Originally Posted by
unterhausen
Running a blinky by itself does seem to be a mistake. I used to use a radbot, which had a "throbbing mode" which gets brighter and dimmer, but never goes dark. I always figured that was better than the lights that flash and go dark. At least, when I'm following someone at a distance that has something that flashes, it's really easy to lose track of them before the next flash. So the dyno light always being on and never flashing is a good way to augment a blinky. I wish they would update the radbot.
I think the other thing that some randonneurs and a lot of long distance racers do a poor job of is maintaining their reflective gear in good condition. In my experience, good reflective gear is more conspicuous than lights. The lights don't always make sense right away, but a good reflective vest and ankle bands convey a lot of information right away. Those goofy runners vests aren't technically legal on RUSA rides and don't work very well. Which reminds me, I need to get some Solas tape for my vest.
Yes, as a driver I really dislike bike lights which flash super bright and then have a long off period. It's totally disorienting. Our visions systems aren't built for that. I always run blinkies, not flashers. A high speed blink is good, the eye follows it well.
On the subject of super bright blinkies, I was taught to point it slightly at the ground, so that it illuminates a patch of pavement behind me. That works very well. You don't want to blind either oncoming of following drivers or riders. The whole deal is - how much time do you give the driver behind you to react to your presence? And not only that, how much time do you give the possibly distracted driver to see you?