Front LEDs

Just zis Guy said:

They are there for two purposes: so that you can see, and to compensate for the fact that few
drivers actually drive within the distance they can see to be clear.

Then surely THREE purposes, as non-driving road users need to see you too. The fact that even a
fifty watt headlight is invisible to some of these clowns is not an endorsement by The Mgt of the
practice of carrying some of those spotlights that Black Rebel Motorcycle Club had point at the
balcony at the Brixton Academy the other week on ones handlebars.

--

Dave Larrington - legslarry.beerdrinkers.co.uklegslarry.beerdrinkers.co.ukOpen ↗
===========================================================
Editor - British Human Power Club Newsletter
bhpc.org.ukbhpc.org.ukOpen ↗
===========================================================

In "]news:[email hidden], Just zis Guy, you know?
<[email hidden]> typed:

Quoted message said:

Ambrose Nankivell said:

Doesn't help straight line stopping distance, though.

Mr Bosch is far better at cadence braking than I am.

Oops. I meant it doesn't help it much. Don't have figures or inclination to find them to back it up,
so I won't press the point. I imagine it's unlikely that the OP's ABS fired, though.

Richard Corfield said:

Whats this about a legal maximum power for cycle lights?

Old German Customs prevented manufacturers from fitting lights with more oomph than 6V/3W, hence
that became the de facto standard. AFAIK fitting more powerful lights was not illegal in the UK,
otherwise it seem unlikely that anyone would have made, sold or imported illegal lights.

The Germans now permit more powerful lights - 12V/6W systems - one such dynamo is available, for a
Several of Gettys, from Bush & Müller.

--

Dave Larrington - legslarry.beerdrinkers.co.uklegslarry.beerdrinkers.co.ukOpen ↗
===========================================================
Editor - British Human Power Club Newsletter
bhpc.org.ukbhpc.org.ukOpen ↗
===========================================================

Just zis Guy said:

They are there for two purposes: so that you can see, and to compensate for the fact that few
drivers actually drive within the distance they can see to be clear.

Then surely THREE purposes, as non-driving road users need to see you too. The fact that even a
fifty watt headlight is invisible to some of these clowns is not an endorsement by The Mgt of the
practice of carrying some of those spotlights that Black Rebel Motorcycle Club had point at the
balcony at the Brixton Academy the other week on ones handlebars.

--

Dave Larrington - legslarry.beerdrinkers.co.uklegslarry.beerdrinkers.co.ukOpen ↗
===========================================================
Editor - British Human Power Club Newsletter
bhpc.org.ukbhpc.org.ukOpen ↗
===========================================================

Quoted message said:

you wonder how much the cyclist can see though, they dont illuminate the way ahead much.

In road conditions I personally find that my front light is 'drowned' out by any other light
sources. Off road, or in completely unlit situations it's a different matter tho.

Plus I think you'll find, in normal use at least, that it's substantially more about making yourself
visible to other people rather than 'lighting the way ahead'...

--
Phil

Mike Gayler said:

the problem I have (and others on this NG it seems) is the car drivers who leave their front fog
lights on permanently - they are difficult to judge distance and speed of, and dazzle
disproportionaltly

Not to mention being illegal ;-)

--
Guy chapmancentral.demon.co.ukchapmancentral.demon.co.ukOpen ↗ "Sic hoc adfixum in obice legere potes, et liberaliter
educatus et nimis propinquus ades"

In "]news:[email hidden], Just zis Guy, you know?
<[email hidden]> typed:

Quoted message said:

Ambrose Nankivell said:

Doesn't help straight line stopping distance, though.

Mr Bosch is far better at cadence braking than I am.

Oops. I meant it doesn't help it much. Don't have figures or inclination to find them to back it up,
so I won't press the point. I imagine it's unlikely that the OP's ABS fired, though.

"Richard Goodman" wrote

Quoted message said:

The other day I noticed a stealth pedestrian start running into the road where the street lights
were out - dressed in black with black all

around -

Quoted message said:

just a kind of vague shadow in the corner of my eye, except for the fact that he was wearing
trainers with some kind of illumination in the heel. Quite funny seeing little flashes of light
moving almost as if by

themselves

Quoted message said:

in stepping fashion just above the road - but also actually quite useful, from a safety point
of view.

