Re: [Ebbc-Talk] rear red bike light: blinking or steady?
Jon Spangler <[email protected]>
| Newsgroups | gmane.culture.bicycle.ebbc |
|---|---|
| Message-ID | <[email protected]> |
Mike, The best way to help drivers gauge how far they are from you is to use two widely-spaced lights that are as far apart vertically and/or horizontally as possible. The separation is more important than whether the lights are flashing or steady. You can get a 2-foot vertical separation between lights placed on your rear rack and a helmet, or get 6-12 inches horizontally across rear panniers or a messenger bag. I try to get separation on both axes so the lights catch the driver's eye faster. And I wear LOTS of reflective gear to enhance my visibility day and night. I usually use two 1/2-watt Planet Bike SuperFlash red tail lights plus my Planet Bike helmet-mounted red flasher, all on flashing mode. Jon On May 21, 2012, at 10:17 AM, Michael Graff wrote: > I have heard that flashing lights make it harder to detect where the light > is located (e.g. how far away it is, or how quickly you're approaching it). > > I split the difference: steady lights on the bike, flashing lights on the > helmet, and some yellow Reflexite tape as well. > > On Sun, May 20, 2012 at 9:26 AM, Jym Dyer <jym-RQ31L/[email protected]> wrote: > >> =v= I've seen mention of this before, but never knew quite >> what to make of it. I'd like to see research that takes other >> variables into account*, such as the blink rate, the brightness >> of the lights, the patterns some of them make, etc. >> >> =v= For my own part, I use a blinky that blinks, bright but not >> blinding. Plus bits of reflective tape that to my eyes are even >> more visible in the headlights. >> <_Jym_> >> >> ________________________________________________________________ >> * Oh no, there he goes again with the sociology jargon. >> >> _______________________________________________ >> Ebbc-Talk mailing list >> [email protected] >> http://lists.ebbc.org/listinfo.cgi/ebbc-talk-ebbc.org >> > _______________________________________________ > Ebbc-Talk mailing list > [email protected] > http://lists.ebbc.org/listinfo.cgi/ebbc-talk-ebbc.org Jon Spangler Writer/editor Linda Hudson Writing TEL 510-864-2144 CEL 510-846-5356 [email protected] www.linkedin.com/in/jonmspangler www.twitter.com/jonmspangler "She who succeeds in gaining the mastery of the bicycle will gain the mastery of life." —Frances E. Willard, in A Wheel Within a Wheel: How I Learned to Ride the Bicycle (1895) _______________________________________________ Ebbc-Talk mailing list [email protected] http://lists.ebbc.org/listinfo.cgi/ebbc-talk-ebbc.org