Riding at night: a strategy for survival?

  • Thread starter ComandanteBanana
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ComandanteBanana

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Nothing new about it: The little furry mammals developed that strategy
to survive among the dinosaurs (which is why we are here)...

Anyway, now my next door neighbor wants to ride at midnight... And he
ain't one of those crazy bums on a Huffy. He even bought a vest with
blinking lights (DUI drivers and SUV drivers chatting on the cell
phone should be able to see him). And his bike cost him 2 grands
(important in this hierarchal jungle where you are what you drive), so
I guess he better find a use for it. The other day he told me he
didn't have the nerve anymore to ride in traffic (he ain't no chicken,
he's a veteran), which leads to this daring survival strategy.
Actually, I do the same with my canoe, where the motorboats put me at
the bottom of the food chain in the day time.

Well, our dinosaurs (SUVs and motorboats) make us get smarter and get
nocturnal. And I can only hope Darwin was right: "It is not the
strongest of the species that survive, nor the most intelligent, but
the one most responsive to change."

NOTE: I told my neighbor to knock on my door. Just in case I'm
sleepless...

WELCOME TO THE JUNGLE
http://webspawner.com/users/donquijote
 
> Well, our dinosaurs (SUVs and motorboats) make us get smarter and get
> nocturnal.

Take heart: mammals emerged into the sunlight after a worldwide
catastrophe. That catastrophe is occurring right now: slow in man-years
but an eyeblink in geologic time.

In any case, pay close attention to nighttime lighting. Both distance
viewing and depth perception are greatly reduced with cheaper
headlamp/bikelights. $2-300 for a quality high-wattage bikelight system I
don't think would be out of line if you are serious about night-riding,
especially on a fast roadbike.

rms
 
ComandanteBanana wrote:
> Nothing new about it: The little furry mammals developed that strategy
> to survive among the dinosaurs (which is why we are here)...
>

Riding at Night is a most excellent pastime. I'm doing a 400km Audax
this very weekend that, judging by last years timing, will mean I'm
riding from dusk (Saturday) to dawn (Sunday).

When it's moony, and it's very late - I may ride a few short stretches
without lights (in the country).

I have good lights - good enough to allow me to ride downhill at daytime
speeds with full confidence. Of course, I may be asleep by then...

Chris
 
On May 1, 3:45 pm, Jon Bendtsen <[email protected]> wrote:
> ComandanteBanana wrote:
> > Nothing new about it: The little furry mammals developed that strategy
> > to survive among the dinosaurs (which is why we are here)...
>
> > Anyway, now my next door neighbor wants to ride at midnight... And he
> > ain't one of those crazy bums on a Huffy. He even bought a vest with
> > blinking lights (DUI drivers and SUV drivers chatting on the cell
>
> He could get a dynamo hub and some lights. The best dynamo
> hub should be SON from Schmidt, but it's rather expensive.
> The front and rear light could be from Busch + Muller, but
> schmidt has a real nice LED light comming real soon now(tm).
>
> See:
> http://www.peterwhitecycles.com/schmidt.asp
> http://www.bumm.de/index-e.html
> http://www.nabendynamo.de/english/index.html
>
> JonB

All those lights are nice so you can see, but to be seen all you need
is that blinking vest. I guess.
 
ComandanteBanana schrieb:

> Anyway, now my next door neighbor wants to ride at midnight... And he
> ain't one of those crazy bums on a Huffy. He even bought a vest with
> blinking lights

Args. Please don't use this blinking bullshits. It just distracts other
drivers and makes them focus on the blinking.
 
ComandanteBanana schrieb:
> All those lights are nice so you can see, but to be seen all you need
> is that blinking vest. I guess.

Fortunately, that blinking ******** is illegal, at least here.
 
On May 1, 5:24 pm, Jens Müller <[email protected]> wrote:
> ComandanteBanana schrieb:
>
> > Anyway, now my next door neighbor wants to ride at midnight... And he
> > ain't one of those crazy bums on a Huffy. He even bought a vest with
> > blinking lights
>
> Args. Please don't use this blinking bullshits. It just distracts other
> drivers and makes them focus on the blinking.

