Bright enough?

[leemo]

So I've decided to splash out on a Niterider Minewt USB which has 150 lumens for the front. Its £80 but I can afford it and it gives me piece of mind so I think its worth it.



I forgot my wife has a SMART Superflash 0.5Watt which she doesnt use, so thats going on the back.

I also bought two white backupz blinkers to accompany the two red ones I already have on my helmet.

Finally I bought a pair of spoke lights for the front wheel to help with the side visibility. I wasnt sure whether they were any good as I dont see many people with them, but actually that makes them quite eye catching; I think they're a good idea!

So thats a total of 8 lights!!! Bright enough? I should hope so. If I have any more it will take too long to turn them all on and off so I'll leave the cateyes on my old bike.

 

[ufkacbln]

I have an Exposure Enduro Maxx at 720 lumens - and Portsmouth Taxi drivers can't see it!

 

[pwh91]

I've just bought one of these to try out:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Nite-Ize-Spokelit-Bike-Light/dp/B001SN8IUM

Tonight was the first time tried out in anger and it's certainly attracted some attention from the motorists joining the road from the left, I think they thought a UFO was travelling along the road. I'm not sure I can say any more for now since my experience is limited but it seems like an ideal way to make yourself seen side-on - but how such a cheap piece of kit will last the winter is anyone's guess.

Just to note tho', I think it's designed for a normal commuting spoke pattern and (maybe not surprisingly) not a racing spoke setup. However it happens to fit my Campag Khamsins with G3 spoke pattern so I managed to dodge that particular snag.

 

[HLaB]

(BTW, have people noticed how many people who are approaching a main road to turn right, do so while looking left? I would always think to look right first, since that's the first stream of traffic you'll encounter. It's a bit worrying when someone is coming up out of a side road, and looking away from me as I approach from their right.)

Most definitely, I shouldn't but I really let that irk me! I get more upset by that than a somebody looking and seeing/thinking its only a bike and pulling out. Perhaps they do it deliberately to wind me up .

 

[neslon]

I like to have a light on the helmet as well as the bike - good for looking them in the eye or glancing over the shoulder. I use a Fenix lenser (rechargable AAx2) on strobe & I think it does the trick.

Mind you, when I got knocked down and the bike totalled, it was broad daylight and I was in bright orange. Bottom line - just because you can see them, dont assume they can/have seen you.

 

[Crankarm]

When I was knocked down, cycling home from work on a dark february friday evening, on a roundabout, hit from behind, one of the witnesses an RAC chappie who witnessed the collision and was stopped at an entry onto the roundabout I was passing, told the cops "I don't now how he hit him (me) as he was lit up like a f*cking Christmas tree!"

So how ever many lights you have on you or your bike, you still have to have eyes in your arse. I knew a car was approaching fast from behind as I heard it and looked several times at him as he came onto the roundabout, but the driver was a total dipshit and drove straight into the back of me. I had 6 lights on the rear of my bike, a hi-viz gilet festooned with Scotchlite strips and numerous reflective Scotchlite patches on my panniers plus my cycle helmet. I had two very bright halogen front lights. LCDs hadn't been invented at this time. The f*cker still drove into me. Just before he drove into me when I knew he was going to hit me I screamed "Don't break my legs!" Motons like the one who hit me, a Mr Frank Leigh, just need putting down, period. In court he maintained I rode into him, WTF! He was a class 1 A-hole and thankfully the court found him guilty of driving without due care and attention. I then sued him for a lot of money.

 

[the_mikey]

I think I over did it on last nights ride:

Exposure race mk5 front light
RSP asteri 6 lights
+ RSP asteri 3 light illuminating the ground immediately before my wheel

Smart 1/2 w rear light.

But I could see the otherwise unlit road ahead perfectly!

 

[cyberknight]

On top of 2 of these...
http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.26800

Just ordered this little beastie !

http://www.dealextre...s.dx/sku.14909]
230 lumen AA torch for $18.

Saw a hope vision 1 yesterday for the 1st time , a lot smaller than i thought .