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 Far'arned Retrogrumpalunkus #63 on January 8, 2012 at 9:25am

What a rediculously snarky response!

Did you even read what I wrote?  I said that cars headlights were more likely to be aimed.  But the fact is that a typical automotive headlight is much brighter than all but the most extreme specialty bicycle headlight systems.  Bikes just don't have the power in a dyno or the reserve capacity in a battery to run the types of headlights a automobile can afford to power.

From Wikipedia:

"HID headlamp burners produce between 2,800 and 3,500 lumens from between 35 and 38 watts of electrical power, while halogen filament headlamp bulbs produce between 700 and 2,100 lumens from between 40 and 72 watts at 12.8 V."

 -and they have TWO of these.

Next time before calling me ridiculous, snarky, or making a flippant straw-man comment about communism I suggest you read carefully for content and then THINK before posting.



Minh said:

What a ridiculously snarky response. A cars headlights are usually in low beam mode and the light is spread out and not densely focused unless they have their high beams on.

What I've encountered on the LFP are riders with super bright light systems that one can see from hundreds of yards away. When they come up on you, you can't even glance in their direction because the focused beam is blindingly bright and usually pointed directly at your face.

Here's an example:



James BlackHeron said:

Like others have said it's not about the brightness as it is the aim.  Very few (if any) bicycle lights are brighter than modern car headlights.  But when those are aimed properly other cars and even us bikes don't have an issue with it all.  For the people who are having an issue with bright bike lights what do you do when you are riding on the road with all the car headlights? 

Permalink Reply by Minh on January 8, 2012 at 9:58am


James BlackHeron said:

What a rediculously snarky response!

Did you even read what I wrote?  I said that cars headlights were more likely to be aimed.  But the fact is that a typical automotive headlight is much brighter than all but the most extreme specialty bicycle headlight systems.  Bikes just don't have the power in a dyno or the reserve capacity in a battery to run the types of headlights a automobile can afford to power.

From Wikipedia:

"HID headlamp burners produce between 2,800 and 3,500 lumens from between 35 and 38 watts of electrical power, while halogen filament headlamp bulbs produce between 700 and 2,100 lumens from between 40 and 72 watts at 12.8 V."

 -and they have TWO of these.

Next time before calling me ridiculous, snarky, or making a flippant straw-man comment about communism I suggest you read carefully for content and then THINK before posting.



Minh said:

What a ridiculously snarky response. A cars headlights are usually in low beam mode and the light is spread out and not densely focused unless they have their high beams on.

What I've encountered on the LFP are riders with super bright light systems that one can see from hundreds of yards away. When they come up on you, you can't even glance in their direction because the focused beam is blindingly bright and usually pointed directly at your face.

Here's an example:



James BlackHeron said:

Like others have said it's not about the brightness as it is the aim.  Very few (if any) bicycle lights are brighter than modern car headlights.  But when those are aimed properly other cars and even us bikes don't have an issue with it all.  For the people who are having an issue with bright bike lights what do you do when you are riding on the road with all the car headlights? 

Permalink Reply by Doug Haynes on January 8, 2012 at 10:13am

Minh, did you even read what James said?  Or really any of the rest of this thread?

Personally I am not a fan of poorly aimed super bright lights in my face.  It is, indeed, annoying but I am not sure I am ready to call anybody a dick for doing what it takes for them to feel safe enough ridding at night to get on a bike.  The 'dickhead' in your picture is rocking a helmet mounted light which is probably the most annoying light of all because it shines where they look, which means if they see you chances are they are blinding you.  However, because of that 'problem' it is also probably one of the safest and most noticeable lights out there because of the wearers ability to not only aim the light but the ability to aim it somewhere other then the bikes direction of travel. 

I used to wear a helmet light (I felt safer with it) for just that reason; being able to shine your light directly at a driver of a car really helps make sure you are seen.  I stopped because I felt bad blinding all my friends and I felt safe without one; but I am not about to call other people names because it makes them feel safe.

Regardless of your own feelings on those lights it's kind of a dick move to call somebody a dick for trying to feel safe and ride their bike more.


James BlackHeron said:

What a rediculously snarky response!

Did you even read what I wrote?  I said that cars headlights were more likely to be aimed.  But the fact is that a typical automotive headlight is much brighter than all but the most extreme specialty bicycle headlight systems.  Bikes just don't have the power in a dyno or the reserve capacity in a battery to run the types of headlights a automobile can afford to power.

From Wikipedia:

"HID headlamp burners produce between 2,800 and 3,500 lumens from between 35 and 38 watts of electrical power, while halogen filament headlamp bulbs produce between 700 and 2,100 lumens from between 40 and 72 watts at 12.8 V."

 -and they have TWO of these.

Next time before calling me ridiculous, snarky, or making a flippant straw-man comment about communism I suggest you read carefully for content and then THINK before posting.



Minh said:

What a ridiculously snarky response. A cars headlights are usually in low beam mode and the light is spread out and not densely focused unless they have their high beams on.

