Nice cyclist andout hacking

[humblepie]

Hacking today along little lane under trees cyclist coming towards me had one of those very bright flashing headlight. Horse isn’t bothered but interestingly cyclist put his hand over the light to blank it out. Thanked him as nice.

 

[Errin Paddywack]

I do wish they wouldn't use those lights on flash, they play hell with my eyes. A steady beam is much easier to cope with.

 

[Arzada]

I'm pretty sure that twice my flashing light has saved me from injury/death in narrow shade/sunshine/dappled bendy lanes. The oncoming drivers see it very quickly. I don't think that a steady light is seen as quickly or if it is then the driver doesn't need to work out what is coming. I turn mine off then I see oncoming horses. I'd like it if the higher than ever SUV drivers didn't have their many LED super bright running lights beaming at me. They never turn them off

 

[Tiddlypom]

I do wish they wouldn't use those lights on flash, they play hell with my eyes. A steady beam is much easier to cope with.

Bike lights on flash don't half get cars to slow down/give you more room, especially the rear light with traffic from behind.

Not ideal when horses are faced with them, but they do save a lot of cyclists from getting squished.

Super bright running or headlights on cars should be banned. Ordinary running lights are great.

 

[Sprig]

I don't like those flashing front lights. They tend to be too bright and just at the wrong height. I am not so bothered by rear flashing ones. Cyclists around here are almost all v considerate of horses. The only complaint I have that they ride in packs and when they spot us shout 'horse' v loudly to one another while slowing down. It can be loud if there are lots of them and more scary than them creeping up/racing past.

 

[Lois Lame]

I'm pretty sure that twice my flashing light has saved me from injury/death in narrow shade/sunshine/dappled bendy lanes. The oncoming drivers see it very quickly. I don't think that a steady light is seen as quickly or if it is then the driver doesn't need to work out what is coming. I turn mine off then I see oncoming horses. I'd like it if the higher than ever SUV drivers didn't have their many LED super bright running lights beaming at me. They never turn them off

Totally agree. Lights that don't flash are not very noticeable. (I'm talking bicycles.)
Also agree re the SUV drivers who have those over-dazzling, super bright blueish lights. They are so annoying.

 

[Errin Paddywack]

I don't like those flashing front lights. They tend to be too bright and just at the wrong height.

I don't mind flashing front lights if they aren't the ultra bright lights and I have no problem with flashing back lights. I do prefer the regular flash rather than the intermittent ones. I think the problem with the very bright front lights is that your eyes are constantly trying to adjust to the level of light. We have a wide two way cycle path locally alongside the main road. I have met a cyclist coming towards me on the cycle path with an ultra bright flashing front light and a car also about parallel. I was blinded going between them.

 

[Arzada]

It can be loud if there are lots of them and more scary than them creeping up/racing past.

Well yes, cyclists in groups communicate alot about things ahead and even behind. Generally not known by people who only travel in sealed metal containers.

As for creeping up/racing past this goes against all the raising awareness of and care towards other road users particularly horses and goes against the advice of eg the BHS, British Cycling, Cycling UK etc. People I ride with go so far as to ask the horse rider if it is OK to go past and no they don't know that I have a horse. There are even posts on this forum of the problem of cyclists racing past. But hey ho, you can't do right for doing wrong.

 

[PinkvSantaboots]

Well yes, cyclists in groups communicate alot about things ahead and even behind. Generally not known by people who only travel in sealed metal containers.

As for creeping up/racing past this goes against all the raising awareness of and care towards other road users particularly horses and goes against the advice of eg the BHS, British Cycling, Cycling UK etc. People I ride with go so far as to ask the horse rider if it is OK to go past and no they don't know that I have a horse. There are even posts on this forum of the problem of cyclists racing past. But hey ho, you can't do right for doing wrong.

Well none of them round here seem to have any care or consideration towards anything, ìhave repeatedly asked cyclists to slow down and they just keep coming towards you at a fast pace, then when I have questioned them I have been sworn at on several occasions.

 

[little_critter]

Given we always seem to have a split of opinions on cyclists, some saying they never have a problem and some complaining that they are thoughtless gits, I wonder if the issue is not that they are cyclists, but that people in certain areas are less considerate in general.
Personally I never have an issue with them. I met quite a few today, all polite, all announcing they were coming up behind me, many giving a cheery hello too.

I also understand the need for a flashing light. In the past, in the murk I’ve had trouble trying to work out if the steady light I could see was a bicycle 10m away or a motorbike 50m away. If it flashes it gives a clue as to what it’s attached to.

mind you, I was peeved this morning to be waved to slow down by a horse rider. I HAD slowed down (hit the brakes the minute I saw them, which was probably 200m away) and was giving a wide berth. Neither horse looked in any way skittish so I don’t know what more the rider wanted me to do…switch the car off and push it past?

 

[Tiddlypom]

Well yes, cyclists in groups communicate alot about things ahead and even behind. Generally not known by people who only travel in sealed metal containers.