Rich

These have been common on kid's shoes for a long time. Some kind of piezo electric mechanism to
flash the LEDs with each step?
--
mark

Quoted message said:

you wonder how much the cyclist can see though, they dont illuminate the way ahead much.

In road conditions I personally find that my front light is 'drowned' out by any other light
sources. Off road, or in completely unlit situations it's a different matter tho.

Plus I think you'll find, in normal use at least, that it's substantially more about making yourself
visible to other people rather than 'lighting the way ahead'...

--
Phil

Juliette said:

In article <[email hidden]>, [email hidden] says...

Quoted message said:

"Ray Vaughan" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

I was thinking about getting the Cateye EL300 - has anyone any views on this LED (its the one
with 5 LEDs)

I've been using one for about three weeks now. I think it's great for my commute on lit urban
roads. It's bright enough to make me seen (I hope) but I don't think the beam would be any good
to actually light my way on unlit roads. I can't be sure of course, never having tried.

I have one and can confirm that it isn't really up to lighting the way on unlit roads unless I'm
going really slowly and even then the light distribution isn't good enough.

Now there you go. When we were riding together I used to be amazed and slightly amused by the
blasting power of Juliette's LED setup - far more powerful than my puny halogen, which served me
well enough as an on-road lamp. Then she bought me a set of Lumicycles (nice girl) and now I have a
personal light-pollution problem all of my own (which is _huge_ fun for off-road riding at night).

The thing is, these day we're all used to very bright lights. When we were kids we had crappy little
tin Ever-Ready jobs with crappy batteries and crappy bulbs which emitted a feeble orange glow at the
best of times, and we cycled at night on dark roads no bother.

There is, I suppose, a real difference between the need to be seen in urban conditions (where you
are effectively fighting an arms race against all the other sources of light around) and the need to
see in rural ones, where remarkably little light will suffice.

--
[email hidden] (Simon Brooke) jasmine.org.uk~simonOpen ↗ ;; If God does not write LISP,
God writes some code so similar to ;; LISP as to make no difference.

Mike Gayler said:

the problem I have (and others on this NG it seems) is the car drivers who leave their front fog
lights on permanently - they are difficult to judge distance and speed of, and dazzle
disproportionaltly

Not to mention being illegal ;-)

--
Guy chapmancentral.demon.co.ukchapmancentral.demon.co.ukOpen ↗ "Sic hoc adfixum in obice legere potes, et liberaliter
educatus et nimis propinquus ades"

"Richard Goodman" wrote

Quoted message said:

The other day I noticed a stealth pedestrian start running into the road where the street lights
were out - dressed in black with black all

around -

Quoted message said:

just a kind of vague shadow in the corner of my eye, except for the fact that he was wearing
trainers with some kind of illumination in the heel. Quite funny seeing little flashes of light
moving almost as if by

themselves

Quoted message said:

in stepping fashion just above the road - but also actually quite useful, from a safety point
of view.

Rich

These have been common on kid's shoes for a long time. Some kind of piezo electric mechanism to
flash the LEDs with each step?
--
mark

Juliette said:

In article <[email hidden]>, [email hidden] says...

Quoted message said:

"Ray Vaughan" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

I was thinking about getting the Cateye EL300 - has anyone any views on this LED (its the one
with 5 LEDs)

I've been using one for about three weeks now. I think it's great for my commute on lit urban
roads. It's bright enough to make me seen (I hope) but I don't think the beam would be any good
to actually light my way on unlit roads. I can't be sure of course, never having tried.

I have one and can confirm that it isn't really up to lighting the way on unlit roads unless I'm
going really slowly and even then the light distribution isn't good enough.

Now there you go. When we were riding together I used to be amazed and slightly amused by the
blasting power of Juliette's LED setup - far more powerful than my puny halogen, which served me
well enough as an on-road lamp. Then she bought me a set of Lumicycles (nice girl) and now I have a
personal light-pollution problem all of my own (which is _huge_ fun for off-road riding at night).

