[Closed] Commuters - using offroad lights for the road?

I've never commuted woth anything more than a total of 350-ish lumens on my handlebar, but most of my commute features streetlamps: my lights are more about being seen than seeing where I am going.

I don't think its the brightness of the lights (compare them lumen-wise to dipped beams on a large modern car), but the angles of them. Car headlights are dipped for the safety of other road users, I do wonder about the wisdom of a badly directed big light, or 500-odd lumens on your helmet and flashing all over the place. When I ride on the road to/from/during mountain bike night rides, I turn my helmet light off and just use the bar one.

Dip your light angle slightly if it's a powerful one, common sense really.

I don't have any off-road specifc lights or any road-specific lights. I just have bike lightsthat I move from bike to bike as required.

I also find a helmet light a good 'attention getter' on the road, aquick glance at the car about to pull out in front of you reminds them that you're there.

And until I can afford (or even want) a setup that is as bright as that of most cars I won't worry too much about the lumens that I push out.

If it's a cheapo DX one you can change the lens to a more road freindly one.

This is something I have noticed as well, the worst offenders in my opinion are the ones that have the off road lights on flashing when on the road. I have even seen some on strobe which I think is particularly dangerous as it could affect someone else with epilepsy and cause an accident.

+1 paceman
I pass a couple on my commute and tehy are full frontal. Cannot see a thing.
I use a Diablo which has a handy mount that you can tilt on the move and it's helmet mounted as well. I assume it's still bright as cars still slow down.
I know Exposure do a tube thing to stick on the end but it's diffuses the light to much,rather a clip-on lens.

I've said it before and, Christ knows 🙄 , I'll say it again - really bright, "unlensed" lights on the road are definitely irritating and borderline dangerous IMO.

I drive on my commute and you can watch drivers' behaviour change when a really bright bike comes the other way (they do slow down a bit but they also move further towards the middle of the road, presumably to avoid hitting the kerb, and often don't (seem to) dip their lights.

If you want to be safe on your commute, shine a light on yourself. V small bright lights honestly look like a distant car/mbike if you glance at them (and you can't look properly as they're blinding) - why wouldn't a driver pull out ?

The other issue with the offroad type lights is they have no side on visibility. a proper road light has . Its not just the brightness that counts - its the area that the light is emmited from and the angle the light can be seen from

a ping pong ball cut so it fits over the lamp would diffuse the light and probably make it safer

I was coming back in my van from doing some beamshots of a very bright light and had to pull over when coming the other way were a group of bikers with everything on I couldnt see owt cepting lights

so lit up my light and shone it at them funnily they all dimmed theirs straight away 😈

My light is only 250 lumens, but I tend to angle it down a bit and turn it down on the road. One the rare occasion I've come out to a road section and forgotten to dip it, drivers have flashed their lights at me.

When off road, as it is helmet mounted, I tilt my head to the side slightly if there are cyclists coming towards me along dark canal paths etc.

The downside of these lights is that side visiblity is poor so I tend to make sure I have something on the bars too which is visible from the side.

I do the opposite. Road lights off road. Exposure Strada has a lens that floods the trail and a spot for detail. It's about 600 lumens on full, but not dazzling.

surely the flashing mode is for when an offroad light is going to be used on road? why would you want your offroad night ride light in flashing mode offroad? 😯

i personaly think a flashing light has more chance of getting you seen. i use my Strada in flashing mode on my commute plus two Knog frogs mounted on the top tube facing out to each side.

I use a light it goes on bike handlebars. It's a bike light. The fact it's a little bit bright on full is no different to a cars high beam IMHO. In fact I use it to get revenge on the arses who don't dip their high beam. I have never had a drama with other road users as I don't point it at their eyes.

Even my (by current standards puny) Hope 1 is too bright for on road use really, and as TJ says, you get almost no visibility side-on.

Haven't seen anyone make a diffuser except Lumicycle and their 'glow ring' - have tried DIY but stuff either melts or gets dislodged 😕

Currently use the Hope for me to see, a couple of those squidgy Cateye leds on the bars for lateral visibility and shedloads of reflective bands.

