Hope 1 v Ayups

[HJ]

If I had the money I think I'd rather go for the Race Maxx 2 instead over both of those tbh.

Betty is 23w.. wadda girl!!

I think that would blind everyone on the road. OK if you're offroading/quiet country lanes at night but in urban areas you dont need anything brighter than a cars headlights imo.

But you don't have to run it full blast when on urban roads, these lights do have different power setting and should be used appropriately. I always turn my front light down when I get under the street lights...

 

[downfader]

But you don't have to run it full blast when on urban roads, these lights do have different power setting and should be used appropriately. I always turn my front light down when I get under the street lights...

TBH I was joking, I saw the betty had 5 power settings.

 

[GrasB]

You evidently don't do much road commuting, how can you have a light that is too bright for the road?

When you blind the oncoming car so he has to turn main beams on just to make sure he doesn't hit anything, including the cyclist, until he stops the car. These very bright lights are good however they do need to be aimed properly & with consideration to other road users.

 

[HJ]

When you blind the oncoming car so he has to turn main beams on just to make sure he doesn't hit anything, including the cyclist, until he stops the car. These very bright lights are good however they do need to be aimed properly & with consideration to other road users.

The very top end cycle lights are not yet as bright as top car headlamps on full beam, but no goes round saying cars shouldn't have bright lights when on the road, so why should cyclist be treated differently? Everyone using the roads should act responsibly with care and consideration to other road users, no matter what their form of transport. Bright cycle lights are very useful when commuting on road, and there is no reason for telling people they should only use them off road...

I have never suggested that anyone should use these lights to dazzle oncoming road users

 

[GrasB]

I hear you & as I said when aimed properly they are useful tools. However the point is that is that they can be to bright if used inappropriately.

The fact is I have been forced to used main beams on my Lotus a few times now, I think one of the reasons is you sit much lower in the Lotus than you do in most cars as I've not had this issue in the Alfa. Basically I hold the flashers on just long enough to bring my speed down to around 15mph, which I do as quickly as possible, then release. I do this to make sure I don't collide with the cyclist or any road furniture/verge etc. as I'm travelling towards the cyclist at speed they may well get caught in the wipeout if I clip the verge! I hate having to do it as I know how problematic it is for cyclists & it has only happened a few times now, but when it's happened ever time I've been doing well over 40mph with a 900kg car, very little idea where the cyclist actually is in relation to the road & about 2 to 3 seconds worth of memory for where the road side actually is.

 

[BentMikey]

Sounds like your night vision needs checking, surely?

 

[HJ]

I hear you & as I said when aimed properly they are useful tools. However the point is that is that they can be to bright if used inappropriately.

The fact is I have been forced to used main beams on my Lotus a few times now, I think one of the reasons is you sit much lower in the Lotus than you do in most cars as I've not had this issue in the Alfa. Basically I hold the flashers on just long enough to bring my speed down to around 15mph, which I do as quickly as possible, then release. I do this to make sure I don't collide with the cyclist or any road furniture/verge etc. as I'm travelling towards the cyclist at speed they may well get caught in the wipeout if I clip the verge! I hate having to do it as I know how problematic it is for cyclists & it has only happened a few times now, but when it's happened ever time I've been doing well over 40mph with a 900kg car, very little idea where the cyclist actually is in relation to the road & about 2 to 3 seconds worth of memory for where the road side actually is.

It would probably be safer for everyone if you didn't drive at night then...

 

[phil_hg_uk]

I hear you & as I said when aimed properly they are useful tools. However the point is that is that they can be to bright if used inappropriately.

The fact is I have been forced to used main beams on my Lotus a few times now, I think one of the reasons is you sit much lower in the Lotus than you do in most cars as I've not had this issue in the Alfa. Basically I hold the flashers on just long enough to bring my speed down to around 15mph, which I do as quickly as possible, then release. I do this to make sure I don't collide with the cyclist or any road furniture/verge etc. as I'm travelling towards the cyclist at speed they may well get caught in the wipeout if I clip the verge! I hate having to do it as I know how problematic it is for cyclists & it has only happened a few times now, but when it's happened ever time I've been doing well over 40mph with a 900kg car, very little idea where the cyclist actually is in relation to the road & about 2 to 3 seconds worth of memory for where the road side actually is.

Perhaps you should sell your flashy cars so you can afford a pair of glasses.

