4 ms·

This irritates me as well. Every vehicle on the road is supposed to have solid white front light and solid red back light, no reason why bicycles should be diff

This irritates me as well. Every vehicle on the road is supposed to have solid white front light and solid red back light, no reason why bicycles should be different. Strobing bright white light directed at the eye sight level is just aggressive and extremely selfish. The manuals usually state that in blinking or strobing mode the lights work longer on one battery charge.

hgomersall 2y ago
Flashing rear is much more noticeable and marks you out as a cyclist. Certainly in the UK, it's perfectly legal.
KennyBlanken 2y ago
You're getting exactly what you asked for. The reason they're so bright and annoying is that you, dear motoring public, love complaining we're "not visible enough" in the comments of newspaper articles about people killed while riding a bicycle. Or in letters to the editor. Or to your legislators. Or at hearings about road infrastructure. Or hearings about road safety legislation. Or after you've plowed into one of us. If you all would like to work on the whole "not killing large numbers of vulnerable road users", we can certainly look into the whole "make our bike lights not blink." My state requires, at night: * a rear light visible more than 500 feet * a rear reflector * pedal reflectors or ankle reflectors (both ankles) * front reflector (+500 ft) * front light (+500 ft) * wheel reflectors Our state used to only require a rear light, but a state legislator refused to let a road safety bill pass unless he got put his paws all over it and increase equipment requirements for cyclists to "balance" out requiring drivers must give cyclists a minimum of three feet passing distance. And yes, sometimes it is necessary to use a blinking mode to assure that we won't run out of battery (and thus have NO light) before we get home. On a long ride, for example, or in wintertime when lithium ion battery capacity plummets.
- deleted 2y ago
  [deleted]
- lifestyleguru 2y ago
  Where this kind of road rage attitude comes from, "we against you", "you get what you are asking for"? I commute within city both with car and on a bicycle. When there is need to use bicycle lights I simply switch them on in constant light mode. During darker season of the year I have another constant light attachable to clothes or saddlebags as a backup. What is the even the problem here?
  - robertlagrant 2y ago
    Yes, agreed. Not the only us-vs-them-cyclist in this comment thread either, which is a shame. I also cycle and drive, and this is clearly something we cyclists need to fix for us drivers. The tribalism is vomit-inducing.
mulmen 2y ago
> no reason why bicycles should be different. Except for all the dead cyclists of course.
- lifestyleguru 2y ago
  Blinking and strobing lights prevent bicycle deaths?!
  - mulmen 2y ago
    Yes.

hgomersall 2y ago

Flashing rear is much more noticeable and marks you out as a cyclist. Certainly in the UK, it's perfectly legal.

KennyBlanken 2y ago

You're getting exactly what you asked for. The reason they're so bright and annoying is that you, dear motoring public, love complaining we're "not visible enough" in the comments of newspaper articles about people killed while riding a bicycle. Or in letters to the editor. Or to your legislators. Or at hearings about road infrastructure. Or hearings about road safety legislation. Or after you've plowed into one of us. If you all would like to work on the whole "not killing large numbers of vulnerable road users", we can certainly look into the whole "make our bike lights not blink." My state requires, at night: * a rear light visible more than 500 feet * a rear reflector * pedal reflectors or ankle reflectors (both ankles) * front reflector (+500 ft) * front light (+500 ft) * wheel reflectors Our state used to only require a rear light, but a state legislator refused to let a road safety bill pass unless he got put his paws all over it and increase equipment requirements for cyclists to "balance" out requiring drivers must give cyclists a minimum of three feet passing distance. And yes, sometimes it is necessary to use a blinking mode to assure that we won't run out of battery (and thus have NO light) before we get home. On a long ride, for example, or in wintertime when lithium ion battery capacity plummets.

deleted 2y ago
[deleted]
lifestyleguru 2y ago
Where this kind of road rage attitude comes from, "we against you", "you get what you are asking for"? I commute within city both with car and on a bicycle. When there is need to use bicycle lights I simply switch them on in constant light mode. During darker season of the year I have another constant light attachable to clothes or saddlebags as a backup. What is the even the problem here?
- robertlagrant 2y ago
  Yes, agreed. Not the only us-vs-them-cyclist in this comment thread either, which is a shame. I also cycle and drive, and this is clearly something we cyclists need to fix for us drivers. The tribalism is vomit-inducing.

mulmen 2y ago

> no reason why bicycles should be different. Except for all the dead cyclists of course.

lifestyleguru 2y ago
Blinking and strobing lights prevent bicycle deaths?!
- mulmen 2y ago
  Yes.