Nic’s consultancy is absolutely something I’d use from the states. Blessed with great LBS options here but almost too many that it’s super time consuming to find that best knowledge source for what it is I want. Would definitely pay for consultation time, either locally or virtually, for that. Expertise has value all on its own.
29:30 re: flashing lights on the continent. As a cyclist in the Netherlands I still feel that being visible is not enough. You need to kinda demand attention sometimes, and flashing lights are a way to do it. I anecdotally get less failures to yield and less close passes. But always accompanied by a continuous light, to keep it legal (rules don't forbid an additional flashing light, they only demand "a" continuous light, plus flashing lights are still sold here).
A lost of flashing bike lights just blind me, as a fellow cyclist, I hate them. Don't even get me started on electric scooters who just rip my eyes apart.
Flashing lights during the day are a must and I feel much safer with them. Been using them for years and never going back. After dark constant beam is the way to go.
Until you get into an accident and the driver gives you the usual excuses. I find a constant beam is often missed at night but a good flash quite effective but I never assume I've been seen. It's all on the driver and their attention, night or day.
Certainly. Got a set of the exposure mini lights and ride in the day with the day strobe setting on always. At night constant beams unless I am in a built up area. Then I feel you need to fight to be seen so more attention the better.
Flash lights are a necessity in London whether its at night or not which is oversaturated with car lights, reflections and lights from street lamps and buildings. You'd just blend in with the background if your lights were on constant.
More cyclists need to check their lights and how they impact those around them. This means: no lights pointed UP and straight into the eyes of other riders, no "daylight flash" strobes at night that blind everyone around you, and no "I just need something" weak little led dangling off a random point either. Invest in some decent kit, set it up properly so it both makes you visible and helps you see the road ahead, and doesn't interfere with other riders and traffic.
Front lights need to sit below the horizontal like car headlights Dip beam angle A vehicle with a 1.3% dip beam angle will have a dip beam that sits 39 mm below the horizontal center-line of the headlight when measured 3 meters away
Highly recommend the Road/Gravel headlight from Outbound Lighting. It’s expensive, however it’s well built, offers good battery life, and the projector optics are designed in such a way that the top edge of the projector cuts off the beam so it doesn’t blind oncoming traffic or other road users. There are certainly brighter options for less money, but I think this is the best designed light for anything on road.
in the city, with street lights, flashing is the best option. On darker roads put the full light on or even, have two, one flashing and one permanent. Back lights always flashing
I have build a fairly standard gravel bike by my self. (Alu frame, BSA, round seatpost no wired standards). Things i couldn‘t or don’t feel confident doing my self, i bought this Parts at my local bikeshop and paid them to do it. Facing and reaming the bottombracket, so i bought the bottembracket from them. Cutting the carbon steeringtube, so i bought the headset from them. All the rest i have bought online and done by my self. They were very friendly and sometimes they also gave me tips for other things on my bike.
There's a difference between a light strategy where a visible flashing light is used for awareness and static light is used for seeing the way ahead; and only a flashing light which is like a pulsar star on the handlebars.
Do mind that if you use a strong/bright flashing rear light, like many cyclists do... It irritates drivers behind you. It irritates so much that they hate you. So instead of warning other traffic participants you simply make them angrier.
Building up your own bikes is a major part of the cycling experience for many including me. Fortunately, I'm happy with steel frames (can be bent, filed, drilled etc) and mechanical componentry where compatibility and adaptability is good and tools relatively simple.
For depth perception using lights in the dark, you need 2 lights. Commuting in Manchester for 10 years I chose 2 front lights one flashing and one solid, I had loads of lights on the rear some on the bike some on me. Strobe setting is too fast and inappropriate it needs to be more of a blink. And for the dude that want to build his dream bike, I don't know what level of maintenance you're comfortable with but I totally recommend taking one of your current bikes apart and rebuilding it. I guess once you have rebuilt it successfully take one of your other bikes apart and see how things are different, or even swap components between bikes for shits and giggles, that would probably be a good introduction to compatibility issues. Speaking from personal experience if you have a bike you love the look and feel of just upgrade it. You'll save yourself a lot of grief and money.🤙
Thanks Emily , Jimmi , and Nic . I use flashers as well . The changing of state , off and on , makes me more visible during the day . At night I use a steady on head light to see , and a Varia . The ending of today's show should be the beginning from now on , "energy , energy energy " !!
