Road Cycling

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FrenchTart said:
If it's getting dark then yes, a light should be used. If it's daylight hours then 99% of rear lights are going to make bugger-all difference.
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It is the low sun that causes the problem. There is plenty of light but it is being directed straight at you. To have a better chance of not just disappearing in to the shadows you need to have a bright light emitting light from the back of your bike.

This isn't the one I was thinking of but it serves as another less extreme example than the one that caused me to write the post.



Edit - that was 7.29 pm as my dash cam is still set to GMT. Nearly 2 hours before sunset.
 
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lordrobs said:
It is the low sun that causes the problem. There is plenty of light but it is being directed straight at you.
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If a driver cannot see well because the sun impedes their vision, then they need to slow down to a speed that's safe. At which point, they would see the cyclist in plenty of time, otherwise they wouldn't be driving at a speed that's safe.

Low sun is not an excuse for driving into things, and the onus should not be on a cyclist to be "more visible" when drivers continue along at 30mph when the sun is blinding them. It's just nonsense!
 
uv said:
If a driver cannot see well because the sun impedes their vision, then they need to slow down to a speed that's safe. At which point, they would see the cyclist in plenty of time, otherwise they wouldn't be driving at a speed that's safe.

Low sun is not an excuse for driving into things, and the onus should not be on a cyclist to be "more visible" when drivers continue along at 30mph when the sun is blinding them. It's just nonsense!
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This all the way. You can't see you pull over, or slow to a crawl. I struggled to see in the low sun last night, I slowed down in case I came across pedestrians.
 
Drivers vs cyclist debate aside my point really is that lights won't be effective in that situation. The sun is damn bright - a lot brighter than rear lights on a bike.
 
uv said:
If a driver cannot see well because the sun impedes their vision, then they need to slow down to a speed that's safe. At which point, they would see the cyclist in plenty of time, otherwise they wouldn't be driving at a speed that's safe.

Low sun is not an excuse for driving into things, and the onus should not be on a cyclist to be "more visible" when drivers continue along at 30mph when the sun is blinding them. It's just nonsense!
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Yes, they should.
They should also give space when passing, stop when you have right of way and wait until it's safe to overtake....but that doesnt always happen.

If I was driving in those conditions, I would have my lights on. So it shouldnt be any different when i'm on my bike.
 
ah well I always have my lights on :) rear is always flashing(bright enough even in the super sunny conditions to get noticed) and front is always flashing too, mainly due to filtering = more visibility when someone sees something blinking in the mirror.
 
Last nights ride home was horrible, 35 miles in 31c with an 11 mph headwind, felt like i was sitting under a hair dryer on hot air setting!
 
Kimi said:
Last nights ride home was horrible, 35 miles in 31c with an 11 mph headwind, felt like i was sitting under a hair dryer on hot air setting!
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not as bad as sitting behind a double decker in this weather.. IT GETS HOT, trust me.
 
Buying a counterfeit part is always asking for trouble. My Chinese carbon frame isn't falsely branded and is from a company with lots of good feedback online. In the last few months it has been flawless during 2.5k miles of riding on dodgy British roads.
 
Berger said:
Cry me a river with your 30c. I'll swap for my 2c and wet any day of the week!

So you really believe your Chinese carbon from the "same mould" is the same.... Or did spesh just pay for the article..... Tinfoil hat time!

http://velonews.competitor.com/not-...k-deep-inside-the-carbon-in-counterfeit-bikes
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Paid for by Specialized I would say, much like the "Can Specialized save you 5 minutes over 40km?" article the other week that contained zero critical comment or evidence to the contrary (or indeed any evidence to substantiate the claims). Online journalism is dangerous in that respect.
 
I'm sure there is a big difference between open mould stuff and direct knockoffs

be interesting to see one of these knockoffs compared to say, a planet x pro carbon and an open mould frame
 
uv said:
If a driver cannot see well because the sun impedes their vision, then they need to slow down to a speed that's safe. At which point, they would see the cyclist in plenty of time, otherwise they wouldn't be driving at a speed that's safe.

Low sun is not an excuse for driving into things, and the onus should not be on a cyclist to be "more visible" when drivers continue along at 30mph when the sun is blinding them. It's just nonsense!
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Nearly all of your post contradicts the majority of drivers who kill cyclists by 'not seeing them'. I totally agree about 'they need to slow down', 'they wouldn't be driving at a speed that's safe' and 'not an excuse for driving into things' but in reality we all know that doesn't seem to apply to the thinking of a minority :rolleyes:

The onus only feels like it is upon us because the drivers themselves, government and Police do nothing about it. In the UK we have to take whatever steps there are to make ourselves safer/more visible, because nobody else will! :(:mad:

It's probably best to agree to disagree with some of these things - as a cyclist I feel vulnerable on the roads and will take whatever easy steps (within my means and budget) to increase my safety. There are others who obviously don't feel as vulnerable as me and only take those steps they feel are necessary. Then there are other again who are totally oblivious to road conditions, safety, the highway code and general common sense. They're the ones who give us all a bad name by red light running, riding on pavements and not giving way! They are really the ones to blame for our lack of security when riding our bikes in public places and on public roads. They're probably the same people who kill us in their cars! :rolleyes:
 
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FrenchTart said:
Buying a counterfeit part is always asking for trouble. My Chinese carbon frame isn't falsely branded and is from a company with lots of good feedback online. In the last few months it has been flawless during 2.5k miles of riding on dodgy British roads.
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I shall hopefully find out the same when I pick my wheels up tonight!

Berger said:
Cry me a river with your 30c. I'll swap for my 2c and wet any day of the week!
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HAHAHa too true, I would much rather be sweating my man boobs off, than suffering with my reynards in the winter and feeling physically sick due to the pain induced.

FrenchTart said:
Garmin Strava live segment support coming apparently:

http://road.cc/content/news/155799-garmin-launches-edge-520-computer-strava-live-segments

Kind of cool.
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Got that on their current segments, but obviously nobody uses Garmin segments :D Wouldh ave to get strava premium to utilise it though!
 
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