Maybe chill out a little

[tejdev]

To the two dudes (surprise, surprise) who separately yelled at my wife for having a too-bright headlight (even though you were wearing sunglasses) and for having the wrong color tail light while she commuted on the Custis Trail today, please think about your choices.

I honestly don’t know where to start. She was so excited to ride today after taking most of the cold months off and this entirely (and badly) colored her experience. Don’t we want to encourage people to ride? Also, maybe you don’t have to worry about your personal safety, but as a small woman, she sure does, and if her being able to see her surroundings comes at the price of you having to slightly avert your eyes, that doesn’t seem very unreasonable.

I commute every day by bike. The vast majority of bike commuters make up a terrific and supportive community. But behavior like this reflects poorly on us all.

[Jessica Hirschhorn]

GRRRRR. I once had a runner simply LANCE into me (using very bad words) for my (low, facing down) front beam. I must admit that my reaction (cycling after him and teaching him MUCH worse words.) Not sure he ever knew what hit him. In retrospect I suspect he was imbalanced and angry at someone else. But I was pretty shook. I feel for your wife. Tell her to KEEP RIDING. Most people are nice but they are not the ones you remember.

[arlcxrider]

They griped about a light during the DAY?

I find another cyclist’s headlight too bright or dazzling at night, I cover mine. That usually gets the message across without any Sturm und Drang.

[Smitty2k1]

Crazy – just last night I had a bike commuter tell me my rear blinking light was inappropriate because it was distracting and bright and I should set it to steady/no-blink.

[Sunyata]

@Smitty2k1 196541 wrote:

Crazy – just last night I had a bike commuter tell me my rear blinking light was inappropriate because it was distracting and bright and I should set it to steady/no-blink.

Really, you should, especially if on crowded trails. Blinking lights, even red ones, can cause visual disturbances and make it much harder for others to see. While I may not always have my rear set on steady, I usually have it on a slow fade since half of my commute is on roads.

I can absolutely deal with bright steady lights, but strobes or blinking lights really mess with my eyes and it takes several minutes for them to re-adjust. (Yes, I know I have terrible night vision, yes I have seen several doctors about it, no I am not going to stop riding my bike at night.)

[drevil]

@Sunyata 196543 wrote:

Really, you should, especially if on crowded trails. Blinking lights, even red ones, can cause visual disturbances and make it much harder for others to see. While I may not always have my rear set on steady, I usually have it on a slow fade since half of my commute is on roads.

I can absolutely deal with bright steady lights, but strobes or blinking lights really mess with my eyes and it takes several minutes for them to re-adjust. (Yes, I know I have terrible night vision, yes I have seen several doctors about it, no I am not going to stop riding my bike at night.)

Totally agreed. Wife and I have trouble seeing in the dark, and blinking rear lights make things worse (to the point where we sometimes get headaches). I personally feel like really bright or blinking rear lights are unnecessary on bike paths where there is no chance of cars coming through, but to each their own.

[buschwacker]

As a daily commuter, I’m always looking for tips on courtesy. I’ve always run my rear red light blinking, mainly for the portions of my commute that mix with cars, but didn’t realize it was a problem for some on the trails. Should I switch to solid or slow fade even during the day? Thanks for the input.

[dasgeh]

@buschwacker 196565 wrote:

As a daily commuter, I’m always looking for tips on courtesy. I’ve always run my rear red light blinking, mainly for the portions of my commute that mix with cars, but didn’t realize it was a problem for some on the trails. Should I switch to solid or slow fade even during the day? Thanks for the input.

There’s no good answer — it’s definitely better to be blinking around cars, and better to be steady on the trail. You know what your commute is like and where the danger is. Do what’s best for you, but think about others. It’s the best you can do.

