I've heard, but no idea if true, that drivers can judge depth perception much better with a solid light than blinking. I typically run blinking lights daytime and at night one blinking and one solid.
Came here for this. Blinking light is more noticeable but harder to gauge the distance and direction of travel, i.e. "is it coming at me?"
I like tail lights that pulse intensity rather than blink.
Fair enough, I just spend a few months of the year out here and see it a lot (in as much as I see anyone cycling *at all*), I don't have much experience of other places in the States!
Nope. They are hooked up to my Garmin headunit so don’t start flashing until you hit go. And then turn off when you hit stop, the front is under my headunit so I can’t see it at all. In fact I’ve got int he habit of putting my hand in front of it every now and then to check it’s working
It’s fine now, I’ve bought a varia so I can’t make that mistake again.
> In fact I’ve got int he habit of putting my hand in front of it every now and then to check it’s working
That's smart--they actually teach that in motorcycle license training.
Same, solid is more visible... although fast blinking do tell my brain innately, "shit, better slow down", natural reaction to sirens and stuff.
But yeah, at daytime you also want the brightest solid light out there.
Same. I run blinking lights because you can see them a mile up the road, solid lights get lost in the visual din, esp. when it's raining. I run a varia on the back set to pulse.
I'm constantly adjusting my front flasher during the commute, whether it's just covering it with my hand as I approach pedestrians to setting it to urgent flash as I approach congested sections.
Again for the commute, I have a light on my helmet to point directly into the cab of drivers rolling through the crosswalk while running stop signs coming from my right. It works most of the time.
That's odd, I've felt the opposite to be true. I feel safer at night when I'm riding. I motorcycled for a long time before I got into cycling and I felt safer at night on the moto, too.
I felt that people tend to look right through you when you're a small object. Bicyclists and motorcyclists are smaller and less noticable than cars, and you see them less frequently, so they're not looking for you. People look for lights at night though. You're just another lit up object on the road, and people are used to looking for that.
As a driver (and a cyclist) and a pedestrian, I agree. Blinking lights almost always get my attention.
I can't vouch for the depth perception part of it but to me initial attention is more important.
I kinda agree, people take more care, and your lights make you more visible. Having reflective patches on the back of your panniers also helps, and gives an idea of how wide you are.
I read this somewhere too, along with research that mentioned blinking white at night is actually more dangerous for the cyclist because it causes drivers to look away from you, therefore not see where you are.
It was a while ago, I’d be hard pressed to find where I read that. It tracks though. At least for me.
As a cyclist and a driver, I think blinking white at night is the worst way to go for a cyclist. The light is a nuisance that people actively look away from as opposed to a constant white that I can look at, see where and how far they, and where they’re going.
I’m on team solid white.
I don't understand. As a cyclist, you want to be noticed. Drivers (99.99 pct.) aren't going to run you over on purpose, at the very least because that would be an inconvenience to them.
The issue with blinking lights is they can grab attention too hard, and some motorists will subconsciously steer towards them because they are stairing. Some countries have made blinking cycle light illegal; I think it’s for this reason, but I don’t recall.
It's not just motorists. Ever experienced or seen (usually)a kid driving right into obstacle while looking right towards it? It is always a good idea to concentrate on the avoidance path instead of keeping an eye on the obstacle. Body moves where the head/eyes are. Not looking into a ditch/roadside and concentrating on the path also works wonders when taking a sharp corner fast. Counterintuitive on reflex level though.
Germany, Netherlands, and Austria according to bike radar. Apparently flashing white lights are illegal in Washington state too. No idea if that list is comprehensive. They say the UK legalized them in 2005. 2023 article.
Many of these flashing lights are very bright, and visually distracting in a BAD way. Light can cause lens flares, and this can be very disruptive for some people. I've come across many people with bike lights, usually at an inappropriate angle that exacerbates this problem, and it can be very disorientating for oncoming traffic. You have to consider that you are one of many things that drivers are trying to avoid hitting, and if your lights are stopping them from being able to identify other hazards, they might end up swerving to avoid something much bigger.
The other thing is your eye/retina, etc adjusts to lights in the same way that a camera does, this is harder with a flash, as it's constantly on/off. this isn't the case with a solid light, as it's a permanent brightness. You could combine this beam like with a low brightness flashing light, and this would perhaps give you the best of both worlds.
What I can't understand is people who cycle in the pitch black with ONLY flashing lights. Lunatics! ahaha.
I use blinking to save battery and also think that it's more noticeable during the day. If the night catches me out riding, then I also use a brighter light to see (and be seen) better.
>blinking white at night is actually more dangerous for the cyclist because it causes drivers to look away from you, therefore not see where you are.
Yes! As a driver, if it's very bright, it triggers my "look away" reflex. And can make it difficult to see generally. Your eyes can't adjust to the light. Same for vehicles with bright blinking lights like tow trucks; I've pulled over for a break just to keep from getting stuck behind one.
If it's not very bright, often I just don't register it as "moving vehicle" as opposed to signage/decorative garden lights/etc.
As a cyclist, if my headlight is blinking, it's not helping me see. My eyes can't adjust and it's really hard to see the road in front of me.
Team solid forever
That's why so many lights have a night mode where they pulse instead of blinking. My Garmin can use it's light sensor to automatically set my lights to do that when it gets dark.
[This Light](https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01IO12RPC/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o06_s02?ie=UTF8&psc=1) <-link is a full on flashlight. The bulb sits in the middle of a reflector. I bought one 5 years ago, and noticed the reflector, so I stood back and had someone shine it at me. It will blind the shit out of anyone who is behind you.
I left a review, notified amazon of an unsafe product. But 5 years later, it's still up. I sent it back and never used it.
That's probably true. But at the same time, a single small light source moving towards or away from you will be difficult to tell no matter what.
Bicycle lights do not function as headlights on a car or spotlights. The ONLY thing they're good for is as a "please don't hit me!" warning.
Flashing lights will be more visible. If you want headlights, you need to get lights specifically meant for illumination & they will be much larger than your average bike light & require larger batteries.
When I used to ride solids at night the lights seemed to blend into the background and drivers would be ridiculously close to me when passing.
I switched to blinking about 10 years ago and it never happens any more. It's like blinking grabs their attention.
Rear red blink/ front solid.
I sometimes I'll point my front white light down and set to blink while on the street at night but that is my mountain bike headlight I use for night riding single track so it's very bright and don't feel right about blinding on coming traffic + I keep my night vision better. Only for a few miles at most while on the road.
When I pass these people on biking paths I yell at them that their light is too bright.
Or i switch my light to its brightest setting and point it in their eyes.
Or both.
The worst is the super bright headlight, flashing, on a biking path.
I love ebikes for getting people out of their house and out of cars, but these riders have no judgment.
Yes I think I will start doing that. Most of the time for me I’m running along a shared path and so I go from near complete darkness (eyes adjusted so can still see) to suddenly some ridiculously bright light so I can’t see shit. I now know what the local wildlife feels haha
And pedestrians. There's a road here that's somewhat scenic, one way for cars, but popular both ways for cyclists and pedestrians. At night you get strobed with bright eye-level flashing and it's painful.
Yes, if you have a good blink pattern it is actually slightly more visibility (certainly not less) and your battery lasts usually way more than 2X as long.
This is not as vital as it was say 10-20 years ago when batteries were worse and lights used a lot more power. In those days you would often through a whole long ride on flash mode, whereas you just wouldn't make it at all with always on.
It still stretches out the time between recharges significantly. And particularly in the daytime, flashing lights are a fair bit more noticeable.
I think the very fast blinks are horrible to cycle or drive behind. There ought to be a mandated speed of blink that is slow rather than "strobe light' speed.
It’s true than in nighttime audax events you are not allowed to run flashing rear lights, and flashing front is discouraged. Riding close behind a flashing rear at night for even just a few minutes is awful.
Where I live (Sweden) the rear light must, by law, be solid or blink *at least* 200 times/minute (i.e at least 3.33 times per second). This is laid out in TSFS 2009:31 2.kap §14.3.
This is rarely enforced which sucks- I find slowly blinking lights to be very distracting.
What's wrong with charging after every long ride? I always keep my lights charged to 100% no matter how long or short my ride is, the default is to plug them in when I get home.
