Night light positioning

[Bigtallfatbloke]

do you point your front light up so the oncoming traffic can see you or down so you can see the road?

My little cateye led doesnt seem to be able to do both at the same time...maybe I need two lights...

 

[Brock]

I use two front lights myself, LED winker set straight ahead for being seen, and a cheapo halogen pointed at the road for seeing.

 

[piedwagtail91]

two lights.i've a b and m led dyno hub driven light to see by and a smart 5 led battery job pointing at the motorists.

 

[HLaB]

I have two front lights on the commuter as I ride in town, they are mainly for just being seen but occasionally out of town I'll point one down slightly. On my other bikes I just have one emergency light to be seen with.

 

[mickle]

Aim it at their retinas if you have street lighting. If you need to use your lamps to illuminate the road I suggest you get a minimum 5w rechargeable system. None of the standard LED lamps have enough oomph.

 

[Twenty Inch]

Cateye opticube does both, on lit streets. I've yet to test it on dark country lanes.

 

[Rhythm Thief]

Two lights, both for different things. One to see with and one to be seen.

 

[simon l& and a half]

two EL530s - one slightly down, the other straight ahead. You don't need both in town, but it's good to have a spare, particularly if you ride in a group at night

 

[gbb]

Where to point them...depends entirely how powerful they are.

My halogen (and its nothing spectacular) when pointed too high, has resulted in cars occasionally flashing at me, so it must be causing some problem for them.

The wifes Topeak LED light is powerful enough for me NOT to want to stare at it, so i wouldnt be surprised if it caused problems for some drivers.

I usually set the lights up outside, then walk some distance in front of them while theyre lit...and see if it causes me any problems.

 

[Steve Austin]

bit silly to be aiming lights at drivers eyes imo. Make that, very silly

one flashing pointing 20 foot in front of me
One constant 10 foot in front of me

 

[romans]

Umm, the last comment. How may drivers have their headlights on full travelling in the opposite direction to you? Having had a couple of drivers start to pull right across my path recently I am considering strapping a light to the back of my right hand to flash in their direction.

 

[fossyant]

I've got mine straight out (level) on the front as I'm on lit roads - Like these....An Old BLT system (given a clean up and new battery - about 10 plus years old) and Cat Eye's on flashing.

and these on the rear....

 

[gbb]

Umm, the last comment. How may drivers have their headlights on full travelling in the opposite direction to you? Having had a couple of drivers start to pull right across my path recently I am considering strapping a light to the back of my right hand to flash in their direction.

Yes Romans, very inconsiderate, but they are w@nkers, it doesnt mean to say you (not you personally) have to be one as well !!!

 

[TimO]

The wifes Topeak LED light is powerful enough for me NOT to want to stare at it, so i wouldnt be surprised if it caused problems for some drivers.

True to an extent, but would you look into a car headlight, even dimmed, from the same distance which people look into bike lights at when "testing" them? (ie normally held in their hands, so about 12").

Nevertheless, my primary front light is very bright, so I run it on the dimmest setting and point it about 15-20 foot in front of me. Enough light still spills upwards that people can quite clearly see it.

Most (all?) BS approved bike lights are designed to point directly forward so that car drivers can see you, they aren't really designed to aid your visibility of the road, they pretty much seem to assume you'll be cycling on lit roads.

 

[gbb]

True to an extent, but would you look into a car headlight, even dimmed, from the same distance which people look into bike lights at when "testing" them? (ie normally held in their hands, so about 12").

Nevertheless, my primary front light is very bright, so I run it on the dimmest setting and point it about 15-20 foot in front of me. Enough light still spills upwards that people can quite clearly see it.

Most (all?) BS approved bike lights are designed to point directly forward so that car drivers can see you, they aren't really designed to aid your visibility of the road, they pretty much seem to assume you'll be cycling on lit roads.

Quite right, thats why i also stated i walk a little distance in front of the setup on the bike to see if its too high / bright for drivers in particular.