Missed connection

[Hancockbs]

@ginacico 193731 wrote:

I freak out for the opposite reason. On a dark trail at night, see an oncoming cyclist. Suddenly he disappears, having “politely” covered his headlight. WTF where’d he go?!? How am I supposed to avoid hitting someone I can’t see? Am I past him yet? Terrifying. Far worse if I reciprocate and we’re both groping around in the dark with only one hand on the controls.
**Extra kudos to the many runners wearing those neon lights that are like an X-shaped vest, who were highly visible and didn’t flinch as we flew by. You all earn my respect.

As a reciprocator, I have a blue light attached to my handlebar on the opposite side of my headlight. I can swivel my headlight to the right and away from an approaching rider without removing my hands from the bar. This still allows me to see at least the edge of the trail and the blue light allows me to remain visible while not ‘blinding’ another rider. I do agree that diverting the light is not really necessary, but I try to be a team player when it seems to bother others.

Completely agree on joggers/walkers being lit.

[huskerdont]

I appreciate the suggestions for cut-off beam lights. I picked up a Busch & Müller IXON Core IQ2 from Harris Cyclery. (If you can’t do the LBS, Harris seems to me about as good as you can do; thank you Sheldon Brown and all you’ve edumacated me about over the years.) I chose this model because of the USB charging I can easily do mornings at work. I will keep my trusty, 8-year-old helmet light (Niterider 600), which I can swivel due to the magic of a rotatable neck.

I’m really liking the hijacking of this thread, since one of my goals is to bitch and moan less rather than more.

[Brett L.]

@ginacico 193731 wrote:

**Extra kudos to the many runners wearing those neon lights that are like an X-shaped vest, who were highly visible and didn’t flinch as we flew by. You all earn my respect.

I just bought me that vest for running…. and also using it for cycling!!!!! It’s called Noxgear and it’s on sale right now and it’s amazing!!!!!
https://www.noxgear.com/

[Brandon]

@ginacico 193731 wrote:

I freak out for the opposite reason. On a dark trail at night, see an oncoming cyclist. Suddenly he disappears, having “politely” covered his headlight. WTF where’d he go?!? How am I supposed to avoid hitting someone I can’t see? Am I past him yet? Terrifying. Far worse if I reciprocate and we’re both groping around in the dark with only one hand on the controls. I just don’t get why we’ve developed different protocols for driving cars and riding bikes. The answer, as mstone says, is because we’ve made up this dumb rule as a twitchy reaction to bad designs and lazy adjustment, then berate each other for not doing the light-fiddling gymnastics. Please stop.

So I tried an experiment this morning on my commute in. I purposefully DIDN’T cover my light at all when approaching joggers, cyclists, etc. even when they covered their light, based on this logic. Here’s my report. In the first 20-25 min I passed roughly 10 bikes and 25 jogger/walkers with the light on the HIGHEST setting (I leave early and it’s pitch black on the W&OD west of falls church). Not one bike or jogger seemed phased at all, I have it appropriately pointed (down a bit and to the right to help light up the tree line for deer). I turned it down to the medium setting from Virginia Lane to Banneker park and passed maybe 10 bikes and 10-15 joggers. In this group I had TWO cyclists VERY aggressively yell things at me about my light and not covering it. I’ll be honest, the aggression was worse than I get from 99% of cars for taking the lane. No one else seemed bothered by my light other than these two so my take is that they take not covering a light as more of a personal affront. Or they have super-attenuated vision beyond everyone else.

So in the true manner of this thread, if you find yourself bothered by every headlight on the trail, look inward, it might not be the light that needs adjustment, but you.

[huskerdont]

@huskerdont 193743 wrote:

I appreciate the suggestions for cut-off beam lights. I picked up a Busch & Müller IXON Core IQ2 from Harris Cyclery. (If you can’t do the LBS, Harris seems to me about as good as you can do; thank you Sheldon Brown and all you’ve edumacated me about over the years.) I chose this model because of the USB charging I can easily do mornings at work.

