Torch - Cree - Ultrafire 14500

[FMurtz]

Maybe pinch a tesla and use its batteries?

[Dave Plowman (News)]

Why would you mount a torch to a bike? You want a much wider beam 'to be seen' than that from a torch.

Flashing lights on cycles are more down to improving battery life.

[Theo]

That's actually quite sensible. Anyone want to do a group buy:

Tesla cells are top-quality Panasonic NCR18650B 3200mAh.

Theo

[newshound]

I have several that strobe sometimes; usually cleared by turning off and on. But there is no *obvious" button press sequence to select one or the other. I can see the case for strobe for cyclists or emergency lights, but they make little sense on torches, to my mind. I *used* to think this were a sign of low battery, but it doesn't seem to be on my newer ones.

[John Rumm]

It makes them more visible to motorists - peripheral vision is far more sensitive to movement or flashing...

[Chris Green]

Yes, but it's much more difficult to judge distance and it doesn't identify the light as belonging to a cyclist.

The best way to make sure you are seen (as a cyclist, or a pedestrian, or a horse rider, or anything) is to give extra hints which give a clue to what you are. Thus reflectors on pedals are good, and reflective strips on bridles and feet of horses. Knowing what soemthing is helps a lot in making one react to it sensibly.

[Huge]

Skipping lightly over the illegality. Not that that ever bothered cyclists.

Quite.

[Marland]

The law got changed to accommodate the sods over 10 years ago, even before many attached the lights to themselves rather than the bike so not being bike lamps they were just lights so not specifically illegal.

Trouble is the twinkling lights then were not too bright,now with high power lamps available it is like someone aiming a lighthouse at on coming traffic. If one is set too high and dazzles me I?ve taken to returning to high beam with every flash of theirs.

GH

[Huge]

Sigh.

Well, you don't really want to hit them, they do cause a lot of damage to the car.

Nice idea.

[Rob Morley]

A lot of the multi-mode LED lamps also have zoom.

They're more noticeable against a background of other lights, when viewed head-on they appear as movement to which our brains assign a higher priority. I use a small flashing lamp aimed forwards and a brighter steady lamp aimed at the road surface ahead, the latter being easier for other road users to judge position and distance from, as well as illuminating potholes.

[Rob Morley]

On most that I have encountered clicking the switch turns them on and off, half-pressing the switch without clicking cycles through the modes[1]. Power cycling usually restarts in the same made it was in when switched off, except for my bike lights, which annoyingly always have to cycle through all modes.

[1] Usually bright, dim and flash, sometimes more than one flash setting e.g. even blink, uneven strobe, SOS Morse.

[The Natural Philosopher]

But think of the carbon footprint you destroy!

[Roger Hayter]

I you sure that is a wholly wise statement to publish on Usenet? If you were unfortunate enough to have a serious accident, dredging that up might convert a charge of causing death by careless driving (or even NFA) to one of murder. For the avoidance of doubt the argument applies equally to doing the same to another car driver; but you might not want to do that because of the perceived danger to your own safety.

[Marland]

Do you think after every RTA some employee of a cash starved police force goes through the archives of Usenet on the unlikely chance someone made a statement about any behaviour that could have a bearing on any incidents.

GH

[Roger Hayter]

No, but the relatives of the deceased will search every inch of the Internet for any dirt they can find.

[Marland]

And in the extremely unlikely they even know about Usenet they would find a post that said some bloke was flashing his lights at the cyclist, in the really unlikely event they could actually get in contact then I would say of course I was ,the cyclist was for some reason not paying attention and dazzling me and flashing lights is an approved signal to let the cyclist know I?m there. Anyway any sane cyclist will have a helmet cam ,they would be better looking at the footage from that rather than following crackpot theories, and the reason for flashing my lights will still stand .

GH