Front strobe light for commuting

[kristiancyclist]

As I begin wrapping up my MR16 bulb project, I am starting to look at my secondary lighting system. I'd like to mount two, maybe three, strobe lights on an accessory bar (most likely a Nitto Lamp Bar). These lights should have the option to switch between constant on and strobe. Their 95% use case will be to help me been seen rather than to help me see. I ride between 13 MPH (uphill) and 35 MPH (downhill) but I usually tick along at 18 MPH.

It looks like I have two basic paths to follow. The first path is to use a cheap multi-LED light. These units have anywhere from 7 to 40 LEDs. They're cheap and plentiful. I bought one of these in a headlamp configuration for $7 shipped off of eBay. They seem to work OK and I don't see any problem getting it mounted on the Nitto Lamp Bar. The second path is to get a real LED flashlight and use bike mount to get it on the Nitto Lamp bar. There are lots of models available from Deal Extreme. I've never used/held one a strobe flashlight so I don't know how they compare.

Three advantages of the multi-LED packages are that a bike mount is not required, that they use common AA or AAA batteries, and they are cheap. I really don't want to get a new battery system like a CR123A. It's just another battery type to maintain. The major disadvantage of the multi-LED lights is that they are single purpose. That's all they are built for. Of course, they are not waterproof, bombproof, etc but I don't expect that.

The strobe flashlight is nicer because it can be a real flashlight when I need to crawl under the home or go out to the shed at night. It will no doubt be brighter in the non-strobe mode as well. But they are more expensive by themselves and they require a separate mount. I'd like to spend no more than $20-$25 per light unless there is truely something extraordinary about it. How well will the mount hold up to vibration over the long term? I'm sure the mount will limit my options of which light I can use (case diameter).

And there's so many strobe flashlights out there vs. the generic multi-LED units! Which one is a winner? I'd almost need to buy 10 of them and return 9.

The main purpose of these strobe lights is to be seen - not to see. That is their 95% use case. However, there may come a time when I need them to see as well. My main light could die on the road or I am in a situation where I need to glow like the sun. Who knows what life will bring?

Has anyone weighed these considerations like this before? What was your conclusion? Any thoughts? Which system do you think I should go for? My experience is limited and I am still learning here as I slowly go forward.

-- Boris

 

[mechBgon]

Well, it's not $20-$25, but the Nova BULL or Whelen TIR3 might be worth looking at. I have a BULL in red, takes 9-16 volts input, and one of its eight modes is steady-burn, so you could use it as a get-me-home light or a fog light if you needed to. They come in amber and white, a couple colors you could get away with on the front.*

As you can see, the beam pattern of the BULL is a wide horizontal bar. I assume the Whelen TIR3 is similar, and the Whelen is also made in a vertical model.

These are definitely daytime-visible in direct sunlight. Some of the strobe modes are pretty aggressive, such as Deciblast, which fires a 10-strobe volley every second or so. This YouTube video starts with a quick shot of the Nova at night: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k3cy6KSr8wk The steady light above the Nova is a SuperFlash, to give some perspective on the relative output.



*technically, you'd probably be doing something illegal in most U.S. states if you use strobing lights facing forward

 

[kristiancyclist]

Snow riding! Excellent! Do you use studded tires or just really wide ones?

I'll have to look more into the Nova lights. Thanks!

-- Boris

 

[cave dave]

Don't use the so called "tactical" strobe light that seems to be most common on CPF for this purpose. They can be blinding and disorientating and can cause drivers to drive right into you, another car, ditch, or pedestrian.

A related phenomenon is for drunks to steer right into flashing lights, just ask any cop. It is also very hard to judge distance to a flashing light. So run a steady too.

see also "moth effect"

A regular steady light is fine for total dark use, one on the bars and one on the helmet gets plenty of attention. The movement from a helmet light really attracts attention.
If you just have to have a flasher keep it under 2hz. My recommendation for flasher is the latest 50 lumen version of the princeton tec "EOS Bike" but only for day, dusk and dawn use. In full dark, the strobes will drive you and everybody around you crazy. You will need only one, its very bright.

Wear bright clothing and lots of reflective tape too. The most noticeable of all things to cars driving towards you with their lights on is reflective ankle bands that move up and down as you pedal. It also signals you as a cyclist and not a Los Vegas Disco party.

Anything you do get I recommend test it out by getting a friend on your bike or tape it to your mail box and drive towards it and see how it works.

The Nitto mount is expensive. Why not the Minora?

 

[kristiancyclist]

I have heard of something like the moth effect but I didn't know what it was called. Is the effect amplified with different colors? Is a drunk more likely to run into a red flashing light than into a white flashing light? I would guess the flash rate would have some effect too.