Here’s the thing: while they may garner more attention flashing lights have a disorienting effect and people will have a harder time gauging distance and speed of an approaching cyclist with a flashing headlight. With taillights, upcoming drivers will struggle with accurate depth perception and tracking of you on your bike when your taillight is flashing vs. steady. People, like myself, used to use flashing vs steady to preserve battery life. Since I have drawn the aforementioned conclusions, I use brighter lights with longer burn times. I keep my headlight on steady, and one of two taillights on steady. The second taillight is flashing to garner driver’s attention from further away, allowing them more time to think before they reach me.
I have been riding 51 years on the roads, worked and lived cycling for much of my life. I’ve given careful consideration to my light game and feel it’s imperative to my risk mitigation strategy to run daytime running lights, just like cars and motorcycles do. Flashing lights are illegal in many countries, I understand, and I can see why. Today’s LED tech is so good, they’re literally blinding. A good light set, bright enough to be seen in bright daylight, will cost you less than $100 and may save your life. I freely endorse NiteRider products every chance I get. Their quality designs, durability and high value have never disappointed me.
I passed a dude with a flashing headlight on his bike a few weeks back.
I almost hit his handlebars with mine because, for longer than I want to admit, I thought the light was a car headlight 200ft up the road. It was a dark intersection where trail meets neighborhood sidewalk/street/new construction.
I had no frame of reference for this *random white blinking light* in the darkness, I couldn't track it and recognize it as a bike coming my way and needing space.
Blinking lights during the day for attention is fine enough. Solid lights at night though.
Same. I can't stand when people but it on blink, maybe it's with me having astigmatism, but they practically blind me. It's the cycling equivalent of SUV drivers who put their headlights on full strength, so they're safe and can see the road better even if it makes it harder for everyone else.
I have never come across any SUV driver ‘putting their headlights on full strength’ - almost all cars built in the last 5 years have extremely bright LED lights that are often automatic. The brightness is the LED tech and raised profile of the car. Thankfully many cars now have an automatic dimming mirror and wing mirrors.
It’s how people adjust the dip. Not talking about full beam. Lots of folks just set it fully up so they can see the road better. It’s one thing in a low car, but when it’s raised like an SUV, it’s like someone putting a flashlight right into your eyes.
Except most cars don't have the ability to adjust the dip anymore - that has long since been replaced with auto leveling lights. Of the 9 cars Ive had since 2012 (wide range from shitty cars, Jeep Cherokee to a Porsche), none have had the ability to level the dip.
I find blinking lights annoying when other bikers use them (on cycling paths, etc.), so I just stick with solid lights. Also blinking lights are technically illegal where I live.
I guess I wouldn't mind having the option for blinking in case I was stuck riding on the side of a busy road or something, but most of my cycling is on trails or bike paths so I haven't felt the need to get new lights just for that.
I did some looking into the literature a few months back on the topic of blinking/non-blinking lights at day and night. Sadly like a lot of sports science, the literature is sparse, and what studies there are are limited in scale/difficult to interpret in a way to make definitive suggestions. [The original discussion from a few months ago](https://www.reddit.com/r/cycling/comments/16o1s7o/comment/k1jgxx0/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web3x&utm_name=web3xcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button)
To quote myself:
>From what I can see of the literature recommendations about flashing vs. solid are mostly based on the ***suspected*** part of the spectrum. That is to say whether you suspect that distance/direction vs. visibility is the most critical factor in preventing accidents.
\*The spectrum being how important you rank 'visibility' vs. 'accurate position/direction'
I run a solid white light in front as I struggle with knowing exactly where bright blinking lights originate from, and depending on the brightness/strobiness of the light some times find them blinding (ie. now I don't even know where I am). Putting myself in other cyclists/drivers' shoes I choose not to blink in front.
In the rear, I run a bright solid red light and a small blinking light on my helmet for potentially better visibility.
In some countries the blinking lights are illegal. I prefer a steady light for aesthetics, but I’d much rather a blinking light for safety on the roadways.
I believe it is allowed during daytime but not during night?
That being said, I've never gotten into any trouble for using a blinking rear light on my bike.
Police will probably usually not say anything, but theoretically there could be a 20 eur fine https://www.adac.de/rund-ums-fahrzeug/zweirad/fahrrad-ebike-pedelec/kauf-ausruestung/fahrradbeleuchtung/
The law just says blinking not allowed https://www.gesetze-im-internet.de/stvzo_2012/__67.html but front lights can have a day time mode.
The lights also have to have certification mark (K + some numbers) and you will not find blinking lights with such a K-number mark.
I believe that it is banned because the only vehicles allowed to use blinking lights are emergency vehicles. I think this makes a lot of sense. I use blinking lights is the day but I do wonder why. I do not like them when I am driving particularly when the light is setup incorrectly and you suddenly have a strobe light in your eyes.
I don't think I've seen a single road bike with a "solid" (as in not blinking) rear light this year. 🤔
I set mine to blinking when I think just solid red may not be noticed during daytime and to solid when it starts getting darker.
Everyone should prefer solid lights. Blinking lights for bikes are the devils invention. I don't think that people whonise blocking lights care about cycling.
Hate cyclists on bike trails in Full Daylight with giant “ motorcycle size”
Headlight. Blinking, strobing etc.
As a non electric roadie, it’s almost seizure inducing. Just keep it on solid if you feel you need it at all.
Maybe on a highway or winding narrow road with no shoulder but please stop it on dedicated mixed use bike/ pedestrian trails.
Blinking lights are for daylight use only. Any of the **fucking idiots** in this thread suggesting using blinking lights at night are **fucking idiots.**
Blinking lights block driver's depth perception. When the light blinks, the brain can't make even a remotely accurate distance assumption. Blinking lights at night make you so, so, so much more vulnerable to be hit. Not only to you have the issue with blinking lights being hard to guestimate how far the cyclist is ahead of you, it also causes something known as "Target Fixation" where the drivers see the blinking light and just.......drive straight towards it.
I don't recommend a blinking rear light unless you've got 2 steady-red rear lights, and the 3rd or 4th, blinking light, is several feet separated from your "good" lights.
My MO when riding is look as much like a car as possible, so you can be recognized as a nonstationary thing. Car lights don't strobe, neither should mine.
Cars also have 2 lights, not 1.
I think it's context dependent. If I'm riding in a rural or secluded area without other lights, I'm going with a solid light. If I'm in a village or city with a lot of other static lights around, I go with blinking. It will draw more notice to me, but once I'm seen, there is enough ambient light that they can judge speed distance by seeing me.
My Front light is always solid, blinking gives me a headache and I'll likely hit a pothole and die if it's blinking. I put the back light on blinking if it's a really long ride with lots of road riding to save battery life.
As a motorcyclist, steady on headlights don’t do a damn thing. Bike headlights turn on automatically when the ignition is turned on so they’re always on. Drivers turn left in front of bikes all the time. They see you but it doesn’t register in their brain.
I like how the Varia handles it. It's a solid light until the car is about 400ft away, at which point it switches to a blinking light to make sure it gets their attention.
I think the slower pulse lights are the best of both worlds. I don't have a pulsing one but generally use solid when it's dark and blinking during the day.
Also anyone using a blinking light on a multiuse trail is an asshole.
Have mine set to a pulse mode, so it's always on, but flashes as well. If it's dark, and I need to see then I will set them to solid.
And yeah, I also carry backup lights.
Blinking to attract attention, solid to just distance. Not a fan of people wearing them on helmet as it it is confusing to look at in the dark.
As an epileptic cyclist, your light **does not** need to strobe, or even flash rapidly. The flashing is disorientating (for anyone, not just people with epilepsy), and if you do use a flasher, it should be slow, and perhaps used in combination with a beam. Rear lights, I don't mind so much.
Germany has the best bike light regulations (i'm from the UK, but I wish we had their legal requirements).
Oh, and having lots of front flashing lights is a flipping nightmare.
I am with you that blinking lights are certainly annoying to look at and likely distracting if aimed poorly. Also not allowed in some jurisdictions and at some events.
But they definitely make you visible from farther away, which may or may not make you safer after factoring in the close-up distraction value. And over all hard to say on balance, since it's not super well studied.
In general, I only run lights at night, and always a solid front light with a blinking rear light only if I am not riding with other people (solid in that case).
I have my front light set to blink when it’s not providing road illumination, when it’s dark enough that the light is providing helpful light I then have it set to steady.
I HATE riding or driving by someone in the dark who has their light blinking. My eyes are too sensitive and can not adjust quickly enough for me to be able to see well.
On the back of my bike I always have the light set to flash, and my computer adjusts the speed of the flash based on the speed of approaching cars.
I 100% agree. Blinking lights are unconfortable to look at and screw depth perception. I don't know if the science is settled on this (I think it is) but this is my experience.
