Now the dark evenings are setting in (and certainly will do once clocks go back), I think its about time I got better at the whole be-safe-be-seen thing considering I cycle to work daily!
Ive already got reflectors on the bike and one of those sexy hi-vis yellow/reflective vests, but I need to get myself a new helmet (I dont wear my old one because a, its ugly as sin and b, its a bit melted from when I left it in front of a gas fire - and yes I know the arguments for and against the things but I think it might be a good idea) and some better lights (got a couple of tiny LED ones but theyre only little backup things really).
So, recommendations for lights and helmets? Cant really afford more than £50 for the lot.
I run Smart 2.4w + 10w lights on the front and a Cateye TL-1100D for the rear.
Damn nice. should come just under the £50. Helmet + decent lights under 50... somewhat hoping.
Smart lights are OK, but the higher powered ones wobble a lot. Plus the batteries are a nightmare to get hold of.
http://www.stif.co.uk/gear/select_options.asp?productid=4573
Cateye Lightset @ £19.99
You can also get spare brackets easy enough, the lights just clip off and go into your bag. Whereas the bigger offroad lights have seperate batteries, add a lot of weight and arent much fun to cart around when not on your bike.
http://www.stif.co.uk/gear/select_options.asp?productid=4780
Giro Skyla Womens Specific Helmet - One size fits all. @ £29.99
Guys are pretty good there too, I used to work for them.
Quote from: soopahflySmart lights are OK, but the higher powered ones wobble a lot. Plus the batteries are a nightmare to get hold of.
http://www.stif.co.uk/gear/select_options.asp?productid=4573
Cateye Lightset @ £19.99
You can also get spare brackets easy enough, the lights just clip off and go into your bag. Whereas the bigger offroad lights have seperate batteries, add a lot of weight and arent much fun to cart around when not on your bike.
http://www.stif.co.uk/gear/select_options.asp?productid=4780
Giro Skyla Womens Specific Helmet - One size fits all. @ £29.99
Guys are pretty good there too, I used to work for them.
Never had mine wobble. Its a pretty secure bracket secured by four bolts.
Battery... 6v SLA Rechargable. Comes with the lights.
Clicky
i would reccomend two rear lights, one on your bike, one clipped to your back flashing. oh and dont ride home drunk :)
Well Ive got a wee red flashy thing I can attach to myself, not to mention the hi-vis (very effective, always applaud the cyclists wearing them when Im driving in the dark), so my body should be fine.
Also I cycle on or near roads, so its all pretty well lit, the lights will be mostly for my visibility to drivers, rather than for my own vision. I doubt Ill be needing any massive offroad jobbies, but cheers anyway Rich :)
Thanks!
Having light and reflective clothing is worth at least as much as good lights, you need other road users to see you rather than the other way around. Go to a pound shop and see if they stock some wheel reflectors, if you dont have one get a helmet, but again a light coloured one.
Best to use a pair of lights on the back, just in case one runs out of power. Have one flashing and the other constant. If you are going to be only on town roads then the front lights dont matter too much, but you should still have one.
Dont know about you but I find amber lights at night are crap for contrast. If a cyclist doesnt have a decent front light (decent = anything better than a 3 led flashy jobby at the front) then I as a pedestrian has trouble seeing them... they kinda just blend in.
That is just me though :D lol. for £30 youd be hard pushed to find any more visible lights than the ones I recommended to be honest :) Rear light... definately stick with a cateye TL-1100D or a TL-1000D (the earlier model) they are worth it.... really are. I used to have a sh*tty 5 LED rear light, and used to be really aware of just how crap it was. Upgraded to a TL-1100D... and god what a difference. 10 LEDs and can have each row controlled independently :D
As a driver, Ive found it doesnt need anything powerful enough to cast a beam - and flashy lights are better than constant ones. I think what youre suggesting sounds rather like overkill to me, Rich!
Agreed Serious - which is why I bought the vest - unsexy but definitely very effective, the stripes are visible miles off!
Quote from: SaraAs a driver, Ive found it doesnt need anything powerful enough to cast a beam - and flashy lights are better than constant ones. I think what youre suggesting sounds rather like overkill to me, Rich!
Agreed Serious - which is why I bought the vest - unsexy but definitely very effective, the stripes are visible miles off!
thats fair cop, you do have headlights as a driver so youd have more contrast than I would :) plus the reflective stuff would shine :D
The rear light... nah... that is the dogs nads and Id recommend it to anyone.