Now I am wondering how effective those flashing red tail lights are. We all tend to notice and look for different things on the road. Some look at license plates while other look at the wheels as a car passes or goes by. If red flashing lights were so effective why don't cars have them as a default option? Would we just not notice them after a while? Maybe it would be too much for people with epilepsy. Or, as you said, it may just drive everyone on the road crazy.

The Princeton Tec looks pretty slick and it looks reasonably priced. Princeton Tec has a neat site that shows its beam pattern too although you don't know just how wide "wide" is. That might be just what I am looking for. No need for an extension bar.

The Nitto Lamp looks slick. It doesn't look like an attachment. You wouldn't think it's an aftermarket accessory. It also looks sturdier too, like it can take some heft upon itself. You're right. It's not cheap but if it lasts forever then it's a bargain.

-- Boris

 

[mechBgon]

I ride the highways 2-3 hours a day with flashing lights (Nova BULL or DiNotte 140) and use a helmet mirror to monitor overtaking traffic. I see no evidence of a "moth effect" with these lights; rather the opposite. Many drivers are merging to the left lane on a divided highway to avoid that flashing light, often at a range of 1/4 mile or more. If they don't, at least they usually pull to the left edge of their lane a bit when they pass (I'm over on the highway's shoulder). I believe that's the desired effect? :thumbsup:

I definitely agree to avoid using a tactical strobe. That would be a bad idea On the Nova, I usually use the triple-blink mode, which is very similar to a Cateye LD-500's blink pattern. 1-2-3, off, 1-2-3, off. On the DiNotte, I use the 5-pulse flashing mode. Both taillights have recieved nothing but complimentary remarks from motorists, including a Sheriff's deputy who wanted a DiNotte for his bike, and flagged me down to ask where to get one.

I am getting one of these 15-inch light bars to run in steady mode, should arrive on the 30th. I'm not sure how bright they are, but the physical size of it may be helpful at increasing my visual profile. Mounting it will require some creativity. Power will be provided as in my DiNova mini-project.

Snow riding! Excellent! Do you use studded tires or just really wide ones?

Studs, namely Nokian Extremes. For pure snow alone, non-studded tires are fine, but on hardpacked snow or ice, the studs are beneficial:

Anyway, getting back to forward visibility instead of rearward: if it were me, I'd probably get an amber Nova BULL and run it in twin-flash mode. Amber can't be mistaken for a police light, so it's less likely the police will hassle you, and twin-flash is not going to be mistaken for a turn signal. The wideness of the beam is just the ticket for a front/side safety light.

 

[Zero_Enigma]

Well, it's not $20-$25, but the Nova BULL or Whelen TIR3 might be worth looking at. I have a BULL in red, takes 9-16 volts input, and one of its eight modes is steady-burn, so you could use it as a get-me-home light or a fog light if you needed to. They come in amber and white, a couple colors you could get away with on the front.*

As you can see, the beam pattern of the BULL is a wide horizontal bar. I assume the Whelen TIR3 is similar, and the Whelen is also made in a vertical model.

These are definitely daytime-visible in direct sunlight. Some of the strobe modes are pretty aggressive, such as Deciblast, which fires a 10-strobe volley every second or so. This YouTube video starts with a quick shot of the Nova at night: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k3cy6KSr8wk The steady light above the Nova is a SuperFlash, to give some perspective on the relative output.



*technically, you'd probably be doing something illegal in most U.S. states if you use strobing lights facing forward

Yo Mech,

I did a google but didn't find that Deciblast thing, ou have the website for them? I keep having a google correction for 'desiblast'. :thumbsdow Rolling no dice here. :sigh:

 

[mechBgon]

Yo Mech,

I did a google but didn't find that Deciblast thing, ou have the website for them? I keep having a google correction for 'desiblast'. :thumbsdow Rolling no dice here. :sigh:

Ooops, sorry, Deciblast is one of the eight firing modes on the Nova BULL. In deciblast mode, the LEDs fire ten times in such a rapid burst that my digital camera can't depict it, or I'd post a video.

 

[kristiancyclist]

I am getting a better plan and vision here.

Something like the Princeton Tec as a dawn/dusk flasher and a backup to my main light...

Something in amber that could mount on my fork tubes... I could mount a MR11 or MR16 based light. How well would replacing the clear front plastic cover of a standard bike light with an amber colored cover? I figure these amber lights in the front would be constantly on and offer a dim glow - just enough to be seen.