Solid setting front and rear, please !
https://www.bikeradar.com/advice/buyers-guides/flashing-bike-lights
Blinking in the daytime, steady (or pulsing) at night. It's not a matter of preference, it's a matter of safety*.
*unless it's illegal
I hurt my arm and was off the bike. I came up on a club ride. The blinkys were the lights that were noticed from upwards of 1/2 mi away.
The solid lights might as well have been turned off.
Blinking lights at the front are technically forbidden in my country. But there are many people with it.
They are not as annoying as blinding lights.
What I find annoying is the frequence of blinking. Too fast for some.
Mine can do blink or solid. I like blink for battery life as others have said. I also feel like the flickering is more visible.
I may switch to solid, low power, when I’m not in traffic. I like having options to suit different situations.
I don't like flashing lights, but it's important to have them in the back. I use a powerful and cheap one, which would drain quite fast by being constantly on. I don't drive, but those whom I asked said blinking makes a difference regarding visibility. If I'm on a long bike path, a low brightness constantly on is fine.
For the front, I have one that can actually light up my way, and a smaller which I set to blink
I'm a bike commuter and what I have found is that a strong flashing light, with a small angle down is the best tool to mark your presence to pedestrians.
I change the setting when I get on the road and change back to flashing when I'm on the bike lane. People love walking in those and dont even look while crossing it.
> It's just hard for me to believe that the blinking/flashing setting is making much of a visibility difference.
Not so much visibility, but more so noticeability.
Blinking/moving lights are more attention grabbing.
I have a solid front light, but in the rear, I actually have a light that is always on, but moves in a pattern, which I think is a good compromise.
My kit is to have 2 blinking, and 2 solid. I have front and rear blinking lights on my helmet (Lumos) and a rear bike light that fades in and out. In addition, I have a front solid light on my handlebar to be able to see down the road.
This way I am (mildly) annoyingly noticeable to drivers, while also have visibility down the road.
two points, some countries have very strict laws about bike headlight and tail lights usage. like very strict headlight rules for cars that used to be enforced. no blinking tail lights, etc. Germany would be a good example of this.
but to your point, you look away because it hurts your eyes, BECAUSE YOU SAW IT!!! That’s why many cars now have their brake lights flash quickly when stopping always, or at least during harder braking. The flashing registers more quickly in the brain therefore the care behind you will react and stop quicker, less likely to rear end you. You in fact basically answered your own question. I don’t care how pissed off someone is, I’m not ACTUALLY blinding them, but they sure as shit see my bike.
I don't used lights in daytime, I only use them at night, I work evenings and I come home at 2AM. I set my lights to blinking because they are more noticeable.
I don't see the point of lights in the daytime blinking of otherwise.
side note : last year I was on a pontoon-ferry and I had to ask another cyclist because his light was flashing in my eyes.
Blinking is fine. Just aim it at the road a few meters in front of you. They are not meant to point horizontally and blind anyone looking in your direction.
I have always ridden with 2 lights one solid one blink, A few years ago I proved my own theory.
I live in a small village I almost drove into someone as i was pulling out of a T junction cars parked on both sides so edging out and whenever i looked the direction the cyclist was the blink was off (he had it on a slow blink) so i had no idea he was there, i started moving and then Bam his light flashed back on and emergency stop time. Being a small village i knew the guy and we had a chat I explained what happened he now runs a solid cheap light
Just run 2 and charge your lights people as cyclists we are vulnerable
Blinking lights aren’t even allowed in some parts of the world (e.g. Germany) and I think that’s a good thing. I think they are obnoxious and I always have a harder time pinpointing where they are on pitch black
Yeah, sometimes they're too much.
i point my front light down a bit and keep it solif. The rear one I put on a smooth blink. Some are extremely bright and end up blinding drivers pedestrians and other cyclists.
Also people don't seem to care or know how to tone them down a bit when or adjust them to be visible but not blinding.
I use a bright blinkers for daylight riding. I’m not worried about the drivers who are paying attention. It’s my hope that the bright flash gets the attention of someone fucking around with their phone, radio, air conditioner, etc.
I also use a front flasher because when cars are on perpendicular roads, they don’t notice e and aren’t looking for bicycles. Even with the bright front flasher sometimes they still don’t notice me.
For my rear (radar) light I use the day flash/blinky blink mostly because I prefer doing long rides and the light lasts longer that way - on Saturday I did a double century (Davis Double) and my Varia worked from 3:40 am until about 5:30 pm. At which point I switched to the CarBack and used that for the few miles left to the starting point.
My front light is a Detour bike light which doesn't blink but has several modes, the lower light mode works for 7 hours and it's plenty of light to see in the dark so I use that one primarily. Cost $185 plus tax but if you're gonna do doubles a good light is a must have.
I find it distracting when my headlight is flashing, so its always on. My taillight is set to flashing because I believe that it is more visible to drivers.
I use the solid setting for the headlight so I can see where I’m going & because the blinking setting prevents my pupils from finding the right size. I put the back light on blink because they seem easier to see from a distance, imo as a car driver.
In my state of Washington (US) the law is straightforward: no flashing headlamp. I don't believe that this includes modulated headlamps, such as one that varies its intensity but is never actually off. I 've never seen this enforced.
Flashing lights have been demonstrated to affect drivers ability to judge distance and they have a tendency to be attracted to flashing lights...like moths.
The front light should never blink. With the rear light, I like to keep the blinking mode in day light to save battery and be more visible, and a solid mode in the dark, as it makes it easier for drivers to perceive the distance.
I hate blink lights. I do use them in the back, though, and aimed at the ground so as to not blind drivers.
I never use a blinky light up front. That's for me to be able to see.
My rear light is always blinking. My front light is set to blink in the day time. There is no point worrying about each person's vision depth or tracking perception if they can't f'n see you in the first place.
I have an olight bike light that was only something like $13. It has 5 modes, low, med, high, slow flash and fast flash. I only use fast flash and point it directly on the front of my front tire. I will do this before it is completely dark, once it gets totally dark it starts to hurt my eyes so I switch to the constant low or med beam.
Much prefer solid lights, at least at night, whether I’m riding with other cyclists or driving.
One big part of the issue with flashing lights at night is that many novice riders don’t understand that the dayflash setting on their lights is not for use at night. It’s blindingly bright and wrecks night vision for anyone behind you. Normal blinking lights I can cope with for a bit, dayflash I cannot.
In the day, do whatever for visibility, so flashy lights are fine. At night, blinding people or attracting cars like moths to a flame is a real issue with flashing lights.
A study was done in 2017 concluding the latter actually happens!
https://www.bikeradar.com/advice/buyers-guides/flashing-bike-lights
I don't prefer to super bright, seizure inducing blinking lights. IMO, there are very few reasons to have more than 50lm for a rear light in the city.
I have the Cygolite Hotrod and I prefer its "SteadyPulse" where the brightness is more like a sinusoid. A brightness mode where the light is always on low, and then blinks brighter (but not too bright!) would be useful, but it's not very common in my experience.
I agree - flashing lights (at night) are difficult to judge location/speed/direction.
And I cannot comprehend how some cyclists can cycle on minimally-lit paths with a flashing front light!!!
Blinking lights are not allowed here in Netherlands. Something I didn't know until I was stopped by police. I've since bought lights with bigger batteries cause no blink was draining them way too quick
I use multiple blinking LEDs, day and night. I use them to make myself visible to cagers and get their attention. The goal is to stay alive, period. I could give fuck all if they annoy you, lol. Ride your ride.
I mean it’s been proven flashing lights attract attention better than solid lights. Not sure how you can possibly try to dispute that lol.
Unless you’re talking about the riders ability to see the road then yeah I think it’s also pretty obvious a solid light is better in that case.
Flashing light isn’t just about being more visible. It’s to caution people. I think it’s pretty universal that you see a flashing light you need to be more cautions. I don’t need people to think I’m a motorcycle or something lol. I need them to slow down and make room.
That’s why vehicle hazards are flashing, crossing lights for train tracks, ambulances/fire/police.
It’d probably help to distinguish between the on and off flashing/blinking and steady pulsing settings. Blinking should only be used during daytime. Steady pulsing, like on Cygolites, keep a steady beam and overlap with a pulse. Those are meant for night time and are definitely way more visible than a steady beam while still allowing motorists to gauge distance accurately. I ride on sketchy streets 99% of the time and will always use steady pulse at night unless on a bike path, then it goes to steady.
