Night Cycling - safety and lights

[The Jogger]

I was in Tesco today and there were two 3 watt torches, one was an AA battery x 2 and the other c batteries. Which is the one to get.
Roy

 

[Randochap]

Agree with the need for good lighting, I do most of my cycling at night, the roads are quiet, the air cool... Fab! But once out of town you need good illumination.
I now use 1 x Tesco 3 watt Led torch £9 (the 2 AA battery one), one flashing LED and a Petzl Tikka plus headtorch mounted to my helmet.
The Tesco on rechargeable has enough light-time just for an all-night ride.
Great and flexible lighting for under £40

I'm going to have to strongly dispute this set-up as anything approaching the kind of lighting that would minimize having an experience like that of the OP.

If you check out my rando lighting page at VeloWeb, you'll see that I also use the Tikka Plus on my helmet ... to read computers and route sheet or illuminate roadside repairs. It can be used to highlight a reflective street sign at close distance or as a warning device for drivers, as you can turn your head. While it is an excellent little headlamp, it would be wholly inadequate to light my way.

It disappears into dark asphalt, especially in wet conditions. It is not at all powerful enough to light one's way at any kind of speed. It's not even visible above the light put out by my headlight. It is a candle by comparison.

And I also repeat, these cheap little "torches" discussed in this thread are not adequate for use on a vehicle that can achieve speeds of 50 km/h or more. They are only adequate for walking or maybe riding slowly on lit streets. And please don't use a flashing light on the front at night.

Once you get out into the country -- where animals can dart out of the hedges and curves (bordered by ditches) come up fast -- you need proper lighting, designed for bicycles.

Sorry if this sounds strident. Bicycle lighting is a very, very important safety consideration. What if the OP had come out of that ditch on an immobilization board?

Cheers,
Rando

 

[The Jogger]

Rando, it sounds blooming expensive and I know there is no price on safety but!

 

[Randochap]

Rando, it sounds blooming expensive and I know there is no price on safety but!

What price do you put on your life?

 

[GrumpyGregry]

Ay-Up lights are very good, light rechargeable batteries and can be swapped from bike to bike in seconds (important to me as i use them on and off road on four bikes) and can run for over six hours on one battery.

 

[andrew_s]

And I also repeat, these cheap little "torches" discussed in this thread are not adequate for use on a vehicle that can achieve speeds of 50 km/h or more. They are only adequate for walking or maybe riding slowly on lit streets.

Have you actually seen one of these torches? I guess that you don't have a Tesco store handy.
For info, they put out something like 80-100 lumen - about the same as one of the earlier Dinotte 3W lights. These were greeted as just about the best thing since sliced bread when they came out. A light that's good doesn't suddenly become dangerous just because something better is available.

They aren't ideal bike lights (you need to bodge a mount, and they only last an hour and a half on a set of batteries), but they are a great deal better than anything else readily available at or close to the same cost

 

[Randochap]

Have you actually seen one of these torches? I guess that you don't have a Tesco store handy.
For info, they put out something like 80-100 lumen - about the same as one of the earlier Dinotte 3W lights.

Admittedly, I haven't. Lumen by itself does not tell how far a light will illuminate.

There are plenty of stores here that carry similar lights and I wouldn't be satisfied with them as bicycle lighting for anything but well lit areas.

I even have a very good digital emitter, I use occasionally on my non-dynohub bikes. It's passable, but I must ride quite slowly to stay inside the safety bubble it creates.

 

[grhm]

I recently went out for a night ride with my local CTC group. As it was wet, only three of us turned up. I have a 1W Smart light (that is adequate for my lit commute but struggles on unlit lanes), one guy had a dynamo powered light (which was pretty bright and seemed OK on unlit lanes) and the last guy has a Tesco 3W torch. Every time the Tesco torch was behind me, I kept looking over my shoulder to see where the approaching car was.

The torch seemed to throw a very bright (if a little narrow) beam to a reasonable distance - I've ridden briefly (<1/2mile) alongside a guy with AyUp's and would agree the torch is not as good - but at ~£10 compared to ~£150 its not too bad.

I would not recommend using a torch as your sole source of light - we all had at least one other front light, and IIRC the torch bearer had a standard bike light aimed low to fill in the peripherals.

I aspire to a proper set of lights (currently favouring either AyUp's or DiNotte's) but I don't do enough unlit lanes to justify the expense at the mo, and can't easily stump up that sort of cash. However, I can afford to drop a tenner on a torch as a stop-gap measure.

The other minor issue that concerns me, is the legality of torches as lights - but I suspect that as long as you not dazzling ever driver into an accident, no-one really cares - and if you have a BS marked light as well I suspect you're probably covered.

(As an aside Rando, why don't you like the use of flashing lights at night? Honestly interested in your opinion. I know there is allowance in UK law for bicycles to use flashing front lights. I use a flashing light to draw attention, it's not a very bright light, just a cheapy LED flasher - and it's never used on it own, always as a 'side-light' with another bright non-flashing light)

 

[Randochap]

(As an aside Rando, why don't you like the use of flashing lights at night?

I really can't fathom how anyone can abide riding with a flashing light in front of them. Besides encouraging epilepsy the things actually obscure dangers.

Particularly on commuter trails, they are incredibly obnoxious to oncoming cyclists.

Using proper lighting, as I'm banging on about, is more than adequate to see and be seen.

