gaz
Cycle Camera TV
- Location
- South Croydon
only if they go all the way round.
Hi-Vis OR Lights
- Thread starter classic33
- Start date
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OP
OP
classic33
Leg End Member
Saw him again tonight/last night. Bike has neither lights or reflectors. Took a much closer look this time as he went past. As for what he has against lights, I'm not certain. Possible that he feels his vest will protect him.
Raining, so the road is wet & part of it, bottom of the hill at a pinch point, is being relaid this week. His route also has two blind bends, both with junctions & a small climb, vertical height about 10-12 foot, where the road narrows.
Eye V camera. Isn't the human eye capable of seeing a match struck at over a mile. Not certain if any camera, in a usable size, can match it.
Maybe I should point this thread to him.
Raining, so the road is wet & part of it, bottom of the hill at a pinch point, is being relaid this week. His route also has two blind bends, both with junctions & a small climb, vertical height about 10-12 foot, where the road narrows.
Eye V camera. Isn't the human eye capable of seeing a match struck at over a mile. Not certain if any camera, in a usable size, can match it.
Maybe I should point this thread to him.
Rhythm Thief
Veteran
You can't see the reflectives behind the light in your photos, I agree. This is partly because, no matter how good your camera is, it ain't as good as the human eye.
I find hi vis helps, from my point of view as a driver. I don't especially care whether you use it or not - I'm not campaigning for it to be compulsory, or anything - but I wouldn't want people to leave this thread thinking that your photos are the be all and end all of the hi vis debate.
What I think we can agree on is that hi vis without lights is no good. I passed the same cyclist I referred to earlier again tonight, just outside Finedon on an unlit, national speed limit stretch of the A6. I'm thinking of opening a book at work on how long it is before I or another lorry driver flattens him without even feeling the bump.
BentMikey
Rider of Seolferwulf
- Location
- South London
That's the thing - in this photo the camera is as good as the eye, and the eye couldn't see it either. Most collisions are going to happen from the front or the rear, so it's not a limited circumstance, but the most common one.
I'm not convinced that side-on visibility is massively important either.
I'm not convinced that side-on visibility is massively important either.
the_mikey
Legendary Member
- Location
- South Gloucestershire
I use 'knog frog strobe' lights when riding during the day (they run on a pair of CR2332 cells), especially when the weather is particularly overcast or cycling under heavy tree cover, I see no problem with these lights for that purpose. Their flash mode is brighter than some more expensive led lamps that run on AA batteries.
summerdays
Cycling in the sun
- Location
- Bristol
No the camera is nothing like the eye - which constantly adjusts to where you are focusing on and has a much greater range than the camera can record, then add in the movement element too.
I've seen some stats on which type of collision is most common, but I'm not sure whether I've seen night specific stats - does anyone have some?
BentMikey
Rider of Seolferwulf
- Location
- South London
Whilst that is true generally, in these specific photos the performance of the lights and hiviz shown by the camera is very close to what my human eye saw. I did specify in these photos only...
Did I point out that I got my helper to hold the light with straight arms down at below waist height, to maximise the chance of some retro return from his hiviz coat? That's close to what you'd see on an upright bicycle.
You should; he's definitely living on borrowed time.
BentMikey
Rider of Seolferwulf
- Location
- South London
Maybe you should let his tyres down.
BentMikey
Rider of Seolferwulf
- Location
- South London
I'd have thought most road users wouldn't know what you are anyway?
Too true, and it gets me waaay more space most of the time. OTOH we're talking about night-time visibility here, and at night I'm just another vehicle with lights. There's no chance drivers in an overtaking car or a car waiting at a junction can tell what I am or see the bike past my lights.
Arch
Married to Night Train
- Location
- Salford, UK
I have a pair of LEDALS on my winter bike, and have been complimented on them by other cyclists. It's hard to tell of course, how much they add to my visibility because I'm always running at least two other rear lights, one dynamo, one LED back up. And some drivers see you and still don't care about how close they come. But the more lights the merrier, I reckon, and I don't have to remember to put them on and take them off. I wouldn't ever use them as sole lighting, except perhaps in the event of all my other lights failing, and even then, unless I was miles from home I'd probably get off and walk anyway. They do show red to rear and white to front (whichever way up they are), but I'm not sure of their legality as sole lights.
Incidentally on the CR2032/AAA debate, I have various AAA lights, and also a pair of Skullies, which run on two CR2032s each (one with white LEDs, one with Red - the colour of the casing is immaterial). They are very bright and piercing and fit to pretty much any diameter of tube easily using rubber 'arms' so can go on any bike (or helmet, trailer etc). Also, they are skulls, so they are cool.
My cycling jacket is hi-vis, in that it's yellow, but it's a very old and faded yellow now, so probably works more on the basis of a block of colour than on flourescence. But for me, lights are priority, and if I'm not wearing that coat for some reaosn, I don't feel the need to wear a vest or anything.
pshore
Well-Known Member
- Location
- Last contour N of Cambridge
Flashing lights do have a down side.
Some of the flashing patterns have a hypnotic effect on drivers. They also, along with extremely bright rear lights, can prevent a driver from seeing past you. This is my own experience whilst following cyclists in a car. I can believe that it is possible that over doing the lighting might cause somebody to drive badly near that cyclist.
Personally, I think that on dark rural roads you need something that gives a driver an early warning that a cyclist is ahead so they have plenty of time to slow down and plan an overtake. A single stead light doesn't do that job because you can be mistaken for another fast moving vehicle. You need something more, like a flasher, reflective vest or sam browne belt, ankle or pedal reflectors that shout cyclist.
cyberknight
As long as I breathe, I attack.
- Location
- Land of confusion
Even if you have good lights surely it is good practice to cover all the bases to make your self as visible as possible .
Depends on the roads you ride, on the unlit country roads i use when it is completely pitch black in winter the reflectives stand out a lot even with good lights.
Combining reflectives with good rear lights to present a large "target" of emitted and reflected light to make other road users aware of you is my main concern, all of your photos as far as i can see were from the front of the bike rather than testing reflectives with rear lights from another road users perspective.