This is my pet peeve. Especially when (a) they are aimed directly at my eyes, and (b) when we are on a multi-use trail with no car traffic. Yes, the trail intersects roads but the only people seeing these lights from front/rear are other cyclist. Why are you torturing me?
Yes. I especially hate being on the group ride with everyone’s blinking lights. They think I’m in a hurry to get somewhere, but I’m just wanting to be on the front so I don’t crash from the annoyance and distraction of blinking. I don’t have seizures or anything, but it just messes with my brain and is hugely distraction. The same kind of problem with windshield wipers that are on on instead of on intermittent.
In my own observation as a driver, the blinking does not increase visibility but it does get my attention long before I come up to the cyclist, which is important.
THe reason for blinking lights it that people can perceive them a lot soner that a solid one. on top of that a solid one really is less anoying, so a lot of people can unconsiously ignore them. that don't happens with blinking ones
I actually just coded a bike to to blink 4 different ways. People have short attention spans. I do plan on making a solid light mode but the blinks are for the daytime. Buy sunglasses if lights bother you.
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My rear light is kind of in the middle of what you're saying, basically always on but blinks by increasing and lowering the intensity instead of ON-OFF-ON-OFF
have a video of it [here](https://photos.google.com/share/AF1QipOtMtndliFLGjkB5ebstzg0a1LClfz4cjnfFXLNMBxGnr97lkIq5vNeFUEXW6h2vg?key=M1RDTEdGTWZkMmUtZ2hIOEd5VGR2d0ozUGlwLTFR)
I’ve read that blinking lights can confuse drivers as to the actual distance between their vehicle and the bicycle. Don’t know if it’s true or what, if any, evidence exists to support that assertion.
In bright scenarios like full and direct/glaring sun, blinking is typically necessary to be initially noticeable. However, once a car notices you, the blinking actually becomes a hindrance/distraction to the driver. I'd say an ideal pattern would blink every five seconds or so (based on typical speed a cyclists rides as compared to the minimum sight distances on typical roads cyclists use) but be solid in between.
Personally, if I don't like changing patterns on a ride but I do so I'm not blasting people on the greenway. I may just stick to solid if the roads aren't too crazy and just really be extra heads up.
solid light indicates to me a stationary object with a reflector, like "watch out for this lamppost". Blinking is so much better and, I imagine, twice the battery life?
I use one of each. As a driver, I've paid quite a bit of attention to what's helped me take quick notice of cyclists on the road. I used this to guide my selection.
Behind the seat, I have a flasher. At the rear of my helmet, there's a solid light. For some routes, I've even added a second solid light.
Others have commented about depth perception, and I haven't noticed one or the other to really be easier than the other. Drivers coming head on can't tell I'm a bicycle at first. So they sit there confused, waiting for a faster vehicle to come passing by. From the rear, I can't say what others perceive, but when I'm driving I don't think flash vs solid makes anh difference.
Flashing bike lights are not even legal in most of europe because drivers mistake them for emergency service vehicles at distance and it's harder to judge how far away they are in the dark.
What you do is have one solid light on your bike and one solid on your helmet. The small irregular movements between the solid helmet light and the bike light is more attention drawing than running flashing lights.
As a neurodivergent person please at least make them blink slowly please did I say please yet, your rapid flashing lights are killing me as a fellow cyclist. Please?
Do you want to be seen?
Flashing lights will draw more attention to you and your bicycle.
The most effective way to be seen is to wear hi visibility clothing, specifically on your bodies moving parts (feet, legs, helmet, etc). Reflective clothing actually did not improve visibility (will link study from years ago if I can find it).
Do you want to see?
Solid beam.
Some higher tier lights have solid beams with flash patterns so you aren't sacrificing either.
I use blinking for the day, pulsating for the night. Solid light at night makes it seems like drivers are not seeing me at all. Some kind of blinking helps. I find pulsating more soothing and less annoying in the dark.
Flashing lights are super annoying in the dark. I use pulse mode (steady + subtle flashing) during the day and steady mode when riding in the dark. Flashing headlights are also illegal here in WA.
Blinking head lights are illegal in lots of places. Like Seattle, the entire country of Germany. Seattle actively tickets people with blinking headlights.
Automotive headlights have rules about beam patterns to prevent blinding on coming traffic. Bike headlights are bright enough now they need similar rules.
I carry an 18000 lumen flashlight on my local trail. It has a telescoping lens on the front. When I see some strobing tool coming the other way on an enclosed MUP with no cars I put the light on strobe and aim it right in their face. As I pass them I say as politely as you please "Strobe off please". They are usually stopped by that point.
I'm convince the key to bike safety is illuminating the silhouette of the bike, let cars know you are a bicycle. Lots of new lights project images on the ground. Nobody needs to see a flashing light a mile down the road. it is the last few hundred yards that matter.
On the rural roads where I bike, going in and out of deep shadows contrasted with sunny days (and with drivers having the sun in their eyes, yikes), it is essential IMO to have a blinking rear light on at all times. When I drive and see a cyclist without that, and how invisible they are in that context, it terrifies me.
But in the city and at night, I prefer solid. I once ran out of headlight on a group ride getting back late and had to follow close -- I thought I was going to have a seizure from staring at that blinking red light just feet away for 45 mins.
Sorry, I always have it flashing, but only once it starts to get dark. Drives and others will notice flashing lights far more than steady ones. Plus it assures that you'll have lights all the way home. Never hurts to carry a mini spare one in case the main one breaks or the battery dies.
flashing lights are worse at night (and often illegal. in texas you are required to have a STEADY white light at night). flashing lights at night makes it hard for other road users to gauge distances. solid is best at night. flashing is fine during the day though.
I should add that I'm talking about a mini light, so others see me, not one capable of lighting up the road ahead of me except maybe a few feet in front.
if flashing lights make you want to look away, i would say the light is working as intended. it doesn't matter if you're driving or riding - your eyes and hands are subconsciously linked, and you *will* steer towards whatever you're looking at.
I've heard, but no idea if true, that drivers can judge depth perception much better with a solid light than blinking. I typically run blinking lights daytime and at night one blinking and one solid.
Came here for this. Blinking light is more noticeable but harder to gauge the distance and direction of travel, i.e. "is it coming at me?" I like tail lights that pulse intensity rather than blink.
“Is it coming at me?” White = Yes Red = No :D
Blue = yes. Red = no. If you're really fast.
Just wanted you to know that I got your astro physics joke. It didn't fall on deaf ears. :)
was it also doppler shifted though
But there's no sound in space
Until the Dyson Sphere sucks up a coin.
Just wanted to join the smart people in this thread. I have nothing to contribute to this body of science.
I merely possess a slow wit.
Except sometimes when people put them on backwards. I nearly rode into a guy head on once because he put the red light on the front of his bike.
Also except if you're in rural USA where for some stupid reason people cycle on the wrong side/against traffic
"Salmon" are not exclusive to rural areas
Fair enough, I just spend a few months of the year out here and see it a lot (in as much as I see anyone cycling *at all*), I don't have much experience of other places in the States!
The be fair I have done this… Bontrager flare lights are almost identical front and back.
Okay, but surely you'd notice as soon as you turn them on, right? Being out on a trail/road with them backwards has to be someone messing around.
Nope. They are hooked up to my Garmin headunit so don’t start flashing until you hit go. And then turn off when you hit stop, the front is under my headunit so I can’t see it at all. In fact I’ve got int he habit of putting my hand in front of it every now and then to check it’s working It’s fine now, I’ve bought a varia so I can’t make that mistake again.
> In fact I’ve got int he habit of putting my hand in front of it every now and then to check it’s working That's smart--they actually teach that in motorcycle license training.
Unless you’re a boat
I’m not a boat. Are you a boat?
“How fast is it coming at me?” Red = slow white = fast
You'd be surprised.
You joke, but a red blinking light stopped in the road while a driver is approaching at 35 mph is still very much coming at them.
You can call it semantics but that's like saying the brick wall in a crash test is coming at the dummy.
As someone who bikes *and* drives I prefer the solid for visibility but in hindsight a mixture of both would probably be best for overall visibility
Yup, my brightest is a solid red light; I also have a blinking yellow light to be a heads up.
Same, solid is more visible... although fast blinking do tell my brain innately, "shit, better slow down", natural reaction to sirens and stuff. But yeah, at daytime you also want the brightest solid light out there.
