CB HI

If you do not like the lights, then wear a visor you can use to block the light when needed. See how simple that is.

CB HI

Interesting poster for Washington considering some nudist visible to kids in the state could not be prosecuted under their laws.

DrkAngel

I prefer the Cree Q5 LED flashing lights.
It gets me noticed ... and "respected"?
I quickly notice the difference if I forget to turn it on.

I use the Cree Q5, zoomable with high-low-strobe functions.
Strobe during the day and high at night.
I keep the light zoomed at a wide angle, often with a zoomed narrow, additional light, mounted on my helmet ... scanning ahead for potholes or beaming inattentive cagers.
The Q5 output ~260 lumen.

Next step up is the Cree XM-L series, variously rated between 1000-1800 lumens, I would have to rate it as dangerously bright to oncoming traffic.

cehowardGS

In other words, flashing bicycle lights are against the law but a nut-case flashing like in the picture to our kids and to the public is OKAY, not against the law!!

If the above is correct, IMO, that tells you something about the lawmakers of that state, and where their priorities are..

Just saying...

cehowardGS

IMO, even simpler, don't look at the lights!

10 Wheels

That is the proper answer no matter what a person is driving or riding.

ItsJustMe

Boom, covered. If they HAVE to be 4 way ( don't know why they would, but whatever) the light I'm using can be wired with others to synchronize them. I'm running flashing amber up front and flashing red in the rear. I have not as yet run flashing white, I'm reserving that for if someone STILL pulls out in front of me or passes in my lane heading towards me with the Nova Bull flashing up front.

turbo1889

Yes, I personally also prefer amber blinky lights for the front as well compared to white blinky lights. Unfortunately amber seems to be one of the most sensible colors that most makers of bicycle lights seem to almost completely ignore for some reason.

10 Wheels

Dinotte's Brightest light is Amber.

kookaburra1701

vol

With the rule of white headlight and red taillight, which is more against the law: amber front, or amber rear?

cehowardGS

On a guess, I would say that amber front is against the law.. Amber in the rear is close to the red in the rear, and wouldn't get noticed or iMO, they would make a law against it. On the other hand, an amber front light I have never seen.. They have them as "fog" lights, but I never see anybody use them.

10 Wheels

This is Not a Fog Light. It is way way brighter than any of their White Lights. Dinotte's Brightest light is Amber.



https://store.dinottelighting.com/amb...ight-p126.aspx

https://store.dinottelighting.com/day...ight-p117.aspx

vol

It would seem using amber light for the front is somewhat dangerous, esp. at night: drivers may think it's the rear of a bike that is going away from them.

Sixty Fiver

Have someone take your bike and ride toward you on a MUP or have them ride up behind you when you are running a standard light so you can see how lights this bright will black theirs out.

Maybe get them to put the light in strobe mode too just to see how much fun that is.

Let me know how that goes.

Automobiles have lighting regulations and if your headlights pose a risk to other road users because they are poorly aimed you are being irresponsible.

My friend runs some high output lights on his mtb... they don't get used on the road because they are simply blinding to anyone who is approaching them due to the intensity and wide beam pattern they throw which is fine for trails that rise and fall and have twists and turns.

The Europeans have lighting regulations for bicycles that focus not so much on brightness (there is as minimum) but how the lenses are designed to prevent oncoming road users from being blinded which forces them to look away from the road.

I know a guy here who builds his own high output lights and after going on some night rides I told him flat out that if his lights were enough to black out my rather bright off road lights when he came up behind me that he needed to dial them down or I would do that for him.

He was using these on the road and on multi use paths.

kmv2

she wasn't wearing a helment!!!!!

kmv2

sudo bike

I wonder if a flashing light at night - at least one with no steady-burning companion - might make it more difficult for a driver to judge speed, something they already seem to have a hard time with.

cehowardGS

You raise some very good points, and they are valid. However, I am not REFERRING to MUP(s), I am talking about knock-down-balls-out-rush-hour-fast-traffic.. That is a whole different arena then your bike paths, trails and MUPs..

CB HI

Just curious, for those that think amber flashers are illegal, do none of the motor vehicles in your area have amber emergency flashers and are there no construction or road work trucks with amber lights? Do your road barriers use some other color than amber flashers?

Before the day of decent bicycle lights, some of us mounted an amber road barrier light on our rear rack.

Sixty Fiver

You have to consider what happens when you overtake other cyclists... with greater ambient lighting in urban areas you may interfere less with their own lighting.

More people may have observed this when they have been overtaken by vehicles that are running these new super bright headlights (truckers seem to favour them)... my car has very decent headlights that I upgraded to the brightest standard lamps and drive through the mountains at night with no worries.

But some of those new headlights throw such an intense beam they will throw shadows off the front of other cars and lets not forget not being able to check your rear view mirrors because it is like looking into the sun.

Back to bikes though... I don't think it is required to run lights that are as bright as car headlights (and often poorly aimed) to ride balls out in rush hour traffic... don't forget that I am for the most part a vehicular cyclist and former messenger so I know all about balls out riding in traffic as well.

My headlights are bright enough that cyclists I have come up behind have thought I was a motorcycle but that still is not as bright as what some of you lunatics run.

cehowardGS

Once again, solid points... However, again, in the balls out pitch dark traffic, ain't no other bikes out there. The rare times I do see another bike, they are on the pavement, far away from the cagers.. So, here I am on a double dual lane road, taking a full lane, cars going by me at 50mph+, and believe you me, I want them to know I am there, have the full lane, and give me room. The reason I take the full lane, because I have tried to take the side of the lane, and here comes a cage within a half foot of me zooming by. I am not a hard learner when it comes down to saving my butt.

On the part of bright lights in the rear view.. Sure, that happens all the times with cars, and what I do is this, I flick my rear view mirror to dim..Simple thing to do, and it solves that quickly..My F150 is dim by default, but my car I have to flip it..Cars are always running their brights. You being a former messager should know very well how bad the cagers can be, and the most excuse used is "I didn't see them"...I have made it this far through life, and I do not want to chance dire injury from somebody not seeing me..That is why I come down strong on the side of bright lights on bicycles. The brighter the better..Lately, I have become a "poser" too.. So, I am shying away from the bigger lights as they don't look too cool. .. I am packing small dynamite now...

BTW, shame on you, sneakly calling me a lunatic...

vol

It's supposed to be for hazard vehicles only (at least in NY, according to the traffic law linked by someone a while ago). I use amber as side lights ( I think that's OK), and sometimes as taillight, too. It's much more visible than red light and I doubt anyone would give me trouble for that.

CB HI

What color are the turn signals on your cars?

vol

I don't have a car

(but I get your point )