The Chainlink

When is a Headlight Too Bright?

There was another discussion today (whether serious or not, I'm still not sure) about mounting a particularly bright light. That discussion raised a question that has nagged at me since it started getting dark at about 2:00 pm: when is a bicycle headlight too bright?

When commuting in winter, I rarely ride when the sun is up. And I use a pretty bright headlight (a Light & Motion Seca 700). I like the bright headlight because cars see me coming.

For a good chunk of my ride, however, I'm on the Lake Front Path. I still like the bright light there, because it really lights up the trail. Cyclists coming the other way, yeah, they're often not so fond of the light. Often, such cyclists are not using any lights at all, so I don't pay them a lot of heed. Of course, I run into plenty of cyclists that are using lights that seem to be as bright as mine. Still, I don't want to be an a--hole. So I often will hood the light with my hand when I see an oncoming cyclist, much as I would dim my high beams if I were in a car.

Is there some sort of unwritten-code / nice-polite-practice concerning bright bicycle headlights?

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Permalink Reply by Scott on December 4, 2009 at 5:46pm
no
Permalink Reply by Ali on December 4, 2009 at 5:52pm
I personally make a point of making sure that the light is pointed down while on the bike path and not straight to the other cyclists' face. That way it still makes it obvious where I am to the other cyclists while saving their night vision...I am a sailor and have always been told that night vision is one of the most important things to preserve while sailing at night, I just take that over to cycling as well...

-Ali
Permalink Reply by Wild Bill on December 4, 2009 at 6:10pm
Be an a--hole.
Permalink Reply by Ian on December 4, 2009 at 8:09pm
why is this an either/or?

How about a small flashing light to be visible and using the larger, brighter light for you to see the pavement?

Also, if you're riding often (in winter), it seems like a good idea to have redundancy in lighting when your batteries are also getting a workout, and the small, bright flashers seem to have great battery life and keep you visible on the streets where a few LEDs might be enough to be seen by drivers.

Regarding night vision, bright lights on a dark path may place on-coming cyclists and others in their path in greater jeopardy as the eyes try to adjust for the bright light, then back to the dark.
Permalink Reply by Tank-Ridin' Ryan on December 4, 2009 at 8:13pm
How about just getting a light with different settings? Then you don't have to worry if it's too bright for oncoming parties. Just don't shine it in their face if it's helmet-mounted.
Permalink Reply by Duppie on December 4, 2009 at 9:26pm
I recently plunked down a lot of cash and got a set of Dinotte lights: 800 lumen mounted on my handlebar, 400 lumen mounted on my helmet, and 240 lumen rear light. I am a believer that there is no such thing as a (head)light that is too bright.

The experience is singularly positive. Drivers regular talk to me at stoplights and they all mention how visible I am. As far as the rearlight goes, I also notice that cars trying to pass me will give me more space than before, when I had a Cateye LD1000 combined with a Mars 3.0 on the rear of my bike.

Given the fast development in headlights I would not be surprised if premium headlights will put out 2000+ lumen within a few years. To be clear, I am not talking about the headlights you buy at your LBS, but rather about high-end manufacturers like Dinotte, Light and Motion, Night Rider, and Lupine.

When I ride on the streets, I try to point my handlebar mounted headlight down so that the beam projects 10-15 feet in front of me. The helmet mounted light is expressly used to attract attention from drivers. I will move my head so that it shines directly in the drivers face, to make sure that they see me when i approach an intersection. When I ride on LFP I try to not blind oncoming pedestrians and bicyclists, by pointing my handlebar down even a little more and not shine my helmet light directly at them.

As Kristian mentioned, high-end lights tend to have better designed reflectors and lenses focusing the light where you need it -the pavement in front of you- while minimizing the spill sidewards or upwards.
Frank
Permalink Reply by Joe Studer 8.0 mi on December 4, 2009 at 11:39pm
Thanks for the comments. The light I use has is fairly high end, and has a nicely focused tight beam, that readily directs where the light hits and doesn't hit. The pattern is similar to what you see with an HID beam on a car. There's a sharp demarcation where the light beam ends. (There's a reason those lights cost so stinking much.)

It seems that the people who object are not objecting because the light is shining in their faces. (And actually, the light is not focused directly ahead. I focus the beam more towards the path in front of me, and actually turn it slightly to the right side.) Rather, their beef seems to be with the fact that the light is just too bright.