Not the place for a full review, but wanted to comment that, while I love this light as my handlebar/secondary light, I don’t think it would be bright enough or extend far enough out to be the sole light for trail use. I have my helmet light, and the two together are just right (50 lux for the B&M, 600 lumen for the NR helmet light).

[Hancockbs]

@Brandon 193780 wrote:

In this group I had TWO cyclists VERY aggressively yell things at me about my light and not covering it. I’ll be honest, the aggression was worse than I get from 99% of cars for taking the lane. No one else seemed bothered by my light other than these two so my take is that they take not covering a light as more of a personal affront. Or they have super-attenuated vision beyond everyone else.

Did they have a light of thier own? It seems that the people without a light are often the most offended and I wonder if it is because thier eyes are adjusted to the darkness more than those who are using a light.

[Brandon]

@Hancockbs 193787 wrote:

Did they have a light of thier own? It seems that the people without a light are often the most offended and I wonder if it is because thier eyes are adjusted to the darkness more than those who are using a light.

Yes they did.

[mstone]

@huskerdont 193782 wrote:

Not the place for a full review, but wanted to comment that, while I love this light as my handlebar/secondary light, I don’t think it would be bright enough or extend far enough out to be the sole light for trail use. I have my helmet light, and the two together are just right (50 lux for the B&M, 600 lumen for the NR helmet light).

For others reading, the ixon iq premium has the same kind of beam shape, but is 50% brighter. (And is also bigger.) I find that one’s bright enough, but I still keep a helmet light for backup and as a steerable beam.

[VikingMariner]

[Brendan von Buckingham]

It would be too bad if that company received a bunch of calls for estimates and no one showed up at the appointments.

[bentbike33]

If you are going to ride the Custis in the dark wearing dark clothes, with no lights, and no reflective material whatsoever, you definitely need to turn your music speaker way up so other trail users can hear you coming, especially given the I-66 traffic noise.

[scoot]

Me: riding northbound on N Irving St, approaching the intersection with 5th St N a few minutes before 10am today
You 1: driver who has trailed me northbound for about three blocks, now trying to pass on my left
You 2: bicyclist eastbound on 5th St N, only looking left, making the right turn onto Irving without stopping, now suddenly facing a driver head-on at close range
Both of you: slamming on your brakes, narrowly avoiding a collision.

Observation 1: That speed hump might have prevented a serious injury today.
Observation 2: Drivers, please don’t pass at intersections.
Observation 3: Drivers, perhaps Irving St isn’t your best route if you’re in a hurry.
Observation 4: Everyone, please look both ways when turning to the right.

[Steve O]

@bentbike33 194088 wrote:

If you are going to ride the Custis in the dark wearing dark clothes, with no lights, and no reflective material whatsoever, you definitely need to turn your music speaker way up so other trail users can hear you coming, especially given the I-66 traffic noise.

[ATTACH=CONFIG]20478[/ATTACH]

[lordofthemark]

This evening I headed to NoVa CC arts building to vote. Don’t usually go that way from the trail network, esp after dark. Headed up Lucky Run Trail by Walter Reed. Contemplated taking Beauregard, but crossing from the corner seemed well nigh impossible and pulling out in front of the traffic in the right through lane looked scary. So I decided to head up Rte 7 to Dawes. Tried the sidewalk. Blocked atvthe Wendy’s drive through. I maneuvered around the SUV blocking the sidewalk, muttering “this actually IS a sidewalk”. Driver “and you’re on a bike” “You expect me to ride with THEM” indicating the heavy traffic racing to FFX cty. “I have to get in” (orcwords to that effect” “Just leave a gap of a few feet for the sidewalk” “And push the car behind me into traffic?” “It’s too late now ” Well thanks for teaching me how to drive” (sarcastically). “Yes I’ve been driving since 1980, I know how to drive”

I eventually did enter Rte 7 briefly to make the turn onto Dawes.

[n18]

“Never go between a man and his cheeseburger” has served me well.

[Author]

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