People with flashing front lights....

[Kermit power]

This evening was the first time I've commuted back in anything approaching real darkness. What the hell is going on with people riding with flashing front lights????

It's bad enough just riding past them. It must drive them fking insane having the stupid thing flashing away in front of them all the way home, as they leave a trail of photosensitive epileptics fitting on the ground behind them!

What on earth is wrong with just having a normal light?

[Magic919]

Easier to spot.

[rs4kev]

far more effective at waking dozy drivers. in unlit areas i sometimes have head and fixed lights going. 1500 lumen of wakey wakey

[MadDad]

I ride with both a steady light for seeing, and a flashing one for being seen.

[Long Drax]

I ride with flashing-mode at dusk to make myself more visible.

And on steady-mode when it's dark, so I can see and be seen.

[Kermit power]

Do they not drive you mad though? I'm not talking about low-powered things that don't actually project a beam. There were people riding with things that were lighting up the street like a disco strobe!

My head torch can flash at 950 lumens. I cannot even begin to imagine a scenario where that might be of any use outside of an airliner crash in a remote jungle.

[Trevelyan]

Same here. When it's dark I ride with one light on constant and one light flashing front and back. As it gets lighter and I don't need the front light to see by I switch the brighter of the two lights off and switch the other one to flashing to make sure I can still be seen.

Bear in mind that it's not just car driver's attention you're trying to get. If you ride through urban areas as I do then it's also pedestrians who need to see you coming before stepping off the kerb in front of you. Particularly in the early morning light a constantly lit bike light will be hard to pick out against car headlights coming from behind you. A flashing light is far more likely to get you noticed.

[mosc7pc2]

same with most people on here, I ride with one flashing for being seen, one constant for seeing.

As for being on the recieving end, you spot them, you concentrate on your own line, end of. No big deal.

[snowdude2910]

i don't use lights i prefer to just dodge the cars in darkness due to the high number of epileptics walking our streets
seriously though flashing for me i don't ride on any particularly dark roads so can see just fine but find less (although still alot especially on a friday night) people step out infront of you with it flashing it's not that bright though just a bikehut one until i find some new batterys for my non rattling knog thanks to a 3yo leaving it on all day

[Kermit power]

Well, I think you're all insane wanting to cycle home through a constant world of strobe lighting, but I'm off to get some sleep before the rugby!

[snowdude2910]

I can't see my front light most of the time anyway it's only on really dark sections i can see it the rest of the time i don't notice when it shocks off

[Kermit power]

snowdude2910 said:

I can't see my front light most of the time anyway it's only on really dark sections i can see it the rest of the time i don't notice when it shocks off

I wouldn't have a problem with that. They guys I was talking about had really high-powered lights on flashing mode to the point where I don't understand how they wouldn't find it seriously distracting.

[BliarOut]

Gets a bit freaky when you ride out on the fens, it's *proper* dark out there

[Kermit power]

swerni said:

you are turning into qa grumpy old git aren't you Chris;)

I have one fixed ( to see) and one strobe (to be seen)

Only grumpy when people with lights good enough to ride singletrack at night set them to flash mode!

I don't mind when it's low-powered lights which you can only really see from the front, but when you get someone with 400+ lumens set to flash mode and you can see it bouncing back off number plates 200 yards away, that's just plain stupid and uncalled for.

[BliarOut]

Right, I'm going to do it even more now

[Kermit power]

BliarOut said:

Right, I'm going to do it even more now

Well it's less of a problem when people in the arse end of nowhere do it!

[DrMekon]

I'm fine with low power flashers, it's the people with Exposure or Hope lights that have them on strobe that piss me off, particularly on unlit roads. The light is plenty bright enough to be seen (and better for distance judgement) on constant. And whilst I am at it, people who seem to angle their lights so as to bring on an alien invasion. Angle your lights down, FFS!

Autumn must be coming; I'd forgotten how much this pisses me off. I better do some meditation before I end up abusing some hapless student on a hire bike with no lights.

Just the thought of people riding with no lights has got my piss boiling now. I knew I shouldn't have opened this thread.

[Rocksteadyeddie]

I have one on constant for seeing, and one on strobe for being seen.

Surprised no else does this really

[mk1fan]

I use both. A couple of flashing LED to be seen and one bright LED to see by (if needed).

Edited by mk1fan on Monday 10th October 12:58

[Animal101]

I tihnk this guy got a bit carried away seeing how many lights he could fit.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UrR9LZpUrw0

Looks like a mobile disco!