Tonight's cycling observation

[Jack Brunk]

is that the riders riding home had a death wish. At least a dozen riders had rear tail lights that were so dim that I had to look really hard to even see a light at all. I probably look a little more intently than most drivers. Seems pretty stupid with all of the good lights available today. Almost all were wearing really dark outfits with no reflective gear at all. Again seems really stupid.

[pdmtong]

where I live it's not very well lit. idiots running and walking and riding with no lights or reflective gear. or lights that are barely visible. buy a minewt 600 and save your life. yeesh. or at least a reflective running vest. like jack, my awareness is higher. but people, you got to help yourselves!

[thinpin]

A few years back a work colleague in London informed me that I was very difficult to see on the road whilst cycling home. I thought I had been doing a good job. I was, and have been ever since, very grateful for her observation.

[fogrider]

these are the same people that yell at drivers for not seeing them.

[OTB]

And who blow lights and stop signs.

[beeatnik]

Sadly, the brightest 1,000,000 candlepower light is useless, if a driver is immersed in the wonder of an iphone. And that's half the drivers in LA.

Be safe out there.

[AngryScientist]

i agree with your observation,

on a similar note though, depending on what time you were on the road, the twilight, dusk hours are really tough in my experience, when it's not quite dark enough for a light to really "stand out", or for reflectors to really work, but not really light enough to see objects clearly which are unlit. even the best lights in these cases dont really help a lot, a very dangerous time to be on the road IMO.

[znfdl]

Jack, that is why I have put my faith in Dinotte Head Lights and Tail Lights:

The new XLM3 headlight is amazing (1000 lumens on high), while 400 Tailight on high makes most cars give me a 6 foot berth when they pass me. Given todays technology, dim lights make no sense unless that is all you can afford. But what price do you put on safety.

[veloduffer]

is that the riders riding home had a death wish. At least a dozen riders had rear tail lights that were so dim that I had to look really hard to even see a light at all. I probably look a little more intently than most drivers. Seems pretty stupid with all of the good lights available today. Almost all were wearing really dark outfits with no reflective gear at all. Again seems really stupid.

+1 I can't understand why any cyclist would wear a dark jersey/jacket (one of the reasons I don't wear Rapha). I realize its fashion but it's plain stupid. It's akin to a deer hunter not wearing flourescent orange gear. You're only stacking the odds against yourself.

As someone else posted, the Dinotte is a super bright rear light. It reminds me of the high beam mode in the rear lights on UK automobiles (for fog conditions).

[oldpotatoe]

is that the riders riding home had a death wish. At least a dozen riders had rear tail lights that were so dim that I had to look really hard to even see a light at all. I probably look a little more intently than most drivers. Seems pretty stupid with all of the good lights available today. Almost all were wearing really dark outfits with no reflective gear at all. Again seems really stupid.

At least they had a light, even a dim, poorly aimed one. Here in the republic many, many night cyclists have no lights, dark clothes. When I mention(when I am riding home) they ought to buy a light, mostly get the same response, "F__K U, mind your own business'...nice. Darwin at his best.

[avalonracing]

The poorly aimed light is the reason that most of them are dim. I don't know why so many guys who are interested in every detail of their bikes performance can't figure out that their seatpost isn't a vertical 90º and the light needs to be angled up (and usually a bit to the left) to be the most effective.

[ultraman6970]

There are lights that look like cops lights, sure nobody will miss those ones at all.

[Grant McLean]

I can't understand why any cyclist would wear a dark jersey/jacket.

Maybe because they don't ride at night?

I own a lot of black clothing, and it has a substantial amount of reflective
strips on it. You can't bet on a driver seeing you because of light colours.
The visiblity difference been a red jacket and a black one is minimal in the dark.
As has been said, you need proper bike lights, and clothing covered in reflective
pieces, preferably that move, like on the back of your shoes. The small
tabs of 3M on the legs of Assos shorts are super bright, even on the black
shorts!

-g

[William]

From the drivers perspective: coming up behind or to the side of a cyclist at night, the most visible thing I've seen by far is highly reflective tape/piping/bands around the ankles and shoes. That constant up/down bobbing is very eye catching. Much more noticeable to me then static red blinkers. Drivers see all kinds of static lights and reflected light at night. something moving like that is highly out of the ordinary = noticeable.




William

[hockeybike]

Anyone use these: http://www.niagaracycle.com/product_info.php?products_id=507981 ?

[charliedid]

Who cares?

[Wimpy]

+1 I can't understand why any cyclist would wear a dark jersey/jacket (one of the reasons I don't wear Rapha). I realize its fashion but it's plain stupid. It's akin to a deer hunter not wearing flourescent orange gear. You're only stacking the odds against yourself.

As someone else posted, the Dinotte is a super bright rear light. It reminds me of the high beam mode in the rear lights on UK automobiles (for fog conditions).

Ding, Ding, Ding!

As I have reached Middle age I have noticed my night vision diminish. IMHO, wearing light colored clothes make a bigger difference than a light. Light colored clothes shows your profile and make you recognizable as a person.

My kids are now required to wear white if wondering the streets at night. On foot, board or bike.

[veloduffer]

Maybe because they don't ride at night?

I own a lot of black clothing, and it has a substantial amount of reflective
strips on it. You can't bet on a driver seeing you because of light colours.
The visiblity difference been a red jacket and a black one is minimal in the dark.
As has been said, you need proper bike lights, and clothing covered in reflective
pieces, preferably that move, like on the back of your shoes. The small
tabs of 3M on the legs of Assos shorts are super bright, even on the black
shorts!

-g

I agree with you about night riding, but my comment wasn't really limited to night riding - it was riding any time. Riders have such a low visibility profile on the road (less than two feet wide and hunched over the bars), we can be easily overlooked, lost in the background or if wearing dark colors, lost in the tree shadows.

A bright color will also get you noticed from a further distance, giving the driver more time to be aware and react. You can't refute that a rider wearing neon green has better visibility on the road than one wearing black or dark blue, particularly at a distance. There's a reason all the road construction workers wear neon green; those workers and we cyclists face similar threats.