[Closed] Is my light "too bright"?

Do you really want to "blind" the driver of a vehicle heading in your general direction? Chances are you simply have the thing pointing too high. Why do you think cars have dimmable headlights?

I regularly get blinded by a cyclist on my bike commute to work. It's on a cycle path, and the curve in the path makes it look like it's a car coming towards me.
So yes, your light could be too bright.

The thing is, he's about the fifth person to have said something similar to me this winter

Errrr... Do you not think that they might have a point ?

Dip the light down.

Yep, too bright and i imagine as it is on your head and flashing you will blind/distract oncoming drivers.

Just because you can buy and fit blinding lights it does not mean that more brightness/flashing modes equals more personal safety on the road.

I regularly get blinded by a cyclist on my bike commute to work.

Me too!

Often its the cyclist behind, look back to check if a cars coming and get blinded by a super dazzling light set to rapid flash and pointing straight in my eyes by someone 2ft off my back wheel...

Off-road lights (such as the joystick) need pointing at the ground IMO.

You could fit a diffuser maybe?
http://www.tredz.co.uk/.Exposure-Beacon-Diffuser-Cover_62105.htm

Motorists are very delicate little creatures, inside their massive metal boxes, aren't they? Waa waa waa. Poor things.

Having said that, I'm not sure why you'd want a Joystick on flash mode on your head, that just seems a bit odd to me. Stick it on your bars instead and see if it being a bit lower stops the whiny little ****ers getting all uppity.

The really stupid bit about getting blinded by a fellow cyclist is that it's not even dark when we meet. it's about 8am on a well lit road, so why does he need 100000 watts?

Motorists are very delicate little creatures, inside their massive metal boxes, aren't they? Waa waa waa. Poor things.

And I suppose the cyclists (above) that are saying exactly the same are whiny little **** too then eh ?

Or are you just a car hater ?

[quote=nealglover ]

Motorists are very delicate little creatures, inside their massive metal boxes, aren't they? Waa waa waa. Poor things.

Ok, what light for maximum attention that won't dazzle or give me a fit looking at flashing lights on the road in front of me?

Are these people daft, or is my bike light inappropriate and inconsiderate?

Motorists are very delicate little creatures, inside their massive metal boxes, aren't they? Waa waa waa. Poor things.

There's not a problem in using the Joystick mk7, I have one but i use it on my bars and i make sure it points down to a few feet in front on my wheel so it doesn't dazzle nor cause a distraction to oncoming car drivers.

Absolutely! I keep seeing commuters with insanely bright, strobing lights and they're dangerous. I reckon some motorists are actually mesmerised by them when they're on the front and can't quite work out where you are so just pull out anyway! As has been said if you've got it on your head it's going to be right at eye level, blinding the person you're trying to stop from crashing into you. When they're that bright you're also endangering other road users IMO.

Something weird that I've noticed recently, on my fixie commuter I've got 1 solid & 1 flashing rear. On my winter bike I've got a dynamo set up which are approved for the strict German roads, front and rear are constant on, no flashing and the rear doesn't seem as bright as the flasher on my commuter. I was originally intending on supplementing the Dynamo rear with a flashing light but didn't on the bikes first ride out but cars were giving me a shit ton of room?? I thought it was strange so didn't bother fitting the flasher for the next few rides and kept noticing cars giving me more room on the Dynamo setup than the flashing one despite using the same roads at the same time of day. I wasn't expecting this at all and it goes against everything I've thought about lights? Reckon I'll still get a flashing rear for the winter bike as I belive it'll help me be seen by those not paying attention but at the moment I'm getting more space without one.

As somafunk says- mount it on yr bars then you can aim it. As a driver I think lights better on bars as that's where used to seeing them. Head lights should be off road only in my opinion. I use a joystick mk 2 on my bars for road riding - have it aimed lowish and flashing on every ride.

There's good reasons why the German light regs are what they are. Brightness isn't so much the issue its the diffusion or beam pattern, torch-beam lights with higher outputs really are not good for other road users unless angled pretty low, at which point they're not as useful as the output might suggest.

I'd echo monkeyfudgers comment, I perceive better courtesy from drivers at night since using German legal f + r, non flashing lights that have good beam spread. Standing a way from my bike on a lane, it's very visible but not dazzling at all. Maybe by strobing everyone to feel like we're being seen we just pss off the sort of drivers that are inclined to take out their annoyance on us.