If you want to be safe on your commute, shine a light on yourself. V small bright lights honestly look like a distant car/mbike if you glance at them

I have seen commuters do this too & its very effective, it certainly makes you stand out.

I think a lot of mtbers don't realise just how distracting their off-road lights are. I commute on a cycle path, and if someone is coming the other way with an off-road light, I am completely blinded until they've gone past. It's worse if the light is helmet mounted because of the angle.

I use standard commuting lights for road use, and only use my bright lights on unlit country lanes when no cars are approaching.

So I shouldnt be using my new Maxx-D on flash for commuting then?

if not why does it even have a flash function?

Hilldodger - what about a ping pong ball as a diffuser? cut a hole big enough to slide over the lamp? i keep meaning to try it infact I think I will go and get one today and report back

I've used "off-road" lights on the road for years and never had the police moan at me. But you do need to be sensible about it to avoid annoying people.

I always use two lights - one dynamo one (3W LED) that stays on all the time and I can JUST see by and another bright one with an easily-reachable switch. The bright one used to be a 15W halogen, now I'm using a Diablo. The dynamo light is a "proper" road light so provides the side visibility and doesn't annoy people, the other one is for faster bits where there's nobody coming the other way.

My commute is nearly all on unlit roads on the open moor, so the bright light is nice to be able to ride at normal speed without risking hitting animals. If somebody comes the other way I used to turn the halogen light off - with the Diablo I switch it to minimum power, which doesn't annoy people (it's pointed down a bit anyway).

A Strada would be better on the road really (obviously), but I use it as a helmet light as well and can't justify having two expensive lights.

If I had my Diablo pointing straight ahead or on anything other than low power when people are coming the other way I'd certainly deserve any abuse I got, TBH! It's very capable of being very annoying.

I use a Maxx-D on the road, on full, angled downwards. Never had any bother from anyone. Got stopped by the police recently for running a red light - they just told me off then one of them was asking me all about my light, said he thought it was great.

My commute is mostly streetlamp-lit (maybe a mile or so is unlit on a NSL road) but the quality of street lighting varies quite a bit throughout. When you add this to the sorry state of some of the road surfaces in Glasgow you do need a half-decent light ahead of you to ride at any kind of speed if you want to avoid smashing your front wheel into a square pothole.

I also wonder why Exposure built in a flash function - can't see the point on such a powerful light.

I think a lot of mtbers don't realise just how distracting their off-road lights are. I commute on a cycle path, and if someone is coming the other way with an off-road light, I am completely blinded until they've gone past.

This. If the path is along side a busy road and you are riding along it in the direction opposite to the traffic flow, it's difficult to work out what is a car/a bike/where the edge of the path is/etc. This combined with the occasional DIY or 'over-clocked' electric bike steaming along at warp speed and there are a few sections on my regular route that I am considering avoiding until the sun comes up.

TandemJeremy - Member
Hilldodger - what about a ping pong ball as a diffuser?

would probably work on a skinny light but the Hope Vision 1 is bigger in diameter than a ping-pong ball - I'm trialling DIY glow rings to try and get forward throw as well as sideways vision, strips of milk carton ziptied around the circumference of the lamp work surprisingly well 🙂

I use the magicshine 'mickey mouse' light on low beam - only the 'ears' lit, which have diffusers on them, as well as a couple of road lights that are visible from the side on, doesn't prevent car drivers from not look though...

I commute 15 miles each way mostly on narrow country lanes, I use a L&M Seca 1400 on my bars (angled down to light the road ahead best), on my way home there's a fast descent (45+mph). 1400 lumens isn't enough.

I use a Magicshine and a 20W Lumi halogen (as I still haven't got around to convertig it to LED), lumi for leaving town, Magicshine when I'm out on the dark as hell lanes home.

I think people may over estimate how much the police know or care about bike lighting power. Just point it down a bit more if it bothers you.

I use a joystick mounted on bars, tilted slightly down to the ground on full as well as a road light on flash. The reasons for this are 3 fold.

1/ I commute along a two way cycle path for some of the commute which is on the pavement by the side of a busy road. The fact its by the road means that i also have cars coming towards me with headlights on which can make it difficult/impossible to see cyclists coming towards me with these "be seen" lights. Working on that basis anyone riding towards me would struggle to see me coming if i didn't have a descent light on as well.