 

[GrasB]

Perhaps you should sell your flashy cars so you can afford a pair of glasses.

Because of course wearing sunglasses in the pitch black because 2 or 3 times per winter I get blinded by a cyclist aimed their lights with complete disregard to other road users is sensible. Do me a favor, shine a Hope 1 LED light directly into your eyes, at night to make it a real point, & tell me EXACTLY how much you can see!

I pass a number of riders with high powered lights aimed & used properly, I can see that they're there well before I can see the bike/rider & none of them cause me a problem. However it's that small minority which are a problem & it's only a serious problem in the Lotus (where my head is much lower, thus my eyes, compared to other car drivers). I've had occasions in the Alfa where I've had to squint to stop glare & I assume that these would have also blinded me in the Exige. Also I'm not the only Elise, Exige, Scorpion, Atom & Louts 7 'clone' driver who has suffered from this problem, again all of those are low to the ground. There is a reason that there are beam pattern & aim requirements on cars & these high powered bike lights are in the same illumination category thus need to be used with care & consideration.

 

[GrasB]

Just tested something... Only time the Hope 1 LED light gave me any problem was when it was aimed at Alfa 159 headlight height towards the offside when I was sitting in the lotus. In fact on main beam + fogs the Alfa was less visually problematic than a Hope 1 LED when miss-aligned. Reasonable night vision returned in about 5-10s for the Alfa lights but a residual image was left from the Hope light for about 30-45s, that's with me, my partner & a neighbour petrol head who cam out as he wondered what we were up to. So IMHO this, very rare, occurrence is the cyclist as fault for miss-aligning their light.

 

[purplepolly]

Do me a favor, shine a Hope 1 LED light directly into your eyes, at night to make it a real point, & tell me EXACTLY how much you can see! .

Which of course is precisely the problem with bright badly aligned bike lights - they're at about motorist eye level. Car lights, although brighter, are lower down and are more sophisticated with reflectors to aim the top of the beam towards the road.

I always double check where my hope visions are pointing just after I've set off - distant signposts are good for this are they reflect the light.

 

[GrasB]

Which of course is precisely the problem with bright badly aligned bike lights - they're at about motorist eye level. Car lights, although brighter, are lower down and are more sophisticated with reflectors to aim the top of the beam towards the road.

Now with that in mind remember that in most cars you look down onto the roof of an Exige, the problem just got a lot worse.

I always double check where my hope visions are pointing just after I've set off - distant signposts are good for this are they reflect the light.

Thank you... you have a choice of cookies, cake or beer

 

[BentMikey]

Well, I disagree. I ride with my head at about the same level, or slightly lower than yours in in your car, and I can see perfectly well with bright bike lights. I quite often come across one of the Hayes contingent MTB crew coming back near Keston, and they have some serious offroad lights. Not a problem.

I think an eye test is in order.

 

[purplepolly]

I think an eye test is in order.

No doubt I've said before, but the basic standard of eyesight required for driving is pretty low and not even remotely adequate on todays roads even in daytime. The reason I know this is because I have perfect eyesight when wearing rigid contact lenses and border-line legal for driving when wearing glasses. The first time I drove with contacts in I was shocked at the difference.

Assuming that drivers can see as well as you can is a really bad idea. People with astigmatism, cataracts or kerataconus in particular may be affected more by brights lights at night and still be driving legally.

 

[GrasB]

Well, I disagree. I ride with my head at about the same level, or slightly lower than yours in in your car, and I can see perfectly well with bright bike lights. I quite often come across one of the Hayes contingent MTB crew coming back near Keston, and they have some serious offroad lights. Not a problem.

I think an eye test is in order.

I think you're missing the miss-aligned part here BM. I see several riders a week when driving with serious lights & don't have any problem. However every now & then there's one who completely blinds me in the Lotus.

EDIT: Also how do you answer that 2 other people suffered exactly the same problem as me from a badly aligned light but didn't have problems with an appropriately aimed light & that others have reported the same issues?

As for eye sight, it's tested every 12 months & always told it's good, also I have very good low-light vision both sensitivity & object perception.

Full beam on to slow down when you're dazzled?

Never heard that one before.

I dazzled, try almost completely blinded by the light with no dark area perception, apposed to car headlights which aren't as invasive & give some dark area fill. Also considering the flash will take around about 2s or so which is generally considered the length of time you want to give for an "I'm here flash"