Pedal Bike Lights

[slofox]

Exiting the cul de sac next to my shop last night - raining, lots of lights reflecting off the wet roads etc etc - usual wet weather distractions. About to proceed when an extra flickering light caught my attention. T'was on a pedal bike, one of those lights that go on and off, on and off. I looked at this light and noted that the flash on was a lot shorter than the off period between flashes. Which means that this bike is unlit for over 50% of the time.....which brings me to my question.
What do others think of these flashing lights for pedal bikes? More or less visible than a constant light?
The flash is supposed to attract attention but personally I think they are less visible than a constant light, especially if they are like the one I mention here that is off for longer than it is on......I would have noticed a steady moving light approaching me more readily than one that is off over half of the time.....lucky I took a good long look....
Opinions please........

[Silage]

It seems to me that they stand out more when flashing but I guess if the flash rate was too slow then that could be a problem. I put an amp meter on one some time ago and they seem to use a lot less power on flash than when constantly on so would make the battery last a lot longer on flashing.

[robo555]

Flashing light gets more attention for me, if they don't flicker as slow as you said.

Some lights just flick like crazy begging for attention.

[xwhatsit]

If they flicker quick (mebbe 5fps or so), then they stick out like dog's balls and there's no worries about positioning. If it's indicator-style speed, then I have no idea.

[slofox]

I put an amp meter on one some time ago and they seem to use a lot less power on flash than when constantly on so would make the battery last a lot longer on flashing.

So you have a battery that is NOT flat but a rider who is huh.....? hehehe...

Seriously though, I actually find the flashers harder to see......(if you know what I mean.....)

[sunhuntin]

i find the rapid flashes easy to see, but a friend of mine raised a good point... he came across a racing group, with flashing front lights. he darn near went into an epileptic fit as he has a brain injury and must be sensitive to light.

[<Rhino>]

So you have a battery that is NOT flat but a rider who is huh.....? hehehe...

Seriously though, I actually find the flashers harder to see......(if you know what I mean.....)


Depends on the temprature...:spanking:

[BOGAR]

I don't mind them but find allot of cyclists use two lights one thats flashes and one that is always on. Still better than no lights. Been walking down a road and heard a loud crash as the car pulled in front of a cyclist with no lights on and it dark because no street lights. Cyclist was OK and i had to laugh at the idiot on the bike.

[slofox]

I don't mind them but find allot of cyclists use two lights one thats flashes and one that is always on. Still better than no lights. Been walking down a road and heard a loud crash as the car pulled in front of a cyclist with no lights on and it dark because no street lights. Cyclist was OK and i had to laugh at the idiot on the bike.

You make a very valid point - the number of cyclists I see with NO lights at all is scary.......usually dressed in black too.....
Haven't seen many with double lights though...sounds like a good idea.....

[90s]

A flashing LED is OK to get cars attention, but does not really function as a light, for which you need a real light.

[avgas]

correct me if im wrong but you looked to see what in particular was flashing.....
just stating the obvious really

[jrandom]

Some cyclists use dim, slow-flashing LEDs which are really quite hard to see. Those cyclists have a deathwish.

Personally, I have a blinding white strobe up front of my pushbike and a blinding syncopated red array at the back. They flash real fast and real bright, cost me about $300 all up, and burn through a couple packs of AA batteries a month.

When I ride at night, I can see the flashes of my front LEDs reflecting off road signs 200m away.

I have far more issues with cars not seeing me on the pushy during daylight than I do at nighttime.

Such 'get outta my way or I'll blind yo ass, muthafucka' lights are useless for actually lighting up the road, of course, but that's not what they're there for.

[bert_is_evil]

I think the best approach is two lots of flashing lights set on different sequences, that way it attracts attention and can't be missed with a short glance.

I've been thinking of getting one of these and taping it to my helmet, anyone on the receiving end of my post close-call death stare will be getting their retina's fried...

http://www.fenixlight.com/viewproduct.asp?id=44

[jrandom]

I've been thinking of getting one of these and taping it to my helmet...