2/ Some of the cycle path is unlit so a good light is needed to light the way & see the dog walkers who don't feel they need to be lit on a shared cycle path and quite often stand on one side of the path with the dog extension lead across the path while their mutts sniff along the otherside 😯

3/ I'd rather have a light brighter than i need than one where the "sorry mate i didn't see you" arguement could be used. If they can see you they are less likely to hit you IMO.

I use my Joystick with a [url= http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=56586 ]beacon diffuser[/url] on my helmet on my commute. Mostly on lit roads where I use the lowest setting and angle the beam at the road but I do use full power on the unlit sections. Looks a bit like a bedroom toy but gives good sideways visibility and with a fairly useable beam to see with.

I have a couple of Knog Frogs on my my bars set to flash to augment the solid Joystick beam.

I'm not sure there are any laws about the brightness of bike lights for the road, or where they are pointing. We probably don't need a law anyway, as long as people are fairly sensible. I've struggled with the occasional cyclist with a monster off-road light coming the other way, but it's not a regular thing for me, luckily.

My commute has a stretch on an unlit road followed by a small off-road section. I use a B&M Ixon IQ road light, mounted low down on the fork crown (it's a CX bike), where its beam spread (and cut-off) works really well. However, on the off-road bit it's not great as there's less side and up lighting, plus the light isn't quite enough when the roads are wet and you're being blinded with cars coming the other way.

So I'm thinking about getting a DX light or similar which I can switch on and off (or high and low) when needed.

Maxx D on the road here. Flashing mostly but high beam is also useful for encouraging drivers to drop their beam. Both flash and high are also useful for shining through their back window when someone has pulled yet another ridiculous overtake 5 yards before a set of lights.

I also have a cheapo flashing LED on the bars because the maxx can;t be seen very well from the side.

Never had any bother with police and the only people who seem to have an issue with it are the ones I target.

If they can see you they are less likely to hit you IMO

they (I, on my commute) can't see [b]you[/b] at all - just a point source of light that's so bright it's hard to look at so they (not me, I'm a biker and so I know what it probably is) don't know how far away it is or how fast it's moving

I commute along a two way cycle path for some of the commute which is on the pavement by the side of a busy road. The fact its by the road means that i also have cars coming towards me with headlights on which can make it difficult/impossible to see cyclists coming towards me with these "be seen" lights

Me too. The car lights are far less distracting than off-road bike lights.

my commute is 16.5miles and apart from some of the first few miles at the beginning it is unlit.

Currently using a pair of ayups, one on the head and one on the bars, having both is useful in that i can look around look directly at drivers, look out for the inevitable pot holes and light up the front of the bike.

This is suplimented with some tacx bar end things, so at least i know i always have a backwards pointing light because i can see these. I have been caught out with rear lights going flat mid ride. Just point the lights down slightly and that solves most issues,

As an aside drove in this morning and thought of this, i have noticed it a few times.

What i am finding anoying is 4x4s which by design have the lights at a higher level almost having a main beam on all the time!

one on the head and one on the bars

Just point the lights down slightly and that solves most issues,

which by design have the lights at a higher level almost having a main beam on all the time!

I commute on a cycle path, and if someone is coming the other way with an off-road light, I am completely blinded until they've gone past.

According to guidance by the DFT shared-use or off-road cyclepaths should have street lighting for exactly this reason. Without a powerful light you can't see where you are going or have any chance of seeing pedestrians, but use one and you dazzle other people.

Has anyone got any reccomendations for a good non-dazzling light. Already know of the Strada.

Someone needs to make a 'hood' to go over the light and stop the light from being projected up, which happens even when they are angled downwards.

I use Hope Vision 2. Doesn't have the brightness of some of the ridiculous things people have now.

Works well, never been abused for it. About 50% of my commute is on unlit roads. If any car has flashed me I don't notice (cos I couldn't give a monkey's)

I use a Troutie 2000lumen job on flash. Just point is down a little bit so its not too dazzling.