You know when you're driving or riding on country roads and someone coming the other way doesn't dip their headlights full beam? And you have to slow down cos you can't see properly any more? Bit annoying, isn't it?

Front bike lights: Really bright is ok, flashing is OK, really bright and flashing can get to a level which makes anyone looking at it clench their eyes shut and turn their head away. Can be dangerous and comes across as unnecessary and possibly obnoxious.

There's a few a month I see that make me think that on my 12 mile central London commute.

I've a Schmidt dynamo hub hooked up to a B&M Cyo front light on my commuter (complies with German motoring laws) along with a Moon comet on flashing mode (which doesn't). The Comet is pointed downwards. On the rear I've a Moon comet in flash mode.

This setup is good enough for a commute that is 1/3rd canal towpath, 1/3rd lit urban roads and 1/3 unlit rural roads. MTB lights are *not* suitable for on road use as they don't have diffusers or an appropriate beam pattern.

It's an off road light being used on road. Likely doesn't meet the relevant legal standard for road use, so if a cop was to stop you, there may be issues. Unlikely though as most bike lights are not road legal these days. Not that many people even use lights.

http://www.ctc.org.uk/cyclists-library/regulations/lighting-regulations

Myself, I'm no fan of flashing lights as a driver. Yes flashing can aid in visibility to others but if only flashing then it can hamper it too. When off in the distance or a corner of the drivers eye situation, blink and you miss it. Static, the light is always visible. Not to mention for the rider you can actually see the road.

As an off roader, when I (rarely) hit the road I angle my lights a little to the left where there's oncoming traffic. Cars are illegal if they're not deflected properly, and same really should apply to bikes.

However I have lights with an adjustable mount whereas some cannot be adjusted. Though helmet light you can just turn head slightly to the left.

Oh, and run at the lowest setting on road.

I run a the defusers lens on my cree light I use on the road which makes them more like a car dip beam head light pattern which I leave on all the time and then have another one with out the lens fitted to act as a main beam light when I am in the lanes. The defuser lens really spreads the light in a flat pattern so it lights the road in front of you with out the long range spot light. Worth the £4 for the lens.

Wow. Touched a nerve there.

Seems to me cyclists can't get anything right, that's all. Lights dim, you're trying to get yourself killed. Lights bright, you're being inconsiderate and horrible to the poor hard-done-by motorist. I drive a lot and I ride a lot and I've honestly never been dazzled by a cyclist's light. Been dazzled by plenty of dopey motorists though.

Anyway, you grown-ups carry on giving the OP a good kicking from your high-horses, I'll get back under my bridge.

Why does this thread even exist? OP, surely common sense must avail here?

There's common sense....

...and there's mintimperial 🙂

Flashing lights on bicycle are, in my experience, a bit of an problem. I find it harder to keep track of a potential obstacle if it's flashing, like watching somebody moving under a strobe light. I see the visual advantage of a flashing light, in that it grabs attention, but they should only be used alongside a fixed lamp, in my opinion. Fluorescent/reflective clothing is much better for making a cyclist visible. One of the best lights I've seen is the straps that attach to the ankle - it spins around and gets attention in an unusual way; pretty neat.

As for bright lights, I'm not sure that I even see the point if there are street lamps. I suppose they could be pointed at the road directly in front of the bike, but having them shining down the way and into drivers' eyes is just irresponsible.

When I'm driving & get dazzled by a cyclist I put my lights on full beam,see how they like it..

Then everyone is blind, which should really reduce the chances of an accident. Good job. Try knocking your lights off for a moment, might make people think in the other direction...

Surely the issue is that in running a too-bright light you're actually making yourself less safe? It's harder to judge distance of you're being dazzled and you can't steer whatever vehicle you're using properly because the only thing you can see is the bright light (and you don't know how far away that is).

Seems to me cyclists can't get anything right, that's all. Lights dim, you're trying to get yourself killed. Lights bright, you're being inconsiderate and horrible to the poor hard-done-by motorist

Flashing lights on bicycle are, in my experience, a bit of an problem.

They can also be very useful at picking you out as "not a car", but they don't need to be very bright to do that, and I'd only use it in addition to steady light.

Good to see increasing coverage of the problem of very bright, unshaped beams - hopefully we'll see some more lights with decent road beam patterns in the future.