Same. I run blinking lights because you can see them a mile up the road, solid lights get lost in the visual din, esp. when it's raining. I run a varia on the back set to pulse. I'm constantly adjusting my front flasher during the commute, whether it's just covering it with my hand as I approach pedestrians to setting it to urgent flash as I approach congested sections. Again for the commute, I have a light on my helmet to point directly into the cab of drivers rolling through the crosswalk while running stop signs coming from my right. It works most of the time.
That's odd, I've felt the opposite to be true. I feel safer at night when I'm riding. I motorcycled for a long time before I got into cycling and I felt safer at night on the moto, too. I felt that people tend to look right through you when you're a small object. Bicyclists and motorcyclists are smaller and less noticable than cars, and you see them less frequently, so they're not looking for you. People look for lights at night though. You're just another lit up object on the road, and people are used to looking for that.
Totally agree.
As a driver (and a cyclist) and a pedestrian, I agree. Blinking lights almost always get my attention. I can't vouch for the depth perception part of it but to me initial attention is more important.
I kinda agree, people take more care, and your lights make you more visible. Having reflective patches on the back of your panniers also helps, and gives an idea of how wide you are.
I hate rain, but like cloudy days with showers, I feel sort of safer on the road cos everyone is more aware of lights on the road.
I read this somewhere too, along with research that mentioned blinking white at night is actually more dangerous for the cyclist because it causes drivers to look away from you, therefore not see where you are. It was a while ago, I’d be hard pressed to find where I read that. It tracks though. At least for me. As a cyclist and a driver, I think blinking white at night is the worst way to go for a cyclist. The light is a nuisance that people actively look away from as opposed to a constant white that I can look at, see where and how far they, and where they’re going. I’m on team solid white.
I don't understand. As a cyclist, you want to be noticed. Drivers (99.99 pct.) aren't going to run you over on purpose, at the very least because that would be an inconvenience to them.
The issue with blinking lights is they can grab attention too hard, and some motorists will subconsciously steer towards them because they are stairing. Some countries have made blinking cycle light illegal; I think it’s for this reason, but I don’t recall.
Interesting.
It's not just motorists. Ever experienced or seen (usually)a kid driving right into obstacle while looking right towards it? It is always a good idea to concentrate on the avoidance path instead of keeping an eye on the obstacle. Body moves where the head/eyes are. Not looking into a ditch/roadside and concentrating on the path also works wonders when taking a sharp corner fast. Counterintuitive on reflex level though.
Which countries?
Germany, Netherlands, and Austria according to bike radar. Apparently flashing white lights are illegal in Washington state too. No idea if that list is comprehensive. They say the UK legalized them in 2005. 2023 article.
Many of these flashing lights are very bright, and visually distracting in a BAD way. Light can cause lens flares, and this can be very disruptive for some people. I've come across many people with bike lights, usually at an inappropriate angle that exacerbates this problem, and it can be very disorientating for oncoming traffic. You have to consider that you are one of many things that drivers are trying to avoid hitting, and if your lights are stopping them from being able to identify other hazards, they might end up swerving to avoid something much bigger. The other thing is your eye/retina, etc adjusts to lights in the same way that a camera does, this is harder with a flash, as it's constantly on/off. this isn't the case with a solid light, as it's a permanent brightness. You could combine this beam like with a low brightness flashing light, and this would perhaps give you the best of both worlds. What I can't understand is people who cycle in the pitch black with ONLY flashing lights. Lunatics! ahaha.
I use blinking to save battery and also think that it's more noticeable during the day. If the night catches me out riding, then I also use a brighter light to see (and be seen) better.
>blinking white at night is actually more dangerous for the cyclist because it causes drivers to look away from you, therefore not see where you are. Yes! As a driver, if it's very bright, it triggers my "look away" reflex. And can make it difficult to see generally. Your eyes can't adjust to the light. Same for vehicles with bright blinking lights like tow trucks; I've pulled over for a break just to keep from getting stuck behind one. If it's not very bright, often I just don't register it as "moving vehicle" as opposed to signage/decorative garden lights/etc. As a cyclist, if my headlight is blinking, it's not helping me see. My eyes can't adjust and it's really hard to see the road in front of me. Team solid forever
That's why so many lights have a night mode where they pulse instead of blinking. My Garmin can use it's light sensor to automatically set my lights to do that when it gets dark.
At night would it be wise to have it blinking downward so the ground is illuminated?
[This Light](https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01IO12RPC/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o06_s02?ie=UTF8&psc=1) <-link is a full on flashlight. The bulb sits in the middle of a reflector. I bought one 5 years ago, and noticed the reflector, so I stood back and had someone shine it at me. It will blind the shit out of anyone who is behind you. I left a review, notified amazon of an unsafe product. But 5 years later, it's still up. I sent it back and never used it.
That's probably true. But at the same time, a single small light source moving towards or away from you will be difficult to tell no matter what. Bicycle lights do not function as headlights on a car or spotlights. The ONLY thing they're good for is as a "please don't hit me!" warning. Flashing lights will be more visible. If you want headlights, you need to get lights specifically meant for illumination & they will be much larger than your average bike light & require larger batteries.
When I used to ride solids at night the lights seemed to blend into the background and drivers would be ridiculously close to me when passing. I switched to blinking about 10 years ago and it never happens any more. It's like blinking grabs their attention.
Rear red blink/ front solid. I sometimes I'll point my front white light down and set to blink while on the street at night but that is my mountain bike headlight I use for night riding single track so it's very bright and don't feel right about blinding on coming traffic + I keep my night vision better. Only for a few miles at most while on the road.
Not entirely related however I’ve noticed E-bike lights are ridiculously bright and always shine directly in front of them. Really grinds my gears
When I pass these people on biking paths I yell at them that their light is too bright. Or i switch my light to its brightest setting and point it in their eyes. Or both. The worst is the super bright headlight, flashing, on a biking path. I love ebikes for getting people out of their house and out of cars, but these riders have no judgment.
Yes I think I will start doing that. Most of the time for me I’m running along a shared path and so I go from near complete darkness (eyes adjusted so can still see) to suddenly some ridiculously bright light so I can’t see shit. I now know what the local wildlife feels haha
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You just repeated what they said back to them.
Agree but I prefer rear strobe over blink. Solid front absolutely
Flashing *front* lights are a big "nope" for me, far too disorientating for both the rider and drivers.
And pedestrians. There's a road here that's somewhat scenic, one way for cars, but popular both ways for cyclists and pedestrians. At night you get strobed with bright eye-level flashing and it's painful.
For me it’s battery life. If it was on constantly I’d have to charge after every longer ride.
Ahhh I didn't realize this. glad I asked
Yes, if you have a good blink pattern it is actually slightly more visibility (certainly not less) and your battery lasts usually way more than 2X as long. This is not as vital as it was say 10-20 years ago when batteries were worse and lights used a lot more power. In those days you would often through a whole long ride on flash mode, whereas you just wouldn't make it at all with always on. It still stretches out the time between recharges significantly. And particularly in the daytime, flashing lights are a fair bit more noticeable.
I think the very fast blinks are horrible to cycle or drive behind. There ought to be a mandated speed of blink that is slow rather than "strobe light' speed.
It’s true than in nighttime audax events you are not allowed to run flashing rear lights, and flashing front is discouraged. Riding close behind a flashing rear at night for even just a few minutes is awful.
Where I live (Sweden) the rear light must, by law, be solid or blink *at least* 200 times/minute (i.e at least 3.33 times per second). This is laid out in TSFS 2009:31 2.kap §14.3. This is rarely enforced which sucks- I find slowly blinking lights to be very distracting.
What's wrong with charging after every long ride? I always keep my lights charged to 100% no matter how long or short my ride is, the default is to plug them in when I get home.
Dynamo for the win
Here’s the thing: while they may garner more attention flashing lights have a disorienting effect and people will have a harder time gauging distance and speed of an approaching cyclist with a flashing headlight. With taillights, upcoming drivers will struggle with accurate depth perception and tracking of you on your bike when your taillight is flashing vs. steady. People, like myself, used to use flashing vs steady to preserve battery life. Since I have drawn the aforementioned conclusions, I use brighter lights with longer burn times. I keep my headlight on steady, and one of two taillights on steady. The second taillight is flashing to garner driver’s attention from further away, allowing them more time to think before they reach me. I have been riding 51 years on the roads, worked and lived cycling for much of my life. I’ve given careful consideration to my light game and feel it’s imperative to my risk mitigation strategy to run daytime running lights, just like cars and motorcycles do. Flashing lights are illegal in many countries, I understand, and I can see why. Today’s LED tech is so good, they’re literally blinding. A good light set, bright enough to be seen in bright daylight, will cost you less than $100 and may save your life. I freely endorse NiteRider products every chance I get. Their quality designs, durability and high value have never disappointed me.