Never been pulled over, but have had plenty of comments from pedestrians. I dont care though, better to be moaned at then mown down.

Someone needs to make a 'hood' to go over the light and stop the light from being projected up, which happens even when they are angled downwards

Never been pulled over, but have had plenty of comments from pedestrians. I dont care though, better to be moaned at then mown down.

I can't imagine why pedestrians don't think too highly of cyclists...

I use both bar and helmet mounted ay ups for commuting in town. For roundabounts, I find the helmet mount is useful for making drivers aware of me and hopefully not pulling out in front of me. The same goes for traffic coming from side roads who I always assume aren't bike aware.

The other reason I have the helmet mount is for pedestrians who whenever I am signalling then turning right on green into West Nile Street in Glasgow invariably go for the red man dash right in front of me. I got fed up with them expecting only cars to be turning into the street. As I don't have orange indicators like a car, flashing my head mount into their faces is the only solution I've come up with that works.

I suspect the police will be more interested in folk who ride without any lights at night. There is nothing quite so baffling as the lack of common sense of someone on a bike in dark clothes without lights on a rainy night with headphones on. 😯

Off road lights badly positioned and shining into car driver or pedestrians eyes are taking the p1ss surely - no matter what we think of their attitudes.

Good comments re: side visibility and flash modes, I have Exposure Flash and Flare communting lights, awesome lights, not the brightest but plenty bright enough but also have a mode where you can have permanent and flashing on at the same time and have great side visability. They are also super portable for pub trips etc - and can aparently be submerged in a pint of beer, not tried this....

Vision 2 up front and a District on the rear, never had a problem.
Just position lights in a slightly downward angle.

Flashing function on Exposure Lights would be very useful for when you've broken a leg at night on top of the beacons/Lakes/Peaks and would like to attract the attention of a passing rescue helicopter. (Bettery lasts for ages on flashing as well, so even if they take a good few hours they can find you)

Probably not such a good idea on the road.

Hope 4 on flash mode at the front and a Cherry Bomb on flash mode on the back. All commuting on lit roads.

I would rather been seen from afar - I don't trust half-asleep drivers in the morning or those in a rush to get home in the evening. Never caused a problem for other road users as far as I can tell, never had anyone flash or shout at me.

I use one of mtb-batteries XML lights for my commute, the bulk of which is a badly pot-holed country lane (through trees so pitch black most of the time). If there are cars coming the other way I dim it and point it down (and usually move off the road as it's pretty much singletrack) and in town I have it on low setting. Also have a little light flashing on the bars, 1 solid and 1 flashing on the rear and those Tacx lumos in the bar ends.

Ping pong ball diffuser works, Fitted to two homemade lights. Gives light at 180 degrees or more, takes away the dazzle of the spot beam. I'll try to do some photos after dark

don't forget reflective stuff as well for being seen by - really works especially on pedals

TJ - how are you attaching the wiff waff balls?

simply cut a hole and push it over - sized so it fits tight. Ill do some photos

How am I gonna get a ping pong ball on my maxx-d?

[img] [/img]

I have been using the Smudge one recently. Much of my route is proper dark off road stuff.

However in other areas I am considerate an cycle through the settings to low and angle it down.
A useful feature is if I hit the button once more it goes into über flash bright setting which is useful for letting people know when they've driven like a dangerous/inconsiderate cock!

lowey - Member

I use a Troutie 2000lumen job on flash. Just point is down a little bit so its not too dazzling.

Never been pulled over, but have had plenty of comments from pedestrians. I dont care though, better to be moaned at then mown down.

Why do you need a 2000 lumen light on flash mode?

Either you need to see, in which case it should be on constant, or you need to be seen, in which case pretty much any cheap light on flash will do.

If someone was going to stick 2000 lumens in my face, I'd rather it was on constant than on flash.

Do the lights that have a flash funvtion flash at their full intensity or a bit lower, I had assumed lower?

I am really pleased with the ping pong ball diffuser. I will deffo use them when commuting in future - if y lose it its only a few pennies for a ping pong ballI will look again in the dark - automatic camera so funny exposures going on.

