Riding at night?

[Gary]

I night ride on the road 5 nights a week for 6 months of the year.
Only an imbecile or an incredibly selfish tosser would do so with a bright helmet mounted light.
A group of 8 idiots wobbling about the road with them on really is the height of stupidity. If you really can't see the danger doing so creates to all other road users there's no hope for you.

If cars are stopping in the road its because you're a hazard.

 

[7869hodgy]

I guess you don’t ride much at night as you have no concept of what lights we use, we do point our lights down, but 8 riders all with lights moving around in a way which is totally unusual to a car driver can be translated to be perceived by computer based Gary’s of the world lecturing about “ bright lights straight at their eyes“, when it’s just the unusual configuration of the lights creating the problems.

Good response to a stupid comment. Is a Gary the new Karen .

I use Magicshine off the ‘bay. MJ-816 - 1400 lumens for £50-100. A few modes of brightness too. Cheap enough to replace every few years.

 

[Gary]

If only these idiots did have a manager to complain to...

Oh.. Hold on. They usually do don't they? Luckily she only let's them out to play once or twice a week

 

[GeekEcosse]

Type in Cree T6 bike light into EBay and you get 852 results in the U.K., just be wary that the 3 light versions chew battery enough that a 2 T6 version with its supplied 4 cells will just get you home in about 2 1/2 hours of on time. The Chinese lights last forever, the batteries everyone puts away fully discharged at the end of the winter and then wonders why the cells are dead at the start of the next Autumn, but they are only 6 notes or so and if you do remember to 1/2 charge them like I do, they too seem to last forever

We‘ve been riding as a group for over 15 years at night ( good excuse for a pint after ) and try to make the ride circa 400m climb in about 2 hours on the analogues to hit the designated pub, 2 t-6’s on the bars and a single on the helmet and when riding as a group on the road, cars stop as it looks like a ferkin big lorry.

oh and if you want to be really cute, buy high capacity cells and replace the damaged cells, 2 cells of Samsung 3500ma @ 8 volts will do the same as a 4 cell pack but half the weight on your helmet.

Wish I had read this last month, I lost (well lent to my brother in law) a battery pack so had to buy a new one off the bay. I assume it would be a case of cracking the case open on a battery pack like this and putting the samsung batteries in then getting some sort of heat shrink around them to hold them in place? Good pro tip!

I meant to add I am really happy with the rear light I have. Good few options and lasts a decent amount of time.

 

[Rusty]

Haven't done many night rides this past winter due to my back injury but until a couple years ago used to do our club winter night race series and usually ride 2-3 times a week around the local river trail, cycle-ways and paved park trails or a couple laps of the club XC track which is less than a kilometer from home.
Started with 15W halogen lights 20 odd years ago and run all sorts since - LED, Halogen & HID.
When I was doing 24hr races I splurged on building up an Ay-Up setup with narrow beam for the helmet and intermediate on the handlebars. Tried the wide beam on the bars but they were pretty much ineffective. Freaking lots of coinage spend to set up 2 helmets and 2 handlebar sets so when changing bikes I didn't have to piss around swapping the lights over as well as lots of batteries. They were around 800 lumen if I remember correctly and I ran them much like I do with my Gloworm lights now - handlebar lights on low or medium depending on the weather and helmet light on full.
With the Gloworm lights I swap the optics around so instead of spot and diffused in each unit I have the diffused optics on the handlebar light and the spot on the helmet light. As I am not doing the 24hr races anymore I am using smaller batteries for the helmet to reduce the weight and keep a bigger one on the bike in case the ride runs long and I run short of battery on the helmet.

 

[Waynemarlow]

I night ride on the road 5 nights a week for 6 months of the year.
Only an imbecile or an incredibly selfish tosser would do so with a bright helmet mounted light.
A group of 8 idiots wobbling about the road with them on really is the height of stupidity. If you really can't see the danger doing so creates to all other road users there's no hope for you.

If cars are stopping in the road its because you're a hazard.

Interesting response. Am I assuming that your whole knowledge of this area of riding at night is limited to road riding ? Or are you not the computer keyboard warrior I'm assuming from some of your comments elsewhere on the forum, that you seem to portray.

Now can I pad out your knowledge of my riding at night on an Emtb. We as a group ride in a very rural and very low car use area of the Chilterns. Our road use is limited to short 100's of metres of interlinking single track road and more typically our only road useage is crossing at 90 degrees. On typically 35 evening rides needing lights in a year, we see probably less than a handful of cars coming in an opposing direction in those 35 rides, most rides we see none.

So what you are saying is that not to be an incredibly selfish tosser nor to be an imbecille, we all have to stop, switch off our helmet lights and only then should we proceed to cross the single track road in an area where the likelyhood of actually seeing a car is almost nil. Practicallity would be to say it would be the height of stupidity to actually try and enforce those ideas and pontifications by yourself upon my fellow riders and the other readers of this thread, as it simply isn't going to happen.