The thing is, these day we're all used to very bright lights. When we were kids we had crappy little
tin Ever-Ready jobs with crappy batteries and crappy bulbs which emitted a feeble orange glow at the
best of times, and we cycled at night on dark roads no bother.

There is, I suppose, a real difference between the need to be seen in urban conditions (where you
are effectively fighting an arms race against all the other sources of light around) and the need to
see in rural ones, where remarkably little light will suffice.

--
[email hidden] (Simon Brooke) jasmine.org.uk~simonOpen ↗ ;; If God does not write LISP,
God writes some code so similar to ;; LISP as to make no difference.

"Ambrose Nankivell" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

[ABS] Doesn't help straight line stopping distance, though.

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Mr Bosch is far better at cadence braking than I am.

Quoted message said:

Oops. I meant it doesn't help it much. Don't have figures or inclination

to

Quoted message said:

find them to back it up, so I won't press the point. I imagine it's

unlikely

Quoted message said:

that the OP's ABS fired, though.

Sure. Lots of people believe ABS allows them to stop in a shorter distance on a slippery road, and
they are indeed wrong.

--
Guy
===

WARNING: may contain traces of irony. Contents may settle after posting.
chapmancentral.demon.co.ukchapmancentral.demon.co.ukOpen ↗

"chris French" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

on streetlit roads you don't really need a bike light to see by anyway.

From a drivers POV in urban conditions good reflective adornments make a rear lamp redundant but of
course you need one in case some prat hits you so they can't claim you didn't have one hence they
couldn't see you. (As pointed out by Guy motorists can see unlit bikes and I believe count them to
pass away their boring commute 🙂

Front lights are a different matter as you will be masked in rear view mirrors by motor vehicle
headlights (and of course Small Penis Substitute Lights AKA fog lights), the brighter the bike light
the better IMO.

Pete

"Ambrose Nankivell" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

[ABS] Doesn't help straight line stopping distance, though.

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Mr Bosch is far better at cadence braking than I am.

Quoted message said:

Oops. I meant it doesn't help it much. Don't have figures or inclination

to

Quoted message said:

find them to back it up, so I won't press the point. I imagine it's

unlikely

Quoted message said:

that the OP's ABS fired, though.

Sure. Lots of people believe ABS allows them to stop in a shorter distance on a slippery road, and
they are indeed wrong.

--
Guy
===

WARNING: may contain traces of irony. Contents may settle after posting.
chapmancentral.demon.co.ukchapmancentral.demon.co.ukOpen ↗

"chris French" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

on streetlit roads you don't really need a bike light to see by anyway.

From a drivers POV in urban conditions good reflective adornments make a rear lamp redundant but of
course you need one in case some prat hits you so they can't claim you didn't have one hence they
couldn't see you. (As pointed out by Guy motorists can see unlit bikes and I believe count them to
pass away their boring commute 🙂

Front lights are a different matter as you will be masked in rear view mirrors by motor vehicle
headlights (and of course Small Penis Substitute Lights AKA fog lights), the brighter the bike light
the better IMO.

Pete

Peter B said:

From a drivers POV in urban conditions good reflective adornments make a rear lamp redundant

I don't know - dipped beams don't illuminate reflective gear very well, and I know a lot of people
(e.g. my wife and my father-in-law) who rarely use main beam because it's too much hassle to keep
turning it off and on!

Peter B said:

From a drivers POV in urban conditions good reflective adornments make a rear lamp redundant

I don't know - dipped beams don't illuminate reflective gear very well, and I know a lot of people
(e.g. my wife and my father-in-law) who rarely use main beam because it's too much hassle to keep
turning it off and on!

"Zog The Undeniable" <[email hidden]> wrote in message "]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Peter B said:

From a drivers POV in urban conditions good reflective adornments make

a

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

rear lamp redundant

I don't know - dipped beams don't illuminate reflective gear very well, and I know a lot of people
(e.g. my wife and my father-in-law) who rarely use main beam because it's too much hassle to keep
turning it off and on!

Yep, I've been paying more attention and think I was wrong in my statement. Good rear lights are
useful no matter what other reflective aids are used and as you point out they may not be picked up
consistently by headlights.

Pete