The front ones, yeah probably somewhat overkill I guess, but I like being mistaken for a scooter :D plus if someone cuts me up, WHAM.. (in my case) 12.5w of light angled into their rear view mirror for being a twat. :D Some call it road rage... I call it getting even. :D but thats only when im being twatish too :D (definately not the right thing to do).
As for a vest, I have an awesome one. Bought it from the cycling plus forum. Has "POLITE" written on the back on a blue background with some police styled hatch marks either side :D
i would be tempted to ditch the dayglow crap and just put some reflective tape on the frame.
Ive still got my 80s Dayglow London "Underground" jacket that I cycle in. (Since I stopped taking pills and boucing around for 16 hours every weekend)
Ive always found that more lights, i.e. One on bike and one on person. Are a better bet than 1 big one.
Quote from: M3ta7h3adDont know about you but I find amber lights at night are crap for contrast. If a cyclist doesnt have a decent front light (decent = anything better than a 3 led flashy jobby at the front) then I as a pedestrian has trouble seeing them... they kinda just blend in.
That is just me though :D lol. for £30 youd be hard pushed to find any more visible lights than the ones I recommended to be honest :) Rear light... definately stick with a cateye TL-1100D or a TL-1000D (the earlier model) they are worth it.... really are. I used to have a sh*tty 5 LED rear light, and used to be really aware of just how crap it was. Upgraded to a TL-1100D... and god what a difference. 10 LEDs and can have each row controlled independently :D
My back one is an upturned warning triangle tied in under the seat, far bigger and gives much more light than a standard three led. Also reflects drivers headlamps back to them, increasing visibility nicely :)
When I was commuting on my bike, I have a Hope H.I.D Front light (Equivalent to 50w Halogen) and a Dinotte rear (one of the brightest lights available) but we are talking costs greater than most folks bikes on here, excluding Badabing of course and his tasty On-one.
is that really needed? i mean, you would be killing people as you ride past.
Off road visibility mainly, but it tbh, the brighter the better.
Quote from: redis that really needed? i mean, you would be killing people as you ride past.
Nothing says "give cyclists room" quite like a light saber through the face. :D
If you are going off road or on dark country roads then it pays to have a big front light.
Quote from: SeriousBest to use a pair of lights on the back, just in case one runs out of power. Have one flashing and the other constant. If you are going to be only on town roads then the front lights dont matter too much, but you should still have one.
Its worth pointing out that a flashing light on its own is illegal.
Plenty have them and I have never seen anyone pulled over because of it. Usually though they have multiples. If the authorities were going to be like that then the Police shouldnt go out and arrest people on Christmas day, the fire brigade shouldnt put out fires and the hospitals shouldnt save people, ambulances shouldnt attend emergencies, Etc. Etc.
Its another law which only the jobsworths will bother with, providing you have a light then most police wont bother you.
Quote from: CypherQuote from: SeriousBest to use a pair of lights on the back, just in case one runs out of power. Have one flashing and the other constant. If you are going to be only on town roads then the front lights dont matter too much, but you should still have one.
Its worth pointing out that a flashing light on its own is illegal.
Er no it isnt. It has to conform to a BS standard, however flashing lights are not illegal.
Quote from: M3ta7h3adQuote from: CypherQuote from: SeriousBest to use a pair of lights on the back, just in case one runs out of power. Have one flashing and the other constant. If you are going to be only on town roads then the front lights dont matter too much, but you should still have one.
Its worth pointing out that a flashing light on its own is illegal.
Er no it isnt. It has to conform to a BS standard, however flashing lights are not illegal.
Im affraid they are. There are no two ways about it. Look it up, Im not going to start quoting cycle law requirements. There are enough forums about thinking it is gay and others saying you look like a twat. In fact I think its even in the highway code. Flashing On its own it is illegal, Fact. In a conjunction with a solid light is not iirc. The reason being simply is that flashing lights in the Uk are reserved for emergency vehicles and turn signals only.
Of course as serious points out you are never going to be stopped for it.
As you say it has to conform to BS standard, so for example LED lights are illegal.
Quote from: CypherQuote from: M3ta7h3adQuote from: CypherQuote from: SeriousBest to use a pair of lights on the back, just in case one runs out of power. Have one flashing and the other constant. If you are going to be only on town roads then the front lights dont matter too much, but you should still have one.
Its worth pointing out that a flashing light on its own is illegal.
Er no it isnt. It has to conform to a BS standard, however flashing lights are not illegal.
Im affraid they are. There are no two ways about it. Look it up, Im not going to start quoting cycle law requirements. There are enough forums about thinking it is gay and others saying you look like a twat. In fact I think its even in the highway code. Flashing On its own it is illegal, Fact. In a conjunction with a solid light is not iirc. The reason being simply is that flashing lights in the Uk are reserved for emergency vehicles and turn signals only.
