Red Blinky lights

Hearing ? A drunk in a car swerves out of their lane and then there is
.o3 seconds before they rear end you. What is there to hear ?
Look back all the time ?...into the headlights of all oncoming cars
at night ?....do you ever ride at night ? Do you have any idea how bad
that would screw up your night vision ?
Mirrors...? That makes me wonder if you have ever seen anyone ride
a unicycle. But I will humor you. Where do you mount YOUR mirrors ?
Of course you want to ride with lights. But be aware that the drunks
and total screw ups are the important ones. You will be passed by many
thousands of cars in your riding life. Even if only one in 5 thousand
is so drunk that they are lucky to make it home without hitting a
street light, I do everything I can to give myself the option of
swerving out of their way. How many times do you think you will have to
be killed before you can see the obvious truth ? You feel safer riding
with the direction of traffic because there is a subliminal emotion
that conformity is safe.
Actually, I do what I can to avoid heavily trafficked roads , and
will hear a car coming and cross the road, right or left side, so it is
on the other side. If I can't do that, I try to have the car passing on
my side of the road facing me.
I really don't care if this is legal or not. I haven't heard a word
from the cops. Even then, a tiny fine once in a while wouldn't bother
me.

--
feel the light
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feel the light said:

Hearing ? A drunk in a car swerves out of their lane and then there is
o3 seconds before they rear end you. What is there to hear ?

Cars make a lot of noise. Unless you have substandard hearing you can
derive a lot of clues about where they are, what they're doing and how
they're being driven simply by listening.

Quoted message said:

Look back all the time ?...into the headlights of all oncoming cars
at night ?....do you ever ride at night ?

I have been cycling at night daily, for 5 months of the year, for the
last 15 years. You might say I have some experience.

Quoted message said:

Mirrors...? That makes me wonder if you have ever seen anyone ride
a unicycle. But I will humor you. Where do you mount YOUR mirrors ?

On my glasses. Some unicyclists (not me) choose to wear a helmet, in
which case a helmet-mounted mirror is also a very viable option.

--
Danny Colyer <http://www.redpedals.co.uk>
Reply address is valid, but that on my website is checked more often
"Daddy, put that down. Daddy, put that down. Daddy, put that down.
Daddy, why did you put that down?" - Charlie Colyer, age 2

feel the light said:

But I will humor you. Where do you mount YOUR mirrors ?

A....helmet?
by the way, your rant read kinda rude.

Anyway....I ride my 20in facing traffic(its about walking speed) and my
29er with traffic. It may seam odd, but people tend to give me more
room and slow down a bit more when I am going in their direction, they
tend to not touch the breaks and stay very close to the white line when
I am facing them. Drunk drivers do suck, but I dont base the way and
where I ride on them.

--
agentQ

*)--SmallSpin-'O,*
'Uneed Films' (http://www.uneedfilms.com)
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I have a red LED light on the back of my helmet and homemade unicycle.
😄

--
Hazmat

I'M 1 WEIRD AND UNUSUAL GREEK
CYPRIOT AUSTRALIAN WHO
IS DESTINED TO BE DIFFERENT.

**Please vote: *'The Hazmat Poll'
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Hazmats unicycle Design/Creation
competition'
(http://www.unicyclist.com/forums/showthread.php?t=62030)*
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feel the light said:

You feel safer riding with the direction of traffic because there is a
subliminal emotion that conformity is safe.

No, you feel safer riding with the direction of traffic because
*conformity is safer*. Most accidents happen at intersections, and
riding the wrong way increases your risk at intersections, because no
one is expecting a fast-moving thing coming at them from the wrong
direction.

--
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If you're riding toward traffic, both you and the drivers will have less
time to react. Say you're riding at 10mph and they're going 35. If
you're going against traffic, you're closing the distance between each
other at 45mph. Riding with traffic, that would be only 25mph. Riding
with traffic gives them more time to see you/move over, so there's less
chance of impact. If there should be an impact, the lower relative
speed will make it a lot less painful.

Get a helmet or glasses mounted mirror to see what's going on behind
you. They're extremely helpful.

Don't count on your ability to jump out of the path of a vehicle
regardless of which way you ride... be extremely visible, pay attention
to your mirror and ride like a normal bicyclist would. You and the
drivers will be safer for it.

--
boo radley

User CP - Edit Options - Uncheck: Show Signatures - Save Changes
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tholub said:

It's a bungee strap; there's a mechanism where it fits into a channel
around the light and gets tightened down. I strap it around my seat
tube, but you can also strap it around a backpack or anything.
Strapped around the seat tube, it stays put; strapped around bags and
clothing, it tends to flop around a bit.

Ah, I like it. Might get a couple so I have a good option after I
break the one I have, ('same as the one phlegm uses'
(http://tinyurl.com/2xvael)).

--
idiorythmic
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The Cateye TL LD1100 Rear Light looks very good. I currently use a
Blackburn Mars 3.0 http://tinyurl.com/25b7d8

These are reasonably priced and very visible from the back. On of my
favourite features is they are also visible from the side. I now think
this is an essential feature. I feel much safer at night knowing that
people coming out from side roads and drive ways can still see me.