I've got a modified Philips Saferide and it's notable that the beam pattern is not only more friendly to other people, but it does a much better job of lighting up the road in front of you evenly.

The issue is, like most situations on the road - there are too many stupid idiots in cars.
Ok, so I wouldn't have a flashing helmet light, but the OP is just doing his best to be seen.
Bike lights ARE NOT AS BRIGHT AS CAR HEADLIGHTS. These stupid drivers don't realise this - they are aware of and familiar with car headlights and therefore don't look at them. But when they see a bike light, for some reason they stare at it and get all offended that there's a bright thing "in their way" that isn't another ****ing vehicle.
ARGH! I've got a right bee in me bonnet about this - I was riding up an unlit road with my Hope Vision 2 OFF and my 5W pissy little eBay light on flash. This **** in a BMW coming the other way FLASHED their lights at me! 5W! I so wanted to give them a piece of my mind but I'll use this thread for the rant instead.

I say this every time - wear reflective clothing and shine light on yourself

Most drivers won't deliberately hit you once they know what you are and have clearly seen you. Why look like a distant plane coming in to land when you can look like a person on the road just in front of them

Using a superbright flashing light is just stupid in anything other than daylight, IMO

If you need to see where you're going as well, [url= http://www.rosebikes.co.uk/article/philips-saferide-80-led-bike-light-battery-front-light/aid:642257?gclid=CjwKEAiAlb6lBRCBw4jC-bb3uykSJAB55Ti9VMnJ90lAv4_z4ONZttV5dOrlduW9AVxnzBVe23Mi2xoC_7nw_wcB ]something like this[/url]

The CTC link (posted twice) is very good, and explains the issue well.

Its the small point light source that makes them dazzling, not the lumens per se.

They also measure how well the Germn lights dazzliness tapers off when you are not looking direclty at them compared to Joystick and so on.

( I use a Joystick too, but angled downwards on the bars)

@pdw - modified saferide ? Is that to stop stray upward light ? What have you done ?
(I've wondered about the slight overspill but seems to need a very long "peak" on the unit to stop it)

[i]Using a superbright flashing light is just stupid in anything other than daylight, IMO[/i]

What I'm saying is that it doesn't have to be a "superbright" light to piss some drivers off. Just them noticing that we're on "their" roads is enough.

As a driver, I can live with it. On the rare occasion I'm dazzled I tend to think "Wow, I saw him / her from bloody miles away" and it's no worse than the multitude of cars driving around with wonky headlights.

A strobing light does, admittedly, tend to make it slightly more difficult to judge distance but my attitude tends to be to slow down slightly until I'm sure instead of driving straight into the flashing light.

I wonder people who are easily dazzled (whether car or bike) are perhaps experiencing the early signs of cataracts, which can start to form before the age of 40 depending on UV exposure in yoof.

We were doing an off road ride round Boxhill last year and did a sort stretch of road. Some of the group forgot to lower their lights and we were stopped by a police car and asked to dip our lights. It was fair enough really. Seriously powerful off road lights pointed up for off road use are too bright for the road. I use a Use Diablo as a Headlight on road but on the lowest setting and not pointing directly up the road.

[quote=DezB said]
Bike lights ARE NOT AS BRIGHT AS CAR HEADLIGHTS. These stupid drivers don't realise this

Dipped car lights are angled into the kerb so as not to dazzle oncoming motorists / cyclists etc. The people complaining to the OP have no idea how bright his lights were in comparison to theirs and it has no relevance. The OP's light wasn't angled and was dazzling oncoming traffic.

wonder people who are easily dazzled (whether car or bike) are perhaps experiencing the early signs of cataracts, which can start to form before the age of 40 depending on UV exposure in yoof

Bike lights ARE NOT AS BRIGHT AS CAR HEADLIGHTS.

Possibly not but car lights are checked yearly and calibrated to have a set cutoff point so not to dazzle oncoming traffic. Admittedly not much help if the oncoming car isn't prepared to dip them on the 1st place though.

The problem with bike lights is that it's down to the rider to align them. When on the road I turn my helmet light off and manually cover the beam of my bar light for on coming cars. Just try to be courteous to other road users regardless of mode of transport.