So how is it the blinking rear lights are OK? I don't think any solid
light will be strong enough to be seen by drivers who simply aren't
looking for bikes at that time... if they are paying any attention at
all.

I was told the same thing about having blinking lights on the canoe,
which I fixed.
 
On May 1, 5:25 pm, Jens Müller <[email protected]> wrote:
> ComandanteBanana schrieb:
>
> > All those lights are nice so you can see, but to be seen all you need
> > is that blinking vest. I guess.
>
> Fortunately, that blinking ******** is illegal, at least here.

Where's that, Germany? What is required there?
 
ComandanteBanana wrote:
> On May 1, 5:24 pm, Jens Müller <[email protected]> wrote:
>
>>ComandanteBanana schrieb:
>>
>>
>>>Anyway, now my next door neighbor wants to ride at midnight... And he
>>>ain't one of those crazy bums on a Huffy. He even bought a vest with
>>>blinking lights
>>
>>Args. Please don't use this blinking bullshits. It just distracts other
>>drivers and makes them focus on the blinking.
>
>
> So how is it the blinking rear lights are OK? I don't think any solid
> light will be strong enough to be seen by drivers who simply aren't
> looking for bikes at that time... if they are paying any attention at
> all.

If two solid lights are enough to mark every four-wheeled vehicle
smaller than a lorry or bus (assuming they have additional ones on the
upper corners of their backside-silhouette) why then is one not
sufficient to mark a two-wheeler?

Tadej
--
“It is difficult to get a man to understand something when his salary
depends upon his not understanding it.”
<Upton Sinclair in The Jungle>
 
On May 1, 5:49 pm, ComandanteBanana <[email protected]> wrote:
> On May 1, 5:24 pm, Jens Müller <[email protected]> wrote:
>
> > ComandanteBanana schrieb:
>
> > > Anyway, now my next door neighbor wants to ride at midnight... And he
> > > ain't one of those crazy bums on a Huffy. He even bought a vest with
> > > blinking lights
>
> > Args. Please don't use this blinking bullshits. It just distracts other
> > drivers and makes them focus on the blinking.
>
> So how is it the blinking rear lights are OK? I don't think any solid
> light will be strong enough to be seen by drivers who simply aren't
> looking for bikes at that time... if they are paying any attention at
> all.
>
> I was told the same thing about having blinking lights on the canoe,
> which I fixed.

3M makes some pretty spectacular reflective tape that you can use for
all sorts of situations. For example, I have a black helmet. I put a
strip of the black reflective tape (which reflects white) on the back
of the helmet. During the daytime you can't see it (it just looks
like a piece of electrical tape) but it is BRIGHT during the night.
Anything you can do to increase your visible profile is helpful.
 
ComandanteBanana schrieb:
> On May 1, 5:25 pm, Jens Müller <[email protected]> wrote:
>> ComandanteBanana schrieb:
>>
>>> All those lights are nice so you can see, but to be seen all you need
>>> is that blinking vest. I guess.
>> Fortunately, that blinking ******** is illegal, at least here.
>
> Where's that, Germany? What is required there?

A normal, permanently shining light (red on the back, white on the front).
 
ComandanteBanana schrieb:
> On May 1, 5:24 pm, Jens Müller <[email protected]> wrote:
>> ComandanteBanana schrieb:
>>
>>> Anyway, now my next door neighbor wants to ride at midnight... And he
>>> ain't one of those crazy bums on a Huffy. He even bought a vest with
>>> blinking lights
>> Args. Please don't use this blinking bullshits. It just distracts other
>> drivers and makes them focus on the blinking.
>
> So how is it the blinking rear lights are OK?

They aren't ok.
 
