bit of up lighting when I am off road in the forest as it adds to the context.

 

[HLaB]

As you well know BRSU this guy thinks they are

 

[BSRU]

As you well know BRSU this guy thinks they are

First "complaint" in eighteen months of using a Dinotte 400R, when he started I just thought "FFS don't tailgate me then".
He could not see the irony of the brighter/as bright car brake lights in front of me.