Overtaking on wide Single Carriageways

[MiniClubmanEstate]

What you're describing about your trike is similar to what I get in my 28 year old now rare Mini variant, Your trike looks cool .

Cyclecraft, I'll have to check that out, and I agree with everything you've said. I also think that I became a better cyclist when I lerned to drive simply starting to understand other drivers a little better.

[Gromit37]

Agreed. On all those points!

[PeteG]

Saw a fantastic cyclis last night on my way to work. Noticed him waiting to come across from the right at a traffic light junction. Living where I do in Teesside, most cyclists are either Lycra or burberry-clad kamikaze riders, so him waiting also for the pedestrians to clear their crossings really caught my eye.
Then, it's a 4-lane SC, parked car decides the double yellows don't apply if he's only nipping into Blockbusters - I move into lane 2 in plenty of time. Cyclist actually performs a shoulder check (not seen one of those from a local cyclist for years), then I obviously give him space to pass the car, then overtake him on appraoch to a small RAB.
By the time the RAB is clear, he's back past me up the inside, and is coming off in lane 1 as I come off in lane 2. Again, give him plenty of room for the whole sequence - as I pull back across and thank him for not being a complete twunt, he gives me a thank you back.
He had not one bit of Lycra or hivis upon him, and neither did he have his front lamp set to strobe... does that perhaps generate some sort of forcefield?
Credit to the cycliing community. One of you cyclist types accept this compliment on his behalf, would you?

[Gromit37]

I wear a hi viz jacket and have (and use) lots of lights, especially on the trike. Flashing LEDs are used (legally ) Being seen and laughed at is better than looking 'normal' and being dead. Not all of us cyclists are idiots... most, but not all

Gromit37: Part time human being... full time idiot!

[PeteG]

Flashing on the back, excellent idea. Flashing on the front, especially bright lights, are not so good when they are angled to dazzle motorists. Aimed downwards would be a terrific idea, but this seems to require some sort of licence from the HSE and any home attempts will end in death and/ or a large fine.

[Gareth]

Flashing on the back, excellent idea.

They certainly help draw attention, but they aren't so good for working out range, so a non-flashing light as well is a good idea.

[Nigel]

Flashing on the back, excellent idea.

They certainly help draw attention, but they aren't so good for working out range, so a non-flashing light as well is a good idea.

Absolutely, I often find myself thinking seen him, now where is he, if that makes any sense

[Gromit37]

Here's my lighting regime... admittedly, it's all a bit (ok, very ) OTT, but I've not had any problems being seen. I'm like a pedal powered christmas tree, but with more style!

Whilst flashing lights might not be good indicators of distance (and to be honest, I'm not sure any bike lights do give a good indication per se) It is far better that they provide better conspicuity than non flashing lights. I have a cheap 'white' LED lamp (£3 from Wilko's) and an expensive three lamp device : selectable 2 mode LED, 2.4W wide beam and 10W spot. I ride along some very dark, undulating country roads, as well as some very busy DCs etc. I have reflective/flouro arm bands and ankle bands with inbuilt LEDs which perform a similar service to the running lights on the side of lorries. I can (hopefully) be seen from all angles, especially at junctions and roundabouts. I sometimes wear an LED head torch, so that when I look toward junctions/RBs, a white light can be seen and I can try to make eye contact with the driver etc. Plus the hi viz vest. God help any driver that claims he couldn't see me!!!

PS

If anybody would like to leave some expensive pressies by my 'christmas tree' (such as Laptops, PDAs, Digicams, X-Box360) please feel free. Just make sure they're well wrapped!

[/b]

[Big Err]

How did we get onto cyclists? Nevermind.

Nearly had a head on with a cyclist last weekend. His head was down his course was middle of the (narrow) road, head down and coming straight for us.

For our part we were only in a Merc ML which is fully marked up.

A brief sounding of the horn alerted him to our presence and he discovered the marvels of long(er) life by staying on our own sides of the road.

Eric

[Nigel]

How did we get onto cyclists? Nevermind.

Nearly had a head on with a cyclist last weekend. His head was down his course was middle of the (narrow) road, head down and coming straight for us.

For our part we were only in a Merc ML which is fully marked up.

A brief sounding of the horn alerted him to our presence and he discovered the marvels of long(er) life by staying on our own sides of the road.

Eric

Did you report him ?

Would you have done if it'd have been a motorcycle or moped ?

[SammyTheSnake]

Flashing on the back, excellent idea. Flashing on the front, especially bright lights, are not so good when they are angled to dazzle motorists. Aimed downwards would be a terrific idea, but this seems to require some sort of licence from the HSE and any home attempts will end in death and/ or a large fine.

I'm not sure if I'm reading you right here. What's potentially fatal about tilting your bike lights down a couple of degrees? (it is, after all, how the instructions will tell you to install them)

[ re: flashing lights suck ] Absolutely, I often find myself thinking seen him, now where is he, if that makes any sense

A friend of mine has a rather enchanting rear light set with no less than five modes of operation.

The basic solid light is the obvious option
There are two pseudo-random settings (the five LEDs in a row flash one at a time)
There's "Cylon" mode (a.k.a. night-rider mode)
There are two rates of flash (one's rather fast - highly visible. The other's about typical indicator speed)

The cylon and pseudorandom ones make the motion of the bike less clear and for that reason (rather than the kitchness of imitating 80s SciFi) I wouldn't recommend them.

The slow flash, however, would definitely be slow enough that the mental effort of interpolating between flashes would make the position and motion of the bike less clear.

The rapid flash, though, I would say is more typical of the flashing LED doohickies we see with increasing frequency and I think provide much more visibility and don't seem to me to make following the motion of the bike at all difficult...

Cheers & God bless
Sam "SammyTheSnake" Penny

[7db]

There's "Cylon" mode (a.k.a. night-rider mode)

I was out for drive on Sunday and saw a black ?corvette? approaching, complete with red Nightrider leds swishing in the front grill.

I laughed so hard I nearly fell out.

Probably a CUR offence - I don't think there's a "it was funny" defence to those.

[PeteG]

Flashing on the back, excellent idea. Flashing on the front, especially bright lights, are not so good when they are angled to dazzle motorists. Aimed downwards would be a terrific idea, but this seems to require some sort of licence from the HSE and any home attempts will end in death and/ or a large fine.

I'm not sure if I'm reading you right here. What's potentially fatal about tilting your bike lights down a couple of degrees? (it is, after all, how the instructions will tell you to install them)

Sorry, my sarcasm doesn't come across very well in text form. It is that simple, many cyclists local to me seem to think it's better to bounce the beam off my baldy bonce instead.

[Big Err]

How did we get onto cyclists? Nevermind.

Nearly had a head on with a cyclist last weekend. His head was down his course was middle of the (narrow) road, head down and coming straight for us.

For our part we were only in a Merc ML which is fully marked up.

A brief sounding of the horn alerted him to our presence and he discovered the marvels of long(er) life by staying on our own sides of the road.

Eric

Did you report him ?

Would you have done if it'd have been a motorcycle or moped ?

We could have stopped and charge him , but were involved in something else so were unwilling to get tied up with it. Besides I think the shock factor was enough in this instance.

[Big Err]

Flashing on the back, excellent idea. Flashing on the front,

I remember seeing a woman flashing on the front in Perth. Big girl, I'd doubt she'd skin her nose if she tripped....


Eric