Brake lights - why not?

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classic33

Leg End Member
:thumbsdown: nahh.... you were meant to be finding a link for brake lights not bike indicators...:laugh:
Comes with a brake light! #8 takes you to these
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Tim Hall

Guest
Location
Crawley
I remember @dellzeqq doing some vigorous thrusting on a FNRTTC once. I think he was demonstrating his deceleration activated brake light, but thought it wise not to enquire too closely.
 

boydj

Legendary Member
Location
Paisley
Brake lights would not be effective on a group ride like a club run. Riders are normally very close to the wheel in front and by the time a brake light has registered the collision will already have taken place. It's important for the riders at the front to call out warnings if braking is necessary and for the riders behind to keep an eye on the road, as best they can, as well as watching the wheel in front so as to anticipate events.

Things happen on bunch rides, though, and even the best riders can come to grief.
 

dellzeqq

pre-talced and mighty
Location
SW2
I did test them on behalf of the manufacturer - a Chinese company. If memory served they used a Sony Wii chip.

As Tim said I took them on the FNRttC and people thought they were pretty good - an aid to safety rather than the complete package...
safety+signals.png


The only problem was that they stopped working when they got wet. Which is when you need them most.
 
D

Deleted member 1258

Guest
Brake lights would not be effective on a group ride like a club run. Riders are normally very close to the wheel in front and by the time a brake light has registered the collision will already have taken place. It's important for the riders at the front to call out warnings if braking is necessary and for the riders behind to keep an eye on the road, as best they can, as well as watching the wheel in front so as to anticipate events.

Things happen on bunch rides, though, and even the best riders can come to grief.

I don't group ride very often these days but did so regularly for a number years, I had two offs due to touching wheels, both times due to the rider in front braking hard and not calling, the problem is reaction times, if someone in the middle of the pack brakes and doesn't call by the time it gets to the back the guys at the back are emergency stopping, from that point of view a brake light would help the people at the back but not those that are close, in general cycling I think the drivers would ignore the brake light just as they ignore hand signals.
 

the_mikey

Legendary Member
Thats exactly the problem. It takes a great deal of wiring. Several companies have created deceleration based lights that come on when it feels the tiny G force. However these have always been quite unreliable

Its better for a rider upfront to shout out an agreed warning call (like "car up/back") or use a quick hand signal well in advance.

Exactly this, in the highway code there is a hand signal for slowing down, use that.
 

the_mikey

Legendary Member
Suddenly?!

GC
In the situation described in the original post, the following cyclist was following too close to the cyclist in front for it to have made a difference, there are risks associated with following the wheel in front on a club run, a red stop light wouldn't necessarily prevent a similar incident in a similar situation.
 

KneesUp

Guru
A few posters have said there is no point because drivers won't expect there to be a light and so won't look - fair enough.

But I just wondered how many of you give the correct flappy-arm slowing down or stopping signal on your bikes? I've never seen anyone do it, and haven't done it myself since I tool my Cycling Proficiency Test in, er, 1985.
 

Dan B

Disengaged member
Exactly this, in the highway code there is a hand signal for slowing down, use that.
And the great thing with that is that by taking your right hand off the bar to wave it up and down, you render yourself unable to brake firmly in the first place, thus ensuring no sudden deceleration so the situation simply doesn't arise.
 

downfader

extimus uero philosophus
Location
'ampsheeeer
A few posters have said there is no point because drivers won't expect there to be a light and so won't look - fair enough.

But I just wondered how many of you give the correct flappy-arm slowing down or stopping signal on your bikes? I've never seen anyone do it, and haven't done it myself since I tool my Cycling Proficiency Test in, er, 1985.

I used to do it up until 12 or so years ago. As you've noted however - so few actually do it now. Motorists certainly didnt undertand it, but then up until about 4-5 years ago they didnt know what a turn signal was on a bike..
 

classic33

Leg End Member
A few posters have said there is no point because drivers won't expect there to be a light and so won't look - fair enough.

But I just wondered how many of you give the correct flappy-arm slowing down or stopping signal on your bikes? I've never seen anyone do it, and haven't done it myself since I tool my Cycling Proficiency Test in, er, 1985.
Last time I used it, I had the driver of the car behind me at the time stop and demand to know why I didn't turn the way I'd indicated. He'd tried coming up my left side for a faster entrance into the junction
Its sort of hard to explain to a police officer, that since the road goes to the right, there's no requirement to signal your intention to stay on the main road.
 

KneesUp

Guru
Last time I used it, I had the driver of the car behind me at the time stop and demand to know why I didn't turn the way I'd indicated. He'd tried coming up my left side for a faster entrance into the junction
Its sort of hard to explain to a police officer, that since the road goes to the right, there's no requirement to signal your intention to stay on the main road.
A police officer didn't understand hand signals and tried to undertake you? Sheesh!
 

classic33

Leg End Member
A police officer didn't understand hand signals and tried to undertake you? Sheesh!
Road goes of to the right, straight on is actually turning left.
His older colleauge, looking back from the passenger side, was grinning like a cheshire cat.

Stopped me from using it again though.
 
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