Hoping to increase driver passing distance at night, I've glued front and rear reflectors to my wing mirrors.

[guerney]

This 40W floodlight/"Pod light" would be wholly unsuitable for a bicycle.

3

Smarter Shopping, Better Living! Aliexpress.com

vi.aliexpress.com

...as well as being far too bright, with a beam too wide, it supposedly draws about as much current as ALL of my lights combined!

"AMP DRAW@12V: 1.9A"

About 4A would be too much current dragged from my ebike battery, will reduce range. Still, I'm curious about how good it'd be at revealing road surface detail, if shone from a low height on the bike fork and and angled down to not dazzle.

 

[guerney]

This contraption also protects innocent cyclists from escooteroids zooming past too close. There I was, minding my own business dawdling along happily without a care in the world, lazily speeding up after having been stopped by traffic lights... when all of a sudden out of nowhere this escooter nutter overtakes me. I didn't hear a thing. Silent he was. He would have zoomed past closer, had it not been for the repulsive power of my GuerneySiderating Illumimaker™℠ ®©!!!

I've had to brighten the video by a lot, because my GoPro Hero 7 Black is set to record close passing number plates by underexposing and using 1/960s high shutter speed. I've also boosted the audio very bigly. My ears didn't hear a thing. Like a ghost he was.

I gave chase and followed for a little while to measure his speed: 25kph. I lost him when he crossed over into oncoming traffic, ahead of a central reservation towards Tescos and certain death.

 

[soundwave]

lil shite on scooter nukes ur ass haha and car going warp speed

u need more power

 

[AndyBike]

Maybe look away from the colours Orange and dayglo yellow/green, and more towards what is called 'School bus yellow' A colour the US picked specifically because it is very visible both day and night

 

[guerney]

Maybe look away from the colours Orange and dayglo yellow/green, and more towards what is called 'School bus yellow' A colour the US picked specifically because it is very visible both day and night

I think it'd help a smidge if 'School bus yellow' coloured clothes were available, but if my being clad head to toe in hi-viz is anything to go by (hiviz helmet cover+hiviz waterproof trousers+hiviz blouson - doesn't work. Drivers looked directly at me and still pulled out in front, when I wasn't waggling my 15 inch lollipop and I didn't have 6000LM headlights on my handlebar), these so very strange driving animals react instictively to bright lights, notice unusually shaped bicycles being ridden (with a lollipop sticking out on one side for example), instead of not at all, and avoid objects on the road which look too wide (with a lollipop sticking out on one side for example).

That meerkat escooteroid saw me well enough to steer clear of the 15 inch lollipop bolted onto the right hand side of my handlebar. You should all use one. It's so much relaxing cycling, when your bike is sidearmed with a GuerneySiderating Illumimaker™℠ ®©!!!






Your bike's too thin without one!

Be safe. Be wide.

 

[guerney]

Apologies, the video above was shot with a shutter speed of 1/384s. Either the damned GoPro screen is too damned tiny or my eyesight is awful, or both.

So there I was on this cold 2°C lightly foggy winter night happily ambling along... when all of a sudden out of nowhere, I was pleasantly suprised by an unusually pothole-free bit of road. My feet had already coped quite well with an hour or so of 2°C, insulated with four pairs of socks (three thin polyester+latex mix layers plus one thick wool layer), snugly ensconced by my new £16 Aldi latex+rubber slightly furry on the inside (upper part of the half boots down to above the ankle is furry, then it's latex+rubber around the feet) boots, so I set the GoPro to 1/24s shutter and ISO1600 to show you dudes my brilliant "6000LM" lights, with a wider angle this time - this is slightly brighter than my eyes see . The human eye has much more dynamic range, so it's impossible to match my view exactly. They're bright enough for me to spot potholes, even when going quite fast downhill. However, illuminated distance is decreased when going uphill fast, which is annoying. Wish these lights would automatically tilt up to follow contours of roads (do any headlights do that?). Light fog flatters the brightness of my headlights somewhat, adds much needed atmophere. As you can see, they illuminate a good distance of the road ahead... but while I was going around these bends, I thought it'd be wonderful if headlights swivelled automatically to follow the road's curves, keeping the general area illuminated where potholes might suddenly apparate and cause discomfort or damage. Sadly such headlights are not available to buy. Stabilisation doesn't work because there's too much motion blur at 1/24s shutter speed, even with in-camera sharpening - not many number plates on that road, so that doesn't matter. Again there's lens flare from the backward facing handlebar light directed at my torso, increased by light fog (my torso is always increased by light fog).