--
peter.bier

-Peter Bier
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A E B sells eyeglass mirrors. I haven't seen bikes with mirrors, but I
guess they do exist.🙄
I don't think I will get some though. I need reading glasses, but not
to drive. I doubt I could see anything in a mirror that close to my
eye. I need glasses to read the monitor 5' away !
I don't always ride on the opposing side, I pick and choose by place.
Some intersections I walk across etc. I have lost 3 friends, struck
from the rear by cars, starting with Dennis, the 11 year old who lived
2 hoses up my street when I was a boy. He was riding a bike on the
right sidewalk, during the day. It is also common in the local news, to
read of the death of bicyclists.
J C's objection to front facing red lights is invalid for a blinking
light. Since the batteries last much longer that way, and it is more
eye catchy, all the red lights using this new (hey , it is !) LED tech
are used in blink mode usually. A blinking red light means a stopped or
slow moving vehicle, or a bicycle, to drivers around here, nowadays. On
my 36 I have fixed lights, white in front, blinky red back. mostly
cause I want me to see.
For the little uni's, I really like the system of a clip on red
blinky on the sneaker laces. The circular motion catches the eye and
says pedaler. Plus I don't have to affix anything to the uni's or carry
[censored] in my pocket.
I ordered a set of those auto flash spoke lights I referred to
above, and will do a review later. I almost didn't because they cost 7
$, but then wanted to charge 12 $ for UPS ground ! Then I learned the
first class mail option was only 2 $. I can't resist a cool new 36 toy.
They will really make that big wheel an eye catcher.🙂

--
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ask oddsends about what one he uses, it was pretty durable from what I
saw, and was helmet mounted. How did I see that it was durable, you
ask? On one of our rides he ran in to a spiderweb and the spider landed
on his helmet, so he baseball pitched his helmet with light into a
tree. If that isn't a proof of durability I don't know what is. :p

--
kerosian

Farmdale Freeride September 29-30th

DustinSchaap said:

why would you kill the 5 yr olds? there's so much more fun things you
can do with them 🙄

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Riding with traffic is the law, and it's better for cyclists for several
reasons. Basically, though, the overarching reason is because it
eliminates ambiguity, especially when meeting another cyclist. There
is no defined way to handle meeting another cyclist head-on in traffic.
Moreover, there is no room on the side of the road for two cyclists to
pass each other at double speed. By riding on the correct side of the
road, you do you and your fellow cyclists a favor by making these
encounters safe and predictable. The cyclist behind can slow down and
pass when it is safe to do so, with a very low relative speed to the
other cyclist.

There are also mirrors available that attach to one's helmet.

--
U-Turn

Weep in the dojo... laugh on the battlefield.
-- Dave Stockton
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When I ride in the dark or semi-dark I've clipped a blinking LED to my
belt or butt-bag. This puts it up nice and high (Coker or bike), and
the light is wherever I am, which is what I want people to see. Don't
worry about attaching it to the cycle and life is simpler!

I use a glasses-mounted mirror. I tried a helmet-mounted one, but it
was in constant danger of being broken off when the helmet wasn't on my
head. That danger didn't end until it finally broke off. The glasses
one takes a bit of getting used to but then it works great because it
moves with you. If you don't need glasses to drive you don't need them
to see through a mirror.

I won't get into an argument about which side of the street is safer to
ride on. If you're on a 24" or smaller wheel, your speeds are closer to
those of pedestrians and you can pick and choose. If you're riding
something larger, and you're smart, you might believe 130 years of
roadway experience over "what seems best to non-experts."

If you do choose to ride (fast) against traffic, expect to get hit at
intersections. 99% of drivers will not look for traffic approaching
from the wrong way before they turn onto a street. There have been a
few times where I was tempted to get out of my car and give a piece of
my mind to idiots on bikes riding in front of me as I pull out. Did I
look both ways? Of course! They came later. Yes, I think being knocked
down by a car would be a good lesson for them, but it's a fine line
between a lesson and a funeral, and I don't want to have their
stupidity on my conscience.

--
johnfoss

John Foss
Email: "jfoss" at "unicycling.com" -- www.unicycling.com
-----------------------------------------------

"pretty much every trail that we've done on the California or Moab Muni
weekends is an XC trail." -- Kris Holm, on XC from a North Shore point
of view
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When I was growing up in Connecticut in the 60's, we were actually
taught in school to ride our bikes opposing traffic. The real trouble
is bike riders being struck from the rear and killed. This doesn't
happen when the biker sees the car rushing at them and dodges. Some
posters have written daft wishes, as if they live in a fantasy where
they are safe. I especially wish to note the posters with "Dare Devil"
hearing, (like the comic strip hero), that would put a dolphin to shame
with their acoustic echo location abilities behind their heads, that
equal frontal vision. I call [censored], in the memory of the dead.
Also worth a pre humus Darwin award, is the optimistic physicist, for
pointing out that the energy that kills you will be less if you are
struck riding away from the car then riding towards it. On this I can't
call [censored], at least he's right, not that the dead care.
No, it is to the wise to endeavor not to be stuck and killed, at all.
The reason children in CT, and the rest of the USA are no longer taught
to ride against the flow of cars has to do with federal highway
funding. Conform, or your state loses federal highway funding. Now,
many here mistake that political fact for some basic truth about
safety, which it is not.
Because this is likely to kill some of us, I will go on for one more
paragraph,
regardless of my contempt for the common "wisdom", cough, cough ,
cough.
Imagine you are playing a game. You must drive across town at night
on a uni, and all the drivers are drunk, unable to stay in their own
lanes. Some are so drunk that they hit parked cars, or other cars
strike each other head on. Do you want to ride with the cars coming up
behind you...or facing them?