When I built up my trail hard tail I got the frame, fork and wheels used and went to my lbs for the group set and the other little bits I was missing. Brought it home got it as far as I could and brought it back to the shop for them to finish and perform a tune up. They gave me a good deal and fixed a couple of the things I apparently broke and didn’t know. I ended up with a better bike for money and the shop for business and return customer for the near future. I suggest more people do this if they are building up a bike for the first time.
For some folks there are dream bikes. I started making a list of components I wanted, bike specs I wanted, and the kind of riding I was doing. Over 6 or 7 years I kept refining the list until I couldn't find anything else to change. Then I ordered the frame (custom steel) and everything attached to it. It does exactly what I want. It looks like I wanted. LIkewise there is no shortage of people riding 10 or 20 year old (or even older) bikes because those bikes are their dream bikes.
I use BOTH flashing lights and steadies in both daytime and night time. Both front and rear. The steady lights allow other road users to determine distance and the flashies are for getting attention. Yes, properly angled. It makes no sense to throw lumens into the sky and straight into other people's eyes.
I noticed a few years ago that when I am driving a car, I can't tell where the bike is when it is a single point. So I wondered why I can tell where a car is on the road. The car headlights light up the road in front of the car so you know where it is. So my bike lights have a cut off so they don't blind others but are bright enough to light the road so cars can see where I am. I do use a pulse red light in the back. If I rode in a big city with lights everywhere, I would use a pulsing or flash in the front. At 69, I can tell you lots of my peer group are having a hard time seeing with the bluish car headlights. So I'm pretty sure they can't see bikes that well either. We can criticize cyclists for their choices in lights but let's not forget it is the car drivers that are the problem, not the cyclists.
I'd be very interested in a full bike building course by Nic, provided you buy all components from his shop. Nic's bike building videos are amazing. Imagine the knowledge he'd pass onto his students. Hope this idea develops.
The new Trek Madone is the only diversion for the standard double diamond frame shape that I've seen in decades where riders seem to actually like it for more than it's weird look.
I'm using varia light and knowing that car is approaching makes me safer for others aswell. I also tend to signal drivers that I know that they are there so I won't be making any sudden moves (at least that's what I believe). Regarding colnagos aerobike, they could be preparing for changes to road bike only TTs.
30 years ago, guys talked about the Titanium Hard Tail being a "lifetime" dream bike.. Those bikes were dreamy, but became wall art as fast as any dream bike.
I recently went to a bit of trouble and expense to upgrade my gravel / tour bike to SON dynamo lighting. My one concern is (being of German manufacture) it isn't flashing. Prior to that I had a rear saddlebag light flashing at one cadence and a seatstay light flashing at a separate cadence. As I told my son, "I want to actually induce seizures in drivers following too closely." Loving the carefree dynamo light existence: no worries about batteries or indeed turning lights on or off. Most serious cyclists here (Japan) use flashing lights day and night, on road or cycling path.
The people behind the PC Part Picker which checks the compatibility of computer parts tried to make a bike part picker many years ago but it wasn't sustainable for them.
I was literally thinking "oh yeah like pc part picker for bikes", didn't know they tried it. I'm guessing there's a lot less affiliate deals than tech companies have.
@@ashaw1016 If you think that what these companies make is what REALLY makes compatability issues, I take it you haven't build a computer in recent times. Whether things fit together is more about the motherboard, the case, the cooler, the RAM height/speed/timing, motherboard header/case ports etc etc etc.. Mathcing the CPU to the correct chipset/socket is the least complicated part about PC building.
