The Chainlink

Riding and visibility

As it gets darker earlier here we go again with riders without lights,that's an easy fix but I've noticed that the blinking red gets lost in the sea of red in traffic. Many cars have yellow turn signals to stand out and I saw a few bikes with blue lights. Maybe we need a color not on vehicles to be seen better?

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Permalink Reply by Tricolor on October 9, 2015 at 12:40pm

Nothing wrong with red and white, but they need to be better than the $5 led powered by watch batteries to be useful. Flashing has it's perks but I use steady white front and red rear, big enough and bright enough to see and be seen.

I watched two riders with no lights moving at different speeds sideswipe one another last week on a dark section of the Lake Front (and there are a lot since the city doesn't keep those lights working). Luckily they were going the same way. If you're riding a thousand dollar bike with all the spandex and point shoe accouterments you should be able to spend $75 on a proper headlight.

Permalink Reply by Mike Zumwalt on October 9, 2015 at 3:59pm
LOL! Well if your riding a $1000 bike faux training for a 100k your entitled and everyone should step aside. Until you hit another dumb ass. Kinda like a Lincoln park 4 way stop where the Lexus, Mercedes, BMW and Land Rover are all honking at each other claiming right of way.
Off topic but...whatever
Permalink Reply by Tom A.K. on October 9, 2015 at 1:53pm
I've switched my rear facing red Planet Bike helmet blinky with the white/clear blinky. So now I have the white strobe light effect like the school buses have in the morning. I've also updated to a brighter front light and rear red light for the darker fall & winter months.
Permalink Reply by Tricolor on October 9, 2015 at 3:03pm

Even now (and soon with daylight savings time) a strong, steady front light will be very useful in the evenings.

Permalink Reply by PK RPR on October 10, 2015 at 7:36am
Great idea pick a color that is different from car tail lights...say very bright blue blinking lights
Permalink Reply by Yasmeen on October 10, 2015 at 9:20am

I've started to put a rear blinky light on my bike, turning it on during the day. I ride roads shared with cars and I've noticed cars tend to give me more space when I have the light on. 


The early sunsets and time change seems to be a more dangerous time while motorists are adjusting to the light differences. When it gets dark, I'll also wear my high vis Rapha vest (it's the only pink, pink piece I own). It has reflective stripes on it, making me super visible to cars.

Be safe out there!

Permalink Reply by Steve G on October 10, 2015 at 11:56am

I also feel like the rear blinky during cloudy days or at dusk makes a difference in how drivers behave. I don't really agree about using a different color, I like red=rear of vehicle, white=front.

I use a steady, very bright front light, but I switch it to strobe for certain situations, like Elston/Milwaukee, or where there is stuff going on that looks like it's distracting drivers.

Permalink Reply by David P. on October 13, 2015 at 1:10pm

Using something other than red for a taillamp is not a very good idea - lights are used to communicte, and red is the universal color to indicate rear illumination. Using a white light as a taillight confuses people (esp. motorists if there is not enough light to show the bike itself at a distance and indicate its direction) because it communicates to other road users that you are looking at the front of the vehicle and that therefore, in this case, the bicycle is headed towards you on the wrong side of the street. Finally, using blue lights on a non-emergency vehicle is against the law. If you must use another color for something, use amber.

Permalink Reply by Tom A.K. on October 13, 2015 at 1:20pm
Are school buses and tow trucks violating the law with their rear visible white strobe lights?
Permalink Reply by Steve G on October 13, 2015 at 1:26pm
Permalink Reply by Steve G on October 13, 2015 at 1:44pm

I wanted to add this to the conversation-

In conversations with my friends who drive, and who have no prejudice regarding bikes. what frequently comes up is that they are made nervous by their perceived unpredictability of cyclists.

Stuff that is obvious to us is not to them, so in that vein I would say red taillights and white headlights should always be used, so as not to add to the mental overhead already required to pilot a 2-ton vehicle.

Permalink Reply by Tricolor on October 13, 2015 at 3:08pm

No but I think they're annoying. Most emergency strobes now are pretty bad for everyone's eyes, too.

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