What I've encountered on the LFP are riders with super bright light systems that one can see from hundreds of yards away. When they come up on you, you can't even glance in their direction because the focused beam is blindingly bright and usually pointed directly at your face.

Here's an example:



James BlackHeron said:

Like others have said it's not about the brightness as it is the aim.  Very few (if any) bicycle lights are brighter than modern car headlights.  But when those are aimed properly other cars and even us bikes don't have an issue with it all.  For the people who are having an issue with bright bike lights what do you do when you are riding on the road with all the car headlights? 

Permalink Reply by Far'arned Retrogrumpalunkus #63 on January 8, 2012 at 10:27am



Minh said:



Permalink Reply by Gene Tenner on January 8, 2012 at 10:27am

It is not about irritation. It is a safety issue. That affects us all.

Craig S. said:

I've got a SUPER bright Niterider light that I purchased 11 years ago and it's still running strong.  Love it.

Personally, I can think of a hell of a lot more things to be irritated about than approaching bikes with what you deem are lights that are too bright, but that's just me.

Cheers.

Permalink Reply by J.H. Marshall on January 8, 2012 at 11:36am

I ride on the LFP on the southside at night and use a helmet mounted light that is 250 lumens. It has 3 settings and I always have it set on the weakest. It gives me plenty of lumination and extends/conserves my battery. Whenever I spot another cyclist, the solution is simple : turn my head to the right and aim my beam away from the oncoming cyclist. They can still see you coming. I prefer the helmet light because it allows me to direct the beam as I see fit. When I see something moving in the shadows to the left or right I can look to see what it is. Saved my ass twice recently. 3 months ago I spotted a coyote trotting along near 55th street! (their eyes are reflective) Then just last week I was riding through a cross walk at night, where I had the right of way, and some guy was on his cell phone and not paying attention. I had 4 lights on.1 -front-helmet mounted, 1 back- blinking red, and 1 on each wheel-blinking. He did not see me and kept rolling right through the cross walk. When I realized he was not going to stop I hit the brakes and looked directly at him. My headlamp got his attention and he immediately stopped.

Permalink Reply by Craig S. on January 8, 2012 at 1:06pm

Safety?  Wow, lights that are too bright are a safety factor now.  This is like an argument that one's ice cream might be too cold.

I understand the whole argument about how lights are aimed, but honestly, I can think of a whole host of issues that irritate me more than someone haphazardly looking at me with a really bright light.  I learned in driver's ed to watch the right hand side of the road and not look into oncoming lights.

This whole discussion is fantastic. I can't wait to be employed again, so I can buy a helmet mounted HID as well as use my old Niterider.  Too rich.

Gene Tenner said:

It is not about irritation. It is a safety issue. That affects us all.

Craig S. said:

I've got a SUPER bright Niterider light that I purchased 11 years ago and it's still running strong.  Love it.

Personally, I can think of a hell of a lot more things to be irritated about than approaching bikes with what you deem are lights that are too bright, but that's just me.

Cheers.

Permalink Reply by Craig S. on January 8, 2012 at 1:07pm

Just another inane discussion on the 'link, just an average day, Michael.

Don't you owe me a beer?



Michael B said:

Seems like I missed a lot of fun when I was out riding.

Permalink Reply by Michael J Blane on January 9, 2012 at 4:26am

For those who are interested in induction powered lights, no friction (no direct contact), no on-off switch, no batteries ... check out Reelight you might find something of interest. 

-

Not overly bright. Enough to be seen, not to light your way down an unlighted trail.

Permalink Reply by Juan 2-3 or more mi. on January 9, 2012 at 1:05pm

Too bad they are only available in Europe.

Michael J Blane said:

For those who are interested in induction powered lights, no friction (no direct contact), no on-off switch, no batteries ... check out Reelight you might find something of interest. 

-

Not overly bright. Enough to be seen, not to light your way down an unlighted trail.

Permalink Reply by Far'arned Retrogrumpalunkus #63 on January 9, 2012 at 1:25pm

Induction?  That's the same thing that happens inside a hub-dyno -except with many more magnetic poles to even out the pulses of the induction-braking going on.  It's not "friction" it's magnetic repulsion that one feels when they are moving a dyno under load. There is no such thing as free energy.  The engergy that is "induced" into the wires that are cut by lines of magnetic force comes from the spinning wheel.  Watts are watts regardless of if it is electrical energy or mechanical. 

In order to produce any sort of power I'd love to see how much force that single magnet puts into the wheel balance at that point of the wheel -and into the couple of spokes it is only connected to!

Seriously, with a really good dyno hub going for about $70 with a great brake built in I can't see what the big deal is in lacing up a new wheel around one.

Permalink Reply by Michael J Blane on January 9, 2012 at 2:38pm
On the interwebs, the lights are available delivered right to your door in Chicago. Or, at least they delivered to me.



Juan said:

Too bad they are only available in Europe.

Michael J Blane said:

For those who are interested in induction powered lights, no friction (no direct contact), no on-off switch, no batteries ... check out Reelight you might find something of interest. 

-

Not overly bright. Enough to be seen, not to light your way down an unlighted trail.

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