Quote from: Gareth on December 21, 2014, 11:07:10 PMQuote from: Heinz Doofenshmirtz on December 21, 2014, 06:49:33 PMQuote from: Gareth on December 21, 2014, 05:33:36 PMSorry, but I'm not a fan of cyclists using bright headlamps either. Car lights are pointed at THE ROAD, not straight into the eyes of oncomimg drivers; this makes all the difference. If folks don't believe this is true then turn on your headlamp at night walk 20 feet away, stare into it for a couple of seconds and then look away. If you can honestly say it's not affected your vision then feel free to wear it. If, however, you find you have spots in your eyes, then please don't wear it on the road.True enough, but roads aren't totally smooth; headlights move up and down, and you still get them in face. Different cars have lights at different heights; you still get them in the face. And besides, who's reaction is it to head *toward* a really bright light coming at them? Still a better safety feature than a hindrance, in my opinion, but at the same time, most people here don't not own a motor vehicle and rely on their bike for 98% of their transportation, as I do. I also doubt most members here ride both in extremely congested urban traffic while commuting (downtown San Francisco, Berkeley, and Oakland), AND on unlit rural roads miles in the hills. Here in the Bay Area we have both and a typical ride home for me is usually a minimum of 20 miles in both types of conditions. In downtown SF being seen means staying alive, and if I have to intentionally blind someone to keep them from running a red light so they don't mow me down, so be it.Sorry Heinz, perhaps I'm reading you wrong, but are you saying that just because it might only be dangerous to the driver and not the cyclist, it's OK to distract the oncoming driver?I take your point that in remote and unlit areas that a good headlamp is a boon, but using it to deliberately blind someone is a concept I just can't get behind. Could you not mount a good air-horn to your bike if you feel you need to make your presence known?The phenomenon of "Target fixation". It's why skiiers ski into the only tree on the slope. Our unconcious tendency is to steer where we're looking. Major cause of motorcycle accidents and is often the reason runners get hit by a car when they run on the road.
Quote from: Heinz Doofenshmirtz on December 21, 2014, 06:49:33 PMQuote from: Gareth on December 21, 2014, 05:33:36 PMSorry, but I'm not a fan of cyclists using bright headlamps either. Car lights are pointed at THE ROAD, not straight into the eyes of oncomimg drivers; this makes all the difference. If folks don't believe this is true then turn on your headlamp at night walk 20 feet away, stare into it for a couple of seconds and then look away. If you can honestly say it's not affected your vision then feel free to wear it. If, however, you find you have spots in your eyes, then please don't wear it on the road.True enough, but roads aren't totally smooth; headlights move up and down, and you still get them in face. Different cars have lights at different heights; you still get them in the face. And besides, who's reaction is it to head *toward* a really bright light coming at them? Still a better safety feature than a hindrance, in my opinion, but at the same time, most people here don't not own a motor vehicle and rely on their bike for 98% of their transportation, as I do. I also doubt most members here ride both in extremely congested urban traffic while commuting (downtown San Francisco, Berkeley, and Oakland), AND on unlit rural roads miles in the hills. Here in the Bay Area we have both and a typical ride home for me is usually a minimum of 20 miles in both types of conditions. In downtown SF being seen means staying alive, and if I have to intentionally blind someone to keep them from running a red light so they don't mow me down, so be it.Sorry Heinz, perhaps I'm reading you wrong, but are you saying that just because it might only be dangerous to the driver and not the cyclist, it's OK to distract the oncoming driver?I take your point that in remote and unlit areas that a good headlamp is a boon, but using it to deliberately blind someone is a concept I just can't get behind. Could you not mount a good air-horn to your bike if you feel you need to make your presence known?
Quote from: Gareth on December 21, 2014, 05:33:36 PMSorry, but I'm not a fan of cyclists using bright headlamps either. Car lights are pointed at THE ROAD, not straight into the eyes of oncomimg drivers; this makes all the difference. If folks don't believe this is true then turn on your headlamp at night walk 20 feet away, stare into it for a couple of seconds and then look away. If you can honestly say it's not affected your vision then feel free to wear it. If, however, you find you have spots in your eyes, then please don't wear it on the road.True enough, but roads aren't totally smooth; headlights move up and down, and you still get them in face. Different cars have lights at different heights; you still get them in the face. And besides, who's reaction is it to head *toward* a really bright light coming at them? Still a better safety feature than a hindrance, in my opinion, but at the same time, most people here don't not own a motor vehicle and rely on their bike for 98% of their transportation, as I do. I also doubt most members here ride both in extremely congested urban traffic while commuting (downtown San Francisco, Berkeley, and Oakland), AND on unlit rural roads miles in the hills. Here in the Bay Area we have both and a typical ride home for me is usually a minimum of 20 miles in both types of conditions. In downtown SF being seen means staying alive, and if I have to intentionally blind someone to keep them from running a red light so they don't mow me down, so be it.
Sorry, but I'm not a fan of cyclists using bright headlamps either. Car lights are pointed at THE ROAD, not straight into the eyes of oncomimg drivers; this makes all the difference. If folks don't believe this is true then turn on your headlamp at night walk 20 feet away, stare into it for a couple of seconds and then look away. If you can honestly say it's not affected your vision then feel free to wear it. If, however, you find you have spots in your eyes, then please don't wear it on the road.