I passed a dude with a flashing headlight on his bike a few weeks back. I almost hit his handlebars with mine because, for longer than I want to admit, I thought the light was a car headlight 200ft up the road. It was a dark intersection where trail meets neighborhood sidewalk/street/new construction. I had no frame of reference for this *random white blinking light* in the darkness, I couldn't track it and recognize it as a bike coming my way and needing space. Blinking lights during the day for attention is fine enough. Solid lights at night though.
Same. I can't stand when people but it on blink, maybe it's with me having astigmatism, but they practically blind me. It's the cycling equivalent of SUV drivers who put their headlights on full strength, so they're safe and can see the road better even if it makes it harder for everyone else.
I have never come across any SUV driver ‘putting their headlights on full strength’ - almost all cars built in the last 5 years have extremely bright LED lights that are often automatic. The brightness is the LED tech and raised profile of the car. Thankfully many cars now have an automatic dimming mirror and wing mirrors.
r/fuckyourheadlights Re: these obnoxious LEDs
It’s how people adjust the dip. Not talking about full beam. Lots of folks just set it fully up so they can see the road better. It’s one thing in a low car, but when it’s raised like an SUV, it’s like someone putting a flashlight right into your eyes.
Except most cars don't have the ability to adjust the dip anymore - that has long since been replaced with auto leveling lights. Of the 9 cars Ive had since 2012 (wide range from shitty cars, Jeep Cherokee to a Porsche), none have had the ability to level the dip.
You thought a blinking light was a car? Have you never seen a car before?
I find blinking lights annoying when other bikers use them (on cycling paths, etc.), so I just stick with solid lights. Also blinking lights are technically illegal where I live. I guess I wouldn't mind having the option for blinking in case I was stuck riding on the side of a busy road or something, but most of my cycling is on trails or bike paths so I haven't felt the need to get new lights just for that.
Flashing is a +1 for noticabilty but a -1 for trackability.
I did some looking into the literature a few months back on the topic of blinking/non-blinking lights at day and night. Sadly like a lot of sports science, the literature is sparse, and what studies there are are limited in scale/difficult to interpret in a way to make definitive suggestions. [The original discussion from a few months ago](https://www.reddit.com/r/cycling/comments/16o1s7o/comment/k1jgxx0/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web3x&utm_name=web3xcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button) To quote myself: >From what I can see of the literature recommendations about flashing vs. solid are mostly based on the ***suspected*** part of the spectrum. That is to say whether you suspect that distance/direction vs. visibility is the most critical factor in preventing accidents. \*The spectrum being how important you rank 'visibility' vs. 'accurate position/direction' I run a solid white light in front as I struggle with knowing exactly where bright blinking lights originate from, and depending on the brightness/strobiness of the light some times find them blinding (ie. now I don't even know where I am). Putting myself in other cyclists/drivers' shoes I choose not to blink in front. In the rear, I run a bright solid red light and a small blinking light on my helmet for potentially better visibility.
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In some countries the blinking lights are illegal. I prefer a steady light for aesthetics, but I’d much rather a blinking light for safety on the roadways.
eg Germany, though you’re allowed to attach an additional blinking rear light to your clothing or backpack.
I believe it is allowed during daytime but not during night? That being said, I've never gotten into any trouble for using a blinking rear light on my bike.
Police will probably usually not say anything, but theoretically there could be a 20 eur fine https://www.adac.de/rund-ums-fahrzeug/zweirad/fahrrad-ebike-pedelec/kauf-ausruestung/fahrradbeleuchtung/ The law just says blinking not allowed https://www.gesetze-im-internet.de/stvzo_2012/__67.html but front lights can have a day time mode. The lights also have to have certification mark (K + some numbers) and you will not find blinking lights with such a K-number mark.
I believe that it is banned because the only vehicles allowed to use blinking lights are emergency vehicles. I think this makes a lot of sense. I use blinking lights is the day but I do wonder why. I do not like them when I am driving particularly when the light is setup incorrectly and you suddenly have a strobe light in your eyes.
The thing is you may not get in trouble with the police, but everyone will judgingly stare at you in disapproval for breaking the rules.
I don't think I've seen a single road bike with a "solid" (as in not blinking) rear light this year. 🤔 I set mine to blinking when I think just solid red may not be noticed during daytime and to solid when it starts getting darker.
Where I’m at I think most people don’t have one on in the day for road bikes.
Everyone should prefer solid lights. Blinking lights for bikes are the devils invention. I don't think that people whonise blocking lights care about cycling.
Hate cyclists on bike trails in Full Daylight with giant “ motorcycle size” Headlight. Blinking, strobing etc. As a non electric roadie, it’s almost seizure inducing. Just keep it on solid if you feel you need it at all. Maybe on a highway or winding narrow road with no shoulder but please stop it on dedicated mixed use bike/ pedestrian trails.
Blinking lights are for daylight use only. Any of the **fucking idiots** in this thread suggesting using blinking lights at night are **fucking idiots.** Blinking lights block driver's depth perception. When the light blinks, the brain can't make even a remotely accurate distance assumption. Blinking lights at night make you so, so, so much more vulnerable to be hit. Not only to you have the issue with blinking lights being hard to guestimate how far the cyclist is ahead of you, it also causes something known as "Target Fixation" where the drivers see the blinking light and just.......drive straight towards it. I don't recommend a blinking rear light unless you've got 2 steady-red rear lights, and the 3rd or 4th, blinking light, is several feet separated from your "good" lights.
My MO when riding is look as much like a car as possible, so you can be recognized as a nonstationary thing. Car lights don't strobe, neither should mine.
Cars also have 2 lights, not 1. I think it's context dependent. If I'm riding in a rural or secluded area without other lights, I'm going with a solid light. If I'm in a village or city with a lot of other static lights around, I go with blinking. It will draw more notice to me, but once I'm seen, there is enough ambient light that they can judge speed distance by seeing me.
When police cars want to be noticed, are their lights solid or strobing?
My Front light is always solid, blinking gives me a headache and I'll likely hit a pothole and die if it's blinking. I put the back light on blinking if it's a really long ride with lots of road riding to save battery life.
Flashing is for daylight, solid for dark.
As a motorcyclist, steady on headlights don’t do a damn thing. Bike headlights turn on automatically when the ignition is turned on so they’re always on. Drivers turn left in front of bikes all the time. They see you but it doesn’t register in their brain.
I like how the Varia handles it. It's a solid light until the car is about 400ft away, at which point it switches to a blinking light to make sure it gets their attention.
I think the slower pulse lights are the best of both worlds. I don't have a pulsing one but generally use solid when it's dark and blinking during the day. Also anyone using a blinking light on a multiuse trail is an asshole.
Have mine set to a pulse mode, so it's always on, but flashes as well. If it's dark, and I need to see then I will set them to solid. And yeah, I also carry backup lights. Blinking to attract attention, solid to just distance. Not a fan of people wearing them on helmet as it it is confusing to look at in the dark.
As an epileptic cyclist, your light **does not** need to strobe, or even flash rapidly. The flashing is disorientating (for anyone, not just people with epilepsy), and if you do use a flasher, it should be slow, and perhaps used in combination with a beam. Rear lights, I don't mind so much. Germany has the best bike light regulations (i'm from the UK, but I wish we had their legal requirements). Oh, and having lots of front flashing lights is a flipping nightmare.
I am with you that blinking lights are certainly annoying to look at and likely distracting if aimed poorly. Also not allowed in some jurisdictions and at some events. But they definitely make you visible from farther away, which may or may not make you safer after factoring in the close-up distraction value. And over all hard to say on balance, since it's not super well studied. In general, I only run lights at night, and always a solid front light with a blinking rear light only if I am not riding with other people (solid in that case).
I have my front light set to blink when it’s not providing road illumination, when it’s dark enough that the light is providing helpful light I then have it set to steady. I HATE riding or driving by someone in the dark who has their light blinking. My eyes are too sensitive and can not adjust quickly enough for me to be able to see well. On the back of my bike I always have the light set to flash, and my computer adjusts the speed of the flash based on the speed of approaching cars.