@@rasmusvedel I put together a Ryzen 7800x3d system this year :-) You have a fair amount of wiggle room on what ram you pick for the PC to work (albeit you may be leaving performance on the table). For example cases are standardised and have been for many years and a motherboard will still fit into an atx case from 10 years ago (assuming it's big enough for the whopper graphics cards you get these days, I know this as I have mine in an old Antec case right now 😅). Same as CPU cooler, I know company's like Noctua will even send you out adapters for newer chipsets. So yes you may not make a perfect pc. But it's fairly easy to make a completely functional pc. Bikes on the other hand are a fucking pain in the arse if your building up from scratch because of all the random standards. So even makeing a functional bike can be hard never mind worrying it's perfectly aero.
My LBS lets me use one of their stands to build my bikes. I buy everything I need from them of course. One of the mechanics will always answer any questions I have.
Flashing lights... I apply situational application. On the rear, all the time. On the front, I use it riding in traffic and in towns, especially where traffic needs to give way to me. When I'm riding bike lanes, I don't use the front flash in the dark, I use a steady light. I do use a flash on the front in the winter when the sun is low as I frequently ride a lane that is affected by sunstrike. Flashing lights were illegal for a long time in New Zealand, however I don't know of any cyclists who was ever challenged about their use, let alone fined, and now it is recommended.
You can build your dream bike if you're patient and know what bike you need for your riding - its just then new products are released that are even better at satisfying the demands you have. Example - I built (well a LBS built it for me from parts I assembled bit by bit as they became available during COVID) a Trek Checkpoint SL frameset with Pro Discover carbon bar and alloy stem, Zipp carbon seat post and a GRX Di2 two by 11 speed groupset (the bit that took time to get) and Garmin rally pedals. It runs with Roval Terra carbon wheels in gravel and bikepacking mode, or Hunt Aerowide 34s for road group rides. My absolute dream bike. Then Shimano released GRX Di2 12 speed.... Oh. want want want.... still want.
Glad my unpopular opinion made it in with Sebastian's. It annoys me the most when someone has their front strobe on when on a cycling trail, but I understand that safety is #1 when sharing road with cars.
@@raynerussell7998it’s very easy to tilt your light as you approach people on foot or other cyclists in the opposite direction. I either tilt mine or switch modes so I’m not blinding people. It’s no issue at all.
Love the new riser stem trend with pro race bikes....first Cervelo, then copied by Bianchi and now Colnago. It actually makes sense with shorter head tube from an CDA standpoint...less head tube frontal area. Heck, seniors have known this for years, using a riser stem. 😂 At 70 y.o., I am glad this aesthetic is finally accepted by the race community. 🙂
Flashing…there is a study. Which showed flashing was good from behind to get attention, but the solid light helped the driver determine distance. Sort of a neat Study and supposed front flash and rear solid. I understand. Flashing is annoying, but it’s a safety feeling issue…Agree Jimmy. I love the Garmin Radar with the solid light which flashes with the first alert of a vehicle coming from rear. The engineers must have rear the report. Thanks Garmin! I used to keep my rear on flashing too, but with this report…Solid light only on the rear light now.
Flashing lights are good to get noticed. I don’t think they need to be super bright to do that. At night a flashing light is noticeable in any case. A dazzling light of any type makes the roads less safe in my opinion.
Reguarding flashing lights. I never used them (until my accident) because they are forbidden in Germany. Had a lot of close calles over the years of cars pulling out in front of me at junktions/driveways, or cut me off when taking a turn. I got hit by a car pulling out of a driveway last year in the summer, in broad daylight, the sun was out, no parked cars on the road, and visability was perfect. He did not see me even though i had my daylight on. Fractured/broke a alot of bones...(hip, shoulder, back, some ribbs) After that incident, i got myself a flashing headlight, and from my experience, drivers now see me 99% of the time. Yes there are still the assholes that hate cyclists, but the overall safty feeling has improved greatly. Never again without a flashy headylight.
