Cycling with twin headlights, something to consider..

[RootsBooster]

Early this morning while driving through the thick fog, in the pitch black (country roads), a pair of headlights appeared in the oncoming lane which I took to be another car in the distance. Within seconds a bike shot past me, which it turned out the headlights were attached to, in reality it being only about 20 yards away when I saw it.

 

I use two front lights when on my bike: one main, constant light and a smaller, flashing LED. With the bike this morning though, the lights appeared identical and both constant beam, giving the impression of a car approaching from further away.

If I had to go around an object in the road I may have hit the cyclist, thinking it was a car that I had plenty of time to avoid.

 

Just something to bear in mind if you do use two identical lights (which I suspect is a rare occurrence, to be fair).

Edited December 7, 2015 by RootsBooster

[Dubaidani13]

Early this morning while driving through the thick fog, in the pitch black (country roads), a pair of headlights appeared in the oncoming lane which I took to be another car in the distance. Within seconds a bike shot past me, which it turned out the headlights were attached to, in reality it being only about 20 yards away when I saw it.

 

I use two front lights when on my bike: one main, constant light and a smaller, flashing LED. With the bike this morning though, the lights appeared identical and both constant beam, giving the impression of a car approaching from further away.

If I had to go around an object in the road I may have hit the cyclist, thinking it was a car that I had plenty of time to avoid.

 

Just something to bear in mind if you do use two identical lights (which I suspect is a rare occurrence, to be fair).

 

 

two static lights would be better than those ultra high frequency stupid flashing LEDS or those ultra bright tail lights, could give someone an epileptic attack apart from being so annoying they are not necessary:rant:

[scania]

There's a reason that motor vehicles fail their MOT,s when they have wrong beam alignments on the headlights. It's because faulty or wobbly beams can blind other road users. These rules obviously does not apply to cyclists. Their ridiculous lights constantly wobble as the cyclist is wobbling along, causing awful beams into other road users faces.

Of course, the Lycra brigade will say this is OK as usual, but whilever cyclists are unregulated, the blinding will continue.

I'm not averse to riders using lights, in fact I encourage it, but not when they are poorly fixed.

Edited December 7, 2015 by scania

[Alcoblog]

two static lights would be better than those ultra high frequency stupid flashing LEDS or those ultra bright tail lights, could give someone an epileptic attack apart from being so annoying they are not necessary:rant:

 

The flashing LED lights always make me think the cyclist is passing through some kind of time-flux or quasi-existential space/time vortex, rather like USS Eldridge in 1944. One second they're there, the next … who knows?

As a precaution, it's best to floor it and pass them at speed whilst they're not there.

[RootsBooster]

two static lights would be better than those ultra high frequency stupid flashing LEDS or those ultra bright tail lights, could give someone an epileptic attack apart from being so annoying they are not necessary:rant:

 

Why would two static lights be better? I've just given an example of it being a potential danger, I've never mistaken a flashing LED for being a car. Have there been many cases of epileptic attacks being caused by bike lights? I was under the impression that the frequency of strobing fell outside the range which usually triggers fits.

[Berberis]

two static lights would be better than those ultra high frequency stupid flashing LEDS or those ultra bright tail lights, could give someone an epileptic attack apart from being so annoying they are not necessary:rant:

 

I (kind of) agree. The flashing lights are meant to help people notice cyclists but they also make it hard to judge their speed. Maybe one flashing and one constant would help.

[RootsBooster]

I (kind of) agree. The flashing lights are meant to help people notice cyclists but they also make it hard to judge their speed. Maybe one flashing and one constant would help.

 

Which is what many cyclists (including myself) use. I tend to have my main one angled down slightly to help illuminate the road in poorly lit areas.

[Cyclone]

two static lights would be better than those ultra high frequency stupid flashing LEDS or those ultra bright tail lights, could give someone an epileptic attack apart from being so annoying they are not necessary:rant:

 

I'd rather annoy a driver and be noticed, than not annoy them and be ignored and run into.

[bethanywalke]

I agree with the one static one flashing, the static allows me to know where they are while the flashing allows me to know that they're a cyclist. Even if it is bloody annoying, especially when you have sensitive eyes!

[Cyclone]

I (kind of) agree. The flashing lights are meant to help people notice cyclists but they also make it hard to judge their speed. Maybe one flashing and one constant would help.

 

That's exactly what I have (and one more on my helmet which I can direct where I look).