Dez - tiny lights look way brighter than car-sized ones anyway for soem reason, and the flashes are a nightmare for working out how far away you are, and how fast you're approaching.
The ones that stay on with background light and then "pulse" are better but still not great

You're right, some drivers are ****s but that won't change regardless of what lights you use. For drivers who aren't arseholes, unless your flasher is a 2 quid job that just clips on, you're honestly not helping yourself. I think for most drivers a small, ded bright light source that's shining right at them is a motorbike on full beam, 100yds away.

Added to that, really bright lights, especially if flashing and "unlensed" are awful as they're too bright to look at which means either drivers don't look right at you so won't quite know where you are and/or they get blinded as you go over a bump, lift your head or whatever.

Surely you've been on a nightride and had another rider look back towards you as you're riding - it's bloody awful

Dipped car lights are angled into the kerb so as not to dazzle oncoming motorists / cyclists etc. The people complaining to the OP have no idea how bright his lights were in comparison to theirs and it has no relevance. The OP's light wasn't angled and was dazzling oncoming traffic.

This.

I pass a couple of commuters on a tree lined cycle path every morning, and the angle they have their lights at is ridiculous.

I always run mine pointed down and on half power on the road.

I don't get many objections but occasionally I'll get a really long blast of the horn or the other night a lorry driver in his cab waved his fist at me (light was on in the cab wtf?).

I think some drivers are really sensitive to bright lights at night.

Bike lights ARE NOT AS BRIGHT AS CAR HEADLIGHTS. These stupid drivers don't realise this

Size matters

I hear what you’re thinking: 200 is a lot less than the 625 allowed from a dipped car lamp and that’s not fair! Actually it's very fair, given how much smaller bike lamps are compared to car lamps, which makes them more dazzling for the same candela intensity.

A smaller lamp is more dazzling because each little bit of the lamp’s surface will then be sending more photons into the corresponding rod or cone of the observer’s eye. Once that receptor has been saturated with light, more does nothing useful, only hurts and bounces around inside the eye making everything else look fuzzy. So dazzling is also a complete waste of energy.

Now imagine the same amount of light coming from a larger emitting surface. The image of this larger lamp covers more of the observer’s retina, so each rod or cone is bombarded by fewer photons and does not saturate. And with more of the observer’s nerve cells responding more efficiently to the light you’re putting out, it has more effect. With a larger lamp you’re on a roll. You don’t just avoid dazzling people, but also get more conspicuity bang for your lighting buck!

FFS junky, do you want us to start reading the instructions for stuff as well ? 🙄

I tend to run my bar light flashing when on road bike to distinguish me from a car and it's fairly bright.....the oddest thing is though when I used it wearing a ProViz jacket I had so many drivers flashing at me because the reflection of the flash of the light on my jacket must have been spooking them or dazzling them!
A lot of folk MTB night riding tend to use flash mode to save battery life for tge off road sections to maximise ride time. I have indeed taken to flashing mode on the way to hook up with riding pals then switch to the lowest power setting on constant once we are riding together and lowest constant on my helmet light to make sure drivers at junctions or turning have seen me by making light contact with the relevant car but immediately I am sure we have been seen make sure the lights not pointing at/ on the cars.
I have been dazzled by other cyclists lights too but as a driver I would rather have seen the rider than missed him/ her or thought it wa a distant vehicle.
Is it just me but what I do is if it's that bright a headlight or bike light , don't stare at it, look at what's attached too, Ie number plate, windscreen, cyclist himself/ herself.....after all we're not rabbits are we?

It's a bit of a pain being dazzled, but at the same time, you can't fail to see the super bright lights. No excuses if you're in a car and you pull out on someone. I just tend to slow down if I see one in the distance, as I know there's a chance I'll get dazzled.

None of you seen these new white LED lights cars have then? I get dazzled by them nearly every day. I had to put my bloody sunglasses on the other day sat behind a Range Rover with its bright red LEDs in my face.
But yeah, car drivers own the road. So lets all put cyclists in the wrong as usual.

I have a flashing Cateye 3lED thing on my helmet. I took it off a year or so ago on the basis it may be overkill as well as the Joystick on my bars.
Nearly got hit by 3 cars pulling out from the left in one journey so it went straight back on...
You can't really blame cyclists from putting on powerful lights when a) that's almost all that's available and b) there's so many lousy drivers out there...

I doubt it's a case of [i]cyclists in the wrong as usual.[/i] however using very bright 1000+ lumen broad spread LED off road lights on the bars or on your helmet and having them crisscross the road surface from side to side as you push/pull on the bars can only be distracting to other road users….. and yeah i have been been distracted by some car headlights or tail lights on vehicles but the difference is i am not piloting a 1.5 ton vehicle whilst travelling 100ft per second (60mph).