29:30 ish. The constant v flashing lights debate. I agree with the statement that sometimes flashing lights are less effective simply because some of them have far too long an interval between strobes. Personally I use the Exposure lights that have a hybrid mode (constant on but with a brighter pulse effect) and find them to be excellent. When I see others on the road using them I also find them much more visible and attention-attracting. Basically, why choose when you can have the advantages of both?
It sucks that some lights have become "too much", I swear people are often projecting their own lack of focus when they drive by having red seizure bolted under the seat.
I couldn't disagree more strongly with Emily's point on the "how do you choose your dream bike" segment. It's not about undervaluing the experience and skill of a professional bike mechanic; it's (at least for me) about wanting to know my bike intimately, to be able to repair most problems, being able to upgrade or modify it as it suits me, and in many cases, just the pure satisfaction of building something with my own two hands.
Flashing lights when cycling on a busy at night are a must, you cant be spotted by drivers if you have constant lights due to glare of car and street lights especially when it raining. You need to be seen.
I totally agree with Nic on the downhill races. I don't care about TDF or time trials, but I love watching MTB and gravel races, because there is so much more going on: Bike handling skills and riding technique, line choice, technical issues with the bike, all that jazz. Being good at hiking and repairing your tires can decide a race - not to speak of Aaron Gwin and Rachel Atherton both winning a race without a chain! Amazing! Still get goosebumps just thinking of it... Only being fast just doesn't cut it for me.
I built my bike up from a frame with the help of the local bike co-op and it was a brilliant learning experience and I ended up with a bike that was excellent value without the significant cost of replacing parts of things went wrong or I chose the wrong parts etc.
There are so many static (non-flashing) lights and reflections on the road that as a cyclist and car driver I would much rather be alerted by a flashing light than not. I find a front flashing light in the daytime helps drivers know I’m there and they are less likely to cross in front of me or door me because they can see me in the side mirror. An opinion from Canada.
Chuffed my TT diatribe madebit onto the show ❤. But the flashing vs non-flashing has swamped any controversy! PS flashing... there's a reason ambulances don't use steady lights...
The gent at the Hardtail Party does that for his channel supporters, consultations on frame size and components and budgets and such. And that seems like a win-win for both creator and rider.
I find that on-off flashing lights make it harder to judge distance but I have no problem with high-medium flashing lights and I use them in the daytime.
I used to use flashing lights and hi vis, and then i invested about a hundred pounds total in proper front and rear lights, and the difference is immense. At night the more powerful the light the more of a 'proper' thing you seem to be to other road users. It could be my imagination but I think it's really noticeable. The thing I don't like is flashing lights where the flash frequency is slow and they are dark for long periods of time. I've seen agitated motorists make snap decisions to pull out into the next lane, not realising there is a bike in there as the only glance they gave the lane was at the point the light was off. Having two lights is very useful for others to judge your speed. The eye naturally notices how quickly they are converging or diverging and maps on appropriate judgment of velocity.
Like Jimmy I am a tinker, but like Nic I have had my dream bike for many years (11). I splashed out on a really good bike, then have tweaked it since over the years (cassette, RD hangar extender, RD, some other stuff). I have built up a couple of bikes from scratch as well, and learned a lot in the process including from my mistakes of course. I would advise just making some choices and decisions and then going for it. And have another bike to ride in the meantime... :)
I guess my main point regarding dream bike build was how to choose a frame. How will you know the feel of the geometry unless you've already ridden it? I'm happy to 'play' with consumables and even wheels to a certain extent but seems wild to do that with frames 😂
On hyper bikes & cars. I don't know about cars, but I recently heard some hyper hifi 13:1 surround sound at a friend's house... omg, as they say. I would never have believed that such stuff was worth it but... wow! Heard familiar music like I'd never heard it before - micro little details in complex material, space, clarity, emotion. Can't afford hyper bike or even basic hifi but would like a go on such a bike. But wouldn't ride far or on my own... far too much chance of robbery
Flashing lights are good for the day. Solid for night. Flashing lights in the dark can make you harder to see or judge where you are in the dark because of the off moment and the blinding effect of bright/dark at night.