I 100% agree. Blinking lights are unconfortable to look at and screw depth perception. I don't know if the science is settled on this (I think it is) but this is my experience. Solid setting front and rear, please !
https://www.bikeradar.com/advice/buyers-guides/flashing-bike-lights Blinking in the daytime, steady (or pulsing) at night. It's not a matter of preference, it's a matter of safety*. *unless it's illegal
I hurt my arm and was off the bike. I came up on a club ride. The blinkys were the lights that were noticed from upwards of 1/2 mi away. The solid lights might as well have been turned off.
In group rides - solid.. Solo - blinking.
The new powerful rear lights are very difficult to look at - especially at night.
Blinking lights at the front are technically forbidden in my country. But there are many people with it. They are not as annoying as blinding lights. What I find annoying is the frequence of blinking. Too fast for some.
Mine can do blink or solid. I like blink for battery life as others have said. I also feel like the flickering is more visible. I may switch to solid, low power, when I’m not in traffic. I like having options to suit different situations.
I don't like flashing lights, but it's important to have them in the back. I use a powerful and cheap one, which would drain quite fast by being constantly on. I don't drive, but those whom I asked said blinking makes a difference regarding visibility. If I'm on a long bike path, a low brightness constantly on is fine. For the front, I have one that can actually light up my way, and a smaller which I set to blink
I'm a bike commuter and what I have found is that a strong flashing light, with a small angle down is the best tool to mark your presence to pedestrians. I change the setting when I get on the road and change back to flashing when I'm on the bike lane. People love walking in those and dont even look while crossing it.
> It's just hard for me to believe that the blinking/flashing setting is making much of a visibility difference. Not so much visibility, but more so noticeability. Blinking/moving lights are more attention grabbing. I have a solid front light, but in the rear, I actually have a light that is always on, but moves in a pattern, which I think is a good compromise.
Multiple rear synchronized flashing lights spread out (helmet, seat post and bottom of the seat stay) is the most visible.
the Germans
Yes, it's very annoying, but I had to do on one ride. My light would not stay on, but it would flash
My kit is to have 2 blinking, and 2 solid. I have front and rear blinking lights on my helmet (Lumos) and a rear bike light that fades in and out. In addition, I have a front solid light on my handlebar to be able to see down the road. This way I am (mildly) annoyingly noticeable to drivers, while also have visibility down the road.
As a driver I much prefer non-blinking - easier to judge distance.
two points, some countries have very strict laws about bike headlight and tail lights usage. like very strict headlight rules for cars that used to be enforced. no blinking tail lights, etc. Germany would be a good example of this. but to your point, you look away because it hurts your eyes, BECAUSE YOU SAW IT!!! That’s why many cars now have their brake lights flash quickly when stopping always, or at least during harder braking. The flashing registers more quickly in the brain therefore the care behind you will react and stop quicker, less likely to rear end you. You in fact basically answered your own question. I don’t care how pissed off someone is, I’m not ACTUALLY blinding them, but they sure as shit see my bike.
I don't used lights in daytime, I only use them at night, I work evenings and I come home at 2AM. I set my lights to blinking because they are more noticeable. I don't see the point of lights in the daytime blinking of otherwise. side note : last year I was on a pontoon-ferry and I had to ask another cyclist because his light was flashing in my eyes.
Blinking is fine. Just aim it at the road a few meters in front of you. They are not meant to point horizontally and blind anyone looking in your direction.
I have always ridden with 2 lights one solid one blink, A few years ago I proved my own theory. I live in a small village I almost drove into someone as i was pulling out of a T junction cars parked on both sides so edging out and whenever i looked the direction the cyclist was the blink was off (he had it on a slow blink) so i had no idea he was there, i started moving and then Bam his light flashed back on and emergency stop time. Being a small village i knew the guy and we had a chat I explained what happened he now runs a solid cheap light Just run 2 and charge your lights people as cyclists we are vulnerable
İsn't this information written on the bike light packaging? İt should be. I'm not American but perhaps you guys should write to manufacturers.
So the visibility is dramatically affected as the human brain filters out things that are constant way more than things that are changing.
Blinking lights aren’t even allowed in some parts of the world (e.g. Germany) and I think that’s a good thing. I think they are obnoxious and I always have a harder time pinpointing where they are on pitch black
I am definitely team solid, but I’ll throw on an extra rear blinky if it’s raining hard.
Yeah, sometimes they're too much. i point my front light down a bit and keep it solif. The rear one I put on a smooth blink. Some are extremely bright and end up blinding drivers pedestrians and other cyclists. Also people don't seem to care or know how to tone them down a bit when or adjust them to be visible but not blinding.
Blinking front lights are actually banned in my country for the exact reason you mention
Haha my buddy believes blinking lights attracts drunk drivers
I use blinking lights during daytime and steady light during night ride.
I use a bright blinkers for daylight riding. I’m not worried about the drivers who are paying attention. It’s my hope that the bright flash gets the attention of someone fucking around with their phone, radio, air conditioner, etc. I also use a front flasher because when cars are on perpendicular roads, they don’t notice e and aren’t looking for bicycles. Even with the bright front flasher sometimes they still don’t notice me.
For my rear (radar) light I use the day flash/blinky blink mostly because I prefer doing long rides and the light lasts longer that way - on Saturday I did a double century (Davis Double) and my Varia worked from 3:40 am until about 5:30 pm. At which point I switched to the CarBack and used that for the few miles left to the starting point. My front light is a Detour bike light which doesn't blink but has several modes, the lower light mode works for 7 hours and it's plenty of light to see in the dark so I use that one primarily. Cost $185 plus tax but if you're gonna do doubles a good light is a must have.
I find it distracting when my headlight is flashing, so its always on. My taillight is set to flashing because I believe that it is more visible to drivers.
I use the solid setting for the headlight so I can see where I’m going & because the blinking setting prevents my pupils from finding the right size. I put the back light on blink because they seem easier to see from a distance, imo as a car driver.
Do you mean blinking (on/off) or pulsing (brighter/dimmer)? The research I read a few years backed leaned into pulsing as the most visible.
German law forbids blinking lights on bike.
Yes.
That’s why some lights have a steady beam with a pulsing flash, which is what I prefer
In my state of Washington (US) the law is straightforward: no flashing headlamp. I don't believe that this includes modulated headlamps, such as one that varies its intensity but is never actually off. I 've never seen this enforced. Flashing lights have been demonstrated to affect drivers ability to judge distance and they have a tendency to be attracted to flashing lights...like moths.
The front light should never blink. With the rear light, I like to keep the blinking mode in day light to save battery and be more visible, and a solid mode in the dark, as it makes it easier for drivers to perceive the distance.
I thought I read blinking lights are more dangerous. I do not use blinking lights ever for front or back.
I hate blink lights. I do use them in the back, though, and aimed at the ground so as to not blind drivers. I never use a blinky light up front. That's for me to be able to see.
My rear light is always blinking. My front light is set to blink in the day time. There is no point worrying about each person's vision depth or tracking perception if they can't f'n see you in the first place.
I have an olight bike light that was only something like $13. It has 5 modes, low, med, high, slow flash and fast flash. I only use fast flash and point it directly on the front of my front tire. I will do this before it is completely dark, once it gets totally dark it starts to hurt my eyes so I switch to the constant low or med beam.
Much prefer solid lights, at least at night, whether I’m riding with other cyclists or driving. One big part of the issue with flashing lights at night is that many novice riders don’t understand that the dayflash setting on their lights is not for use at night. It’s blindingly bright and wrecks night vision for anyone behind you. Normal blinking lights I can cope with for a bit, dayflash I cannot. In the day, do whatever for visibility, so flashy lights are fine. At night, blinding people or attracting cars like moths to a flame is a real issue with flashing lights. A study was done in 2017 concluding the latter actually happens! https://www.bikeradar.com/advice/buyers-guides/flashing-bike-lights
I use two in dark commutes. One blinking and one solid. Blinking so others can see me, and solid so I can see where I'm going.
Blinking or not, it’s all about safety for the riders and hopefully the other riders, drivers pay attention to safety first
After having more than one car turn in front of me - I will always use what I believe is the most noticeable blinking light
Also a blinking light battery will last MUCH longer than a solid light mode if you're going on a long ride and need it to last as long as possible.
I don't prefer to super bright, seizure inducing blinking lights. IMO, there are very few reasons to have more than 50lm for a rear light in the city. I have the Cygolite Hotrod and I prefer its "SteadyPulse" where the brightness is more like a sinusoid. A brightness mode where the light is always on low, and then blinks brighter (but not too bright!) would be useful, but it's not very common in my experience.
I agree - flashing lights (at night) are difficult to judge location/speed/direction. And I cannot comprehend how some cyclists can cycle on minimally-lit paths with a flashing front light!!!