 

[MikelBikel]

Cycling safety: Gardaí should focus on what’s illegal and show a bit more care around implying perfectly legal things are not

— RSA is being disbanded, but it will take a lot more to dilute their influence on public bodies.– Deeply unhelpful for Gardaí to push idea that people are not using cycle lanes for no …

irishcycle.com

Lights are a given, but the Garda here want to make Everything Mandatory.. Viz, Helmet, No hands free, no headphones, no Filtering, no Nothing!
"Cycle lane full of leafs coz sweeping machine Can't Fit Down It", oh dear, obviously no brooms available. A 'Blame everything on the cyclist' one

 

[guerney]

Cycling safety: Gardaí should focus on what’s illegal and show a bit more care around implying perfectly legal things are not

— RSA is being disbanded, but it will take a lot more to dilute their influence on public bodies.– Deeply unhelpful for Gardaí to push idea that people are not using cycle lanes for no …

irishcycle.com

Lights are a given, but the Garda here want to make Everything Mandatory.. Viz, Helmet, No hands free, no headphones, no Filtering, no Nothing!
"Cycle lane full of leafs coz sweeping machine Can't Fit Down It", oh dear, obviously no brooms available. A 'Blame everything on the cyclist' one

The only thing this Garda video guy says is illegal, is cycling on footpaths. Basically says you must be onna your Garda. Be alert, Britain needs lerts.

https://www.facebook.com/angardasiochana/videos/4004570366424904/

Bright lights shone at drivers at intersections, does stop them driving out right in front of you while directly looking at you, in my experience - being clad head to toe in hi-viz didn't make any difference to that! My bright headlights also stopped them suddenly driving directly at me and braking, while I pass by at intersections. I'm invisible without bright lights, no matter what I'm wearing. Haven't tried cycling naked yet. Use bright lights so you don't have to either.

3A and a 5A fuse for now, because I don't have another 3A at the moment.

(Diagrammed using Microsoft branded Vizio 2003, who hadn't ruined Vizio completely with bloatware in 2003)




Current drawn by all lights on constant mode:






Rear 1800LM red flasher switched off via switch 3:






Red flasher and one 1800LM headlight on the handlebar switched off via switch 2 and switch 3, leaving the 70LUX on the fork + 2400LM headlight + 1800LM headlight on:





36V X 1.819A = 65.484W in total, including red flasher.

36V X 1.278A = 46.008W headlights.

I'll attempt a capacity test of my ebike battery using this info at some point, bought late November 2019. I may use a 500W capacity test instead, using a small ceramic fan heater via an inverter and DC converter, warm the place up a bit at the same time. Trouble is, I can't measure more than 10A using the DMMs I currently have - might have to buy yet another gizmo of some sort.

 

[MikelBikel]

How about a Mass Escort of Drones?
That should get one noticed to increase passing distance!
Happy Christmas yo ho ho

 

[guerney]

Somewhere on this thread I mused about a DJI on "Follow" mode carrying a big bright spotlight above me while riding. It'd get confused or tangled on something and explode.

 

[MikelBikel]

Somewhere on this thread I mused about a DJI on "Follow" mode carrying a big bright spotlight above me while riding. It'd get confused or tangled on something and explode.

There goes the Drone fad, they'll all get banned! Hehe
(The ability to follow and avoid obstacles is cool though. Off road on private property ;-) )

 

[jimriley]

Someone's a fan of this thread...

 

[Nealh]

Your yankee relative Guerney .

 

[guerney]

Your yankee relative Guerney .

Sadly,shortly after being run over by a lorry, cops shot poor Uncle Ernie to death on Route 66. I daren't wear the patched and cleaned T-shirt I've been bequeathed, for fear of being tasered. He'd still be alive if he'd bolted those flags higher up on his handlebar. I did tell him, but he rejected the superiority of my Oxford to his cost, with tragic consequences. I can only hope none of you make the same error.

 

[thelarkbox]

Replace the pistol motif with that of a claw hammer hovering over a car roof prongs down. .

 

[guerney]

Replace the pistol motif with that of a claw hammer hovering over a car roof prongs down. .

Drivers do appear to fear their precious paintwork being touched by my wildly waggling 15 inch lurid orange lollipop, which is absurd because it's plastic. Yet another example of driver irrationality.

I'm making a small change to wiring of lights - water is never getting into these dual (in series) blade fuses, wrapped in self-adhesive marine heat shrink, and and three layers of self-amalgamating rubber tape.

 

[MikelBikel]

Somewhere on this thread I mused about a DJI on "Follow" mode carrying a big bright spotlight above me while riding. It'd get confused or tangled on something and explode.

And just like that a "New" Drone Bill in US congress. As if it wasn't prepared in advance, y, pre-written.
Apparent purpose, oppressive surveillance of the public?

 

[guerney]

And just like that a "New" Drone Bill in US congress. As if it wasn't prepared in advance, y, pre-written.
Apparent purpose, oppressive surveillance of the public?

I'm surprised. Those drones aren't even toting machine guns. Perhaps the NRA have exerted pressure, having anticipated the future. "From my drone's cold dead claws!"

 

[MikelBikel]

Ebike Rider Keeping the Streets Safe

youtube.com

Or use an extra, loose, wheel . They'll all stay well away!

 

[guerney]

Ebike Rider Keeping the Streets Safe

youtube.com

Or use an extra, loose, wheel . They'll all stay well away!

4.5ft tall self-balancing wheels on three sides on autonomous "Surround and accompany me at a safe distance" mode surely must be possible. Failing that, three of these, but an Oxford lollipop on GoPro mounts is much cheaper and quieter.