Super Bright Bike Lights: Annoying? Arms race?

Is it just me or are some of these front bike lights getting more and more annoyingly bright and blinding, to the point where it's rude to other bikers?

First we had 500 lumens.  Then 750. Then 1000.  Now 3000 lumens. I get that you want to illuminate the road and alert others to your presence, but I feel like it's getting out of control.

It's like when you're driving a car, and someone in oncoming traffic is driving with their brights on -- it's widely considered rude, it blinds oncoming drivers, it's dangerous, etc.  A lot of times drivers will blink their lights at someone who's driving w/ their brights on, as in, "Hey dude, turn off your gdf'n brights!"

I commute on the Lake Front bike path, and when someone comes up with one of these blindingly bright lights, you can't look directly forward and you have to look away, which is a bit dangerous.  Also, b/c the light is so bright, you can't see anything behind that biker.

Again, I do get that you want to have some light, and certainly something so that other bikers and cars and pedestrians can clearly tell you're there, but these lights are getting TOO bright.

So what do you think, are these ultra-bright lights obnoxious, or are they just fine?

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Permalink Reply by Minh on January 6, 2012 at 6:20pm

They are obnoxious and inconsiderate.

Permalink Reply by Anne Alt on January 6, 2012 at 6:30pm

I agree.  I have a really bright one that I use for riding where there isn't much street light, but I keep it angled downward, so that it lights up the pavement and doesn't blind other people.  It can be a hazard to have something this bright pointed at eye level for other riders, because it can seriously affect their night vision for a while.

Minh said:

They are obnoxious and inconsiderate.

Permalink Reply by Kevin K on January 6, 2012 at 6:33pm

That to me sounds cool. The LF trail is quite dark in spots, esp just north of Fullerton, so it would be good to have a solid light there. Keeping the thing pointed down at pavement would prob alleviate a lot of these problems.

Anne Alt said:

I agree.  I have a really bright one that I use for riding where there isn't much street light, but I keep it angled downward, so that it lights up the pavement and doesn't blind other people.  It can be a hazard to have something this bright pointed at eye level for other riders, because it can seriously affect their night vision for a while.

Minh said:

They are obnoxious and inconsiderate.

Permalink Reply by Kevin Mulcky on January 6, 2012 at 8:48pm

ultra bright light are fine, as long as they are aimed properly. there is a common belief that annoyance = safety

see: Philips Saferide, IQ CYO, Edelux, etc.

(Hope i don't get flamed for this like on the blinky lights/bike myths thread)

Permalink Reply by Minh on January 6, 2012 at 9:08pm

The guys on the LFP with the 1000 lumen lights on their helmets are the ones that bother me the most

Kevin Kelly said:

That to me sounds cool. The LF trail is quite dark in spots, esp just north of Fullerton, so it would be good to have a solid light there. Keeping the thing pointed down at pavement would prob alleviate a lot of these problems.

Anne Alt said:

I agree.  I have a really bright one that I use for riding where there isn't much street light, but I keep it angled downward, so that it lights up the pavement and doesn't blind other people.  It can be a hazard to have something this bright pointed at eye level for other riders, because it can seriously affect their night vision for a while.

Minh said:

They are obnoxious and inconsiderate.

Permalink Reply by Anne Alt on January 7, 2012 at 1:44am

+1

Minh said:

The guys on the LFP with the 1000 lumen lights on their helmets are the ones that bother me the most

Kevin Kelly said:

That to me sounds cool. The LF trail is quite dark in spots, esp just north of Fullerton, so it would be good to have a solid light there. Keeping the thing pointed down at pavement would prob alleviate a lot of these problems.

Anne Alt said:

I agree.  I have a really bright one that I use for riding where there isn't much street light, but I keep it angled downward, so that it lights up the pavement and doesn't blind other people.  It can be a hazard to have something this bright pointed at eye level for other riders, because it can seriously affect their night vision for a while.

Minh said:

They are obnoxious and inconsiderate.

Permalink Reply by Gene Tenner on January 7, 2012 at 5:18am

This is a safety and ego issue. It is wrong for your big light to blind me and make me unsafe. I guess some guys want to send the message that the bigger the light the bigger the ...

Permalink Reply by Far'arned Retrogrumpalunkus #63 on January 7, 2012 at 5:24am

I guess some people don't want to carry a decent light on their bike and would rather ride around in the dark as a ninja.

Some of us want to SEE where we are going and don't want to depend on cars seeing us without decent lights  It's a safety issue.  If you are depending on your night vision to see as you go and when someone passes you who is utilizing an effective light source it ruins your night vision  you are probably being unsafe.

Either that or you need to see the eye doctor. 

Permalink Reply by Gene Tenner on January 7, 2012 at 5:58am

I have been riding for 25 years in all kinds of conditions - even on the ice along the lake in the dark - and have done fine with small lights. A couple of blinking lights to be seen and one or two to light the way does fine. I do not need to show off with overkill.

Permalink Reply by Far'arned Retrogrumpalunkus #63 on January 7, 2012 at 6:12am

When one person's method of dealing with the world requires that everyone else change their habbits/methods in order for your own method to work there might be a problem.

If you don't want to use an effective light as you stumble-bumble around the world that is just fine for you.

But don't bitch when the rest of the world does use a light and messes up your night vision.   Not everyone is 20 years old with awesome night vision.  Some of us have been around for half a century and can no longer see in the dark.

Permalink Reply by Duppie on January 7, 2012 at 6:19am
My own safety is paramount. I have an 800 lumen headlight, and I will use it if I need to. Get used to it. I keep it pointed downward.
There is another advantage to high powered lights: they have increasingly longer run-times on lower power settings. I can run mine at 200 lumens for 5-6 hours. And mine is a 4 year old led. The latest batch can run at the same brightness for 10 hours. That means I have bright light that I only need to charge once a week
Permalink Reply by Gene Tenner on January 7, 2012 at 6:25am

I fail to understand how a bright light that blinds fellow drivers, riders, walkers and joggers improves safety. A blinding light endangers you and everyone else. Anyone who endangers others should not be riding.

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