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From: Wolfgang Strobl <news5@mystrobl.de>
Newsgroups: rec.bicycles.tech
Subject: Re: connected lights
Date: Thu, 12 Sep 2024 15:21:28 +0200
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Am Wed, 11 Sep 2024 16:49:52 -0400 schrieb Frank Krygowski
<frkrygow@sbcglobal.net>:

>On 9/11/2024 3:37 PM, Wolfgang Strobl wrote:
>> Am Wed, 11 Sep 2024 17:23:22 GMT schrieb Roger Merriman
>> <roger@sarlet.com>:
>> 
>> 
>>> There is also the fact I like lights that can kick out more oomph that a
>>> Dynamo can do, and I’m not wild on such cut off beams, while my commute
>>> light has a low wide beam on low, ie fine around town and so on, with the
>>> High Beam to give a bit more punch in the woods and so on.
>> 
>> In my experience, a modern, StVZO-conforming LED based headlight is more
>> than good enough for riding in city traffic. More power usually only
>> serves to blind other cyclists and still can't compete with car
>> headlights. Riding in the woods and in the dark, on the other hand, is
>> better done using a weaker, but wider beam.
>> 
>> The only reasonable need I see for more powerful headlights is when
>> driving on unlit rural roads. Here you need a powerful low beam and
>> sometimes also a high beam.
>
>I agree woods riding is different than road riding. But I've done lots 
>of unlit road riding with dyno lights and no problems. So have countless 
>randonneurs.

So do I.  But don't make the mistake of using the sparkling light of
decades-old cars as a yardstick for the lux or lumen that modern cars
throw your way.  

>
>Night vision varies, I'm sure; but I believe the general desire for more 
>and more and more lumens is caused by the same mechanism the triggers 
>the desire for more and more rear cogs, less and less bike weight, 
>bigger and bigger pickup trucks, etc. After a while, people are chasing 
>advertising copy or quickly diminishing returns.

Sure. But nevertheless, modern cars have a lot more potential to blind
you for a long time, in the dark. Having a good night vision doesn't
help. In fact, it increases the risk of being dazzled by an oncoming
vehicle.  

I too believe that most cyclists never experience such situations and
that a trend to overpowered headlamps is mostly fashion, proven by the
fact that many if not most cyclists fear using their bicycle in traffic,
avoid riding on rural roads in the dark _and_ use inferior, ill adjusted
or broken lights, when they do.

But there _are_ rare situations where more light helps.  Rural roads
with occasional car traffic, driven at or slightly above the speed
limit, with their lights in the high beam mode are an example.  Easily
to avoid when riding for fun - but some people don't habe a choice, for
example on their commute.  My longtime way to work had a short such
stretch. I could have ridden most of the way without lights because the
roads were well lit.  However, a short section, out of town, was unlit
and exactly as described. I even built a computerized high beam light to
be used there, before LED based bike lights even existed. 
<https://web.archive.org/web/19971121193933/http://ntklotz.gmd.de/fahrrad/lichtc1.jpg>
<https://web.archive.org/web/19971121193948/http://ntklotz.gmd.de/fahrrad/95.jpg>

-- 
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