On the back I have the CatEye TL-LD1100 which has 2 rows of LEDs, plus is visible from the side. I like it as you can have one of the rows on solid and one on flashing without having two light units.
Constant or flashing front light?
- Thread starter Easytigers
- Start date
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nope sorry. made it myself at work.
but then i make these all day so not really hard to make bike bits etc...
gaz
Cycle Camera TV
- Location
- South Croydon
gaz
Cycle Camera TV
- Location
- South Croydon
looked into them and they seem to be cheap rubbish.
not really like mine...
Very nice, but not much good if we don't have the experience or tools to create that.
middleagecyclist
Call me MAC
- Location
- Prestwich, Manchester
Hi-viz for me please. Ta.
Davidc
Guru
- Location
- Somerset UK
When drivers can predict you well and with confidence that's when they'll cut it too close to you. If they can't judge it that well, or don't know what you are, they'll invariably leave you more room. As with many other variants of this debate, it's not being seen that's the problem, it's being seen as a cyclist which then allows drivers to take advantage and not care about you that is the problem.
Utter rubbish. You are completely wrong. What you suggest is never, ever, correct.
My experience (over the past 50 years and over 200,000 miles) and that of every bike user I know is exactly opposite to this. The best lighting for being seen and avoided is without doubt one flashing and one steady at each end, or more lights if you want. (with no street lights flashing at the front annoys me so I use 2 steady instead).
99.999999999% of drivers want to avoid colliding with you. Either because they are averse to injuring you or they don't want to scratch their car. They will leave you maximum room if they know exactly where you are. The flashing lights help increase the chances of them seeing you in the first place.
The problem is that some drivers just don't look where they're going, and react too late or not at all to our presence, it's not that they deliberately misbehave, they're just inattentive.
gaz
Cycle Camera TV
- Location
- South Croydon
How many of those 200,000 miles have been in a busy city like london? Where there is a near constant stream of traffic coming towards you. Vehicles will take any gap they can to get into/out of a turn.
Davidc
Guru
- Location
- Somerset UK
About 30,000 in London. for many years I cycled 15 miles each day, and for slightly less years 30 miles a day, much of it through rush hour London. I used to have a motorcycle battery fixed to the rack, and motorcycle lights adapted to the bike. No flashing then, but the better lit, and the more visible, the less the problems.
Most of my London riding was decades ago, when London cycling was (statistically) about 3 times as dangerous as now, and at least half of it was in the dark. More recently my riding has been in smaller towns, and I have to say the bulk of my miles have been in them and in the country. I stil ride in London, and probably wrongly, actually feel more comfortable riding in central London than anywhere else
What you say about the driving is true, but London drivers treat everyone and everything the same, and it's predictable. I find the more random behaviour of drivers in 'provincial' towns and cities much more difficult to handle but put up with it.
My issue with BentMikey's post is over failing to give drivers proper information about position and motion. Irrespective of where you're riding there's much less trouble after dark when drivers are kept properly aware of these, much as you suggest in your responses.
BentMikey
Rider of Seolferwulf
- Location
- South London
I'd say it's your post that's the "utter rubbish". I feel a little more logic and decent analysis of the reality out there is needed.
Drivers see cyclists just fine, and it's far less common that they don't look. The much more common problem is that many drivers take chances with cyclists, turning out just in front of them, overtaking closely, etc. Sure, almost none of them intend to hit us, but a few are quite happy to take a big chance and bully us out of their way.
Uncertainty does nothing more than create a little extra time and space for cyclists. That never detracts from our safety, it only adds to it.
Davidc
Guru
- Location
- Somerset UK
I'd say it's your post that's the "utter rubbish". I feel a little more logic and decent analysis of the reality out there is needed.
Drivers see cyclists just fine, and it's far less common that they don't look. The much more common problem is that many drivers take chances with cyclists, turning out just in front of them, overtaking closely, etc. Sure, almost none of them intend to hit us, but a few are quite happy to take a big chance and bully us out of their way.
Uncertainty does nothing more than create a little extra time and space for cyclists. That never detracts from our safety, it only adds to it.
Uncertainty, IME, always detracts from road safety, cycling included. I just hope that by your actions in creating it you don't end up being hit. How you choose to behave on the roads is of course up to you.
I'll continue using every means I can to make sure drivers know where I am and what I intend doing. That way I'll continue to minimise the probability of being hit and maximise the room given me by drivers. In daytime I use flashing bright lights and bright clothing. At night I use a combination of flashing and steady lights, 3M spoke reflectors, reflective clothing, reflective bands, reflective tape strips on the bike frame and anything else I can think of.
That apart I'm also sure that positioning, sensible assertiveness and roadcraft are more important to staying in one piece, once a basic standard of visibility is met. Being in a collision is rare, near misses aren't so unusual, and nothing will stop a collision if you're in the wrong place at the wrong time. Most of mine seem to be from plain simple bad driving rather than chance taking.
I still expect to have to slam on the brakes every so often, mainly for the SMIDSY brigade and suicidal pedestrians, day or night and irrespective of how visible I make myself, but that's the same whether on a bike, motor bike, or in a car.
Davidc
Guru
- Location
- Somerset UK
looked into them and they seem to be cheap rubbish.
not really like mine...
If you're ever making those to order I'll have one!
BentMikey
Rider of Seolferwulf
- Location
- South London
Good, I'm glad you haven't tried to suggest that uncertainty causes drivers to come closer, and that you therefore agree it keeps them further away from cyclists. That's safety, that is. Danger comes when they come so close as to cause either a near miss or a hit.
well its something i made over a few weeks in my lunch breaks so not that easy to whack out a big pile of them.
unless the company is willing to put them into production im not sure its gonna happen. with the small numbers involved the price is likely to be a problem