On May 2, 1:36 pm, Jens Müller <[email protected]> wrote:
> ComandanteBanana schrieb:
>
> > On May 1, 5:24 pm, Jens Müller <[email protected]> wrote:
> >> ComandanteBanana schrieb:
>
> >>> Anyway, now my next door neighbor wants to ride at midnight... And he
> >>> ain't one of those crazy bums on a Huffy. He even bought a vest with
> >>> blinking lights
> >> Args. Please don't use this blinking bullshits. It just distracts other
> >> drivers and makes them focus on the blinking.
>
> > So how is it the blinking rear lights are OK?
>
> They aren't ok.

Wow, I read somewhere they are not OK in Germany, but why?
 
rms wrote:
>> Well, our dinosaurs (SUVs and motorboats) make us get smarter and get
>> nocturnal.
>
> Take heart: mammals emerged into the sunlight after a worldwide
> catastrophe. That catastrophe is occurring right now: slow in man-years
> but an eyeblink in geologic time.
>
> In any case, pay close attention to nighttime lighting. Both distance
> viewing and depth perception are greatly reduced with cheaper
> headlamp/bikelights. $2-300 for a quality high-wattage bikelight system I
> don't think would be out of line if you are serious about night-riding,
> especially on a fast roadbike.

I wouldn't base the quality on the price. You can spend $200-300 and end
up with low-power lights that aren't suitable for a lot of types of
night riding, and you can spend $60-100 and get something that works
very well.

The short version is a Cree 3W emitter flashlight and a high power LED
tail light that has some side pointing LEDs as well as rear pointing ones.

Just to nitpick, it's old-school to talk about "wattage."
 
On May 2, 12:47 pm, ComandanteBanana <[email protected]>
wrote:
> Hey guys, how about this little light for my Topeak rack?
>
> http://www.topeak.com/products/detail/205
>
> They also have this one...
>
> http://www.topeak.com/products/detail/204
>
> I'm reading in other forums though that some people ride with as many
> lights as possible.
>
> Isn't a basic strategy of survival to be seen, no matter what?

Roger, too much ain't enough... light it up with as much battery power
as yer willing to carry. But don't stop there, get a dyno hub and
light it up some more. You got to be really bright 'cause motorists
ain't.
 
>>> Args. Please don't use this blinking bullshits. It
>>> just distracts other drivers and makes them focus
>>> on the blinking.
>> So how is it the blinking rear lights are OK?
> They aren't ok.

=v= You've asserted this three times now. What's the basis?
Are there actual field studies indicating that blinking lights
are a hazard? Have they actually been correlated with greater
danger for cyclists?
<_Jym_>
 
>>> Args. Please don't use this blinking bullshits. It
>>> just distracts other drivers and makes them focus
>>> on the blinking.
>> So how is it the blinking rear lights are OK?
> They aren't ok.

=v= You've asserted this three times now. What's the basis?
Are there actual field studies indicating that blinking lights
are a hazard? Have they actually been correlated with greater
danger for cyclists?
<_Jym_>
 
On Fri, 02 May 2008 19:36:06 +0200, Jens Müller wrote:

> ComandanteBanana schrieb:
>> On May 1, 5:24 pm, Jens Müller <[email protected]> wrote:
>>> ComandanteBanana schrieb:
>>>
>>>> Anyway, now my next door neighbor wants to ride at midnight... And he
>>>> ain't one of those crazy bums on a Huffy. He even bought a vest with
>>>> blinking lights
>>> Args. Please don't use this blinking bullshits. It just distracts other
>>> drivers and makes them focus on the blinking.
>>
>> So how is it the blinking rear lights are OK?
>
> They aren't ok.

Why not?
 
On Fri, 02 May 2008 19:36:06 +0200, Jens Müller wrote:

> ComandanteBanana schrieb:
>> On May 1, 5:24 pm, Jens Müller <[email protected]> wrote:
>>> ComandanteBanana schrieb:
>>>
>>>> Anyway, now my next door neighbor wants to ride at midnight... And he
>>>> ain't one of those crazy bums on a Huffy. He even bought a vest with
>>>> blinking lights
>>> Args. Please don't use this blinking bullshits. It just distracts other
>>> drivers and makes them focus on the blinking.
>>
>> So how is it the blinking rear lights are OK?
>
> They aren't ok.

Why not?
 
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