[url= http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7030/6689568227_f4c571b35d_z.jp g" target="_blank">http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7030/6689568227_f4c571b35d_z.jp g"/> [/img][/url]
[url= http://www.flickr.com/photos/25846484@N04/6689568227/ ]both off[/url] by [url= http://www.flickr.com/people/25846484@N04/ ]TandemJeremy[/url], on Flickr
Small spot beam light no diffuser
[url= http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7016/6689567285_73495e4217_z.jp g" target="_blank">http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7016/6689567285_73495e4217_z.jp g"/> [/img][/url]
[url= http://www.flickr.com/photos/25846484@N04/6689567285/ ]little beam[/url] by [url= http://www.flickr.com/people/25846484@N04/ ]TandemJeremy[/url], on Flickr
small light with diffuser
[url= http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7017/6689569023_6827447f99_z.jp g" target="_blank">http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7017/6689569023_6827447f99_z.jp g"/> [/img][/url]
[url= http://www.flickr.com/photos/25846484@N04/6689569023/ ]little diffuse[/url] by [url= http://www.flickr.com/people/25846484@N04/ ]TandemJeremy[/url], on Flickr
big light wider beam
[url= http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7164/6689565469_c52cccefe2_z.jp g" target="_blank">http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7164/6689565469_c52cccefe2_z.jp g"/> [/img][/url]
[url= http://www.flickr.com/photos/25846484@N04/6689565469/ ]big beam[/url] by [url= http://www.flickr.com/people/25846484@N04/ ]TandemJeremy[/url], on Flickr
big light diffuse
[url= http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7153/6689566415_3e35046ecc_z.jp g" target="_blank">http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7153/6689566415_3e35046ecc_z.jp g"/> [/img][/url]
[url= http://www.flickr.com/photos/25846484@N04/6689566415/ ]big diffuse[/url] by [url= http://www.flickr.com/people/25846484@N04/ ]TandemJeremy[/url], on Flickr

I commute with a Hope Vision 4, have done for the last 3 years or so. Before that I used a Lumicycle HID. Not had any hassles at all, plenty of police have seen them.

I use a Lumicycle HID, however my commute has 10 miles of unlit backroads, so I have it pointing at the road so I can see were I'm going

When in the car recently, I almost pulled out on a cyclist with a silly bright flashing light on his helmet. The light was so bright I was dazzled and rendered all of hs reflective clothing useless, the flashing meant I couldn't get any perspective on where he was & the height of the light made it look like he was much farther away than he was.
Luckily for him I was so curious about his light set up that I stopped and waited for him to come by so I could get a better look.

Sod the worry about lights being too bright. My aim is to survive the 15 miles each way. Ive used an off road light through two winters of commuting in London and am happier to be seen than unseen. I have never been stopped by the police.

I think there's a difference between being so bad that the police bother to stop you and being annoying enough that everybody thinks you're a selfish cock. My Diablo mounted the way it is (pointed down a bit) on minimum power I consider to be just about acceptable, but if I could turn it off quickly rather than just switch to low power I'd do that TBH (that's what I used to do with my halogen light, just leaving the dynamo light on). That's the only thing I don't like about the Diablo - it does two bright flashes before it turns off, which can't be done on the road without people thinking you're flashing at them and getting annoyed. I know why it does it (it's to show that you've held the switch down long enough to stop it going into the utterly pointless flashing mode) but I'd rather it just went straight off with a long button click myself. I reckon that would make a nice feature - the ability to disable the flash mode and have it turn off quickly without the two blinks.

I'm quite interested in that pingpong ball diffuser, although I'm a bit skeptical it would let enough light through to be able to see properly when you need it. Actually I'm quite surprised people like Exposure don't sell clip-on lenses to make their lights more road-friendly for those of us who use them as multi-purpose lights. Not just a diffuser - I mean a proper lens to make a "wide/flat" beam like the Strada has. I'm not going to spend £200 on a second light, but a lens for, say £20ish, I'd probably go for - and that would probably be expensive enough for them to make a decent profit.

Personally I think a lot of new car lights are far too bright and dazzling even when dipped, and the number of people who seem to drive around with fog lights permanently on is amazing. Not an excuse for us to do the same though.

rob the ping pong diffuser would have to come off when you need the light to see by. thats the point - stops the dazzling beam and gives you loads of side visibility.

