Darth Lefty 

I am just not buying this specific scenario. The supposed attacker is not going to be surprised by a bike light that's been on for your entire approach, and you're not going to remember to turn it on just for him.

Skipjacks

I didn't say surprised.

I said stopped for 2 seconds to react.

If he sees you coming from a mile away he's still not going to be able to see how big you are like he might in normal ambient light from the road. And there is a big difference between the light from 100 feet away and 3 feet away. As he gets closer and the flashing is annoying it only needs to make him pause for 1-2 seconds to give you time to get away

I am assuming you are already riding and moving. Not stopped.

Hell the flashing light may be enough for him to say "Screw this. I'll wait for the next guy" from 100 feet away. Maybe the light means too much attention. Maybe the light makes him think for 3 seconds about if he wants to attack you, by which point you are already past him.

To be fair....in this thought exercise...maybe the light lets him notice you when he wouldn't have before. So there can be a down side.

To your point though...there are very specific circumstances where it could help. And those are limited. The angle of approach matters, the distance from the attacker, your speed, etc.

Jim from Boston

Experience Using Helmet Light as Defensive Tool?

Here in Boston, most of my street commute is thorough nice parts of town, and the most likely "assaults" I anticipate are by:The only MUP I ride in dark hours is the well-traveled Jamaica Plain MUP because it’s well-lit and closely parallels the busy auto commuting road, The Jamaicaway.

Even so, I avoid a segment that veers for a few hundred yards into a stand of trees, and is invisible to the road traffic.

I have previously posted about some riders on that path.

BillyD

Because gun discussions never fail to become disruptive once they start. And then that discussion takes over the whole thread and the original topic is lost. So we'd rather not have all that venom and animosity playing out unnecessarily on our bicycle forum. If you're looking for gun discussion, anger and hate you have to go elsewhere on the internet, it's not our cup of tea.

Thanks for asking.

Skipjacks

The air horn does as much as you could hope a flasher light would do....buy you a couple seconds to escape. I'd lean towards thinking an air horn would work better. (Those things are LOUD)

For a dog...assuming you aren't in a city where you might have to stop, just riding as fast as you can for 100 yards should get you away from the dog even if the dog can keep up your speed they can't do it forever.

As for an attacker with a knife or gun...if it's a knife I'm just going to ride away. If it's a gun...you're right. The bike isn't worth it. Throw the bike one direction and run the other way. No one is going to chase you when what they wanted it sitting on the ground ready to be taken. It might hurt your pride, but there is nothing wrong with a tactical retreat so you can live to fight another day.

I keep at least $30 with my at all times (not just when riding) for just this reason. It is a $20 bill folded on the OUTSIDE of 10 $1 bills. So it looks like a stack of 11 $20 bills worth a couple hundred bucks.

First off, I always have $30 cash on me for an emergency. Lost my wallet but need to buy lunch? No problem. Need something I have to buy with cash? Mission accomplished.

But the reason I do it is so that if a mugger comes at me I can pull out what looks like $200 and throw it one direction while I run the other. NO mugger, who's entire mission to get money from me, is going to chase after me while what he thinks is a stack of $20 bills sitting on the ground 10 feet in the other direction. He's going to grab the money and by the time he does I'm long gone.

$30 insurance policy.

Siu Blue Wind

Oh ...We don't allow abortion either.

If you want to discuss guns, I have a lot of links to gun forum sites, just message me, I am a member of many.

flangehead

I appreciate the input. Bottom line, a bright helmet light isn't much of a tool.

The main change to my behavior is that I’m now carrying my wallet and cellphone on my person instead of in my pannier. It is a bit less convenient but if I walk/run away I have my most important resources; everything else is relatively easy to replace.

I like the phrase "interview" and it aligns with a lot of the other comments. In fact, the entire discussion reminds me of what I learned from a book "Alaska Bear Tales”. Basically..

1. Do not get near the bear in the first place.

2. If 1 fails, make yourself look as big as possible.

3. If 2 fails (now at close range) punch the bear in the schnoz as hard as possible.

4. If 3 fails play dead (often this is very easy to do)…

So in the spirit of experimentation I got my daughter to wear my helmet light so I could see the other side of the story. Test was done with no ambient light.

Results:

a) When the bike was between me and the helmet light I could still clearly see the various marker and corner lights I have on the bike, which I need for my (much more probable event) motor vehicle defenses. Helmet light didn’t really distract me and I could avoid the bike and still reach her.

b) When it was just her in the dark, I could see nothing but the light. However, I could charge toward the light..

c) We tried flashing (Cygolite Metro 650) mode and it is very disconcerting. This is the only thing I thought had a chance of helping me fail the interview phase of an encounter. (The flashing mode is complete on/off on about 1/2 second cycle.)

So maybe a light is a bit of a distraction, but not significant. This thought is what has led me to keep my wallet and cellphone on my person instead of in my pannier.

Thank you everyone for your input!

no motor?

I've never had to worry about assault or robbery, but having a bright helmet light and not acting like a victim has been my approach to dealing with others at night. By being aware of my surroundings I'm scanning for hazards of any sort and have spotted some wildlife that was moving away and some that I wanted to avoid. It also helps with the cars that see me but don't react etc...

no motor?

Thank you, that's just how I feel.

locolobo13 

A couple of weekends ago, riding in the bike lane in broad daylight, 2 late teens early twenty somethings, step off the sidewalk in front of me. Deliberately. They were far enough ahead I could see it coming. No cars behind me. At 50 ft I moved from the bike lane to the traffic lane. The one closest to the street moved into my way as well. I held my line to the last second and went around him on my left. Almost to the center line. He yelled something. I didn't stop. I think they were just punks trying to be bullies.

At night you can't be sure. Do they see you? Are they lining up for an attack? You just have to pay attention and stay out of reach. Use your blinkers, see how they respond. A very few times I've turned around and ridden back to another street to avoid stuff at night. That might sound crazy. But I "go with my gut" in those situations.

Not sure there's a point there. Other than stay alert. You can usually avoid people on foot.

liampboyle

I've ridden through lots of "shady" neighborhoods at all hours and never had a problem. Most likely because I usually look a broke person, but I do have a CCDW permit. I've luckily never had to utilize it.

KP_Doodie

Well, if you're not going to carry that which shall not be named, I've always found a u-lock adequate for self-defense, (as long as your attacker doesn't have that which shall not be named.) Better than a super-duper bright light, I guess.

Darth Lefty 

I'd feel pretty dumb getting shot in a lock fight

Reynolds 

A 6 D Maglite could work as a "defensive tool" I guess.

bpcyclist

Never bring a you-know to a you-know fight.