 

[Waynemarlow]

Wish I had read this last month, I lost (well lent to my brother in law) a battery pack so had to buy a new one off the bay. I assume it would be a case of cracking the case open on a battery pack like this and putting the samsung batteries in then getting some sort of heat shrink around them to hold them in place? Good pro tip!

Its perhaps not as easy as you may consider as the batteries are welded together and unless you are willing to do some research and understand how to build Lithium batteries on sites such as Battery Technology - Endless Sphere you can get yourself into more effort than what simply buying another 4 cell pack is worth.

 

[Gary]

Yes. Wayne. I am saying turn off your helmet lights when you are on the road. Is it really so difficult to understand why?
I know E bikers are meant to be lazy but FFS pressing a, switch surely isn't all that tiring. ?

May I just remind you that you're the one who was bragging about you and your mates causing traffic to come to a halt. ?

 

[GeekEcosse]

I know I am new here but chill guys, we are all on the same team. ?

 

[Jimbo Vills]

I know E bikers are meant to be lazy but FFS pressing a, switch surely isn't all that tiring. ?

Ebikers just obviously need to feel the full power all the time ??

 

[GeekEcosse]

Ebikers just obviously need to feel the full power all the time ??

 

[Waynemarlow]

May I just remind you that you're the one who was bragging about you and your mates causing traffic to come to a halt. ?

So getting down to looking for this mystery bragging about halting traffic, seems the post may have been deleted ( I wonder who ) as its not showing in my history. If I remember rightly, there was no bragging, simply stating that the lights on multiple bikes looked like lorries lights.

Since that post of mine, you have come up with selfish fanny, imbecile, tosser, and been pretty much a twat about a subject which other than what you have read on the internet, you don't seem to know a lot about.

Ah well, there's keyboard warriors on every forum.

 

[Bones]

I knock mine down to low setting and don't deliberately shine the light at oncoming traffic.
One problem with bright lights on the trail is casting a shadow for the person in front.
Middle setting seems acceptable for most riding and gives plenty of run time.

 

[Gary]

It's not deleted wayne

2 t-6’s on the bars and a single on the helmet and when riding as a group on the road, cars stop as it looks like a ferkin big lorry.

I'm not singling you out as an idiot. But stating any cyclist who rides on the road with a bright helmet mounted spot light is.

And neither is my post containing the information you deem so important. Ie. that I've been riding off road at night for close to 30 years.

 

[mak]

I dont get helmet lights when you have a good bar mount
A game changer for me apart from the ability of modern lighting compared to 20 years ago is also having a button on your display to turn on the lights powered through the bikes battery.

 

[Rusty]

I dont get helmet lights when you have a good bar mount
A game changer for me apart from the ability of modern lighting compared to 20 years ago is also having a button on your display to turn on the lights powered through the bikes battery.

The light on the handlebars only lights where the bars are pointed. If you ride at 5kph looking at your front wheel that is probably OK, but if you ride fast you have to be able to look further ahead to sight obstacles as well as the biggie - being able to light around the corner which is where you should be looking to see what is there.

 

[steve_sordy]

I dont get helmet lights when you have a good bar mount .......................

As I said in the original post, bar lights alone do not allow you to see around corners. In addition, having a helmet light allows you not only to see where you are looking without having to turn the bike, but more importantly allows a second angle of light. That high second angle lets you see into holes to gauge the depth and to see down hills, drops, flights of steps etc., before you descend.

I suppose that you could have an adjustable multi-bulb set up that allowed the outer bulbs to point well to the sides, but mostly that will be wasted energy that will deplete the battery sooner. The single bar set up will not give you that all important higher angle illumination.

 

[steve_sordy]

Is riding at night with lights just a UK thing?

I wouldn't be surprised to find many of our Continental cousins riding at night as they have similar reasons and conditions. What I'm thinking about is places where you have some serious nocturnal predators. Bears, Alligators, crocs, big cats of various kinds. Not to mention, non-predacious but still dangerous animals like members of the deer family (obvs not "Bambi" AKA the Muntjac). If I was riding at night in those areas I would absolutely have to have a helmet light, just so that when I hear a rushing & crashing as something came from the side, at least I could turn to look at it!

 

[Bones]

It all adds to the fun ?

 

[Waynemarlow]

Waynemarlow said:

2 t-6’s on the bars and a single on the helmet and when riding as a group on the road, cars stop as it looks like a ferkin big lorry.

I'm not singling you out as an idiot. But stating any cyclist who rides on the road with a bright helmet mounted spot light is.

It's not deleted wayne

And neither is my post containing the information you deem so important. Ie. that I've been riding off road at night for close to 30 years.