Handlebars and seatpost are the places to strap on serious wattage, but you can get some really dinky little flashing LED pods that you can blu-tack or velcro to your helmet. Any good bike shop should have them. A white one on your helmet facing front and a red one facing rear do wonders for visibility.

[HungusMaximist]

I've got 2 mini led lights tied on to the back of my pack rack and use them simultaneously in the evening. I have to say they work brilliantly and I agree that flashing lights definitely catches more attention than something static.

I've seen some motorcyclists attach led cycle lights to their back packs also.

Go get some I say.

[jrandom]

I've got 2 mini led lights tied on to the back of my pack rack and use them simultaneously in the evening.

Those are the ones I used to use on my helmet!

[HungusMaximist]

Yup, they were originally off my push bike too.

[slofox]

correct me if im wrong but you looked to see what in particular was flashing.....
just stating the obvious really

Not quite avgas - my point was that the frequency of the flashes was so slow that I nearly MISSED the flash...I would have seen a steady light that was moving towards me more readily than this bloke's flasher.....specially in the wet conditions with gazillions of reflections off road etc etc.....

[Mr Skid]

Some cyclists use dim, slow-flashing LEDs which are really quite hard to see. Those cyclists have a deathwish.

Personally, I have a blinding white strobe up front of my pushbike and a blinding syncopated red array at the back. They flash real fast and real bright, cost me about $300 all up, and burn through a couple packs of AA batteries a month.

When I ride at night, I can see the flashes of my front LEDs reflecting off road signs 200m away.

I have far more issues with cars not seeing me on the pushy during daylight than I do at nighttime.

Such 'get outta my way or I'll blind yo ass, muthafucka' lights are useless for actually lighting up the road, of course, but that's not what they're there for.
One'a these is pretty good at lighting up the road - 10W of HID goodness. :banana:
<img src=http://www.bikecare.co.uk/acc/acc/lights/moonshine_hid_2.jpg>

[Mikkel]

Let me get this straight - you're discussing the problem with pushbikes using the incorrect lights?

WTF? - seriously any cyclist who bothers to put on any lights in the first place deserves a hug in my book. I "sense" heaps of ninjas on pushbikes around here - I say sense because you don't really see them when it comes down to it.

But yes, not carrying proper lights on a pushbike at night is indeed pretty silly. And neither would it be a bad idea to have them on during the day.

[Flatcap]

I've got 2 mini led lights tied on to the back of my pack rack and use them simultaneously in the evening. I have to say they work brilliantly and I agree that flashing lights definitely catches more attention than something static.

I've seen some motorcyclists attach led cycle lights to their back packs also.

Go get some I say.

Those lights are great to attach to the Dog's collar at night for when he bolts after cats

[Rev DJ]

The use of strobe-type lights - both red and white - has been an obvious success for cyclists. They are way better and brighter...

What does this mean for motorcyclists? Is it legal to fix a strobe light on a M/cycle? I saw a SV with a couple of red strobe lights next to its fixed tail light. It was very noticeable!

Can I fit strobe lights to my M/cycle front and rear and not get into grief when getting a warrant?

Cheers

DJ

[90s]

Handlebars and seatpost are the places to strap on serious wattage, but you can get some really dinky little flashing LED pods that you can blu-tack or velcro to your helmet. Any good bike shop should have them. A white one on your helmet facing front and a red one facing rear do wonders for visibility.

I use:

to see: dual-light system 10w+2.5w (need all 12.5w out west on unlit roads at night) running on a battery-bottle cage mounted NimH system with a 12 hours burntime (2.5w)

to be seen: additional cat-eye blinking 3-LED front light (like most of these it has various speeds and modes from all 3-on, strobe, flashing at different rates etc), smart 5-LED rear light on the seatpost and the same again on backpack (1 set to 'on' with visibility at 500m) and one to flash.

As a career commuter I would suggest this is the very minimum spec for riding on roads at night on a cycle.

[Rev DJ]

... seatpost? ...backpack? - but can I fix them to the motorbike?

DJ