Cycling in the dark.

[corshamjim]

I agree. I saw someone with a helmet light last year and it was very confusing to work out what on earth it was. IMHO bog-standard recognisable is best.

[gentlegreen]

I wish they could police the off-road paths and send some of the idiots with the blinding strobes off for training. I swear I'm going to resort to violence before the year is out.
For the moment I just flash them back and shout at them...

[GeoffL]

I would avoid buying any powerful headlight for road use that didn't carry an approval mark from a European country.
Some of them are getting so bright now that I fully expect the police to start expressing an interest.
Either German (StVZO) or British (BS) approvals give unimpeachable legality, and in the case of the German approval, a good measure of quality.

The only exception I would make to this is for a supplementary light, to be used only as a high beam, and switched off whenever it would inconvenience oncoming road users.

Can you name any BS 6102/3 headlight that gives a decent pattern that can properly illuminate winding, country lanes and that don't cost at least as much as many people are prepared to spend on an entire bicycle? I suspect the list will be short to non-existent. Thankfully, it seems that we don't need these provided that we have at least one light front and one rear that do meet the specifications as we may use as many optional lights as we like provided that they don't dazzle other road users, they are the correct colour (i.e. white to the front and red to the rear), and if they flash then they do so between one and four equal flashes per second. Here's what Cornwall Council say on the matter.

[corshamjim]

Can you name any BS 6102/3 headlight that gives a decent pattern that can properly illuminate winding, country lanes and that don't cost at least as much as many people are prepared to spend on an entire bicycle?

The answer to both those questions is going to be somewhat subjective. I equipped my £400 bike with a B+M IQ Cyo and Nordlicht dynamo for about £100. Money well spent IMO especially after I had already wasted more than that on a more expensive Light & Motion lamp which had a round beam so was unuseable on the road. I ride winding country lanes to & from work. Yes a wider beam might help a bit, but there's only one corner on my 3.5 mile trip home where I think it would make a difference. YMMV

[Phil_Lee]

I would avoid buying any powerful headlight for road use that didn't carry an approval mark from a European country.
Some of them are getting so bright now that I fully expect the police to start expressing an interest.
Either German (StVZO) or British (BS) approvals give unimpeachable legality, and in the case of the German approval, a good measure of quality.

The only exception I would make to this is for a supplementary light, to be used only as a high beam, and switched off whenever it would inconvenience oncoming road users.

Can you name any BS 6102/3 headlight that gives a decent pattern that can properly illuminate winding, country lanes and that don't cost at least as much as many people are prepared to spend on an entire bicycle? I suspect the list will be short to non-existent. Thankfully, it seems that we don't need these provided that we have at least one light front and one rear that do meet the specifications as we may use as many optional lights as we like provided that they don't dazzle other road users, they are the correct colour (i.e. white to the front and red to the rear), and if they flash then they do so between one and four equal flashes per second. Here's what Cornwall Council say on the matter.

I don't think much of the advice by Cornwall CC - they leave some important stuff out, like the fact that pedal reflectors aren't required on cycles manufactured before 1st October 1985, or that cycles manufactured before 1st October 1990 don't need the front light to conform to any standard at all, beyond being white and "visible from a reasonable distance".

As far as the quality of BS approved lights is concerned, that's why I pointed out that it's only the German regulations that give any measure of quality, and my German StVZO approved B&M Ixon IQ is excellent for all the conditions I ride in - which includes twisting unlit country lanes.

Hopefully we'll have the German standard adopted across the EU next time the powers that be visit the issue.

[thirdcrank]

I have posted something recently about BS bike lamps (and a severe attack of forum-fatigue means I cannot be bothered to find it now) but IMO the two main points about the British Standards for cycle lamps are:

1. These standards are so hopelessly out-of-date that when the govt., stopped role-playing for a King Cnut (Canute when I went to school) sketch over the issue of flashing lamps on push bikes, they just wrote the amending regs to ignore the BS.

2. These standards are only available to anybody prepared to pay an unrealistic sum (to learn about such a trifling subject.) Just about everything I know about the detail of the standards (which is exceedingly little) is what I hope I am remembering correctly from stuff written by CJ and IIRC the BS for bike lamps requires a burn time of 10 hours. I fancy that this means that for some of the more exotic stuff people use, they either need similar charging equipment to a small warship or a battery of the size you might use on a lorry. (But if the BS number or equivalent European standard isn't shown on the lens, it doesn't matter if you have something as used by Trinity House - it doesn't comply with the BS. Endov.)

[mark a.]

I should be able to access BS 6102/3 at work on Monday. Are there other relevant standards I should look for while I'm at it?

Then I can see if I can get the relevant info up here in a non-copywrite-infringement kind of way.

[niggle]

I have posted something recently about BS bike lamps (and a severe attack of forum-fatigue means I cannot be bothered to find it now) but IMO the two main points about the British Standards for cycle lamps are:

1. These standards are so hopelessly out-of-date that when the govt., stopped role-playing for a King Cnut (Canute when I went to school) sketch over the issue of flashing lamps on push bikes, they just wrote the amending regs to ignore the BS.

2. These standards are only available to anybody prepared to pay an unrealistic sum (to learn about such a trifling subject.) Just about everything I know about the detail of the standards (which is exceedingly little) is what I hope I am remembering correctly from stuff written by CJ and IIRC the BS for bike lamps requires a burn time of 10 hours. I fancy that this means that for some of the more exotic stuff people use, they either need similar charging equipment to a small warship or a battery of the size you might use on a lorry. (But if the BS number or equivalent European standard isn't shown on the lens, it doesn't matter if you have something as used by Trinity House - it doesn't comply with the BS. Endov.)