So if you want to carry it on Gary, where do I say we point our lights directly into drivers eyes and anything other than its merely the configuration of lights which is causing the drivers to stop ? Where in that wee pasage of words do we deserve the words imbecile, stupid, idiot, selfish fanny, tosser ?

Can I ask a question, do you suffer from Tourettes Syndrome by any chance

 

[Waynemarlow]

If I was riding at night in those areas I would absolutely have to have a helmet light, just so that when I hear a rushing & crashing as something came from the side, at least I could turn to look at it!

From experience by the time you see or hear a deer at night, its been and gone, from further experience its badgers that are like a brick wall to run into, quite happy to be up so close and personal with said badger which ambled off as though nothing had happened. Certainly really pissed with the present badger culls when BCG vaccines are available but not as yet distinguishible from TB in cattle, so why not vaccinate badgers, we don't eat them.

 

[Rusty]

Is riding at night with lights just a UK thing?

Would not surprise me. When I was over in my teens testing some MX bikes I thought the place only had 4 or 5 hours daylight.

 

[Gary]

So if you want to carry it on Gary, where do I say we point our lights directly into drivers eyes and anything other than its merely the configuration of lights which is causing the drivers to stop ?

Ah.. . So all 8 of you somehow manage to look at car drivers without pointing the bright lights mounted on your helmets at them? ?
I do apologise. You are the first helmet mounted cyclists I've ever come across who don't blind other road users. Give yourselves all a gold ?

Drivers round here don't ever stop at all when approaching a large group of oncoming road cyclists on the left side of the road with sensibly directed (downwards) bar mounted lights.

Ever considered the reason vehicles all have dipped left facing headlights?

Nah? Fair enough. I can see how pointless it is even suggesting you show some consideration and switch off your precious helmet lights. I just hope your stubborness doesn't ever cause an accident.

Can I ask a question, do you suffer from Tourettes Syndrome by any chance

Nah.. I'm just Scottish. There's enough suffering from that already.

 

[Gary]

When I was over in my teens testing some MX bikes I thought the place only had 4 or 5 hours daylight.

Your whole stay? Yeah. I remember that winter well ?

 

[Rusty]

Your whole stay? Yeah. I remember that winter well ?

Only there for 2 weeks - back to sunny California as fast as I could manage. Was Nov 1976 I seem to remember.

 

[MitchF]

Out last night, love it, sharpens your senses and reactions. Slower pace and familiar trails, all good.

 

[7869hodgy]

Ah.. . So all 8 of you somehow manage to look at car drivers without pointing the bright lights mounted on your helmets at them?
I do apologise. You are the first helmet mounted cyclists I've ever come across who don't blind other road users. Give yourselves all a gold

Drivers round here don't ever stop at all when approaching a large group of oncoming road cyclists on the left side of the road with sensibly directed (downwards) bar mounted lights.

Ever considered the reason vehicles all have dipped left facing headlights?

Nah? Fair enough. I can see how pointless it is even suggesting you show some consideration and switch off your precious helmet lights. I just hope your stubborness doesn't ever cause an accident.

Nah.. I'm just Scottish. There's enough suffering from that already.

I’d rather be seen and cause a car to slow than end up in a hedge. The roads which hook up the bridleways I ride are narrow lanes and I have had close calls where drivers in 4x4s would rather miss a puddle and have a close shave with me vs. Slow down.

As a driver, I have no issue slowing for motor/pedal cyclists day or night as I have appreciation of the vulnerability we all put ourselves in.

Many drivers do not have that appreciation.

 

[#lazy]

Shorely it’s not a good idea to dazzle a 2tonne plus vehicle that’s coming towards you on Uk roads !

 

[Waynemarlow]

Shorely it’s not a good idea to dazzle a 2tonne plus vehicle that’s coming towards you on Uk roads !

Guys get over it, awareness that you now have quite decent lights available for the grand total of less than 12 quid, simply means that yes you have to not point your light directly at drivers. That simple concept of not pointing at em is easily managed as that decent light is actually quite focused and directionally can be seen as that bright round grouping on the ground where you are pointing it as the car passes. Yes riders with headlights can turn their lights slightly to the side of the road just the same as a car dipped beam, what’s difficult about that simple concept to understand.

I guess only an argumentative Scot reared in Nanny Nichola‘s state and looking to be controversial by making outlandish, almost puerile and adolescent taunts would think other than that.

 

[Gary]

@7869hodgy Would you also be fine temporarily blinding a driver travelling at the national speed limit potentially causing an accident or collision?

Drivers can see you without a bright spotlight on your head.

Your argument about close shaves with dickhead 4x4 drivers does not justify having a pointy bright light on your head while riding on the road. If you want to be better seen by drivers there are plenty small led lights you can wear on your body or helmet that don't shine a super bright spot at drivers. Combined with hi vis/reflective clothing you would be even more visible.