The issue with using the offroad lights is twofold -
1) causing dazzle and making it hard to judge how far away you are
2) no side visibility

i run a lumi HID can converted to triple xp-g leds with a narrow optic ( same as you'd use for off-road - 'narrow' isn't really narrow with these things ) and the lumi diffusor ring on the front. works really nicely. i can flash it right up for the off-road downhills and run it on low when i'm on the pavement facing oncoming traffic.i also run an xml on my lid that i run low or off alongside the road. great combination that works really well. the triple also has a strobe mode at whichever power level you want, but i only use that coupled with the strobe on my lid at full coming home from the pub when i'm being silly. 😛

The side visibility doesn't bother me personally because I always use a second light on my commuting bike. Being able to leave the Diablo on (more) with less annoyance to oncoming traffic would be nice though (hence the add-on lens thoughts). I'm lucky in that there isn't much traffic on my route, but if I usually rode on busier roads I'd be permanently prodding the switch the way it's set up now.

Never been pulled over, but have had plenty of comments from pedestrians. I dont care though, better to be moaned at then mown down.

I'm inclined to agree. While my DX on strobe might be a bit annoying, I've noticed far fewer car drivers taking the piss since I switched from my old commuter-type light.

When I'm commuting in the dark its my safety I care about most.

I don't commute, but for riding on the road at night, I use mostly a home-brew quad LED spot but angled well down and slightly off to one side. Works fine, you can always straighten/raise it when there's no oncoming traffic.

During that special twilight zone time when bikes become mysteriously invisible to drivers, I sometimes run a Joystick on flash mode, generally not in full darkness though.

I combine that with some common sense mounted inside my helmet and find it works well.

As has been said, just angle the unit down to prevent blinding, that's about as complicated as it gets.

+ 1 for self-illumination, really good advice.....erm illuminating indeed 😛

When I'm commuting in the dark its my safety I care about most.

It's a false dichotomy though. It's perfectly possible to make yourself highly visible, without blinding pedestrians and other cyclists.

I've tried using an Exposure diffuser for commuting and found it threw too much light into my face. It could probably be modded with a bit of electrical tape but that's getting a bit too fiddly IMO.

[img] [/img]

Nice to see there's quite a culture of "dipping" bright lights on the Bristol/Bath path at the moment, with most people shielding them with a hand as you pass. I find on unlit sections they can dazzle you, and they also mask any less brightly lit users.

Overall I've not noticed any increase in courtesy from drivers as a result of having brighter lights, and they also seem to make it harder for drivers to see hand signals - a big problem if you're turning right at a roundabout for example.

i just got a 1,000 lumens light specifically for a london to brighton night ride i'm doing in may.

hadn't really considered that people would consider it [i]too[/i] bright... 😕 😆

I find it more of a problem with pedestrians tbh. I usually try and cover it up with my hand and get a few "thank you"'s from people for doing so. It really is quite unpleasant to have someone dazzling the heck out of you. This is from a maxx-d on the lowest setting angled downwards.

The most irritating thing on the commute is the pillocks with a rave on the handlebar..
especially when it's away from traffic on a cycle path.
Totally pointless.

STOP FLASHING AT ME.

I'm happy if I piss a few people off (again, I've found no evidence to suggest this is the case). Since using my Maxx over normal road lights, I have noticed a dramatic increase in the way I am treated by car drivers, dramatic. Yeah, there's still the odd idiot, but overall, I very, very rarely get dazzled by main beams any more and it's easily halved the number of people who pull out on me. (I assume the rest are just cocks)

A few people pissed off? Ah well. I'm still alive.

Guess what I consider more important.

A few people pissed off? Ah well. I'm still alive.

So if you use your lights more considerately, you'll die? Don't be so melodramatic.

It's a false dichotomy though. It's perfectly possible to make yourself highly visible, without blinding pedestrians and other cyclists.

Problem begins when you need to see where your going, i could run low power lights, but i would then start having issues seeing pot-holes, and my route to work has a fair few.

