Cyclists without lights....

[hackbike 6]

What about if said motorist is on mobile phone?
How old are you lee? 20's?

 

[dondare]

Something else happened tonight on my ride home as well of interest.

As I said I was cycling without lights on an unlit A road coming up to a left hand turn junction. As I approach a car comes come from the left looking to turn right onto the A road and therefore come across my path.

Now because I didn't have lights, as soon as I saw him I covered the brakes and started to slow while trying to ''see'' the driver. I also started to move to my right to give a bit more room between me and the car. He flashed his headlights and beep his horn. I rode past him and was on my way.

Now if I had, had lights then you start to assume that people have seen you, but sometimes this is not always the case and can lead to you getting sloppy.

Riding without lights as I said makes you a better cyclist far more alert to other traffic.

I find that filtering up the inside of HGVs makes me a better cyclist.

 

[tdr1nka]

I don't rely on luck, if need be I would have stopped on the side of the ride while the driver made their turn and was on their way.

He probably saw your pedal reflectors.

 

[tdr1nka]

Interesting.
You left out 'needing to be just as aware of traffic with or without lights' in my quote you quoted there Lee.
Why might that be?

Hmmmm.

 

[hackbike 6]

Have you ever been pulled by plod lee?

 

[hackbike 6]

I guessed you may have answered this but im posting from a MP and its a bit of a pain surfing looking for the answer when it was easier to ask you.I guessed your age range and was right.

 

[BentMikey]

I'm not against the idea that riding without lights will improve your skill level. In one way it's perhaps not that different to having a heel brake on inline skates. It's the easiest and best way of stopping, and yet I regularly see skaters for whom this has become a crutch, and has severely limited the development of other necessary skating skills and more advanced stops.

OTOH I think it's pretty stupid and irresponsible to be riding at night without lights, because of the direct effect on other road users, and the indirect effect on the rest of us cyclists. With lights and a bike, there isn't as much benefit to be gained in skill terms, and the risks are higher, both to yourself and others, which makes it a bad plan.

Lee, I've done plenty of rides outside of commuting, but I don't feel the need to justify myself, not to you at any rate. Ahahahahaha! Oh, and my offer was to meet you anywhere in greater London, which is anything inside the M25, and I'm quite happy to travel further afield too. Still can't see you agreeing, even though you've already given the game away about your quality of riding.

 

[swee'pea99]

Lee, while saluting your tenacity over the last 16 pages, there's one thing I still don't understand. Why? Where's the benefit? Do you do it to save weight, or money, or what? RLJ I understand - indeed do - but there's a clear benefit: you don't squander momentum; you get there faster. But where's the actual benefit to riding without lights?

 

[Lazy-Commuter]

But where's the actual benefit to riding without lights?[/B]

It makes you a better rider, and stops you assuming that car drivers have seen you.

I've got lots of lights, by the way, 'cos I'm a bit of a chicken. But I still assume that car drivers haven't seen me: all those years of riding a motorcycle with a VERY bright light showed me that quite a few people can't see anything further away than their satnav or mobile.

 

[Sh4rkyBloke]

Something else happened tonight on my ride home as well of interest.

As I said I was cycling without lights on an unlit A road coming up to a left hand turn junction. As I approach a car comes come from the left looking to turn right onto the A road and therefore come across my path.

Now because I didn't have lights, as soon as I saw him I covered the brakes and started to slow while trying to ''see'' the driver. I also started to move to my right to give a bit more room between me and the car. He flashed his headlights and beep his horn. I rode past him and was on my way.

Now if I had, had lights then you start to assume that people have seen you, but sometimes this is not always the case and can lead to you getting sloppy.

Riding without lights as I said makes you a better cyclist far more alert to other traffic.

Either you are trolling deliberately, or you're just a complete idiot. I'm erring towards the latter.

 

[Baggy]

It makes you a better rider, and stops you assuming that car drivers have seen you.

But Lee implies he's not used lights on A roads and unlit routes as well - I can't see how that makes you a better cyclist unless you develop the ability to ride in hedges?

 

[swee'pea99]

It makes you a better rider, and stops you assuming that car drivers have seen you.

I've got lots of lights, by the way, 'cos I'm a bit of a chicken. But I still assume that car drivers haven't seen me: all those years of riding a motorcycle with a VERY bright light showed me that quite a few people can't see anything further away than their satnav or mobile.

Sorry, but doesn't your second sentence illustrate perfectly why your first is a heap of monkey poo?

 

[Sh4rkyBloke]

It seems rather counter productive - he RLJs (obviously only when it's safe. No, really, he knows when it's safe) to keep up his momentum and minimise journey time (presumably - can't see any other reason for doing it) but then is happy to stop to let traffic cross his path when they don't see him unlit at night.

As I said. Idiot or troll, you decide for yourself and either stop feeding on this thread or feel pity for the lack of working grey matter he has.

 

[Lazy-Commuter]

But Lee implies he's not used lights on A roads and unlit routes as well - I can't see how that makes you a better cyclist unless you develop the ability to ride in hedges?

Dunno. I'm just paraphrasing the reasons given. Me, I got LOTS of lights.

 

[Lazy-Commuter]

I put the second sentence in there to illustrate that I don't agree with the first one: in the first one I was just paraphrasing the reasons that have been given. Don't shoot the messenger.