When it's dark...use LIGHTS!!!!

cmyk

Just a quick rant I'm afraid as both a driver and a cyclist. I very nearly hit a cyclist near milltown last night....at speed, could have killed him. No lights, wearing all black on a black bike, I thought he might have been on some sort of covert mission!!!! I swerved at the very last second, and when stopped at the lights, I told him I'd just saved his life....and guess what....told me to f**k off! :mad:

Dark early and it was drizzly weather....stay safe as cyclists are next to invisible in those conditions, and counted another 6 cyclists between milltown and ranelagh with no lights!

Eoin D

Sounds like you should have hit him, maybe just a gentle nudge to teach him a lesson!

Morgan

Eoin D wrote: »

Sounds like you should have hit him, maybe just a gentle nudge to teach him a lesson!

Uh, yeah :rolleyes::rolleyes:

I was caught out myself last night - could have done with lights at 6pm.

'68 Fastback

Not a driver myself but have noticed as a passenger, in the dark, just how invisible the un-lit cyclist is. Well done on the whole not killing him thing and as for his response, cyclists like that are their own worst enemy but they're rapidly becoming everyone elses. The flippin damage they do to the rep of decent cyclists is awful. I'd say if you weren't a cyclist yourself you'd have a different view of all cyclists now.

Chips Lovell

The amount of muppets out there with no lights is unreal. I remember taking a trip across town in a friends car one night last year. It was a wet night and around half the cyclists we passed had no lights. Very difficult to spot until you're almost on top of them.

They can even be a hazard on the bike at places like the Clontarf Road cycle track where they suddenly appear out of the darkness in front of you.

Lumen

The cyclist was probably not a car driver, and therefore has no idea of how easy it is to kill a cyclist using a car, incurring only scuffed paintwork.

His response compounds ignorance with arrogance.

Natural selection is a very inefficient way to increase average intelligence.

Malari

Lumen wrote: »

The cyclist was probably not a car driver, and therefore has no idea of how easy it is to kill a cyclist using a car, incurring only scuffed paintwork.

The whole "I can see you so you can see me" theory. You do see a lot of cars drivers working on the same assumption. Problem is, you have a lot less time between seeing a cyclist and being close enough to hit one.

cmyk

Lumen wrote: »

Natural selection is a very inefficient way to increase average intelligence.

It might have it's merits though ; )

And yes I can easily see how this sort of incident could paint all cyclists with the same brush. In saying that, I'm sure those type of cyclists are not the type to visit a forum on cycling, the majority here i'd imagine are quite responsible but just wanted the rant. I was genuinely shocked by his reaction...I very nearly got out and dragged him off the bike.

zzzzzzzz

Turned on to the greystones road from the southern cross road last night. An unlit road and there was someone cycling with no lights at all, relying purely on car headlights to find his way! What an absolute moron. Ah - sure a day-glo jacket will be grand! :eek:

Lumen

cmyk wrote: »

I was genuinely shocked by his reaction...I very nearly got out and dragged him off the bike.

A paintball gun loaded with fluorescent pain would provide a considerate and satisfying retribution.

Trojan

AFAIK in England bike shops are required by law to provide a bell with new bikes. I reckon here that should be a set of cheap LEDs instead. Or instead of giving out hi-vis vests, the Dublin cycle organisers gave out some free lights?

Also I don't think people know how cheap they can be.

Cheapest F&R set: (€8.83) http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=24471

Cheapest Front (loads of them for €3.78): http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Categories.aspx?CategoryID=675&CurrentPageIndex=0&SortExpression=PRICE_ASC

Cheapest Rear (4 different ones between €3.78 and €5.04):
http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Categories.aspx?CategoryID=676&CurrentPageIndex=0&SortExpression=PRICE_ASC

Harrybelafonte

Personally find dayglos a waste of time. They don't help you see oncoming cyclists when joning a road or at any time when tring to see cyclists using your mirrors. When I'm driving behinf someone wearing a dayglo they tend to have a bag over the reflective strip.

Good Flashing lights help declare your presence and notify drivers that you're a cyclist. Sometimes in severe darkness it helps to be ablle to differentiate between all the headlights

Eoin D

aidan.offbeat wrote: »

Turned on to the greystones road from the southern cross road last night. An unlit road and there was someone cycling with no lights at all, relying purely on car headlights to find his way! What an absolute moron. Ah - sure a day-glo jacket will be grand! :eek:

I was out in Greystones last night, I convinced my mate to come out cycling with me on his dads bike (was trying to get him into it), anyway, along he came wearing dark clothes and no lights and the first thing I said to him is, 'you're going to get yourself killed'.

He's looking for a cheap second hand bike though if anyone has any offers? Maybe chuck in a pair of lights?