I commute through heavy traffic with a bright offroad light on my helmet, and have been stopped by a policeman who promptly complimented me on my safety and high visibility - happy days. I always make sure the central (brightest) part of the beam is pointing downwards, and when I ride without it find myself feeling more unsafe and definitely less visible (i.e. noticeably more close-calls with vehicles who saw me later than they probably would have).

I use a magicshine DX bastid every day. Beam directed so the main spot hits the road a good few feet in front of me.

I've found that the persil clothes washing liquid cups (the ones you're supposed to put in the drum) make a perfect glow-ring with the bottom cut off.

It can throw a bit too much light into your face when passing down completely unlit roads, but it is easy to remove. Under streetlighting or in town its just fine. It also softens the halo nicely.

Even with 700 lumen kicking out the front, you still get morons drive into you and break your collarbone for you though 🙁

it could affect someone else with epilepsy and cause an accident.

Pretty sure they're not allowed to drive but stand to be corrected. If they are, some of those dual carriage way/m-way central reservations need to be filled in to prevent a similar effect. A mate of my bro was killed by a fitting driver who hadnt taken his medication.

I've been commuting for the last 3 years with a Hope Vision 2, flashing mode in normal traffic, low power when filtering, and mid power on unlit cycle paths and tracks so i can see unlit pedestrians. Never had any grief from the po po. Head mounted means you can angle away for courtesy, or shine into cars and/or mirrors to increase people's awareness of you. I guess it depends if you think everyone in a car is out to kill you or not*

*they are.

first time I used my L&M Stella 200 (200 lumen) I was stopped in Police in Central London and asked to "angle it down slightly" as they felt it could be dangerous to other road users

the Stella 200 has a rapid flashing mode which I found much more useful for commuting than my more recent Hope Vision 2 which is great off-road with its 480 lumens, but has a painfully slow flashing mode...

I took the Police advice, and carefully adjusted the angle on my L&M so I am very visible but not blinding other road users?

however, on numerous occasions, I have still had cars pull out in front of me, and pedestrians step in front of me (off the pavement onto the road or cyclepath) both with the usual "sorry did not see you? excuse

to which I say "did not say me? perhaps you should visit the opticians for an eyetest!"

thinking that pedestrians rely too much on their ears (listening for motor vehicles) than using eyes, and motorists just don't care about cyclists...whether blindingly lit or not?

at other times, I have used my Hope Vision 2 head mounted on full power, and found this more useful as you can control the light beam with slight head movements?

No such thing as too much power, just badly pointed power!

I agree its better to be moaned at than mown down.

I use a Troute liberator, on full but aim it down 5 degrees. The spread is good and similar to a cars dipped beam.
I then have a Hope vision 2 on my helmet, on full and slightly dipped, but ready to be used tactically to make sure drivers have seen me.

I use both on steady beam when dark and have separate flashing LEDS for getting the "i am a cyclist not a slow motorbike" thing.

I have a handlebar light which I usually have on low, plus a very spotty helmet light. Putting a splash of light on a drivers dashboard works a treat for stopping them pulling out.

Don't use flashing modes on the front at all. I might also add that with all the distractions on the road I don't think stock 'bike' lights are bright enough. At least with a trail light you're as visible as the other road users but the light could do with being refracted better.

I commute 18 miles each way in Derbyshire about 2-3 times a week. The A road I have to negotiate is pitch black in various sections. Currently using my old trusty hope 2. I am are of this and this is pointed down but the only ones that seem to moan are the odd lorry drivers that flash me (whilst they have their wifes name illuminated in the cab with mini LEDs!!!).

Man, if I push the beam downwards any more its pointless! At the end of the day a good strong light is required to see safely in front of me for potholes, dead badgers, and trees.

I used to use my Hope vision 2 and no-one flashed me, but now just use 2 bright LEDs that flash (partly becaues I'm having battery connector issues ATM) - the lights don't flash at the same time / rate so are far more noticeable than one really bright light - you get a weird knightrider effect.

A flasher on the helmet is effective too.

Regarding the 'shining lights on yourself' - do you get a little white LED front and rear pointing towards you (on steady or flashing?) to 'activate' your reflective gear?