Just because i ride a bike (and may feel smug or self satisfied inside) that does not give me the god given right to be a dick to other road users. 😉

Stick it on your bars and point it at the ground. My Joystick is a "pothole spotter". I have a strada for general road duties. I also have a very small flashing Topeak helmet LED that I use occasionally when I can be bothered.

Can't see the need for a powerful helmet light on the road.

You're not getting my point. Someone said it earlier in the thread, whatever cyclists do will give some motorists cause for complaint because we're [i]on "their[/i]" roads.
My light isn't too bright, but still caused some dick to think it was ok to dazzle me.
but noone would go up to a Range Rover driver and say "Excuse me, your back lights are too bright old chap" would they?

Yeah, point it a bit further down. It'll still be visible ahead but not shine directly into people's eyes.

Getting dazzled used to happen all the time with oncoming cyclists when my commute went through a few dark areas between Derby and Nottingham. Very occasionally as they got close I had to stop until they'd passed because they had such nuclear lights stuck on their handlebars.

Likewise, on country lanes I've been flashed by a car a few hundred metres away because I had an XM-L2 torch on the bars and forgot to put it on a lower setting. It's really easy to dazzle people with modern LEDs.

...Seriously powerful off road lights pointed up for off road use are too bright for the road.

^ This.

When I first got my super-duper off road lights a couple of months ago, I went for a local ride to get them set up. On the way home, there was about 1/2 mile of road, and I was really quite surprised that the few cars I met swerved towards the hedge and braked to a halt as I approached. I was revelling in the sense of power they gave me, so when I got home, I wanted to experience teh awesomez power for myself. I propped the bike against the fence and walked out in front of it with the lights still on (two solar-storm X2s on low or medium power): It was just ridiculous. I couldn't see anything in the direction of the bike - I couldn't even look in that direction. The bright pin-points of light made it impossible to look past the bike, even from 50+ yards away. If I were driving, I would have no option but to stop. (There's nothing special about the lights - it's just the way it is.)

What surprised me more was how much I had to point the lights down to avoid this effect. As set up for off-road riding, the lights were pointing down a bit, anyway, but to avoid being dazzled, I had to aim the lights at the ground about 8 feet in front of the front wheel. There was still enough light spilling forwards to ride perfectly safely, but you could also stand in front of the bike and actually make sense of what you were seeing.

FWIW: I'd really recommend going out on a dark night and trying the same thing, just to make sure that your light is noticeable without dazzling oncoming traffic.

Light on your helmet is brilliant off-road but down-right inconsiderate and stupid on the road as it will just dazzle anyone in the direction you are looking at. Get it on your bars and point it in a way it illuminates your path not into the windscreen of approaching cars or faces of pedestrians.

Bright flashing lights at night are also silly IMO.

Flashing light in day fine.

Dimmer flashing lights as markers along with a brighter fixed light to see where you are going - fine.

As someone else mentioned shining a light on yourself while wearing reflective gear is brilliant. Also one of the best examples of lighting I have seen was a cyclist with lights on his bike, legs, arms and rucksack.

I have my light on the right side of my bars next to my shifter angled down and to the left so it puts its main spot from 0 to 10-15 foot in front of me. So not only is it not pointed at windscreen height but not pointed in the direction of the oncoming lane.

If I am on unlit country roads I will increase the power setting when no oncoming vehicles if I feel I need to but will turn down again when oncoming vehicles approach, it being nay bother as it's close to hand.

An intereting topic for me. In the gran scheme of things here, I am on the bottom of the road hierarchy here.

I have my solarstorm set on flash and angled so I can see it reflecting off signs. I know it dazzles drivers, motorcyclists, buffalo riders, street dogs, but I also know they don't have an excuse not to see me.

So far, touching my morning woody, people have stopped when pulling out onto the road, and others can see me. I haven't tried riding without it flashing yet, to see whether or not they do ignore me.

The only person who has ever complained in person was another expat cyclist when I was on holiday, who told me I had dazzled him. He got all red faced when I said I didn't really care as long as he and everybody else on the road had seen me. He tried the 'it gives people the wrong impression bollocks' but this is Thailand, nobody gives a shit about cyclists,

Problem with the not caring so long as the other road user can see you approach, is they may be dazzled enough to end up crashing into something, if not you, then someone else, who may in turn crash into you or someone else gets injured or killed.