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feel the light said:

When I was growing up in Connecticut in the 60's, we were actually
taught in school to ride our bikes opposing traffic.

You were taught wrong. Things have changed since then. It is no
longer considered correct to ride a bike against traffic.

--
john_childs

john_childs (att) hotmail (dott) com
Team Never Wash Your Muni
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It is a federal highway fund issue, not a consensus of safety experts,
that has resulted in the uniformity of state laws.

--
feel the light
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Yes, and find me a bike safety expert now who would argue that riding
against traffic is better. No expert will make that case now. Riding
against traffic is old thinking.

--
john_childs

john_childs (att) hotmail (dott) com
Team Never Wash Your Muni
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feel the light said:

The real trouble is bike riders being struck from the rear and killed.

Car-overtaking-bike accidents account for only a tiny portion of
car/bike accidents. Nearly all car-bike accidents happen at
intersections (including driveway intersections), and nearly all of
those are more likely to occur when you're riding on the wrong side of
the road.

A number of studies have been done on this subject. Read "Effective
Cycling" if you are actually interested in learning about safety.

--
tholub
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Eek - if I'm ever in the USA remind me not to cycle on the road!
Seriously, I can't believe people could think it's OK to ride on
whichever side of the road they fancy at the time.

Anyway, on the subject of lights... when I'm unicycling in the dark I
put my rear light in the mesh pocket of my camelback and the front
light on my helmet. I tend to use two rear lights in case one conks
out, although I haven't had one fail for years - I think it's just
ingrained paranoia from the days of useless EverReady lights. The
jacket and tights I wear in the winter have plenty of reflective strips
on them as well. Strictly speaking it's illegal to ride on the road in
the UK without pedal reflectors (although I think racing bikes below a
certain weight are exempt as long as they are not used in the dark),
which makes all my bikes and unicycles illegal (bikes have PD-A520 SPD
pedals and unicycles have DMR V8s, neither of which are suitable for
mounting reflectors), but my SPD shoes have reflective heels and my
cycling tights have reflective strips on the calves and ankles, so I
don't think it's really a problem - I've never had any complaints from
the police anyway, and I feel perfectly visible in the dark.

Rob

--
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feel the light said:

When I was growing up in Connecticut in the 60's, we were actually
taught in school to ride our bikes opposing traffic.

Tell me these instructions were related to you in terms of riding along
busy streets, not in your local neighborhood streets, and I'll call you
right. Until then I'll assume these instructions accompanied very
strong instructions to not ride in the street at all unless there was
no sidewalk, and that this was elementary school. Those rules may still
be accurate, in context.

Quoted message said:

The real trouble is bike riders being struck from the rear and killed.

I know people who have been killed by cars also and it sucks. But the
real problem, as Tom mentioned, is intersections. I described how I've
been "gotcha'd" many times by wrong-way cyclists. Wrong-way, as in
legally wrong.

Quoted message said:

Conform, or your state loses federal highway funding. Now, many here
mistake that political fact for some basic truth about safety, which it
is not.

Conform to what? Did the creators of this federal legislation go to a
different elementary school or something, or have they noticed that's
what works *better and safer* all over the world?

Quoted message said:

Some are so drunk that they hit parked cars, or other cars strike each
other head on. Do you want to ride with the cars coming up behind
you...or facing them?

Fricking neither! You were the one who mentioned Darwin awards.
Sometimes "conditions don't permit." I would not be on the road at all
in that situation. I used to deliver newspapers at 5:00am on Sundays
(from my car). It was obvious that, though the roads were mostly empty,
a high percentage of the drivers out at that hour were obviously drunk.
Then it's all about spacing or, to use driving school language, the
"space cushion."

--
johnfoss

John Foss
Email: "jfoss" at "unicycling.com" -- www.unicycling.com
-----------------------------------------------

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weekends is an XC trail." -- Kris Holm, on XC from a North Shore point
of view
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I typed "bicyclist struck by car ", into google news search. It brought
up hundreds of pages. Here is the link.
http://tinyurl.com/25ymyf
If the link doesn't work (how long does a google search last ?), just
type those words in google news search yourself.
I hate to prove my point in such a macabre way. Sadly, I am right.
Just read the cases. The vast majority were struck from behind and
killed. Dozens of riders dead, this week.
This of course does not surprise me. I have read many similar
accounts in my local paper. 🙁

--
feel the light
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