Yes, we live on a signed section of the national cycle route network. We get many groups of cyclists going past. In addition to the usual shouts of 'car up!' or 'car down!' to alert the rest of the group to traffic, we are currently regularly hearing shouts of 'hole!' several times a day because of the pothole opposite!

 

[little_critter]

Yes, I heard a group a way ahead of me shouting this morning. It was probably something along the lines of “s**t” because they’d just turned into the lane where the cows cross to be milked….it’s mucky ?

 

[Jellymoon]

I glanced at that quickly and saw
‘nude cyclist’

 

[ester]

I'm pretty sure that twice my flashing light has saved me from injury/death in narrow shade/sunshine/dappled bendy lanes. The oncoming drivers see it very quickly. I don't think that a steady light is seen as quickly or if it is then the driver doesn't need to work out what is coming. I turn mine off then I see oncoming horses. I'd like it if the higher than ever SUV drivers didn't have their many LED super bright running lights beaming at me. They never turn them off

They spend most of the winter not even turning their main beams off so you can't see anything.

If two cyclists pass on a narrow cycle path is is good etiquette to cover your light with your hand or briefly point it down so that no one is blinded. I do have a strong front light for dark unlit roads with large potholes but that's a different one to my daytime running flashing one which is purely to attract attention because we get squashed quite a lot.

 

[JackFrost]

I find some off road cyclists seem totally unaware of any else. Last week I took my 3 year old horse for her first ever walk in hand to see the big wide world, on what I thought was a nice safe track. A cyclist came along, heading straight for the horse, so I shouted and gestured to him to give the horse space, which he completely ignored. Young horse did a huge spook as he cycled past about 2 foot from her bum, but it would have served him right if she had kicked him. Rude or stupid or both, but not the first time I have despaired of them.

 

[MuddyMonster]

Given we always seem to have a split of opinions on cyclists, some saying they never have a problem and some complaining that they are thoughtless gits, I wonder if the issue is not that they are cyclists, but that people in certain areas are less considerate in general.
Personally I never have an issue with them. I met quite a few today, all polite, all announcing they were coming up behind me, many giving a cheery hello too.


mind you, I was peeved this morning to be waved to slow down by a horse rider. I HAD slowed down (hit the brakes the minute I saw them, which was probably 200m away) and was giving a wide berth. Neither horse looked in any way skittish so I don’t know what more the rider wanted me to do…switch the car off and push it past?

I think some of it is the rider intpretation too.

I've hacked out with different groups of people that seem to think the world ought to stop because they are out on their horse - including cyclists.

They'd they go back to the yard and moan about the cyclists, dog walkers and drivers who had IMHO done nothing wrong other than be out at the same time.

Of course you get the odd cyclist that does come too fast just as you get the odd car that doesn't slow or dog walker that has no recall but the majority are OK I find.

 

[ester]

Our club/ride leader (not a particularly serious club, more inclined to fairly amble around the countryside or I wouldnt' keep up at all) attended a safety meeting which included cyclists and horse riders (this was after a very serious accident locally) it's fair to say he was not left with a great impression of horse riders which was a bit of a shame.

 

[Lois Lame]

I find some off road cyclists seem totally unaware of any else. Last week I took my 3 year old horse for her first ever walk in hand to see the big wide world, on what I thought was a nice safe track. A cyclist came along, heading straight for the horse, so I shouted and gestured to him to give the horse space, which he completely ignored. Young horse did a huge spook as he cycled past about 2 foot from her bum, but it would have served him right if she had kicked him. Rude or stupid or both, but not the first time I have despaired of them.

It's not necessarily nudeness or stupidity. It's ignorance. (Not always of course, but often.)

 

[ponynutz]

Bike lights on flash don't half get cars to slow down/give you more room, especially the rear light with traffic from behind.

Not ideal when horses are faced with them, but they do save a lot of cyclists from getting squished.

Super bright running or headlights on cars should be banned. Ordinary running lights are great.

This. As a new driver who lives in the countryside I'm glad they flash. I often just ask them to turn it off or cover it while they pass (when on horseback) if I see them in time but cyclists are all part of getting to know the big, wide world.

 

[FitzyFitz]

Some led lamps are waaaay too bright these days. Pretty considerate cyclists for the most part round here, covering their lamps if they see me, although we have a large contingent of cyclists and runners here that dont use lights at all (off road cycle paths mostly) and can really sneak up on you. Runners headlamps are the ones that usually get me, although I do get a kick out of them turning because they've noticed my red and green LED's (so as to not screw my night vision) in the darkness and their million watt headlamp lights up the vast quantity of reflectives i'm always wearing surprise pony!

I tend to steer clear of roads at night, because the car headlamps are too blinding even though they absolutely could not fail to miss me in my traffic cone get up and it's not fair on the poor pony to ruin his night vision either, I need him to get us home!