"Being seen" front light

[Brizzler]

In view of my recent previous thread where I was debating buying quite a high-powered front light I have decided that what I really need is not a replacement for the "Fenix in lockblock" arrangement but rather a small, relatively cheap bike-specific front light that will provide some broad illumination, including sideways, to make sure motorists see me.

I'm currently looking at the Smart Polaris 3 or Lunar 15 (here in the UK. These seem to be identical to the Planet Bike Beamer 3 and Blaze 1/2 Watt respectively). Will these do the job? Alternative suggestions?

 

[gentlegreen]

Sadly no one makes them, because very few cyclists are prepared to have a genuinely large lamp.

So I made my own.

The "UFO light" cost me £3.99 - it might be feasible to wire them up for easy charging - the 3 x AA should last for an hour ... I'm thinking in terms of making a couple of self-contained ones by doubling the thickness and packing in rechargeables and electronics - especially for the rear light as red LEDs have a lower forward voltage....

I used mine as a basis for 12 volt lamps.

Nearly 180 degrees visibility.

http://sites.google.com/site/gentlegreen/bikelighting

 

[Bobblehat]

Belt and Braces ...... apart from the Smart Twin Halogens (as mentioned in a recent thread) which are mainly used on the low 6W setting in traffic, pointed well down, I use either a Smart Polaris white 5 LED or Smart Polaris white 1/2W as a blinky on the bars, both have reasonable side visibilty and better than many others in that aspect. There are newer versions of the same lights available ...... guess any of this type will do if you want to use a similar set-up to me, which one will depend on the depth of your pocket.
(Before someone mentions it ... No! I don't work for or sell Smart gear!)

I also use a small multi-LED headlamp set to its lowest constant setting. A few £'s or $'s worth of safety ... money well spent, I can say!

I like the blinky (sorry gentlegreen!) because when cyclists are coming towards me in amongst traffic in the opposite carriageway it's usually those with blinkies that I recognise as cyclists first, no matter whether they have decent constant lights or not ... that means motorists should be seeing the same thing too! The headlamp stands out above the traffic and doesn't need to blink up there. It is directable to motorist approaching from the side to help avoid T-boning. It is amazing how many sharp pull-ups at side junctions I've seen since using this headlamp compared with before. I sometimes see a fellow headlamp wearing cyclist - they standout even more than a blinky user in traffic. YMMV

The other lights help too but more so from the front. I found the blinky reduced the number of "chancers" who turned right, across me (in UK) instead of waiting a few seconds until I'd passed, now more do seem to wait. The headlight is a good handsfree tool too for repairs or checking things on your bike, and both that and the blinky (has constant mode) make good backups if the Halogens die (only twice in about 6 years - my fault, forgot to top up battery!).

Bobbl@

 

[gentlegreen]

There is something about having a light mounted high when slipping between lanes of traffic.

Luckily I don't have to do much of that sort of riding.

I was forced to use the bus the past couple of days and it looked terrifying from that perspective ...

 

[greenLED]

Another vote for a helmet-mounted blinking light. I used to use a PT Eos headlamp for that purpose.

 

[BrianMc]

Techzombies whether they walk or drive are in a hard to penetrate fog. Below is a short video of a solution I am trying out. :scowl:

The front helmet light is a Xenon strobe powered by two on board AA's for and the rear helmet light is a Planet Bike SuperFlash, 2 AAA's on board. I don't have a lot of hours with these on the helmet, but the supernerd look gets attention. Doesn't seem to attract insects, which is good.

I haven't used up the original alkalines in the SuperFlash yet. I have a helmet mount for a Viewpoint bodied 3 XP-G light which awaits the R5's and is mounted to show the possible arrangement. I will need a bill to cut glare from the amber as it is now lower on the helmet. I don't think I'd want to ride all night with this weight on my head, but I think 1-3 hour rides will be OK.

My guest bath is the 'dark room' for this first video production, via cellphone, taken from a bus/truck/motorhome driver's angle:

http://img205.imageshack.us/img205/7509/helmet1.mp4

To be frank, this makes me a little nauseous when I am in or near the garage with them on, especially the yellow, or recording them in a bath, but no issue on the road. The weight is no issue at all without the Viewpoint, so we will see. The side flash of both lights is hard to ignore. Nice and Dead, or Nasty but Alive. :sick2:, :naughty:, :devil:

 

[pushy]

Most, if not all my riding is done at night on roads and some poorly lit bike paths. On my bars I have 2 Magicshine bike lights from DX and an Ultrafire RL-2088. On my Helmet I have a X2000 on full zoom cut down and running an external battery pack.

This is how I use it to ensure my safety on the road
http://members.iinet.net.au/~tw15ted/images/Helmet light.wmv

We drive on the wrong side over here and the RL-2088 comes on in the last seconds.

 

[Bobblehat]

That's a lot of light for the road, pushy! But looks fine in the vid.

Looks the right side of the road to me! :grin2:

Bobbl@

 

[pushy]

That's a lot of light for the road, pushy! But looks fine in the vid.

Looks the right side of the road to me! :grin2:

Bobbl@

As the lady said to the vicar "You can never have enough":devil: