Cycling in Fog

[marooncat]

Just wondering what people's views are about cycling in the fog, I have quite happily done it in the past, with my rear light on flashing mode. However, I was driving out of Edinburgh tonight in the thick fog, about 7.30pm, when a cyclist just appeared from the fog in front of me, not saying I would have seen a car any sooner (and I was obvioulsy driving the right speed for the conditions so was no where near him) but still it was a real eye opener how he did not stand out. The guy had hi viz on and a rear light but he did not stand out at all and it has really made me re-think cycling in thick fog like that.

 

[fossyant]

You'll need powerful lights - e.g. Blackburn 1w rear or a Smart 0.5w superflash to get some punch.

 

[marooncat]

I have a Blackburn light, can not remember the model but it is one that was recomended on here.

The cyclist I past had what looked like a bright light, it was just impossable to see in the fog.

 

[Bigtwin]

Just wondering what people's views are about cycling in the fog

Bloody limited.

 

[CopperBrompton]

I'd say easily 95% of people drive too fast in thick fog.

I have Dinotte lights, but I would still be very wary cycling in thick fog.

 

[XmisterIS]

You'll be needing a foghorn and a radar

 

[marinyork]

I have cycled in fog plenty of times. Hi-viz is useless. Many of the more powerful rear lights such as the cateye el-1100 and Mars 4 function fairly well in fog, the much cheaper ones function very poorly indeed. Things like Dinottes are great.

The problem with fog isn't the rear, it's the front. Anything apart from the super rechargeable systems are very hard to spot.

 

[Joe24]

Ive cycled in pretty thick fog.
First time i went for a club ride and when i went down my hill to the bottom of the valley it was there. Only lights i had were the ones on my helpet
2nd time i knew it was foggy, so i had my pretty powerful rear light on. BLT something or other, which a mate in a car told me was blinding them one time when i was riding home from work in the dark

Was scary riding in the fog with no lights tho wearing grey and black

 

[HJ]

You'll need powerful lights - e.g. Blackburn 1w rear or a Smart 0.5w superflash to get some punch.

This is where you need powerful rear lights, there is no substitute for the real thing, forget the toys, get a DiNotte...

 

[hackbike 666]

Joe 24 is just a kid,I remember when the fog was a real pea souper.

 

[HLaB]

We have had tome terrible fog lately, especially down by the Forth. Although the thickest stuff recently was on the top of the campsies. I've been running either a Mars Blackburn 4.0 or a Smart 1/2 watt. Interestingly in this recent periods I've had no SMIDSY but in the weeks earlier when visibility was excellent I got quite a few, especially at the George IV Bridge.

 

[marooncat]

I woke up this morning and could not see the end of the garden cause of the fog so decided i was not risking it... typically it has now burnt off and it is not a bad day

 

[goo_mason]

I woke up this morning and could not see the end of the garden cause of the fog so decided i was not risking it... typically it has now burnt off and it is not a bad day

Still here out at the Gyle, though not as thick as it was this morning in Leith !

What stuns me is the number of cars on the road with no lights on when there's extremely low visibility, and the fact that they're still belting along when they can't see what's ahead of them. Mind you, to be fair there are a vast number of cyclists with no lights and no other visibility aids on the roads at the same time.

Idiots on both sides.

My Ay-Ups are great in this weather (as is my Cateye LD1100 rear retina-searer !)