Bicycle lighting technology has come a very long way in recent years. A time-travelling cyclist from the 1970s would gasp at today’s powerful and diminutive lights, front and back.
We think nothing of taking on night rides such as the wonderful Dunwich Dynamo, with its 120 miles of twisting country lanes, using just a single rechargeable light to guide our way. Negotiating pitch-dark rural roads at speeds in excess of 20mph represents no particular challenge because our way is so clearly illuminated. Behind us, too, our tiny rear lights warn motorists several hundred metres away that we’re up ahead with their powerful flashes.
But how often have you followed a cyclist boasting the latest lighting technology and wished it wasn’t quite so powerful? Or perhaps you’ve passed one coming the other way whose high-tech mega-weapon is set to off-road 2,000-plus lumen mode, blasting everything in its path in a dazzling white blanket of light.
Experienced nightriders know that the extraordinary power of their lights comes with a responsibility to be considerate to others. They understand how distracting and irritating it is to ride in the wake of a high-powered flashing red warning light. So they set their own lights to constant or pulse mode at medium power. Up front, they ensure that their lights are not angled to shine into the eyes of oncoming drivers and that the power setting isn’t too much for the conditions.
It’s tempting, especially for commuters using busy urban streets day after day, to assume that you can’t be too visible – that there’s no such thing as too bright. But there really is. If you’re worried about motorists not seeing you, the last thing you should be doing is blinding them!
As we enter the winter months and the retailers bombard you with promotions for ever-stronger, more efficient lights, spare a thought for other road users and use your lights carefully.
We recently attended a screening and Q&A session of a film dedicated solely to the bicycle. Part documentary part social record, the film chronicled the rise, fall and now renaissance of cycling in this country.
Amazing facts like at the turn of the last century Coventry boasted no less than 70 bicycle manufacturers - placing us at the epicentre, the hub of cycle production. The historical role the bicycle has played in this country shaping in part, the social, economic and political climate. The 1930's saw cycling become a cheap, social form of transport directly attributed to the change in the 'courtship' demographic of this country. Now visiting a sweetheart in a neighbouring village or town became possible both financially and within a manageable timeframe.
The recent rise in the number of commuter cyclists, especially in larger cities, now puts a greater pressure on politicians to acknowledge the impact of cycling. It's seen one time British Cycling adviser Chris Boardman change roles now becoming a cycling ambassador, advising the government on the safe, effective integration of cycling.
It was a member of the audience at the Q&A session afterwards that, for us, completed our evenings 'cycling enlightenment' when the director was quizzed on why no mention was made of evolution of road racing. Time trialling was the only competitive outlet for cycling allowed by sports governing body at the time. It forced those that wanted to race one another to have to do so in secret at illegal night time gatherings. Competitors were clad in black for fear of being seen and arrested. Maybe history does repeat itself in part with Team Sky and Rapha Condor JLT: the new wave of black kit wearers.