I think I will stick with my three lights for the rear which I ordered from Deal Extreme (assuming they are bright and all that). Hopefully they will arrive sooner than later. They can always be set to steady-on too. Even if they break after a year, all three only cost me $13. I can see myself upgrading some time in the future depending on how long they last.

-- Boris

 

[kristiancyclist]

So I had a bit of a reality check yesterday. I mentioned in my opening post that I had a multi-LED headlamp (second paragraph). It's one of those cheesy looking miner's lamps with elastic bands that go around your head. Here's a picture from LED Wholesalers Inc.

It is the exact same model. The light has four mode of operation: 7 on, 19 on, 40 on, and 40 flash. It's actually quite bright and it flashes very quickly. The straps are fine for putting it on your head. My son loved playing with it which made the purchase even more satisfying.

The problem comes when you try to mount it to a helmet, especially a helmet with a wind cover. The straps simply "fwing!" right off and the light itself cannot support itself against the rounded corner in the front of the helmet.

I removed the straps and zip tied it to the helmet through a vent slot. The head plate of the lamp sits under my helmet cover.

​

There's a little bit of play between this last "looking straight ahead" click and the farthest back it can go. The light is actually heavy enough to continue to lean forward against this last click so nothing really bobbles around.

The light is huge and it is heavy. You can definitely feel some gentle pressure on your forehead as there is a bit more weight in the front.

​

I tried the strobe mode in my backyard when it was pitch black outside. My goodness! Now I understand how annoying a strobe can be! The backyard flashed on and off before my eyes and my immediate vision was filled with the aura of the lamp. I didn't try it with my main lights turned on but I don't think that matters. At the moment, a helmet light, flashing or not, really turns me off.

I originally thought I could use something like the Princeton Tec EOS on my handlebars and the helmet light together. After seeing how difficult it was to mount the light on my helmet with a wind cover and with the aura in front of my eyes, I am tempted to cut the zip tie and take off the light. Just stick with a flasher on the handlebars for a backup and dusk/dawn flash.

-- Boris

​

 

[bikerDudeMatt]

I've been commuting now for abt 3 years in serious rush-hour traffic on 40 mph roads at night, etc, and just recently hopped on the serious lighting bandwagon. I've got a dinotte 140L on the back on flash/strobe on the seatpost, a superflash on each seatstay on steady, and a niterider classic tailight lower on the seatpost on steady. The steady lights are to give a sense of the geometry/extension of the bike whereas the dinotte catches attention.

How important/useful/necessary do you think adding an amber nova bull to the back and or front (btw on the front I'm about to get my dinotte 800/400l deal... 800 on the bars, 400 on the helmet)? As for front strobing I currently have a clear lightman strobe strapped to the stem.

It may or may not sound like I have plenty too much light but I'm worried that, no matter how attention grabbing the dinotte seems, that it could be relatively muted as a red light against a backdrop of a bajillion red car tailights... thinking the AMBER nova would be a real attention grabber for front and back plus good for foul weather.....?

-Matt

 

[Charlotte]

When I'm riding at night in urban areas, to supplement my IQ Cyo dynamo light, I currently run a Fenix L2D on my handlebars in tactical strobe mode.

It lights up retro-reflective signage from over 100m away and nobody can say that they didn't see you.

Highly recommended.

 

[vorsprung]

I've been commuting now for abt 3 years in serious rush-hour traffic on 40 mph roads at night, etc, and just recently hopped on the serious lighting bandwagon. I've got a dinotte 140L on the back on flash/strobe on the seatpost....

Agggh.... if I met you on the road, I would have to overtake you or drop back.
There's nothing worse than a rear bike light in the face.

 

[kristiancyclist]

Agggh.... if I met you on the road, I would have to overtake you or drop back.
There's nothing worse than a rear bike light in the face.

Even if it's not flashing?

-- Boris

 

[Quasar72]

moth affect I would have to say is not happening where I commute. I had a Galls Police Visor light for 6 yrs and recently switched over to two TIR3 amber/red lights facing rear powered by a Dewalt 14.4 volt cordless drill battery. I have people who pass me at 5:00am in the country (in cars) who I work with tell me that is the best light you can get. They think it is a wrecker, squad car, or whatever and all of them move over to the other lane on US HWY 16 out where street lights are non existent. One police officer in town pulled up along side me and said where did you get those lights? I told him Galls and he said they are so bright, no one will ever hit you. I said I don't have to buy low bid like you do, he laughed at that. Fellow employees would give me tips on which flash pattern they thought would be the best. If you want the small battery powered LED lights great, but like I told my wife, in the court room after the semi hits me and your suing, just have them turn the lights off and turn on my rear bike lights and then ask the jury, you didn't see THAT! You won't need a attorney