One of the guys who passes me on my commute has lights angled up, and others flashing like Blackpool illuminations. It's all so bright, I actually find it quite disorientating, so if I find it disorientating, then so does the guy coming toward you in a ton of metal quirrel.

Best of luck with that.

Flashing light on helmet ? Seriously ? Are you trying to cause an accident ?

I use a MaxxD when commuting, mix of unlit rural towpath and urban roads into city centre.

I angle it down and keep it on low (600 lumens apparently) on the road, unless the traffic is heavy when I'll use the flash to stand out from the vehicle headlights. Having it pointed down isn't the best angle when I'm miles from lights on the towpath but 1200 lumens deals with that. Then I just dip it down and/or shade it with my hand when she someone comes towards me. Seems to not cause any offence.

I know it dazzles drivers, motorcyclists...

You forget that other people use the road. Other cyclists, pedestrians crossing... anyone could be put at risk because your lights are dazzling/distracting the driver of a vehicle. Why can you not just wear hi-viz clothing to make you stand out? Do you really have to make life difficult for other people?

I don't understand why lights flash for visibility on the road. As a driver i find it harder to "read" where the cyclist is when the lights flash.

Combine that with the OTT power of off road lights and i'm not surprised the op is getting complaints.

I ride with a guy that uses his 6 pack exposure on em road angled up, he thinks "great, everyone will see me" problem is, they can't see him as the light is too bloody bright! I think I'd rather not have drivers coming towards me with their eyes shut as they've been dazzled.

Also flashing lights alone, WTF. It's so hard to pinpoint a moving flashing object, the drivers may have seen that there's something there but they can't tell where it is. Useless.

I have a Hope District rear light pointing downwards slightly and an R4 pointing down and to the left, as per a car or motorbike. Drivers generally give me lots of room, especially over taking as I suspect they think it's a motorbike they're passing.

All these people saying that helmet lights are stupid on the road, you clearly dont commmute in built up areas. Having a light high up on your head is a massive benefit to allow you to be seen over the top of parked/stationary cars when your handle bar lights are blocked. Of course high powered or flashing lights are inconsiderate but saying all helmet lights are pointless is far from the truth.

I have a joystick set to lowest lowest power and tilted down with a micro red eye on the back, i am sure it has stopped many cars from pulling out of side roads in front of me as i pass parked cars.

Bright Strobe lights should be banned imo, they give no indication of how fast a cyclist is going to a car. Its very difficult for drivers to track a moving object when it is strobing/flashing. A flashing light should always be paired up with a constant imo.

Bike lights ARE NOT AS BRIGHT AS CAR HEADLIGHTS. These stupid drivers don't realise this

Someone needs to comprehend the difference between lumens and lux. It's the lux that dazzles. Unfortunately the lux varies infinitely throughout the beam pattern and the total lumen is a nice easy figure to print on a box so we almost exclusively use that. Car headlights have much lower maximum lux in their beam pattern (when dipped) than dense high powered modern bike lights.

On road there is no place for a bright helmet light imo - guaranteed to dazzle. And who wants the operator of a ton or 3 of metal travelling at speed towards you unsighted? Put light on your bonce to make yourself seen (I've got some awesome little red lights that are all wired together and sit in my rear vents on my helmet that are really effective - not sure if they make them any more) is great, but not something powerful enough to see by. Flashing mode on a modern joystick is too bright sighted on your head imo & I'm not sold on flashing lights in general.

I have always found the angle of the beam on bar mounted lights is a really critical setup - angled too far down and you struggle to see far enough up the road, too far up and you just blind all the cars. I'm not a fan of my bar mounted mtb specific lights when riding on road, even on their lowest settings, as they are just too floody without enough centre punch. Set them up with they angle far enough up to light the road ahead and you just can't help but blind oncoming cars. Curiously however the joystick makes an excellent [b]bar mounted[/b] road light with a centre specific beam pattern which can quite easily be tuned to light the road but not blind the driver.

My vote = Don't use an excessively bright light unless off-road, ie when it's the only light source by which to see the trail, and point this toward the ground ahead of you / flashing lights are warning signals for emergencies, in every other situation use a constant beam, even if this means you have to change batteries a little more regularly.

