Micheal Blue

Some of the fellow commuters I meet use strong front and rear lights in the flashing mode - on the bike path. WTH? Either they are asleep and don't realize what they are doing, or they don't give a damn about others. If you feel insecure on the road, please go ahead and flash your lasers, but switch them to solid mode on the bike path. Our nervous systems will thank you.

gmt13

I sometimes use the strobe mode, but only during daylight - typically during less than nice weather. I can't stand strobe mode in the dark. It's too mentally distracting and you can't really see the road or what's on it. I see riders using strobe in darkness and it seems to me that their lights aren't powerful enough to see the road anyway so they display to be seen only.

Anyway, you ain't likely to understand why folks do what they do, and you sure ain't likely to change their behavior. Good luck, though.

-G

lostarchitect 

Does the bike path pass pedestrian crossings? Do cars cross it ever? Do pedestrians walk on it? All these things are present on the bike paths I ride on. I'll keep my flashers, thanks.

paul2432

Here we go again . . .

https://www.bikeforums.net/showthread...ighlight=flash

Paul

Micheal Blue

....and there are still commuters who don't care about others. I'm not trying to start a discussion pro vs against. I'm asking the flashers to be kind to the rest of us on the bike paths by switching their lights to the solid mode on the bike paths. That flashing lights negatively affect the nervous system has been proven.

ItsJustMe

I switched to flashing mode on the road the day that I got pulled out on. I was on a straight road, the other driver had a stop sign on a T intersection. It was dawn, enough light to see without the light but I had it on anyway (550 lumen or so Magicshine), I was wearing an ANSI reflective vest, and there is a solid quarter mile of visibility there. The car just pulled up, rolled the stop sign at about 10 MPH and hit me. I saw him coming and swerved enough to just run tangent to him while pushing off his front bumper around the corner.

It turned out to be a guy I know from work. He was really shaken up and said "I swear I didn't even see you."

That day I decided that I would just bolt on more lights and make them more irritating until drivers saw me. I'll set every other bush by the side of the road on fire as the light turns on and off, if that's what it takes to get drivers to not kill me.

OTOH, I'm halfway convinced that there's absolutely nothing within the realm of reason that will absolutely guarantee that they see you. I think some drivers would "not see you" if you were riding a full-grown bull elephant painted neon green with six illuminated Christmas trees tied to it.

But IMO you have to at least try.

If I was on a bike path though, I'd definitely point the light down if I thought I needed it on flash. But since there's no such thing as a bike path anywhere within 100 miles of here, it's not something that comes up.

Generally I run on solid/low in the daytime but there are some areas where pullouts are a definite hazard and then I switch to flash.

lostarchitect 

You know what else negatively affects the nervous system? Getting run over.

chipcom 

do you often get run over on a bike path? maybe if you rode a little faster, them mean grannies on their trikes wouldn't run you over!

Flashing mode on a path/MUP is kinda silly, don't you think?

Scooby214

+1 I do run a cheapy Cateye EL135 as a second light at night and at dawn/dusk, on flash mode. I don't get to ride on any bike paths on my commute. The reason I like the flash mode is that much of my 13.5 miles each way consists of riding through older neighborhoods. The flash helps me stand out in the midst of the trees that have rising or setting sun shining through them. This is especially important in my situation when drivers are backing out of driveways.

If I did get to ride one of my area bike paths on my commute, I'd only run my solid light and leave the flasher off.

no1mad 

Maybe the flashers are weight weinies and can't spare the grams that another battery would cost 'em, so they run in flash mode to maximize battery life.

lostarchitect 

No. The bike path is crossed by cars every few blocks, and pedestrians more often. Worse, many pedestrians just walk on it. Flashing lights on the bike path keep people safe. I don't know what it's like on the path the OP is talking about, maybe there's nobody around. But I can't agree with a blanket statement saying that flashing lights should not be used on the bike path.

JimJimex

That's why I have 2 front and 2 rear lights.
Stronger solid, weaker blink.

Surrealdeal

I switch to steady beam when I'm on the MUP, it's my personal preference. It takes all of two seconds. Yes I do cross some roads, but I guess I can rely upon my wits in those cases.

I got no problem with anybody using their strobe when they are on the road in any circumstance and honestly, other people using their strobes on the MUP doesn't bother me enough to start an internet forum thread about it.

People bothered by it enough to start an internet forum thread about it, however, bother me enough to respond to an internet forum thread about it.

Shinjukan

I too at first had some difficulty as to when to use the headlight on blink- or stay-on mode whenever I'm riding. I know I had to consider the main factors: road or MUP, fellow cyclists and pedestrians/runners/joggers/etc.

Based on what I've read from other posts and my riding experience this year, I use:

blinker mode - when it's daytime (like summer-like daytime) no matter whether I'm on the trail or on the road. I aim my light a little more horizontal; and

full-on mode - as soon as the natural light becomes a bit too dim for comfort whether on the road or on the trail. I aim my light more toward the road in order not to annoy motorists, cyclists and pedestrians.

Another way to put it: blinkers to be seen, full-on to see.

Blues Frog

Lostarchitect + 1. I like to live. I have had too many close calls. A local police captain said he would rather see the strobe and my other lights than collect my remains from the pavement with a paint scraper. Almost word for word. YMMV

DG Going Uphill

Flashers are a catch 22: It's really hard to judge how far away a flashing light is, which means drivers may think you are farther away than you are. But, solid lights are easy to ignore/not notice. The best plan is to have both.

wolfchild

I use both. I make a decision when to use a flash or solid mode, don't need somebody else telling me how to use my lights.

BSB

You're correct, it is absolutely your right to do what you want, regardless of how inconsiderate it is.

Personally, when faced with a bright strobe going the other way on the MUP at night, I don't dim my light or point it down like I normally do for oncoming bikes. I find it very difficult to see at night with a strobe flashing in my eyes, so I need all the help I can get from my own light.

If MUP strobe users don't like 1000 lumens shining in their eyes at night, well... "I don't need somebody else telling me how to use my lights".

PaulRivers

Yeah, I've seriously considered mounting one of my brightest lights on my helmet and turning it on just for the occasional "really bright and also strobing" oncoming bike light. Good lord those things are terrible on the mup.

Regular powered strobes - those are great, no problem with those.

Seattle Forrest

No, what's silly is that somebody stole the disco ball on the MUP. And where did all the ladies go?

thenomad

Solid on the way to the bike trail due to darkness, an extra flasher when its dead of winter. Then its solid but at a lower level on the path, no need to wake the dead, just enough for me to see. As I pull out onto the road again for the final 4 miles at dawn I switch to flash. Seems logical to me.

chipcom 

IMO, if you need a flashing light to be safe on a bike path...the safety problem is the person riding the bike.

chipcom 

Now THAT's what these folks need...front and rear mounted disco balls...the MUP will become a chick magnet!

buzzman

I've had exactly the same thought.

How hard is it to switch to flashing mode when approaching a dangerous intersection on the MUP and then back to steady afterwards? I think people are just asking for a little consideration for someone approaching. Are some of us that hellbent to be safe that we're willing to make it impossible for others to see?

boatrider

If you're counting on lights to save your live, good luck. I expect that every car I see will run me over, and ride accordingly. I also ride a motorcycle, with great lights, and expect that drivers are not going to see me, and am amazed at how often I'm correct. Drivers should be paying attention, and the lights help, but you'll always lose when contact is made. when bikes & cars are around each other, the law is on the side of the biker, but if you're dead, it won't matter much.