Bike Ninjas!

Bloggsie

Over the past couple of weeks, probably since the clocks changed, I have noticed a bigger number of bike ninjas or another term for these individuals could be, complete and utter spanners, with no lights and dressed in dark clothing mooching along the roads.

I pity the motorist that will inevitably end up clipping one of these characters!

stecleary

Its actually these Ninjas that never get clipped and never learn the lesson, Much like the RLJs that are always that little bit clear of the bus

The Noble Nudge

I have met a few such ninja's recently.....

One genius on the road from Enniskerry to Glencree last week in the pitch dark...
Rear light on and as I approached he had a nice big light upfront not turned on!!!
When I enquired to why he didn't have his front light on he replied "because I can see!".....
Thankfully he went off in another direction............
Seen the same fella two nights later much later on again no front light on.

And to balance out the madness two walkers around Blessington lake pitch dark with just a not so Hi viz vest on....
Stopped and had a word with the walker to tell him he couldn't be seen.

Like WTF are we dealing with ridiculous carry on. BE SAFE BE SEEN!!!


RANT over.......

loudymacloud

some people are a bit clueless indeed.

I had a near miss with one of these said bike ninjas.

Was coming out of my estate in the car, turning left and someone zipped in front of the car completely dressed in black, no lights, no hi vis.

Frightened the life out of me, i came quite close to clipping them with the car. They were completely oblivious.

thankfully there are loads of folk out there who know how to be seen, saw one guy the other night with a front light that could have been seen from space :-)

_Puma_

You tend to see a lot of students around this time of year with no lights on their bikes. Unfortunately if you were to listen to the RSA once ya throw on your Builders hi-viz bib you will be grand! Hi-Viz is only really suitable for low light conditions like on a overcast day

These guys do a good video on clothing and lighting. Basically reflective panels(on your clothing or bike) and mid range lights are the best way to go.

ted1

5 kids were out playing in the estate when I was going home last night they went to cross the road . The one kid in the hi vis stepped out and proceeded to cross his 4 ninja mates called him
Back as it wasn't safe.

A hi vis doesn't make a ninja any safer than a ninja.

07Lapierre

last year i thought i was catching the cyclist who was a bit ahead of me up the road. I was wondering why he was cycling on the wrong side of the road.

I was catching him very quickly, and i was amazed to see that he had a red light on the FRONT and a white light on the Rear and was actually cycling towards me! :eek:

km991148

ugh between that and the odd car you see who forget to turn on the lights as well I am surprised there is not a greater number of candidates for the Darwin awards.

I think its this time of year mainly - seems to take people a few weeks to cop on that it is dark for the commute home and then bother their arse to find/ buy lights

Planet X

Scary scenario.
What about all the Ninjas you pass..........
......and don't see!!

Plastik

I'm always amazed by the number of people that I can't see that I manage to see. 20/20.

check_six

Unintentional Nijitsu.
Hit what can only be described as a ww1 trench of a pothole on the north side of Merrion Square on the way out of town the other night. The thing extends all the way across the bus lane and half way into the driving lane making it tricky to avoid completely. I hit it hard. My rear light dismantled itself and scattered batteries and lamp lenses across the road. Didn't figure out what had happened until I got home and noticed all was not right with the lamp. It's happened previously, but I've always spotted what happened and managed to retrieve the bits of lamp on the road. not so this time. Annoying!

tomasrojo

07Lapierre wrote: »

I was catching him very quickly, and i was amazed to see that he had a red light on the FRONT and a white light on the Rear and was actually cycling towards me! :eek:

I started to pull out in front of an oncoming bike (I was also on a bike) a few years ago, because he had done the same: red at the front, white at the rear. In a split second my brain said: he's heading away from you, you can go. (No harm done: a split second later my brain told me to brake hard, as he wasn't heading away at all.)

Planet X

Plastik wrote: »

I'm always amazed by the number of people that I can't see that I manage to see. 20/20.

