flashing light

[KneesUp]

I didn't know this:

"Pedal Reflectors
Four are required, coloured amber and marked BS6102/2 (or equivalent), positioned so that one is plainly visible to the front and another to the rear of each pedal"

I can only have back ones because my toe-clips mount on the front.

 

[Dogtrousers]

I have those reflector SPD pedals on one of my bikes. They work fine. Oddly enough that particular bike is old enough to be exempt from the requirement for pedal reflectors.

 

[KneesUp]

It can be done with SPDs though

OMG bike upside down!

 

[Packrat]

Actually, my non cycling car driving friends are forever telling me about the bikes they see without lights. Flashing or fixed makes little difference to drivers, it's the non lit up bikes that seem to attract attention.

Me too, come too close to a few "ninja" cyclists

 

[Deleted member 26715]

Read all about it

"Front Lamp
One is required, showing a white light, positioned centrally or offside, up to 1500mm from the ground, aligned towards and visible from the front. If capable of emitting a steady light, it must be marked as conforming to BS6102/3 or an equivalent EC standard."

Does this mean that helmet mounted lights are technically illegal? I suppose it will depend on the type of bike & how tall the rider is, but in some instances they maybe getting quite close to the upper limit.

 

[steveindenmark]

I dont see how people can ride with just a front flashing light. I think they are OK to be seen but they are useless if you want to see where you are going. I have a steady light front and rear and a flashing red light high up on my high vis jacket.

 

[Katherine]

I have both front and back. Flashing to show I'm a bike, and steady so that other road users can judge my speed and distance. I have an extra front like that is very bright for poorly lit roads and paths but I always shield it when pedestrians or cyclists are passing close to me.

 

[DWiggy]

I have a non-flashing front light and bright flashing rear with a separate steady rear

 

[mjr]

I think it is implicit that the light is to be mounted on the bike. Helmet, bag, etc lights would be secondary to that.

Indeed. The Road Vehicle Lighting Regulations (RVLR) cover the vehicle, not the rider... but you shouldn't dazzle other road users and a wandering helmet light is very likely to be dazzling.

Even though flashers are legal, I usually run legal steady lights, both so my eyes aren't continually adjusting to varying light levels and so the nutter drivers who only glance up the road before moving won't miss me if my light had flashed off.

 

[John the Monkey]

Actually, my non cycling car driving friends are forever telling me about the bikes they see without lights. Flashing or fixed makes little difference to drivers, it's the non lit up bikes that seem to attract attention.

Flashing lights are down the list, but *are* one of the things that a fair proportion of the "last looked at a Highway Code 30 years ago" brigade do dislike, to the point that they'll "joke" about killing cyclists who are using them.

I get told that flashing lights are illegal at least once each winter, (it's usually 4 or 5 times) by motorists. A pedestrian once told me i had too many lights, in quite a sweary way (and got a response in kind).

 

[Racing roadkill]

I have bright steady lights, front and back, and small flashy lights front and back which I use at the same time. I do get grief from some idiots who seem to not know the lighting regs, including a bus driver last week . The bell end actually pulled alongside, opened the door, and started having a right go. I reported him to his bosses, they probably won't do anything, but at least I tried to get him borlaxed

 

[Dan B]

I'm a big fan of using a steady light to the front, for all the reasons previously mentioned, but I have recently started putting it in flashing mode when filtering through static traffic. I figure that's one situation in which it's a good idea to be identified as "cyclist" because people are then more likely to make the inference "still moving even though everyone else is stuck in the traffic jam"

 

[Red17]

I dont see how people can ride with just a front flashing light. I think they are OK to be seen but they are useless if you want to see where you are going. I have a steady light front and rear and a flashing red light high up on my high vis jacket.

Don't need a light to see where I'm going on my commute due to streetlights - I do use 1 flashing and 1 steady front and back though for visibility

 

[Tox1415]

Flashing lights do attract the attention when you're in town. The highway code advice regarding not using them outside lit areas seems not to be adopted round Harrogate. Like many people I drive and ride and doing both gives you that reasonable perspective ;-)

The thing that really gets on my back is the folks riding out in the country with very bright flashing lights that are badly adjusted. You are driving along and you get a bright flash that dazzles you and then blackness followed by another bright flash and so on. We can now buy Cree lights that are brighter than many car headlights, I don't want to discover that the light on my bike has just put an oncoming driver on a country road in a situation where his vision has been affected. It might be me he can't see because of the dazzle. As others have said you can't judge where the oncoming bike is or how fast it is travelling with flashing lights either, our brains lose track when the light is off.

When a car has an MOT, the alignment of the lights is checked to make sure they are not causing dazzle for oncoming cars and drivers *should* dip their lights when oncoming traffic arrives (yes I know there a number who don't). I check my lights when I go out on the bike and I don't have the light flashing out on country roads at night.

 

[Ian193]

I use a flashing rear light which is very bright even on its lowest setting my front light has two steady settings which I use on the lowest setting unless I'm on a poorly lit road