Quoted message said:
Geezer Boy said:
For taillights after dark, nothing beats a true Xenon strobe, runs on
2 double A batteries for about four hours. LED blinkies are cute and
bright, for what they are, but no match for the real thing:
http://www.storesonline.com/site/440848/product/AllPSLK-XENONSTROBE
I have red one for the rear, and a white one for the front. The white
one can be seen well over a mile away, in fact, cannot be not-seen.
Being hit is the worst imaginable. Sometimes, it's a drunk that you
can't do much about, But not always, and I do anything I can to be
blatantly visible to distracted drivers.
Quoted message said:Out of curiosity, have you actually been hit while riding with legal
lights at night? Do you know many people who have?
No, I've never been hit. Dogs in daylight are my usual problem. But
sinced I found a small squirter of CS gas, they don't come after me a
second time. I don't live in town. At night where I am, it's usually
only the occasional guy in a pickup truck, often with a Busch in his
hand, and not his first one of the evening. I have to pick up their
empties along my roadsides every month. During the peak of Summer, the
"summer folks" with boats on trailers are more plentiful. They also
are often rosy-complected. In autumn, it's more pickups out there
jacklighting deer, again often with the help of a twelve-pack.
Quoted message said:
I've been a regular night rider and frequent night commuter since 1977,
and I've done perfectly fine with "normal" lights and reflective
devices. My friends who ride for transportation report the same. In
fact, I'm pretty sure I'm spotted better at night than in the daylight.
Quoted message said:Looking ridiculous is better
than being hit, and I have little sympathy for cyclists who are dumb
enough to not look at themselves from a driver's point of view.
Looking at one's self from a driver's point of view is very good
advice! As I've described many times, I've run night riding workshops
for my club on several occasions, where members got to observe their
bikes and lights from a car as another member rode their bike.
The most common reaction has been "Oh, my bike is actually _very_
visible." That's with normal lights & reflectors. We've never had
anyone say "I can see I need a xenon strobe."
If it works for someone, that's great. In my situation, since it's
cheap and available, why turn it down? I don't generally restrict
myself to needs. In fact, if the bike could light up light a
fluorescent tube, it would be more visible and improve my chances even
more. Obviously this attitude can go over the line into irrational
paranoia, but I don't think two flashing strobe lights go that far.
I don't have the statistics on how many people are hit at night, but
when I am in town after dark, I see those cyclists who have lights
front and rear, and reflectors, legal all right, but they are not very
visible at all. I have yet to see one that has adequate lighting *to
me* as a driver. Reflectors that are oriented toward the rear or side
are more noticeable than most lights, but only when I am near the
cyclists, most of the time. I notice cell phone distractions, lighting
cigarettes -- both are big activities here, and the law against cell
phone conversations hasn't made any difference, from what I observe.
Cyclists are not expected at night in this locale and this also makes
them more difficult to get noticed, perhaps.
When I was in Florida, Ft. Lauderdale to be exact, last February, I
had to ride quite a ways from the beach to my brother's where I was
staying, after dark. This was mostly in traffic but with some sidewalk
riding also when I could. I didn't have the strobes but wished I had.
Next year I will. I could see why Florida supposedly has the highest
number of pedestrians hit per capita of anywhere. I used to ride in DC
for decades, so am not afraid of traffic, but it was not pleasant and
drivers are more agressive today, in my observation.
Quoted message said:
Personally, I've gotten spontaneous compliments from several drivers on
the visibility of my bike. That's with a generator set, a front & rear
LED blinky, and reflectors. Based on the above, I don't think one
needs much overkill.
- Frank Krygowski
The blinkies and reflectors are good, and work for many I am sure. I
just like the extra insurance because as I say, I live in a hillyhh
rural area, and am probably the only bicyclist on the road within five
miles, after dark. There are many motorclists, but drivers are not
expecting slow-moving bikes; rarity is understating the matter, and
there are so many rolling hills and crests that blinkies aren't
visible enough far enough back to do me any good. Once summer is over,
I am often the only cyclist I see in the daytime. People are used to
going 55 mph (legal) on these narrow two-lane roads, and many do 70.
Yes, visibility from way back is important to me, overkill as you say.
I think of it as cheap insurance.
Ken Kifer was killed by an intoxicated driver, in the early evening as
I recall, Cannot say more about his situation, but It may be likely
that there are other instances where visibility overkill might have
prevented a roadkill. Do what's best for your particular situation.
I'm glad you've found what works for you. Happy riding.
G.B.