You can hone your Ninja Detection Radar by watching the RTE Lotto add and timing yourself how fast you can make out the "foliage ninja" beside the bin.

Thud

they usually have just pedal reflectors to give you a hint that they are there

tomasrojo

In the city, city centre at least, I don't really have much trouble seeing people dressed in black with no lights, provided they don't shoot out of a side road unexpectedly or something like that.

I mean, I think people should use lights, and I use more and better lights than the average person, but cities have street lighting and if you're in 50km/h zone, there's usually plenty of time to see people. If an unlit cyclist comes up your side when you're preparing to turn left it might end badly alright, or if it's raining heavily, when it's hard to see anything. But otherwise, I don't think it's quite as bad as generally perceived.

irlirishkev

Cycling home from Citywest to the City Centre every evening , via the canal, I see a lot of ninjas. And that canal greenway isn't very well lit in places. Had the sh1t scared out of me a couple of times..

Walkers on that stretch are just as obscured by shadows. Really have to watch out for them.

On the other end of the spectrum, there was one guy the other night cycling towards me that I could see from about a mile away. By the time he passed me, his light was so bright, I had to look away, and had spots in my eyes afterwards and had to slow down.. Blind cycling is also scary!

rollingscone

Lights lights lights lights LIGHTS.

The RSA has utterly failed Road users with its fetishistic (in all senses) fixation on clothing.

Meanwhile the basic legal requirement of a white light at the front and red at the back.

Dublin at least is full of people with red front lights or a single light on their helmet or a flashy LED armband.

Bloggsie

stecleary wrote: »

Its actually these Ninjas that never get clipped and never learn the lesson, Much like the RLJs that are always that little bit clear of the bus

excuse my ignorance, what is an RLJ?

Bloggsie

07Lapierre wrote: »

last year i thought i was catching the cyclist who was a bit ahead of me up the road. I was wondering why he was cycling on the wrong side of the road.

I was catching him very quickly, and i was amazed to see that he had a red light on the FRONT and a white light on the Rear and was actually cycling towards me! :eek:

excuse my ignorance, what is an RLJ?

Bloggsie

07Lapierre wrote: »

last year i thought i was catching the cyclist who was a bit ahead of me up the road. I was wondering why he was cycling on the wrong side of the road.

I was catching him very quickly, and i was amazed to see that he had a red light on the FRONT and a white light on the Rear and was actually cycling towards me! :eek:

natural born genius there so!

Bloggsie

natural born genius there so!

tomasrojo

RLJ = red-light jumper

Not to be confused with:

km991148

irlirishkev wrote: »

By the time he passed me, his light was so bright, I had to look away, and had spots in my eyes afterwards and had to slow down.. Blind cycling is also scary!

Ye some people go a bit OTT alright. The opposite of Ninjas in fact - Nonjas?

Fuzzytrooper

Loads of ninjas both on foot and cycling along the Royal Canal. There's a couple of sections where they merge with the bushes so it's very hard to see even with my high powered front light (whihc is white in case you were wondering).

1bryan

Fuzzytrooper wrote: »

Loads of ninjas both on foot and cycling along the Royal Canal. There's a couple of sections where they merge with the bushes so it's very hard to see even with my high powered front light (whihc is white in case you were wondering).

and in cars. The pre-7am commute seems to consist of >12 year old cars with bits missing, and lights gone awol, presumably on the way to the various building sites that have popped up in the last few months (cos I didn't see half that amount 12 months ago).

But its grand. Laws don't apply until 7am in Dublin, until the traffic cops start their shift.

magicbastarder

i've noticed an increase in the number of cars with one headlight gone. maybe it's just the fact that lighting up time starts so much earlier at the moment.