[buschwacker]

My plan is to start blinking with the first mixing portion, dismount and switch to fade for the trail portion, and dismount to switch back to blinking for the final mixing portion. And research remote-controlled bike lights

[secstate]

@buschwacker 196570 wrote:

My plan is to start blinking with the first mixing portion, dismount and switch to fade for the trail portion, and dismount to switch back to blinking for the final mixing portion. And research remote-controlled bike lights

Usually my blinky is mounted on my seatpost, where I can easily switch it while riding. When it’s not, I either dismount and change when I shift from road to trail and back, or I just leave it on steady the whole time. Problem with the latter is high/steady gives the shortest battery life.

The end solution to this will be a dynamo hub and good German lights.

[EasyRider]

@buschwacker 196570 wrote:

My plan is to start blinking with the first mixing portion, dismount and switch to fade for the trail portion, and dismount to switch back to blinking for the final mixing portion. And research remote-controlled bike lights

I did this for awhile, now I use a combination of lights. For a steady mode, I like the battery powered B&M Toplight. It bolts to a rear rack and runs on one AA battery. I find that the battery usually lasts the winter. I never forget it, and it’s not easy to steal. I have a separate clip on blinky that I turn on and off as needed.

After commuting here for almost 20 years, I’ve decided flashing mode is mostly safety theater, at least on powerful headlights. Back before the battery/LED revolution, I think blinky mode on cheapo headlights made riders a little easier to see. Those things were certainly useless for seeing the road ahead. But now I think anything but a steady headlight just serves to dazzle oncoming traffic. I don’t understand the benefit. Why blast oncoming cyclists and pedestrains with flashing light, on a lighted path? It makes things harder for everyone.

I realize people will do what feels safe for them; that’s why people buy enormous cars, because riding high in a big vehicle “feels safe”. But man, those lights really can be blinding.

[Tania]

@buschwacker 196570 wrote:

My plan is to start blinking with the first mixing portion, dismount and switch to fade for the trail portion, and dismount to switch back to blinking for the final mixing portion. And research remote-controlled bike lights

I usually run a few rear lights – the one on my bike stays steady and then I attach the ones that Bike Arlington hands out every year to my helmet so I can easily change modes as needed without having to stop.

I’m pretty well lit up (colored LED arm bands, colored lights on my wheels etc) so I don’t feel the need to flash my front light at night since there’s no way you CAN’T see me but during dawn or twilight hours you bet I have that thing on flash if I’m on the road (not a trail or path).

[TwoWheelsDC]

Yelling at fellow cyclists about lights is just super unnecessary and like the most passive-aggressive thing you can do as a trail cyclist…it’s the car honking of trail usage. You’re a bully if you do it and I always make a wish that people who do it to me ride over shards of glass immediately after.

To the light issue…Front strobes on the trail are really the only thing that bothers me. Obviously people are different, but rear blinkies aren’t bothersome to me and my commute goes from street to trail to street so many times I’m not going to waste time futzing with my rear light every time I transition (although I do have an ANT+ light on one of my bikes that I do turn on and off). I’m very much anti light-covering, and am willing to die on that hill, with the caveat that people should always run their headlights on the lowest setting, and pointed as far dowward as is safe. If you really struggle with people’s lights in your face, riding with a cap can help.

[TwoWheelsDC]

@buschwacker 196570 wrote:

My plan is to start blinking with the first mixing portion, dismount and switch to fade for the trail portion, and dismount to switch back to blinking for the final mixing portion. And research remote-controlled bike lights

I use a See.Sense Icon2 for my rear light and control it through my Garmin. What I like is that you can set up the blinking modes through your phone, control the brightness of each mode, and see your battery level at a quick glance. Also, it’s so much easier to turn it on and off for transitions from trail to road without having to try and grab under you butt or dismount. It also has a “brake mode,” which I think uses an accelerometer to change the light when you brake.

[Smitty2k1]

Interesting about the blinking lights – I’m on roads 100% of the time, albeit just through Capitol Hill so nothing treacherous. I do have the fade in/out option instead of straight blinking.

[Author]

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