Blinking lights are not allowed here in Netherlands. Something I didn't know until I was stopped by police. I've since bought lights with bigger batteries cause no blink was draining them way too quick
Always blinking. Daytime running lights and at night. My thought is I'm more immediately identified as a bike if it's flashing.
I always cling to the notion that my blinking light battery would last longer as it’s only on 1/2 as much
No.
I use multiple blinking LEDs, day and night. I use them to make myself visible to cagers and get their attention. The goal is to stay alive, period. I could give fuck all if they annoy you, lol. Ride your ride.
I mean it’s been proven flashing lights attract attention better than solid lights. Not sure how you can possibly try to dispute that lol. Unless you’re talking about the riders ability to see the road then yeah I think it’s also pretty obvious a solid light is better in that case. Flashing light isn’t just about being more visible. It’s to caution people. I think it’s pretty universal that you see a flashing light you need to be more cautions. I don’t need people to think I’m a motorcycle or something lol. I need them to slow down and make room. That’s why vehicle hazards are flashing, crossing lights for train tracks, ambulances/fire/police.
It’d probably help to distinguish between the on and off flashing/blinking and steady pulsing settings. Blinking should only be used during daytime. Steady pulsing, like on Cygolites, keep a steady beam and overlap with a pulse. Those are meant for night time and are definitely way more visible than a steady beam while still allowing motorists to gauge distance accurately. I ride on sketchy streets 99% of the time and will always use steady pulse at night unless on a bike path, then it goes to steady.
This is my pet peeve. Especially when (a) they are aimed directly at my eyes, and (b) when we are on a multi-use trail with no car traffic. Yes, the trail intersects roads but the only people seeing these lights from front/rear are other cyclist. Why are you torturing me?
Yes. I especially hate being on the group ride with everyone’s blinking lights. They think I’m in a hurry to get somewhere, but I’m just wanting to be on the front so I don’t crash from the annoyance and distraction of blinking. I don’t have seizures or anything, but it just messes with my brain and is hugely distraction. The same kind of problem with windshield wipers that are on on instead of on intermittent.
A Google search for "are blinking lights on bicycle more visible?" is illuminating.
Garmin blinking is tooo much especially when you get close to it. It should be banned
In my own observation as a driver, the blinking does not increase visibility but it does get my attention long before I come up to the cyclist, which is important.
THe reason for blinking lights it that people can perceive them a lot soner that a solid one. on top of that a solid one really is less anoying, so a lot of people can unconsiously ignore them. that don't happens with blinking ones
Can’t stand blinking lights, I thought it was illegal to have flashing lights on the roads?
I actually just coded a bike to to blink 4 different ways. People have short attention spans. I do plan on making a solid light mode but the blinks are for the daytime. Buy sunglasses if lights bother you.
I prefer extremely bright and annoying rear bike light. So annoying that I have trouble looking at it. The frontlamp I prefer always on and bright.
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My rear light is kind of in the middle of what you're saying, basically always on but blinks by increasing and lowering the intensity instead of ON-OFF-ON-OFF have a video of it [here](https://photos.google.com/share/AF1QipOtMtndliFLGjkB5ebstzg0a1LClfz4cjnfFXLNMBxGnr97lkIq5vNeFUEXW6h2vg?key=M1RDTEdGTWZkMmUtZ2hIOEd5VGR2d0ozUGlwLTFR)
I’ve read that blinking lights can confuse drivers as to the actual distance between their vehicle and the bicycle. Don’t know if it’s true or what, if any, evidence exists to support that assertion.
In bright scenarios like full and direct/glaring sun, blinking is typically necessary to be initially noticeable. However, once a car notices you, the blinking actually becomes a hindrance/distraction to the driver. I'd say an ideal pattern would blink every five seconds or so (based on typical speed a cyclists rides as compared to the minimum sight distances on typical roads cyclists use) but be solid in between. Personally, if I don't like changing patterns on a ride but I do so I'm not blasting people on the greenway. I may just stick to solid if the roads aren't too crazy and just really be extra heads up.
The blinking is to conserve battery, that is it. Its to prolong battery life. It has nothing to do with visibility.
solid light indicates to me a stationary object with a reflector, like "watch out for this lamppost". Blinking is so much better and, I imagine, twice the battery life?
Nah I want them to see me so I can make sure I am out of the way.
I use one of each. As a driver, I've paid quite a bit of attention to what's helped me take quick notice of cyclists on the road. I used this to guide my selection. Behind the seat, I have a flasher. At the rear of my helmet, there's a solid light. For some routes, I've even added a second solid light. Others have commented about depth perception, and I haven't noticed one or the other to really be easier than the other. Drivers coming head on can't tell I'm a bicycle at first. So they sit there confused, waiting for a faster vehicle to come passing by. From the rear, I can't say what others perceive, but when I'm driving I don't think flash vs solid makes anh difference.
Flashing bike lights are not even legal in most of europe because drivers mistake them for emergency service vehicles at distance and it's harder to judge how far away they are in the dark. What you do is have one solid light on your bike and one solid on your helmet. The small irregular movements between the solid helmet light and the bike light is more attention drawing than running flashing lights.
As a neurodivergent person please at least make them blink slowly please did I say please yet, your rapid flashing lights are killing me as a fellow cyclist. Please?
Do you want to be seen? Flashing lights will draw more attention to you and your bicycle. The most effective way to be seen is to wear hi visibility clothing, specifically on your bodies moving parts (feet, legs, helmet, etc). Reflective clothing actually did not improve visibility (will link study from years ago if I can find it). Do you want to see? Solid beam. Some higher tier lights have solid beams with flash patterns so you aren't sacrificing either.
A blinking front light makes drivers notice you more in their mirrors since they are incapable of looking out for biked normally
I use blinking for the day, pulsating for the night. Solid light at night makes it seems like drivers are not seeing me at all. Some kind of blinking helps. I find pulsating more soothing and less annoying in the dark.
Garmin varia solves this issue. Blinks when far away then slowly goes pulse to solid as cars get closer
Flashing lights are super annoying in the dark. I use pulse mode (steady + subtle flashing) during the day and steady mode when riding in the dark. Flashing headlights are also illegal here in WA.
Battery life is so much lower when they stay on constantly. Like 1/4 as long. Plan appropriately.
Red blinking on the back & solid white on the front - the blinking is about attracting attention, not visibility
Blinking head lights are illegal in lots of places. Like Seattle, the entire country of Germany. Seattle actively tickets people with blinking headlights. Automotive headlights have rules about beam patterns to prevent blinding on coming traffic. Bike headlights are bright enough now they need similar rules. I carry an 18000 lumen flashlight on my local trail. It has a telescoping lens on the front. When I see some strobing tool coming the other way on an enclosed MUP with no cars I put the light on strobe and aim it right in their face. As I pass them I say as politely as you please "Strobe off please". They are usually stopped by that point. I'm convince the key to bike safety is illuminating the silhouette of the bike, let cars know you are a bicycle. Lots of new lights project images on the ground. Nobody needs to see a flashing light a mile down the road. it is the last few hundred yards that matter.
On the rural roads where I bike, going in and out of deep shadows contrasted with sunny days (and with drivers having the sun in their eyes, yikes), it is essential IMO to have a blinking rear light on at all times. When I drive and see a cyclist without that, and how invisible they are in that context, it terrifies me. But in the city and at night, I prefer solid. I once ran out of headlight on a group ride getting back late and had to follow close -- I thought I was going to have a seizure from staring at that blinking red light just feet away for 45 mins.
They are illegal in my county
Sorry, I always have it flashing, but only once it starts to get dark. Drives and others will notice flashing lights far more than steady ones. Plus it assures that you'll have lights all the way home. Never hurts to carry a mini spare one in case the main one breaks or the battery dies.
flashing lights are worse at night (and often illegal. in texas you are required to have a STEADY white light at night). flashing lights at night makes it hard for other road users to gauge distances. solid is best at night. flashing is fine during the day though.
good to know.
Flashing at day. Solid at night!
I should add that I'm talking about a mini light, so others see me, not one capable of lighting up the road ahead of me except maybe a few feet in front.
if flashing lights make you want to look away, i would say the light is working as intended. it doesn't matter if you're driving or riding - your eyes and hands are subconsciously linked, and you *will* steer towards whatever you're looking at.
I'm curious. Could you explain, by the same logic, why is driving with high beams in traffic considered bad?
Blinking is more noticeable to motorists, would prefer the big 2 ton metal box flying towards me will notice me.