Properly aimed car headlights will not blind oncoming drivers.
A head lamp, even at half the power shining right at you will.
Quote from: derekmac on December 22, 2014, 02:01:06 AMProperly aimed car headlights will not blind oncoming drivers. Please actually read what I posted above about car headlights. Perhaps you have the luxury of perfectly smooth roads where you live, and everyone drives exactly the same car so no one ever gets headlights in the face, but where I live, in the real world, it happens all the time.Quote from: derekmac on December 22, 2014, 02:01:06 AMA head lamp, even at half the power shining right at you will. Again, please read what I posted above about how I use my headlamp while riding.
OK Heniz, it's obvious we're never going to agree on this and I don't want this to turn into an argument, but I will say that a horn is exactly what a car has to alert other drivers to your presence and it seems to work well for them. I'm not sure I agree that sound is somehow directionless either.
Quote from: Heinz Doofenshmirtz on December 22, 2014, 07:11:35 AMQuote from: derekmac on December 22, 2014, 02:01:06 AMProperly aimed car headlights will not blind oncoming drivers. Please actually read what I posted above about car headlights. Perhaps you have the luxury of perfectly smooth roads where you live, and everyone drives exactly the same car so no one ever gets headlights in the face, but where I live, in the real world, it happens all the time.Quote from: derekmac on December 22, 2014, 02:01:06 AMA head lamp, even at half the power shining right at you will. I did read what you wrote, and I happen to live in the province that invented horrible roads. That is why I said properly aimed lights. Yes cars bounce going over bumps, which will cause the lights to momentarily shine higher than normal, but you can't compare lights designed to be operated and constantly directed at oncoming people to a headlight that probably isn't.You also stated that if you had to blind someone, you would. That's why I said the car would only feel a bump. I'm not directing this at you, this is from 16 years experience of driving on back roads that are heavily populated by bikes. The vast majority of bikers I see think they own the road, and can make up the rules of the road as they please. I can't count the amount of idiot bikers I've almost hit because of this mentality. The road should be shared, respectfully by all parties.
Quote from: derekmac on December 22, 2014, 02:01:06 AMProperly aimed car headlights will not blind oncoming drivers. Please actually read what I posted above about car headlights. Perhaps you have the luxury of perfectly smooth roads where you live, and everyone drives exactly the same car so no one ever gets headlights in the face, but where I live, in the real world, it happens all the time.Quote from: derekmac on December 22, 2014, 02:01:06 AMA head lamp, even at half the power shining right at you will.
Bicycles are vehicles, and have similar rights, yet few of the responsibilities as any other motorists/vehicles on the road. Despite not directly paying road or fuel taxes (completely true), not having any training or licenses, or paying for insurance - my mandatory vehicle insurance has mandatory fees to cover cyclists (aka uninsured motorists). But, bicycles are still considered vehicles. No argument from me about that point.What most cyclists seem to disregard is that the laws of physics trump legal laws. Every time. My point? A 175lb spandex clad cyclist on a 15lb road bike traveling at 30kph is no match for a 2800lb car traveling at 80kph. And when the driver of said car has to suddenly decide between oncoming traffic (almost certain death) and a "legally lane sharing" bicycle, they will choose the bicycle (the much lesser threat to their life). And there is nothing that well shaped spandex clad cyclist's ass can do about it because the only warning they will have is the squealing of tires and maybe a honking horn. You might be wondering "Where did a guy who has ridden a bicycle for over 4 decades get such an attitude?". Well, let me tell you, and I see this all the time during the summer:Citiot (city idiot) cyclists drive out to the country to ride the scenic roads. These roads (some are classed as highways which prohibits pedestrians and bicycles by definition) have narrow lanes, gravel shoulders and a posted speed limit of 80 or 90 kph. There is often farm equipment and heavy trucks on the roads (highways), and sometimes horse drawn wagons on the shoulders. Yet for some reason, these citiots think it is okay to ride these roads, often 2 or 3 abreast down the road (highway) so they can converse. Now, imagine the reaction from a local motorist heading into town to go shopping, when they round a corner or crest a hill at speed, only to find the road blocked by slow moving traffic (cyclists). At this point, the laws of the road are irrelevant. Physics is all that really matters. It is the cyclist(s) who put themselves in harms way, and the motorist who will likely be legally punished if an accident results. If the cyclist survives such an accident, they may even sue for injuries, damages, etc, and will probably win. Thereby driving up all MOTORISTS insurance costs.Now, I'm not trying to discriminate against cyclists. I think they should be treated fairly and with respect, just like every other vehicle on the road. So as soon as cyclists on the roads have to take training, get a licence, pay to register their bike, have their bike safety inspected, and have valid insurance, they will have the right to claim their fair share of the road. Or bicycles could simply be banned from all roads with speed limits above 50kph (30mph) unless they have met all the previously mentioned vehicular requirements. Keeping to the right shoulder while displaying a slow moving vehicle sign (the large reflective orange triangle) would make cycling MUCH safer for motorists.Dave
tl;dr? Let me summarise: get the smurf off my roads or I'll run you over.
OP time: I bought a second Super Flea today. Great light.