The Noble Nudge

Dog walking ninjas....another encountered last night on Kilmashogue lane...Owner all in black!

triggermortis

I remember seeing a weird red flashing light one night cycling home in Zurich. It was pitch black and I was cycling on a cycle path next to a river. I saw a strange shaped red flashing light ahead and slowed down. When I passed it, it was someone (almost invisible in dark clothing) walking a dog, using a red led lead and collar. Also often saw runners along the same stretch wearing headlamps. Odd sight at first, plus there was usually one or two in the middle of the group without lamps that you could only see at the last moment

Beasty

The Noble Nudge wrote: »

Dog walking ninjas....another encountered last night on Kilmashogue lane...Owner all in black!

My Exposure front light is great for taking the dog down our unlit road. Had someone decide to give me very little space last night and he certainly knew when he'd been "flashed"


:pac:

Wishbone Ash

07Lapierre wrote: »

last year i thought i was catching the cyclist who was a bit ahead of me up the road. I was wondering why he was cycling on the wrong side of the road.

I was catching him very quickly, and i was amazed to see that he had a red light on the FRONT and a white light on the Rear and was actually cycling towards me! :eek:

tomasrojo wrote: »

I started to pull out in front of an oncoming bike (I was also on a bike) a few years ago, because he had done the same: red at the front, white at the rear. In a split second my brain said: he's heading away from you, you can go. (No harm done: a split second later my brain told me to brake hard, as he wasn't heading away at all.)

That idiot on the Pinarello with full Sky kit is back on the scene again with his back to front lights. I thought he had got sense or was taken out but encountered him again last week in his natural habitat - Clontarf/Sutton track. I thought I was closing in on him very quickly only to realise his red light was heading directly towards me. What really makes the mind boggle is that occasionally he cycles with others!

Idleater

I saw at the very last minute a foot pad ninja walking in the middle of the Phoenix park cycling track this evening.
I have decent lights so "saw" him emerge the darkness at ~15m - enough time to slow, shout a warning and move slightly to his right.
Heart in mouth more because of the commuter on my wheel.

Anyway, true to form, I said "you really are in the dark " to him which he acknowledged to his credit and made for the footpath.

Makes a change from saying "nice lights" to the ninja cyclists on the track, some of whom don't hear the comment due to wearing headphones.

Beasty

Last night approaching a roundabout a cyclist entered from the right, no front light and very difficult to see against the car lights behind him. He actually had a working rear light which I guess helps protect from behind. Some people perhaps don't appreciate it's not simply a matter of relying on street lighting to see where you are going. It's a case of be seen as well as see

07Lapierre

I passed a cyclist this evening. No lights, dark coloured bike, dark coloured trousers and black backpack.
He did have reflectors on his pedals and an orange (dark) jacket.

No idea if he made it home alive!

RayCun

Plastik wrote: »

I'm always amazed by the number of people that I can't see that I manage to see. 20/20.

If you can only see the ninja when you get within a few metres of them, or when they pass in front of another light source and you see their silhouette. ... well, that's seeing them without safely seeing them

If a car is driving with no lights on, you'll see them eventually, but it might not do you any good. ..

Roadtoad

Met a girl this a.m. near Crumlin who had four back lights on the go. Hadn't the heart to tell her she needed fresh batteries in one of them.

Roadhawk

Im afraid to say that bike Ninjas are rampant. The gards need to clamp down on this before something bad happens.

ted1

Roadhawk wrote: »

Im afraid to say that bike Ninjas are rampant. The gards need to clamp down on this before something bad happens.

There was guards on the n11 bike lane by fosters avenue the other day, couldn't tell if they were doing bus lane patrol or bike lane patrol. Maybe a bit of both, it is crazy how many people are out there without any kind of light / reflective wear.

ThisRegard

magicbastarder wrote: »

i've noticed an increase in the number of cars with one headlight gone. maybe it's just the fact that lighting up time starts so much earlier at the moment.

{puts hand up} First week after the clocks changed and it was dark collecting one of the kids from daycare I spotted that I had one bulb blowing when pulling in front of the glass door. Bought replacements the next day, but took me a week to put them in as I didn't drive in the dawn/dark/dust since I spotted it.