Of course as serious points out you are never going to be stopped for it.
As you say it has to conform to BS standard, so for example LED lights are illegal.
No... flashing lights are not illegal. The highway code changed some time ago, and regulations regarding lighting did too. Perhaps you should read it again.
They were illegal, to use solely on a bike, however providing they meet BS specifications for flashing period, duration, and brightness... then theyre not.
Exhibit 1:
http://www.opsi.gov.uk/si/si2005/20052559.htmAs you find reading the highway code difficult heres the part in question.
Quote" (g) a front position lamp capable of emitting a flashing light (whether or not it is also capable of emitting a steady light) which is fitted to—
(i) a pedal cycle; or
(ii) a trailer drawn by, or a sidecar attached to, a pedal cycle;
and which, if it is a lamp which is required to be fitted pursuant to regulation 18, is capable, when emitting a flashing light, of emitting light to the front of the pedal cycle, trailer or sidecar (as the case may be) of an intensity of not less than 4 candelas; or
(h) a rear position lamp capable of emitting a flashing light (whether or not it is also capable of emitting a steady light) which is fitted to—
(i) a pedal cycle; or
(ii) a trailer drawn by, or a sidecar attached to, a pedal cycle;
and which, if it is a lamp which is required to be fitted pursuant to regulation 18, is capable, when emitting a flashing light, of emitting light to the rear of the pedal cycle, trailer or sidecar (as the case may be) of an intensity of not less than 4 candelas."
Exhibit 2:
http://www.dft.gov.uk/pgr/roads/vehicles/vssafety/guidanceaboutlightsonpedalbi4556Thank you and goodnight, Ill take apologies in the form of hat eating, or simply recognition of the fact you were owned by myself.
Not so much difficulty reading it, more the fact I read the highway code over 5 years ago. Mind ignorance is never an excuse.
If Im wrong I apologise and say whoops. By your own admission it was illegal at one point. I wasnt aware the law had changed, nothing more to it. Explains why I was finding articles suggesting it was illegal. I imagine its still one of these grey areas of the law.
The difference Is though I can admit Im wrong, I can appologise and dont feel the need the for an ecore or get an ego boost from being right.
but thats not how we roll.
Quote from: CypherNot so much difficulty reading it, more the fact I read the highway code over 5 years ago. Mind ignorance is never an excuse.
If Im wrong I apologise and say whoops. By your own admission it was illegal at one point. I wasnt aware the law had changed, nothing more to it. Explains why I was finding articles suggesting it was illegal. I imagine its still one of these grey areas of the law.
The difference Is though I can admit Im wrong, I can appologise and dont feel the need the for an ecore or get an ego boost from being right.
if its any consolation Cypher, I didnt know it had changed either.
Should still be illegal IMO, flasher on its own is no where near as visible. A quick glance over your shoulder can easily be completed during the "off" cycle. As a driver and occasional cyclist, I would never consider the possibility of using a flashing light on its own.
Any lights at all is still better than most cyclists in my experience though, try driving in Cambridge sometime. If you look left and right and cant see a cyclist there, its because the bastard has no lights on and is wearing black. IMO such people should be classed automatically as a suicide if you hit them.
Quote from: MongooseQuote from: CypherNot so much difficulty reading it, more the fact I read the highway code over 5 years ago. Mind ignorance is never an excuse.
If Im wrong I apologise and say whoops. By your own admission it was illegal at one point. I wasnt aware the law had changed, nothing more to it. Explains why I was finding articles suggesting it was illegal. I imagine its still one of these grey areas of the law.
The difference Is though I can admit Im wrong, I can appologise and dont feel the need the for an ecore or get an ego boost from being right.
if its any consolation Cypher, I didnt know it had changed either.
Should still be illegal IMO, flasher on its own is no where near as visible. A quick glance over your shoulder can easily be completed during the "off" cycle. As a driver and occasional cyclist, I would never consider the possibility of using a flashing light on its own.
Any lights at all is still better than most cyclists in my experience though, try driving in Cambridge sometime. If you look left and right and cant see a cyclist there, its because the bastard has no lights on and is wearing black. IMO such people should be classed automatically as a suicide if you hit them.
Human eyes are better attuned to change and the rear lights are there to warn other road users of your presence, to an extent the front ones too. This means that usually a flashing light is more noticeable than a steady one which your eyes will get used to and perhaps not be recognized as easily. Ive been watching out for cyclists recently and the flashing ones are easier to spot than constant.