But have there been any/many prosecutions for having non BS/equivalent standard lights on a pedal cycle? If so was it specifically for having lights that fail to meet the standards, or were not marked as meeting them, or that were too bright or badly adjusted causing a hazard to other road users?

[thirdcrank]

...But have there been any/many prosecutions for having non BS/equivalent standard lights on a pedal cycle? If so was it specifically for having lights that fail to meet the standards, or were not marked as meeting them, or that were too bright or badly adjusted causing a hazard to other road users?

I don't know but I fancy that the figure for prosecutions for not having BS lamps will be zero (that estimate is probably accurate to +/- 5% ) If there were to be a prosecution for dazzling other road users, that would be for inconsiderate cycling.

My hunch is that anybody with decent lamps will not attract official attention. I could imagine the circumstance where somebody with truly silly lights (especially extra-bright home-made red rear flashers) might be checked. Just the type of situation that could escalate into a cyclists' cause célèbre.

As I've posted before, I think the only time when this issue might arise for somebody with decent but non-BS lamps would be in the event of a serious collision. The normal procedure would be for the collision investigators to deal with everything as a crime scene. All vehicles would be examined by technical experts and described in detail in the report. Any bits and pieces would be collected . This could be relevant, for example, to trace and identify a hit-and-run vehicle or, in this case, whether lights were fitted on a smashed bike.

When I've posted along these lines before, others have dismissed what I am saying, although their reasons didn't convince me. There have been cases mentioned on here of bitter complaints about the lack of thoroughness in collision investigations and this obviously happens, but these are the exceptions which support what I am saying about the normal procedure.

Even if this led to no action by the police, in a serious collision involving a cyclist the big issue would probably be personal injury compo which can have a lot of 000,000s on. In those circumstances insurance companies will look at everything in detail before accepting or refuting liability. The insurance companies have a right to buy a copy of the police investigation report, as well as instructing their own investigators (often retired police officers.)

Probably the most notable case where this happened with a road vehicle was at Great Heck near Selby when the Land Rover ended up on the railway track. Two trains with their occupants amounted to a big payout and AFAIK a consortium of insurers financed a complete reconstruction by a team of police investigators.

All statistically unlikely, of course, but the last thing a tetraplegic survivor needs is years of hassle over whether this lamp or that was a contributory factor.

[Steve Kish]

I believe that the 'bike police' have better things to do with cyclists, such as pavement hogs and RLJ bandits rather than worrying about trivia like whether or not lighting conforms to BS outdated legislation.

I have both a helmet light and twin bar lights as well as one (or occasionally two) quite bright red rear lights. None of them are ever on flash or strobe mode and when on the road with other traffic, it's very rare for any of my three front lights to be on full mode. My full mode is insanely bright (over 2100 lumens) and with a limited run-time of under 3 hours, is even used sparingly on technical off-road singletrack trails at night.

So, when on the road, I probably display about the same level of light as a motorbike with a dipped HID headlamp.

FWIW, I cannot for the life of me understand why either front or rear facing flashing lights on a bike are legal?

[gentlegreen]

FWIW, I cannot for the life of me understand why either front or rear facing flashing lights on a bike are legal?

It's a sensitive political issue though, isn't it ?
Until recently, you had to be wealthy, and/or into DIY electronics to have decent non-flashing lights, and even now it isn't that cheap.

Flashing can make a very cheap, low power LED at least of some use - way more so than the classic two cell 1 watt incandescents of the past ...
Speaking for myself, I can't believe I rode on the roads for maybe 7 years with lights like those.

I'm intensely annoyed by the things when they're used off-road, but I have to reserve judgement about their use on busy main roads in the rush hour as I'm lucky enough not to have to make those sorts of journeys.

[[XAP]Bob]

FWIW, I cannot for the life of me understand why either front or rear facing flashing lights on a bike are legal?

Because, due to various physiological factors, they are far more visible per unit light output than the equivalent steady light.

Restricting flashing red/white to pedal cycles also (for better or worse) allows a cycle so equipped to be easily identified by all road users.

Given the current levels of street lighting we have I doubt lights are necessary on any vehicle - it's also amazing how much light the moon supplies.

[Steve Kish]

and even now it isn't that cheap.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Smart-Superflas ... B001JGFI74

... and don't let the name fool you - it does have static mode. Brightest rear light I've ever seen.

You Tube video here:-

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l1oDPdqp ... re=related

Smart and Planet Bike ones are identical.

[PW]

I did a rare afternoon shift today, riding home down the trail after sunset by the light of an IQ Cyo & Schmidt.
When I came to tell the wife that I had been flagged down by two separate lady cyclists I never got as far as "What's that wonderful headlight" - she just shouted "It's those Lycra shorts, you'll be getting arrested!".

[gentlegreen]

and even now it isn't that cheap.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Smart-Superflas ... B001JGFI74

... and don't let the name fool you - it does have static mode. Brightest rear light I've ever seen. .

You haven't seen my DIY 48 LED, 3 watt one

I have had a rear light equivalent to a motorcycle's brake light for the past 15 years.

Fair enough though, a half watt LED should be about as good as a motorcycle tail light.