Been flashed a few times

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J4CKO

New Member
Why should owners of prestige German cars have all the fun blinding every fooker !

Tesco 3 W * 2 = £16

4 * Jubilee clips interlocked as a cheap mount £2

4 * rechargeable AA £10

Some serious light for less than thirty quid or less.

I have that set up as well as the Hope, bought it to replace the crappy CatEye Single Shot plus with its disintegrating brackets as a temporary measure but left them on, they light up the side of the trail and I couldnt be arsed taking them off.
 

purplepolly

New Member
Location
my house
I've had my hope vision on full and no-one's protested, but I do keep it angled down. To be fair, your lights may not be as bright as a cars, but they are usually placed higher up on the handlebars - at about eye level for a driver - and lack the focusing of car lights that reflect the beam towards the ground. I think if someone was shining a bright light almost directly into my eyes I might get a little irrate.
 

marinyork

Resting in suspended Animation
Location
Logopolis
J4CKO said:
On the way home last night, I got flashed by three cars, not to let me out but I think to suggest my front light was too bright.

I have a Hope Vision 2, it was set to 3 out of 4 in terms of brightness as I am on unlit roads, its pointed down and to the left to avoid dazzling drivers and so I can see the surface, I need it to see where I am going, are they trying to tell me that it's too bright, should I just think they can p1ss off as how can my little battery light possibly be brighter than the massive retina searing Xenons headlamps as fitted to the Merc that flashed me ?


A ped did say "We only need to see you" as she stepped out into the road with her dog, the irony of her having stepped out, having not seen me was lost on her, as was the fact I need to see where I am goign as well !

Although we should take care not to dazzle others I think it's rich and people just joining in picking on cyclists. As a ped I've been blinded by Xenon and HIDs on full beams for quite a few years. On country lanes drivers frequently blind drivers and cyclists on full beams. I turn my primary light off quite often in such circumstances but it's not reciprocated. It's just one of those things like beeping on dual carriageways, a bit of fun for the petty zealots.
 

purplepolly

New Member
Location
my house
marinyork said:
Although we should take care not to dazzle others I think it's rich and people just joining in picking on cyclists. As a ped I've been blinded by Xenon and HIDs on full beams for quite a few years. On country lanes drivers frequently blind drivers and cyclists on full beams. I turn my primary light off quite often in such circumstances but it's not reciprocated. It's just one of those things like beeping on dual carriageways, a bit of fun for the petty zealots.

+1, although I understand why drivers don't like it, it doesn't mean I'm bothered. I need brights lights so that they don't pull out in front of me so if they find the light too bright it's served it's purpose
 

BentMikey

Rider of Seolferwulf
Location
South London
galaxy1 said:
I'm currently sporting some of those smart led lights which I can just about see by but I still get drivers coming the other way putting their lights on full beam( this really really pisses me off).What I need are some really bright retina burning lights which I can turn right up for these fun ocassions and when its an unlit road.
WHat sort of stuff is available out there which isn't silly money?

A Fenix P3D has the epilepticon setting - turbo mode on strobe. If that doesn't get a driver to dip, nothing will.
 

Tynan

Veteran
Location
e4
if you get flashed by oncoming traffic your lights are badly aligned, fact, no other rerason for that to happen

I know cars with lights on full beam or badly aligned **** me of in the dark, highway code is perfectly clear on this one and coppers do pull drivers for this

having lights that dazzle other road users is not cool in any way at all
 
I nearly had a nasty accident after being dazzled by a cyclist coming in the other direction. It's not big. It's not clever. I know I might come across as a grumpy old man on this one, but there was no need for the cyclist to have had his lights so poorly aligned and so bright for the route he / she was taking.

Courtesy costs nothing, and is worth loads.
 
I got flashed twice within five minutes in Bangkok (ooer) when using the FENIX.

Of course I dipped it after that.
 

purplepolly

New Member
Location
my house
Stig-OT-Dump said:
, but there was no need for the cyclist to have had his lights so poorly aligned and so bright for the route he / she was taking.

Courtesy costs nothing, and is worth loads.

it would help if they made cycle lights which directed the beam downwards like car lights, then you could point the beam futher ahead without it being a problem.
 

Origamist

Legendary Member
Tynan said:
if you get flashed by oncoming traffic your lights are badly aligned, fact, no other rerason for that to happen

The issue is that a lot of people are now using powerful torches or off-road lights on their bikes that do not have lenses adapted for use in traffic. You can certainly angle your light downwards, but this only half solves the problem.
 

SoulOnIce

New Member
Origamist said:
The issue is that a lot of people are now using powerful torches or off-road lights on their bikes that do not have lenses adapted for use in traffic. You can certainly angle your light downwards, but this only half solves the problem.

So what can we do with our high power lights to make it easier for other road users.

And no I don't run with the thing that it is some form of retribution against those horrible car drivers, not least cos I am drive a car. And if we odn;t treat other road users with respect, we can expect it ourselves.
 

Origamist

Legendary Member
SoulOnIce said:
So what can we do with our high power lights to make it easier for other road users.

And no I don't run with the thing that it is some form of retribution against those horrible car drivers, not least cos I am drive a car. And if we odn;t treat other road users with respect, we can expect it ourselves.

Angle them down and slightly to the left and use lower modes where appropriate. You can also mask the top third of the lens (I do this with my P7 torch) to limit spill.

B&M produce lights with specially designed lenses/reflectors for road use.
 
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J4CKO

New Member
I had anticipated that they were bright and may dazzle, hence why they werent on full power, pointed down and to the left, I cannot imagine it is brighter than a cars headlamps, is it not just they expect a little flashy LED and not some actual light, I turn it on to flash in lit areas but on unlit roads it goes on about 2 or 3 of 4 brightness levels, you need to be able to see the road surface, like the debris left on the side of the road by builders in Mobberly, bits of wood, masonry, all enough to have you off if you hit it.

Dont want to dazzle drivers as I dont like it done to me but sometimes I think they just feel the need to make a point.
 
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another_dave_b

Guest
Tynan said:
if you get flashed by oncoming traffic your lights are badly aligned, fact, no other rerason for that to happen

I know cars with lights on full beam or badly aligned **** me of in the dark, highway code is perfectly clear on this one and coppers do pull drivers for this

having lights that dazzle other road users is not cool in any way at all

I second that.
 
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