PeadarofAodh

I'll admit I'm pretty lazy about lights on my bikes. I finally got around to throwing a back light on my Pista last night, but up until now have been cycling around camouflage stylee. I'm not ignorant of the danger I'm in, I can just be incredibly lazy about getting things like this sorted.

I can now put on my halo and give out about unlit cyclists.

t5pwr

Lumen wrote: »

A paintball gun loaded with fluorescent pain would provide a considerate and satisfying retribution.

I like that suggestion
Now where did I put that paintball gun :pac:

Thoie

cmyk wrote: »

Just a quick rant I'm afraid as both a driver and a cyclist. I very nearly hit a cyclist near milltown last night....at speed, could have killed him. No lights, wearing all black on a black bike, I thought he might have been on some sort of covert mission!!!! I swerved at the very last second, and when stopped at the lights, I told him I'd just saved his life....and guess what....told me to f**k off! :mad:

Dark early and it was drizzly weather....stay safe as cyclists are next to invisible in those conditions, and counted another 6 cyclists between milltown and ranelagh with no lights!

Was that around 9pm last night? Think I avoided hitting the same guy. And then passed 5 more (separate) cyclists further up the road - all unlit. The first guy was cycling towards me on my side of the road, completely invisible.

kenmc

I really don't understand the mentality of the bike ninjas to be honest. I reckon you can never be brightly lit enough! Even before it gets dark when I'm cycling in traffic I have 2 LED torches (fenix and ultrafire - they're BRIGHT!) to the front, and 3 leds to the rear. And I'm still thinking of more, particularly on the rear.
I'd have very little sympathy for any ninja taken down by a car, no matter what the circumstances are. It really is Darwanism at its finest.

Gavin

PeadarofAodh wrote: »

I'll admit I'm pretty lazy about lights on my bikes. I finally got around to throwing a back light on my Pista last night, but up until now have been cycling around camouflage stylee. I'm not ignorant of the danger I'm in, I can just be incredibly lazy about getting things like this sorted.

I can now put on my halo and give out about unlit cyclists.

No brakes ? No lights ? Classy.

Good luck with the no front light, watch out for oncoming cars turning across you, or cars exiting from side roads similarly turning across you.

Trojan wrote:

AFAIK in England bike shops are required by law to provide a bell with new bikes. I reckon here that should be a set of cheap LEDs instead. Or instead of giving out hi-vis vests, the Dublin cycle organisers gave out some free lights?

Also I don't think people know how cheap they can be.

Definitely. Even these sorts of things are actually very bright. Nice and easy to hand out too, takes all of 5 seconds to attach to a bike.
€2 - http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.13325

Lumen

Perhaps the best option is to honk at them. It might catch on.

Being honked at by thousands of drivers would presumably have a cumulative effect, even for the hard of thinking.

PeadarofAodh

Verb wrote: »

No brakes ? No lights ? Classy.

Good luck with the no front light, watch out for oncoming cars turning across you, or cars exiting from side roads similarly turning across you.

I'm slowly sorting myself out - will be heading down to the LBS to grab a front brake this afternoon...might get a front light while I'm at it.

cmyk

PeadarofAodh wrote: »

I'm slowly sorting myself out - will be heading down to the LBS to grab a front brake this afternoon...might get a front light while I'm at it.

I've a pista too and wouldn't even think of running it without a brake. I would cack myself...unless you're running an extremely small ratio?

PeadarofAodh

cmyk wrote: »

I've a pista too and wouldn't even think of running it without a brake. I would cack myself...unless you're running an extremely small ratio?

Nope, running the standard ratio! It honestly isn't anything to do with bravado etc, I can just be incredibly lazy about sorting things like this out.

cmyk

Thoie wrote: »

Was that around 9pm last night? Think I avoided hitting the same guy. And then passed 5 more (separate) cyclists further up the road - all unlit. The first guy was cycling towards me on my side of the road, completely invisible.

It was actually about 8.15 just coming down to the dropping well from churchtown, so maybe he was a bit slow, though, as I said I did spot another 5/6 other cyclist lightless between there and ranelagh...must be only a mile or so? :mad:

Howitzer

I got this rear light as part of a set last week:
http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=16534

€30 commuting solutions rathmines. Worked out almost as cheap as CRC.

very happy with it's blinding capacity! Light up folks. Drivers too - get those sidelights on during that grey dull weather.

ChipPanBuddha

cmyk wrote: »

I was genuinely shocked by his reaction...I very nearly got out and dragged him off the bike.

I think this is just the default reaction when someone is caught out doing something idiotic. And of course, admitting you're in the wrong and apologising is completely out of the question.

tunney

Lumen wrote: »

The cyclist was probably not a car driver, and therefore has no idea of how easy it is to kill a cyclist using a car, incurring only scuffed paintwork.

