to flash or be constant!!

[Hacienda71]

Both for me. Cheapo on flash/strobe and 5 watt light on constant.

 

[photography27]

thanks for the replys, as i only have 1 on the front and 1 on the back, looks like i will be spending some dosh on another set of lights, makes sense really!!!!

 

[zacklaws]

Both front and back on constant, and also a headlight on constant. The headlight gives me the ability to see the road better as its higher up and I can also look to where I'm cycling and the light follows where I'm looking.

I have found that riders with a just a solitary flashing front light are a liability, twice last winter I nearly had a head on crash with the same cyclist on an unlit cycle path out in total darkness, when I could not judge there distance from me as it was dazzling and constantly moving position, on the first occasion, despite their light being very bright, he never even saw me approaching with my light on constant untill we was a few feet apart and only at the last moment did I realise how close he was when my light illuminated him and all I saw was a person peddalling frantically, going like the clappers from hell, yanking the bars on his MTB from side to side making it hard for me to make a decision myself on which way to turn and pass him, looking down I presume at his front wheel and as I illuminated him, he looked up, saw me, screamed "S**t, and swerved to his side of the path.

After the second mishap which was similar, he rides now with his front on constant as I have passed him twice this week. I found out that he works where I do and he must have got my message about the dickhead, with the 2 million candle power flashing front light, that makes it hard to estimate distance and dazzles other approaching road users.

 

[ianrauk]

both for me also

 

[Sheffield_Tiger]

My question is, normal flashing or rave flashing? I just got a new set of lights and they've got a whole raft of different flashing settings, including a really fast one.

IMO the fast ones are little use since the time lit isn't long enough to properly register, thus from a distance they look dimmer than normal flashing mode

 

[DrSquirrel]

My question is, normal flashing or rave flashing? I just got a new set of lights and they've got a whole raft of different flashing settings, including a really fast one.

You mean strobe (I think).

Strobe is not nice unless very weak.

I like the running patterns as they always keep light on at all time - at the expense of lower light output though.

Nothing more than 4hz imo

 

[zacklaws]

You mean strobe (I think).

Strobe is not nice unless very weak.

Strobe, that's the word I was looking for in my earlier posting above to describe the light the other rider had. All you can see is a bright flashing blinding light but how far or near it is can not be worked out until its too late.

Its been a long day at work today.

 

[briank]

I have lots of lights on my commuter because it has to be properly set up, but occasionally a spring or autumn evening can find me out on a bike equipped with only one light at either end. In that situation I would use flashing mode as the light dwindles but switch to constant when it's proper dark. In twilight, the flash catches another road user's attention best but your shape can still be made out well enough for them to judge distance and speed of closing.

Oh and those who use flashing in a built up area in the dark and rain should know that the driver on the other side of that wiper-slapped windscreen will probably not recognise them, through the refracting raindrops, as an item of traffic at all.

 

[Tynan]

one steady, one blinky on the back and the posh one on the front has a pulse where it's always on but does a brighter pulse as well and a very effective barend blinky, seen it on other bikes and it really cathces the eye and gives wifth

 

[Svendo]

My tuppence worth: I run two sets if it's dark, stronger on constant weaker on flash. I also mount on the bike itself rather than head or backpack. In daytime, fog etc I might run one rear on flash and one front on flash if it's really foggy.

When I've been driving or cycling, I find flashing only gets attention but is useless for pattern-recognition, and therefore speed distance judgement. And this is exasperated by the light being in an unexpected position like the bike I drove past today who only had a bright helmet light on flash and a backpack light. Hard to discern as a cyclist and the risk of really dazzling a driver as you look at him/her. Also experienced a cyclist with a bright light on his bike but using a strobe-burst setting which was so startling you could well be noticing it's discotasticness as you ran him over.

I think lights need to not just get attention, but help drivers in the dark tell quickly you're a bicycle, so they can intuitively judge your speed distance and likely movements. To the extent that drivers do that anyway!

This all assumes I've remembered the things and checked the batteries are OK and they've not gone flaky because they've got too wet etc etc etc.

 

[Peter10]

I have 2 constant on the front, on the back I have one solid one flashing.

 

[Ranger]

Constant at the front (with an extra helmet light for the dark country bits) and one the back 3xBlackburn Mars in the following order:

Helmet: Flashing
Seat Post: Constant
Pannier Rack: Flashing

I do sometimes worry my rear set up may be a bit much

 

[potsy]

Front solid, rear flashing, as I need to see where I am going and I would prefer the drivers approaching from behind to understand that I am there from as far away as possible.

Same here,though I must put another on the rear for a bit of insurance.
I do sometimes wonder on the way home whether my rear light is still there/working.
In the winter I will put a cheapo rear light on the loop of my jacket as well.

 

[fimm]

At the moment I'm running one front and one rear on my Brompton, both on flash. It is quite difficult to mount rear lights on the Brompton, the only real option is to have another on the seatpost under the one I've already got (I'm not convinced that helmet lights are particularly useful or visible). I did have a second brighter light on the front, on constant, but it got wet and stopped working. This is for short trips in well street-lit urban areas, where I think the "I am here" aspect is what you need.

For out of town, I had the afore-mentioned bright light and another brightish light on the front, both on constant where I needed to see, one turned to flash when I got into town. Two rear lights and another on my ankle (nothing says "cyclist" like moving feet). One of those rear lights is bust too, I think, oops, but I might be able to borrow my boyfriend's fibre flare if he's not using it!

 

[mark barker]

I did have a second brighter light on the front, on constant, but it got wet and stopped working.

I've had this a couple of times and its really annoying! Why do the manufacturers of bike lights get away with producing lights that fail when thy get wet? Its not that hard to make something water resistant and this should be a basic requirement for lights!