On 2017-09-16 13:05, jbeattie wrote:
On Saturday, September 16, 2017 at 11:34:08 AM UTC-7, Joerg wrote:
On 2017-09-16 09:28, Frank Krygowski wrote:
On 9/16/2017 10:51 AM, Joerg wrote:


On a steep uphill I sure want my rear light as bright as it
gets. On winding uphill stretches the risk of being seen too
late is highest.

Have you ever bothered to get a friend to ride your bike at
night, then observe your bike's lights and reflectors as you
drove your car?

I've done things like that many times, with my family, with
friends, with bike club members. And as mentioned, I've gotten
spontaneous compliments from motorists.

All of this testing has showed that a cyclist does NOT need
super-bright lights or high tech equipment to be perfectly
visible.


During the day he does. As a motorist I am always thankful for
oncoming cyclists to have bright lights. I see them so early that I
can plan on it, move AFRAP with my car, giving oncoming cars lots
of space and their drivers, in consequence, give the cyclist lots
of space.

Really? Are you legally blind? Eight out of ten times I will see a
fluorescent jersey before I see a DRL.


Can you visit clients in your fluorescent jersey? Commuter cyclists out
here where khakis and stuff. Same when I visit a client, then I wear
clean and fairly new black jeans and a decent shirt.

For some people a bicycle is more than just a rolling gym.


... And as a rider, IME, there is
a low correlation between being seen and safe passes. I get close
passes with or without my very bright L&M VIS 180 rear light.


My experience is different. With bright lights I only get deliberate
close passes, usually when a driver is p....d because I took the lane
for too long and such.


The modern paranoia calling for super-bright lights is silly.
It's spouted by people who haven't done simple tests.


Nonsense. I did tests. If you want to be able to pull up to 15mph
on singletrack or 25mph on a road with occasional debris on it
those 1000 lumen lights are a safety feature. Because you see
stuff. For slowpokes that is, of course, a different story.

Depends on the road and the rider. I'm sure there are plenty of PBP
riders with dynos doing 25mph in the dark.


In France you normally do not have lots of debris from construction
worker pickup trucks lying in the way. I have lived in Northern Europe
and cycled there, a lot.


... But sure, the faster you
go, the more light you need -- particularly if the road is more like
a trail. But for the majority of commuters, super-bright lights are
not needed for riding at night. Super-bright DRLs are totally
unnecessary IMO. On dreary days I'll run a blinky, but in bright
sunshine -- no.


Well, I always do. Hence I always make sure the Li-Ion batteries of the
bike are adequately charged.

--
Regards, Joerg

http://www.analogconsultants.com/