In fairness it was only recently blown because at night when putting something in the bin I press the fob to switch the see-me-home lights on so I can see what I'm doing.

The Noble Nudge

Well there's another thought from my experience last night as I thumped the ground.....

Lights on yourself..
I became detached from the bike last night and the only thing on my mind was to get off the road as soon as possible.
I have 4 LED strips on so was lit up but had i not would the next car have seen me on the deck....

Thanks to the woman who stopped and insisted on bringing me home....05 LS people carrier...
Husband is a cyclist so might be looking on here. I carried on safely.....but thanks again.

neris

whats the opposite of a Ninja? I was driving behind a guy last night between baldoyle and portmarnock and his rear light was so bright it was nearly blinding.

ted1

neris wrote: »

whats the opposite of a Ninja? I was driving behind a guy last night between baldoyle and portmarnock and his rear light was so bright it was nearly blinding.

Christmas trees

neris

ted1 wrote: »

Christmas trees

bit early for that its still November

Roadhawk

neris wrote: »

whats the opposite of a Ninja?

A legally compliant light on front and rear of bike...quite simple.

neris wrote: »

I was driving behind a guy last night between baldoyle and portmarnock and his rear light was so bright it was nearly blinding.

At least you saw them...id rather be blinded and not seeing them.

The other day i saw a cyclists who put their white front light on the rear of the bike. it was noticeably brighter than the usual red rear light. It had a good effect though. I slowed down immediately thinking that the cyclists was coming toward me...neat trick

cython

Roadhawk wrote: »

A legally compliant light on front and rear of bike...quite simple.


At least you saw them...id rather be blinded and not seeing them.

The other day i saw a cyclists who put their white front light on the rear of the bike. it was noticeably brighter than the usual red rear light. It had a good effect though. I slowed down immediately thinking that the cyclists was coming toward me...neat trick

Unfortunately some people who do that also decide (for some bizarre reason) that the red light that likely came in the same set works better on the front of the bike as well, meaning that someone doesn't realise they are approaching them. Darwin award material right there.

tomasrojo

neris wrote: »

whats the opposite of a Ninja?

Photoelectric Phred.

Roadhawk

Saw 3 ninjas yesterday on the way home from work. Have to say, kudos to all the motorists for being so aware.

Macy0161

Worst ninja's ever that they keep getting spotted!

Focus of the RSA continues to be builders vests and helmets for cyclists/ pedestrians, rather than the legal requirement of lights.

Roadhawk

Macy0161 wrote: »

Worst ninja's ever that they keep getting spotted!

Focus of the RSA continues to be builders vests and helmets for cyclists/ pedestrians, rather than the legal requirement of lights.

I find the vests more effective during the day than the night. especially around the city. The RSA have clearly focused on the wrong safety device. Good lights are the most important (and probably only) safety device on a bike.

coolbeans

Roadhawk wrote: »

Saw 3 ninjas yesterday on the way home from work. Have to say, kudos to all the motorists for being so aware.

Just because nothing happened doesn't mean that they were aware. It just means nothing happened.

You're always waiting to have a swipe at cyclists.I find your comments weird especially after going on After Hours saying how you dislike cyclists so much.

tomasrojo

We have a thread for hi-viz, but I assume at this stage the continued emphasis on what are essentially builders' jackets is just because they are so cheap. They're just a simple bit of fluorescent fabric with velcro strips, reflective strips and two holes for your arms. Compare that with the price of a decent light.

The RSA can stock up on these cheap items, dole them out by the armful and then claim they're really doing a lot for pedestrians and cyclists.

Even the very poor lights the RSA very occasionally give away cost more than the fluorescent stuff, I think.

tomasrojo

Roadhawk wrote: »

Good lights are the most important (and probably only) safety device on a bike.

Well, brakes, but pretty much yes.