2021: men of a certain age, dynamos, and staying safe

[Too Tall]

Whatever the kind of lightning/visibility you are using, this is something you can't really do about. Only external help from motorized vehicule AI could help here.

IIRC The German Auto lighting standards have very good recommends wrt this. Something along the lines of a solid light is better understood as a slow moving object vs a blinking/flashing light.

[sk_tle]

I was merely answering regarding the target fixation issue. It can happen with or without light. Once you are seen (whatever the mean) you may be the subject of target fixation by any driver and there is nothing you can do from a rider's perspective.

[72gmc]

IIRC The German Auto lighting standards have very good recommends wrt this. Something along the lines of a solid light is better understood as a slow moving object vs a blinking/flashing light.

I subscribe to this school of thought. I also find that someone else's bright blinky tail light can take the joy out of a night ride for me. I'll change my route to get away from it.

[Tom]

Don't the rules for PBP specifically prohibit blinky taillights, they have to be solid?

If I'm not in something like that I use both at the same time so I catch their eye and then they can track me. It is hard to exactly position someone in the dark if they are running a single flasher. Several flashers at once actually work, one time I was doing the shorter event in the ADK 540 when I came over a hill and saw another rider ahead and my first thought was "What the hell is that?" until I realized it was somebody with at least 4 of those Planet Bike flashers going. They had to be three quarters of a mile ahead of me and I thought the aliens had landed.

[funcrusher]

i dont do any night riding/communiting but in retrospect, i do wish i had my spectrum set up for dynamo...i like having daytime lights and i have had the battery run out and or not be charged on more than one occassion

but i like overengineered stuff in general...i drive a lifted jeep with a snorkel and a v8 cuz i got stuck in a snowstorm a few years ago

[rabo]

Whatever the kind of lightning/visibility you are using, this is something you can't really do about. Only external help from motorized vehicule AI could help here.

I thought I read that a flashing light is worse as a steady light for target fixation.

[sk_tle]

trees are the best targets there is and they aren't blinking.

[j44ke]

i dont do any night riding/communiting but in retrospect, i do wish i had my spectrum set up for dynamo...i like having daytime lights and i have had the battery run out and or not be charged on more than one occassion

but i like overengineered stuff in general...i drive a lifted jeep with a snorkel and a v8 cuz i got stuck in a snowstorm a few years ago

Shovel and cat litter too?

[lumpy]

Shovel and cat litter too?

I've got a shovel, a tow strap and a comealong in the back of my Subaru. Parked overexuberantly last Saturday and had the whole contraption rigged to a tree across the road and was in the process of extraction when a truck came along and helped out. Belt and suspenders - but hubris is still a danger.

[d_douglas]

As an overworked, underslept, father of young kids, living in/near a major metro, I’m curious to hear this group’s thoughts on running a dynamo hub and front light full time *to stay safe*, versus your standard USB-charged front blinky.

I’ve got a frame on order that will have mid fork bosses for a rack or lights and I have confidently run a front blinky via a Paul Gino mount in the past. Given that I’m likely to order one or two new wheel sets for this bike and don’t race or need to worry about ultimate top speed, is a dynamo setup a worthwhile path for front (mostly daytime) lighting or overkill?

I’m wary of being the guy that buys a full size Tundra to buy one piece of furniture every five years but on the flip side, this is a much more affordable way of covering my bases, current and future. Last qualifier is that if I ever worked in an office again and started commuting by bike again, I’d probably be riding my disc brakes gravel bike for any wet or dark commutes, so future needs other than ending a recreational ride in the dark probably need not apply here.

Ya cant beat a dynamo - best commuter purchase I ever made.

[robin3mj]

Super helpful discussion from everyone- thanks.
I think were I'm landing is no dynamo for this one (will stick wit my DT Swiss 1400's to start), but should I ever go back to biking to an office, it'll definitely be on disc brakes, and definitely with a dynamo setup.

[doomridesout]

Good choice. I bit my lip earlier but dyno is better on commuter bikes than it is on the bike you're riding for fun.

[sk_tle]

So I did a ride yesterday, it was already a greyish day and the sun was going down in the last hour. This forum thread has been staying at the back of my mind for the last few dats. Around here a lot of riders here are using blinkies, even during daytime. 2 conclusions.

- a bright light does a lot to be seen from far away but it doesn't give much info about distance given the difference in brightness between models. I catched a rider who was using a light, it took me a few km and if there had been no curve I would have had a hard time figuring out if he was 500 or 200m in front of me. This can make a huge difference for a driver coming at or past the speed limit on some roads. Also in urban areas there are red lights everywhere which makes them mixed up with lots of other things and bring confusion.

- the difference in visibility was striking between cyclists, mostly riding dark clothing, and runners, especially female ones running with bright orange or pink tops.

Bottom line. I think lightning only is not enough with the amount of traffic we now have and I ordered some bright orange jerseys and socks and will probably buy some paint cans and reflective strips for my helmets. I might look like a road worker in my next cycling chapter but I don't care.

[robin3mj]

Thomas, I agree with you.
I live on a major bike path and have used to to walk my dogs, walk the kids to school, etc for five years now (in addition to my own cycling, obviously) and am of the opinion that front and rear blinkies for daytime riding is a must. I supplement with a lighted helmet on gray days or near dusk/dawn. And have gravitated towards neon gloves and bright clothing as much as possible. This winter I even took the opportunity to sell my black Rapha brevet jacket which I loved, and buy a new yellow one solely for safety sake.

[rwsaunders]

All right Matt...buy the Son dynamo, now that Jan has them back in stock, so that you are ready to scratch that dynamo itch when it comes back.

https://www.renehersecycles.com/back...generator-hubs

[d_douglas]

Dynamo all the way, if you are planning to spend some cash. I am planning a new bike and a nice alloy wheelset based on Onyx hubs. Since the front hub is so $$, I might as well switch out for a Dynamo for just a few bucks more and with much greater functionality. If you are planning on grabbing a cheapish wheelset, then Dynamo may not be in the cards.

Ive had a dynamo on my (out of use) commuter for years and they are incredibly useful and practical. If the hub could convert to 12mm from QR, I would simply reuse these!