His response compounds ignorance with arrogance.

Natural selection is a very inefficient way to increase average intelligence.

Much like hearing in another thread, I find lights not that useful.

I used to think that drivers nearly hit me because they couldn't see me. So I added light after light,, high viz item after high viz item. Eventually I was like a christmas tree with lights all over the handlebars, on straps across my chest, on my helmet, multiple rear lights, high viz everything. Made no odds. drivers still nearly hit me. In the end I concluded it was because they *just weren't arsed* about cyclists.

Now back to one light but cycle "defensively" and guess what, the motorists see me.

DirkVoodoo

You can't deny that lights help. Some drivers are just incompetent/ignorant but for the most part a set of lights increases driver awareness of cyclists.

I just bought my brother one of those blackburn LEDs off wiggle (Link).

Went out for a short spin last night and I have to say that it must be as bright as a car tail light. Put it on flash/strobe and it is impossible to miss him. I would recommend this as a requirement for anyone who cycles outside of daylight.

cmyk

tunney wrote: »

In the end I concluded it was because they *just weren't arsed* about cyclists. Now back to one light but cycle "defensively" and guess what, the motorists see me.

Yep, but much as I can't paint other cyclists as this guy, you can't paint all drivers that way either. Point is, I was that close to seriously injuring/killing this guy because I didn't see him so lights are increasing your odds of staying alive, I'll never proclaim that if you have lights you'll be accident free.

Cars/trucks/motorbikes are all heavy and metal...it's simply about reducing your odds of coming into contact with them.

Chips Lovell

tunney wrote: »

Now back to one light but cycle "defensively" and guess what, the motorists see me.

I think this is a very important point. It's easy to assume that hugging the kerb will increase your chances of not getting hit, but often it encourages motorists to pass when there really isn't enough room to do so safely. That's not to say that you should hog the road, just take a reasonable amount of space for yourself.

blorg

Howitzer wrote: »

I got this rear light as part of a set last week:
http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=16534

€30 commuting solutions rathmines. Worked out almost as cheap as CRC.

very happy with it's blinding capacity! Light up folks. Drivers too - get those sidelights on during that grey dull weather.

I have one of those Smart 1/2 watt jobs too, they are seriously bright as well as being very cheap. Going to add another and have one either side with a strobe in the middle. I have heard good things about the Blackburn Mars but apparently it requires a small screwdriver to change the batteries which is a bit nuts.

DirkVoodoo

Meh, you can get a set of jeweller's screwdrivers for next to nothing, handy to have as well.

blorg

DirkVoodoo wrote: »

Meh, you can get a set of jeweller's screwdrivers for next to nothing, handy to have as well.

Sure, bit of a drawback if you find yourself wanting to replace the batteries away from home though- I was out with someone who was rather struggling with it! The Smart is a standard use coin or key to pop open type. Drawback of that of course is that there is more of a possibility the light will separate accidentally.

Raam

blorg wrote: »

Sure, bit of a drawback if you find yourself wanting to replace the batteries away from home though- I was out with someone who was rather struggling with it!

Yes, it took me a solid 20 minutes to get the damn battery changed.

Supercell

On a related note , is it possible to find a Sam Browne belt with leds?
I've flashing bits on my ankles and arms, back of the bike and front, but the middle bit..ie my torso isnt lit up, a flashing Sam Browne would be pretty good i reckon.

Gavin

Niteize do a vest with glowing strips.



Really though, like Tunney (again), I've given up on christmas tree stuff. I have a very bright front light and two smart 1/2 watts on the back. One blinking on me, one steady on the bike. Handy to have a light on your person if you come off the bike. Good quality reliable bright lights.

Húrin

I don't understand why people show such reckless disregard for their own safety. It's quite obvious to anyone that a dark cyclist is nearly invisible from the inside of a car. You don't need to be a driver.

Lumen wrote: »

A paintball gun loaded with fluorescent pain would provide a considerate and satisfying retribution.

"fluorescent pain", that's just great!

BostonB

Supercell wrote: »

On a related note , is it possible to find a Sam Browne belt with leds?
I've flashing bits on my ankles and arms, back of the bike and front, but the middle bit..ie my torso isnt lit up, a flashing Sam Browne would be pretty good i reckon.

I've a vest with two lines of flashing lights, I haven't been wearing as it makes me look like a christmas tree, and its a bit small tbh. I've a good 5 LED flashing light on the front and a good rear red led with white strobe. I've a hi vis cycling jacket which is wind proof so I usually wear that.

Crazy the number of unlit cyclists, they tend to be the ones that break all lights and cycle up the instead of trucks at junctions.