Motorists will dim their high-beams a mile down the road, even if they are around the bend from me. Hence, I don't get blinded and they aren't irritated by a flashing light.

I use a flashing red tail light (unbelievably, some people use white or some other colour not recognized as a rear light!), unless I'm riding in a group or event, where they are forbidden.

 

[grhm]

I really can't fathom how anyone can abide riding with a flashing light in front of them. Besides encouraging epilepsy the things actually obscure dangers.

Particularly on commuter trails, they are incredibly obnoxious to oncoming cyclists.

I don't think I've ever seen an oncoming cyclist at night - so have not seen a flashing light coming toward me to see how irritating they are. I think my experience might be tainted by my 95% of my cycling being in town, and I want to stand out against the car headlight behind me - before I had two lights, a had a few cars turn across in front of me to close for comfort.

Having two lights, I've not experienced the same (some still go for it cos I'm only a cyclist and can't be going that fast - but they have at least seen me and made a judgement call, before I'm not convinced they'd registered my presence). That said, when I went from one to two lights, I went from one cheap Halfords light, to one cheap LED flasher and a Smart 1W. It's possible the preceived improvement is actually from upgrading to a bright main light.

I use a flashing red tail light (unbelievably, some people use white or some other colour not recognized as a rear light!), unless I'm riding in a group or event, where they are forbidden.

I'd agree that flashing rear light can be irritating in groups. Following one of those 1/2W Smart flash thingies was distracting/hypnotic.

I think I feel a front flasher is acceptable as I'm assuming it not a super-bright light and it's used in town/traffic in conjunction with a better solid light. (For clarity, I've got one of these http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=15539 - I would not use it on solid on it's own)

I'm not sure my reasoning stands up outside of town/traffic, so I ceed that you're right that it would annoy and provide little/no benefit on unlit lanes.

 

[Flying Dodo]

I was in Tesco today and there were two 3 watt torches, one was an AA battery x 2 and the other c batteries. Which is the one to get.
Roy

The C version gives a wider spread of light, but the AA version is lighter and it's easier to carry spare batteries for it.

 

[Flying Dodo]

And I also repeat, these cheap little "torches" discussed in this thread are not adequate for use on a vehicle that can achieve speeds of 50 km/h or more. They are only adequate for walking or maybe riding slowly on lit streets. And please don't use a flashing light on the front at night.

Once you get out into the country -- where animals can dart out of the hedges and curves (bordered by ditches) come up fast -- you need proper lighting, designed for bicycles.

I run 2 of the Tesco C size torches wired in parallel, with the barrels cut down, powered by an external 7.5 v battery pack. On the FNRttC, most "proper" bike lights are dimmer and have a poorer spread of light. Even one of the Tesco torches on its own is way brighter than a Cateye 530.

 

[Fab Foodie]

I'm going to have to strongly dispute this set-up as anything approaching the kind of lighting that would minimize having an experience like that of the OP.

If you check out my rando lighting page at VeloWeb, you'll see that I also use the Tikka Plus on my helmet ... to read computers and route sheet or illuminate roadside repairs. It can be used to highlight a reflective street sign at close distance or as a warning device for drivers, as you can turn your head. While it is an excellent little headlamp, it would be wholly inadequate to light my way.

It disappears into dark asphalt, especially in wet conditions. It is not at all powerful enough to light one's way at any kind of speed. It's not even visible above the light put out by my headlight. It is a candle by comparison.

And I also repeat, these cheap little "torches" discussed in this thread are not adequate for use on a vehicle that can achieve speeds of 50 km/h or more. They are only adequate for walking or maybe riding slowly on lit streets. And please don't use a flashing light on the front at night.

Once you get out into the country -- where animals can dart out of the hedges and curves (bordered by ditches) come up fast -- you need proper lighting, designed for bicycles.

Sorry if this sounds strident. Bicycle lighting is a very, very important safety consideration. What if the OP had come out of that ditch on an immobilization board?

Cheers,
Rando

Sorry Rando, but I'm going to dispute your dispute.
The Tesco 3w cree torches are quite superb as many will testify and put much more expensive lighting to shame, at a tenner a go it's easy to afford a pair, go spend a tenner and try one. I also find that the Tikka plus on my helmet does a great job of illuminating the near ground.
I regularly ride at up to 20mph on dark country lanes and find this set-up works very well for little outlay. You can always spend more of course, but this basic solution IMO works really well.

 

[Riverman]

I run 2 of the Tesco C size torches wired in parallel, with the barrels cut down, powered by an external 7.5 v battery pack. On the FNRttC, most "proper" bike lights are dimmer and have a poorer spread of light. Even one of the Tesco torches on its own is way brighter than a Cateye 530.

That sounds quite cool. What battery pack do you have and how much does it cost? Sorry I'm a newb when it comes to these thing.

A funny consequence of using these two torches might be motorists pulling up on country lanes when they see what they think is a car approaching ahead. To be honest though I'm not sure I'd want to ride on 'single lane' country lanes at night even with two of these torches.

 

[palinurus]

I'm not sure I'd want to ride on 'single lane' country lanes at night even with two of these torches.

I feel quite comfortable riding on singletrack lanes at night. The advantage is you can see cars coming a long way off since you can often see the approaching lights as a glow above the hedges, even around what might be a blind bend in daylight.

For lighting I'm normally using a Dinotte 200L (probably similar to a Tesco torch) or a B&M Cyo /hub dynamo (very bright).