There's a subscription for Geometry Geeks that does exactly what Jimmy said. For example, you can input the desired reach and stack numbers and it will give back bikes around that. Well worth the price before buying a new bike/frame!
I cannot endorse the idea that because you might make mistakes you shouldn't try. If you want to build your dream bike, do it. You will never get anywhere if you never try because you're not perfect your first time. Nicks advice about looking at yourself and building the bike that is perfect for what you ACTUALLY do on a bike is the best advice for anyone building anything for themselves. I've built many bike for many years and yes its complicated but all of this is available on line. Knowing that you have to check, recheck, and you're still going make a mistake here or there.
Fast strobing lights are rare, I know they exist but I never see anyone using one. I think people are complaining about nothing. I wouldn't describe a light that flashes 2 times a second as "strobing"
@alex_mcclay In my opinion it's the rapidity of the on/off action that is the problem. Why not make the light intensity sinusoidal? It would still draw attention, but not overwhelm.
@@mateuszQRDL I agree that rapid flashing lights would be annoying I just don't think that any of the lights I've seen people using are overly fast. Like if they flashed any slower you'd worry people wouldn't see you during the second or so when they're switched off. I'm guessing they don't make them sinusoidal because that would be more complicated and expensive to manufacture than a simple on/off idk
The subject of lights would be a good opportunity to do some journalism and go and talk with transportation experts etc... Either as a guest, or stand alone videos...
I use dual lights, a strong headlight and a small flashy light. The same on the rear, a small flashy and a stronger constant. Flashing lights are illegal to use here in Sweden as well but I don't know if they actually enforce it.
Curious what you all think of Wheeltop electronic groupset and also one by vs two by in that since one can't tune perfectly for all gears. Best I can do is 17 gears for a two by 11 speed. Does it even make sense to have a two by with something like Wheeltop being able to get 13 speed and up to 14 speed in the future with their one by groupset?
Hello Wild ones team, about the flashing lights, here in France a law has been put into application to forbid front and rear flashing lights. Tho, I found front strobe lights a really annoying in when super powerful and used into the city by commuters : when I’m riding my bike I found it blinding. I’m just concerned now about rear flashing lights as I feel much more secure with mine with a slow flash mode combined with a permanent red light. Regards from a commuter cyclist of Paris.
For the guy asking abt doing it by himself; imo diy is an experience, and researching things for yourself is never the wrong way. But in the US, Some yt’ers offer the consultation service here in the US like Steve from bigbrainparty/hardtail party, Nolan from the bike sauce and I think Russ does it too from path less pedaled, and Maybe Dustin Klein from EBD. But yes, it is a worthwhile service if you need inputs. But if you’re one for the authentic experience, honestly doing it your own, figuring out what works and what doesn’t is an experience you’d keep for the rest of your life. 😅
Being a driver, rider and engineer I find the front light flashing not that bad either way day or night. What the issue is is the dazzling nature of poorly directed LEDs. LEDs can be litterly blinding.
"Always greet cyclists" -- Yes! Thank you, Nic. Show love to your fellow riders, whether acoustic or ebike. We share the same roads, the same joy and the same challenges. Solidarity!
I find during the day or solo ridding flashing lights are fine. In groups it's a different story. I do some night group ride and when a rider in front of you has a bright flasher it's impossible to see anything.
Flashing front lights is better as a DRL. But if you’re riding at night, flashing is stupid. You can have a mix imo at night but don’t ride with only flashing light at night. If we’re talking about rear lights, Flashing is the only way. I have two lights on my daily commuter, One that is heart shaped, and one has a turning indicator and I have them both at flashing for drivers to differentiate that I am indeed a bicycle and not a motorcycle and also for battery consumption, especially in the cold.
