Missed connection

[VikingMariner]

Harden up.

[baiskeli]

@VikingMariner 179900 wrote:

There is no way that even a strobe light in broad daylight even at 5 meters could impair someone’s version even if a person looked directly into it. But how do I know that? Because I see many more people with strobe lights on the trail–the number has probably increased eight fold

The fact that more people are using them doesn’t prove they don’t impair vision. That’s like saying nobody is annoyed by, say, car alarms because you hear car alarms going off all the time.

Why it is that we never this complaint during the day?

Two obvious reasons – first, far fewer cyclists use those lights during the day, and second, one’s pupils are adjusted to handle more light during the day so another light source isn’t a problem, while at night, one’s pupils are wide open for night vision.

These imaginary pains and complaints should just end.

It’s really inappropriate to claim that someone else is just lying or is somehow not experiencing something when they complain about it, or to say “harden up.” We as cyclists make many complaints about our place in a world of unsafe drivers and badly designed roads, and we get mighty pissed when our complaints are unfairly dismissed or laughed at. We should not treat each other the same way.

[sjclaeys]

@VikingMariner 179927 wrote:

Harden up.

So riddle me this. I’m riding home at night on a dark section of a trail. You come from the other direction with your headlight in strobe mode. I can’t see, nor can I look away or have my eyes adjust because your bright light is rapidly blinking. How do I exactly harden up?

[ian74]

@sjclaeys 179969 wrote:

So riddle me this. I’m riding home at night on a dark section of a trail. You come from the other direction with your headlight in strobe mode. I can’t see, nor can I look away or have my eyes adjust because your bright light is rapidly blinking. How do I exactly harden up?

Ride into the liiiiighttt! Go into the liiiiiiiightt! There is peace and serenity in the light. All are welcome, all are welcome.

[VikingMariner]

Common sense time. Ride at night with a strobe on and you may blind yourself. Do it in fog; same outcome. Use the flash on a bright sunny day–good to go and save lives, maybe your own, particularly at trail intersections. Do it at night, welcome to the Darwin Awards competition. Strobe in a tunnel–boom, no common sense.

European laws–people seem to be making up stuff. Cycled in Germany for three years; they have the toughest laws on it. Strobe at night? Well of course not. Do it in the day, no Polizei giving you a ticket. If you do ride at night you must have two front and two rear non-flashing lights per Article 67 of the Road Traffic Licensing Regulations (StVZO).

New riders, turn on your flashing lights in the hot sun on the trail. In 50 years riding, I’ve forgotten more about cycling than some of these new kids ever knew. lol If someone interrupts your day to tell you different (and that will usually be a male aged 30-35’ish with a substandard kit and a low-end road bike, who acts like the trail Keystone cop) just ignore them or say mind your own business, sir. Take your made-up trail rules back home. Good day; stay awesome.

I look forward to the winter months when the less experienced riders give up and there are only happy, carefree, true cycling people on the trail.

[VikingMariner]

But seriously folks, if bike lights hurt your eyes in broad daylight, assuming it’s not a psychological pathology (i.e., characterized by adaptive inflexibility, vicious cycles of maladaptive behavior, and emotional instability under stress), please see an eye doctor as you make have one or more of the following medical conditions: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JtmOfsyAWcg.

God bless you. I hope it all works out for you. Hang in there. Hooyah.

[Crickey7]

Life’s too short to accommodate people who want to pick fights. Enjoy your ride.

[LhasaCM]

Looks like Light & Motion’s new light (https://www.lightandmotion.com/choose-your-light/vya/vya-pro-hl) can solve all of these problems – it has an ambient light sensor, and will automatically switch from “SafePulse” to “steady” when it goes from day to night, as well as adjusting output. In theory, at least.

[VikingMariner]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y3DEoIKhoZM

hahaha

Hardly a fight. Very sensitive in many ways I guess. Okay. Bye, bruh. I’ll stop. If we meet, it would be my honor to buy the beer. Cheers.

[huskerdont]

Me: Taking the lane going down the hill on Glebe to Chain Bridge. I think I’m going fast enough, definitely faster than the 25 posted.
You: In a black Honda, passing me heading toward the blind curve.

I thought I was going 35 to 40, but Strava says 45 for the peak speed through there, probably toward the bottom. Anyway, when 40 in a 25 isn’t fast enough for you, you have a problem.

[Brendan von Buckingham]

But cars must always be faster than bikes.

[lordofthemark]

@Brendan von Buckingham 180206 wrote:

But cars must always be faster than bikes.

This morning, as usual, a car passed me on the crest of the hill on 31st Street just east of Abingdon in Fairlington, IE just before the steep (for me anyway) descent. Usually I catch up to those cars as they slow for the speed bumps, and when we get to level ground (together) I shrug at them.

This woman was driving a 4WD vehicle, and obviously expected to just cruise right over the speed bumps at speed, so she COULD have zipped down the hill faster than me (I don’t do 40MPH down that, or any other, hill). Except she ended up behind an old sedan that had no intention of speeding over speed bumps, and a bus in front of him. So I still was right behind her the whole way down.

[scoot]

@lordofthemark 180208 wrote:

as usual, a car passed me on the crest of the hill on 31st Street just east of Abingdon in Fairlington, IE just before the steep (for me anyway) descent.

Pass these drivers at the speedbumps on the downhill. Bonus points if you yell at them that they should stay off the roads if they can’t keep up with the speed limit.

[huskerdont]

@scoot 180211 wrote:

Pass these drivers at the speedbumps on the downhill. Bonus points if you yell at them that they should stay off the roads if they can’t keep up with the speed limit.

This is easy as well since bikes (at least every bike I’ve ridden) can go over speed bumps faster than any car I’ve driven.

[infinitebuffalo]

@lordofthemark 180208 wrote:

This woman was driving a 4WD vehicle, and obviously expected to just cruise right over the speed bumps at speed, so she COULD have zipped down the hill faster than me (I don’t do 40MPH down that, or any other, hill). Except she ended up behind an old sedan that had no intention of speeding over speed bumps, and a bus in front of him. So I still was right behind her the whole way down.

It’s more fun with sedans, which are closer to handlebar height, but it’s in cases like that I especially enjoy having a bright, flashing headlight that just happens to be pointed right at their mirrors.

[Author]

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