It's not a car vs bike issue, bright lights in the face endanger other cyclists and pedestrians. And enough RTAs occur in daylight to make clear that no matter how visible you are on a bike this doesn't guarantee somebody seeing you.

Two nights ago a cyclist coming toward me on a cyclepath dipped his stupidly bright light so it didn't blind me, and I said Thanks, and he said No worries. And for a little while everything was good in the world.

[/won't make any difference]

Two nights ago some lunatic of a cyclist tried to run me off the cycle path because my light (Solar Storm on medium) was allegedly too bright.

This was on an unlit cycle path, and he was using a crappy low-power flashing job that was barely functional.

From this I deduce that the world is full of idiots and you're never going to make them all happy, so just use whatever light works best for you and don't worry about it.

Oh, and I'd want to see actual accident stats before I was going to worry about dazzled car drivers rather than just wild surmise.

Oh, and I'd want to see actual accident stats before I was going to worry about dazzled car drivers rather than just wild surmise.

I think that if people are politely asking cyclists not to dazzle them with excessively bright lights, that's a pretty good indication. But yeah, we are living through the age of over-reaction.

From this I deduce that the world is full of idiots and you're never going to make them all happy, so just use whatever light works best for you and don't worry about it.

I thought it might help your deductive reasoning if you read that back to yourself.

i never have my light on flashing mode, it irritates the hell out of me, so i know it does drivers.

Two nights ago some lunatic of a cyclist tried to run me off the cycle path because my light (Solar Storm on medium) was allegedly too bright

Have a word with yourself. Or maybe as suggested above, set your bike up, walk down the path a bit and then look at how bright your lights are. There is absolutely no need for that sort of lighting power if people are coming the other way. My solarstorm is switched off on cyclepaths. Riding at night on my local paths and it is amazing the number of numpties who fail to realize (or maybe care) how anti-social they are being.

 

Five people have said it's too bright.
Not one old whinging bloke.
OP, change the light (or at least stick it on the bars pointing a bit down) before you cause an accident.

Offroad lights when used on road should be at lowest setting and not flashing and pointed down with main beam(light pool) about 10 feet in front of bike .Anything else is just stupid/selfish.

Just point ya light down abit that's what I do so I don't blind drivers ..
I do use the lezne pro on my helmet flashing my mate moan that it's a bit bright as well .. 😯
Plus a cheap as chips ebay one on the bike be seen stay alive ..
I use Mtb battries 2200 lumen on my bar and just use it on low .. Don't get flashed or moaned at by drivers

Exposure should do a double ended version of their flash/flare for road use I reckon - pulsing rather than flashing and not as bright as a joystick.

How are we supposed to assess 'too bright' exactly? It's totally subjective.
And taking feedback from drivers isn't really that reliable given how many give feedback along the lines of 'you shouldn't even be on the road'...

How are we supposed to assess 'too bright' exactly? It's totally subjective.
And taking feedback from drivers

Oldnpastit, of road lights on a cycle path really are a pain in the arse for riders in the opposite direction. In addition to all the points about focus and pin-point sources above, there is generally less ambient light so your eyes are adjusted to the very dark, and because the path is narrow you are effectively riding dirctly at them, not at an angle.

I genuinely can't decide what annoys me more on my commute, unlit or massively over-lit. Both increase the chance of a bad accident IMHE.

Still going ...!!! Argh... Angle and dip your lights on the road, that will do it. Plus as a cyclist & a driver there is nothing more irritating than flashing front lights. Keep the flashing stuff on the back where it is more effective and just be aware of all other road users in terms of how you set up the front lights.

modified saferide ? Is that to stop stray upward light ? What have you done ?

b2flex driver so that it can run off an external Li-Ion battery, driving the LEDs at 1A rather than the standard 0.7A, so a little bit brighter too.

The stray upward light is a little annoying, but because they're narrow slits of light I figure that they'll only be in peoples' eyes momentarily, and they're not that bright anyway.

I saw a few commuters before Christmas who seemed to be setting their light horizontal on the bars, dazzled me on my bike and in the car coming the opposite way on several occasions, seems to have given up on cycling for the new year though so my retina might yet recover.

flashing or steady the deciding factor seems to be the angle you set it up at more than simply the brightness of it...

For reference I keep mine on constant aimed at a point about 1m past the front wheel, not had any complaints yet and can still see where I'm going.