Cyclists who use strobe lights are...

[Leodis]

...Not very polite and are very anti social.

One oncoming today with a van behind him, I was trying to dodge pot holes, keep out of the door zone and watch what the van was doing whilst doing my best impression of Wiggins but was really distracted by this cyclist with a front on strobe flashing, not just blinking but full on '80s rave style, its a good job I am not epileptic.

Nothing wrong with flashers, its the Hiviz 80s rave style strobe which is shite.

 

[snorri]

Agreed, and possibly worse if you come up behind such a tail light. Dazzling a driver as you hold them back on a twisting rural road can only encourage the less patient to overtake dangerously.

 

[Leodis]

I had a driver the other week pull me about my light been too bright and "dazzling" for him, I polity told him that at least he had seen me, its a 200 lum LD20 torch so not in the same league as these Chinese spot lights on ebay. I can only presume the strobe master had one of these, I was skinned by someone last week with one of these, I was pootling home when I thought a cop car was behind me, I did a check and some twat with a strobe was passing me, I was going to give chase but was blinded by this military grade weapon.

 

[gaz]

Lets define some things near the start of the thread so people don't get confused.

A flashing light is any light that flashes, obviously. The legal limit for a bicycle light is 4Hz, which is pretty fast.
A strobe light is a light that flashes very quickly, usually over 8Hz.

A strobe light is bad because it doesn't allow the observers eyes to adjust between each flash to see what is behind the light. So essentially blinds the observer.

 

[Leodis]

Thank you Gaz for clearing that one up.

 

[maltloaf]

Flashing (at any speed) plus lots of lumens I think is a bad combination. I have a high output front light and the flashing would send you into a trance ! I'm sure cars approaching such a lighting scheme aren't always able to concentrate on other aspects of the road even though they have seen the Blackpool illuminated bike.

I also tilt my front light right down or put my hand over it when cars approach.

 

[potsy]

Agree totally about the strobe feature on these bright lights, I have never used mine and never will, way too distracting

 

[GrumpyGregry]

Agreed, and possibly worse if you come up behind such a tail light. Dazzling a driver as you hold them back on a twisting rural road can only encourage the less patient to overtake dangerously.

Nobber is as nobber does. The gas pedal works two ways and they can choose to drop back if two button cells bother them that much.

Like the "you hold them back" idea. I imagine that is exactly what the nobber-drivers think.

 

[ianrauk]

Bad mannered anti-social tossers

 

[GrumpyGregry]

Flashing (at any speed) plus lots of lumens I think is a bad combination. I have a high output front light and the flashing would send you into a trance ! I'm sure cars approaching such a lighting scheme aren't always able to concentrate on other aspects of the road even though they have seen the Blackpool illuminated bike.

I also tilt my front light right down or put my hand over it when cars approach.

Drivers. Not cars, car drivers. But it is all much easier when you realise...

Car drivers approaching such a lighting scheme aren't always able to concentrate.

 

[GrumpyGregry]

Bad mannered anti-social tossers

and what of the strobe equipped cyclists?

 

[L14M]

I have my rear light on a slow flash. 1 flash a second. It gains attention, I am seen. On the front I have 1 4LED oxford light thats on steady and 1 3 LED halfords jobbie thats on flash same as the rear 1 flash per second. These don't blind you, gain your attention and are clear that its a cyclist.

 

[Mugshot]

I have my rear light on a slow flash. 1 flash a second. It gains attention, I am seen. On the front I have 1 4LED oxford light thats on steady and 1 3 LED halfords jobbie thats on flash same as the rear 1 flash per second. These don't blind you, gain your attention and are clear that its a cyclist.

This why I stopped having anything flashing on the front of the bike, I don't want people to know that I'm a cyclist, I want people to know that there is something coming towards them. The assumption can be that you wont be travelling at any sort of resonable speed which can lead to drivers misjudging the time they have available to pull out or immediately adopting the MGIF mindset and pulling out because they think they're going to be stuck behind you.
Doesn't it also make judging distances far more difficult if the light is on flash too?

 

[sazzaa]

I have my rear light on a slow flash. 1 flash a second. It gains attention, I am seen. On the front I have 1 4LED oxford light thats on steady and 1 3 LED halfords jobbie thats on flash same as the rear 1 flash per second. These don't blind you, gain your attention and are clear that its a cyclist.

I find those lights are a nightmare when driving, it's hard to judge any kind of speed or movement of the cyclist because the flash is too slow!

 

[DrLex]

I put my backup front light (Smart 25) on to flash when filtering 50' to a roundabout - I'd rather be annoying & seen than creased.