I really just wanted to get a feel for whether there was a general sense of whether I was acting reasonably. I especially appreciate Frank's comments, as his light etiquette seems pretty close to mine. So if I'm chewing with my mouth open, I at least feel better that others are doing so as well.

Joe
Permalink Reply by Joe Studer 8.0 mi on December 4, 2009 at 11:42pm
Duppie said:
I recently plunked down a lot of cash and got a set of Dinotte lights: 800 lumen mounted on my handlebar, 400 lumen mounted on my helmet, and 240 lumen rear light.

That's a pretty bright rear light! How is that light patterned? While I'm pretty much lit up like a Christmas tree all winter long, I have this nagging fear that my rear light is just not bright enough.
Permalink Reply by Anne Alt on December 5, 2009 at 9:13am
I think Ian's suggestion makes sense both on-road and on-path. I have a bright one that is mounted at a downward angle to light up the pavement, but is still visible to oncoming traffic. The white blinkie on my helmet is for other people to see me. Preserving night vision is important for avoiding potholes and other hazards. I use rear red blinkies for traffic approaching from behind. Sometimes I use flexible neon wire as one more light source, which boosts visibility from the sides.

Ian said:
why is this an either/or?

How about a small flashing light to be visible and using the larger, brighter light for you to see the pavement?

Also, if you're riding often (in winter), it seems like a good idea to have redundancy in lighting when your batteries are also getting a workout, and the small, bright flashers seem to have great battery life and keep you visible on the streets where a few LEDs might be enough to be seen by drivers.

Regarding night vision, bright lights on a dark path may place on-coming cyclists and others in their path in greater jeopardy as the eyes try to adjust for the bright light, then back to the dark.
Permalink Reply by Duppie on December 5, 2009 at 9:49am
Take a look at this. It is a low-quality video of the light in Slow Pulse mode, which is the one mode I always use. It has 6 modes in all, 3 steady and 3 blinking.
I did a lot of online research before I pulled the trigger and the taillight is the reason I went with Dinotte. It is THE brightest taillight currently on the market. Dinotte's website doesn't let you deeplink, so go to dinottelighting.com and search for 400R or 400L taillight.

Joe said:
Duppie said:
I recently plunked down a lot of cash and got a set of Dinotte lights: 800 lumen mounted on my handlebar, 400 lumen mounted on my helmet, and 240 lumen rear light.

That's a pretty bright rear light! How is that light patterned? While I'm pretty much lit up like a Christmas tree all winter long, I have this nagging fear that my rear light is just not bright enough.
Permalink Reply by Joe Studer 8.0 mi on December 5, 2009 at 10:55am
Duppie said:
Take a look at this. It is a low-quality video of the light in Slow Pulse mode, which is the one mode I always use. It has 6 modes in all, 3 steady and 3 blinking.
I did a lot of online research before I pulled the trigger and the taillight is the reason I went with Dinotte. It is THE brightest taillight currently on the market. Dinotte's website doesn't let you deeplink, so go to dinottelighting.com and search for 400R or 400L taillight.

I'd be using this on my commuter, which I lock outside during the day. Is it easy to remove the rear light so that I can secure it during the day? It looks as though, once mounted, I'd need to unscrew the mount to remove the light.
Permalink Reply by Duppie on December 5, 2009 at 11:52am
I don't think that is the right light if you lock your commuter outside, although I occasionally lock it up outside for up to a few hours, and cover my seat post (and the light) with a plastic bag. So far so good.

If you are worried about theft, Dinotte als carries a 120 Lumen taillight (inexplicably called the 140R) that runs on 2 AAs. That light is quick release through use of O-rings and is still brighter than almost anything else on the market. And it is about half the price of the 400R. May be worth looking into
Frank

Joe said:
Duppie said:
Take a look at this. It is a low-quality video of the light in Slow Pulse mode, which is the one mode I always use. It has 6 modes in all, 3 steady and 3 blinking.
I did a lot of online research before I pulled the trigger and the taillight is the reason I went with Dinotte. It is THE brightest taillight currently on the market. Dinotte's website doesn't let you deeplink, so go to dinottelighting.com and search for 400R or 400L taillight.

I'd be using this on my commuter, which I lock outside during the day. Is it easy to remove the rear light so that I can secure it during the day? It looks as though, once mounted, I'd need to unscrew the mount to remove the light.

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