What's a good spray/wax/coat you can put on a carbon bike to protect the frame and paint work? I have a Specialized Diverge which is 3 years old where the paint has gone very thin in places and the carbon is showing through. Which is ugly. I've recently bought a Specialized Roubaix Carbon Comp with a beautiful paint job on it and I really don't want to make the same mistake twice. I have been using Muc offs bike protect which is so far so.good.on the Roubaix after 4 months but I worry about it's longevity over years.
In the states, flashing lights can be unlawful bc of the potential for seizures. However they make lights that pulse. No black flashes and I use them to be seen. I think the bigger issue is how riders have their front lights positioned. They can be right in everyone's eyes, which defeats the safety of them
in James nestors book - Breath - The New Science of a Lost Art - he is writing about the benefits of increased co2 levels in the blood, apperently you can also generate this by controlling your breath. i think i remember that it was possible to detect co2 levels. if the device would be misussed you could probably dedect it then. thank you for all the premium content
I'm a lights 24/7 guy. Riding with traffic means strobbing lights to be seen. Separate bike lanes and off road I use the very slow flash.On the rare occasion, at night, I've had to use flashing a night due to cars taking short cuts, Cali stops, to get home on a friday night
Flashy lights at night I keep my headlight on normal and my rear red I put on flash, and I also wear a yellow reflective jacket, my tires have reflective sidewalls, my pedals have reflectors in them even my backpack is highly reflective and some drivers still try to kill me or so it seems does it make me more visible or a better target?
I think the flashing lights thing is strongly region dependant. I live in Ghent, Belgium where many many people cycle and sitting at a red light behind 20 flashing lights is crazy overwhelming. I also think the point on flashing lights being dangerous because they attract attention to you, away from others, isn't aimed at others being cars, but others being other cyclists.
Flashing headlights do absolutely suck, especially at night. Taillights, whatever, I also tend to do pulsing or constant. But flashing taillights are ok.
On the subject of TT races I’ve had this idea for years on how to make it more interesting (if we’re gonna keep them in) - and that’s that each team picks one (1) rider from their squad to race the ITT, instead of everyone from that team racing. Because that’s the thing for a lot of people I’ve spoken to, that it’s just not interesting watching some riders and you kind of just want to see the big dogs go up against each other. 🤷♂️
Surprised you agreed that Time Trials are a waste of time. I’d argue that they’re way more significant to GC standings than Sprint stages. Wiggins’s dominance in 2012, Roglic’s collapse in 2020, Roglic’s Giro winning TT in 2023, Alaphilippe TT to retain the yellow jersey on stage 13 in 2019, Tom Dumoulin and Ryder Hesjedal both winning their Giro’s in the final TT. If you took those TT’s away, you’d have very different races. If you took Sprint stages out of a grand tour, the results would stay the same (unless a GC rider went down in a crash).
The whole reason I use flashing lights in daylight is to be seen, it’s like ultra hi vis clothing. Hopefully if it’s difficult to judge distance car drivers may be more cautious.
@@lukewalker1051 incorrect. Badly directed lights (flashing or steady) blind other road users. You think that emergency vehicles that using flashing lights (of varying colour and location) would be doing so if it would blind people?
Driver's are not more "cautious", it's just distracting and they simply become unsafe in their driving style. So nobody win's when people put 1 or more (i've seen up to 3) blinky led lights on their bike and themself...
Sebastian is only partially correct. At night, a flashing light all by itself does make it harder for a driver to judge distance to cyclist. However, a flashing light in combo with a solid light resolves that issue. The reason flashy lights exist is because it makes a cyclist standout from the background. During the day, my headlight is set to flash, one of my taillights is set to flash, and the second taillight is set to constant. At night the only change is switching the headlight to constant.
Build your own bike. It IS expensive compared to buying off the shelf or from a shop BUT it will be YOUR bike and you will appreciate it more. Plus *WHEN* it breaks, you'll have the tools to fix it. Ignore anyone that says not to. You want to do something, do it. Just go into it knowing full well you are doing it because the journey is more important than the product.
biggest foul i've encountered regarding bike lights is the plethora of riders who have the headlight/taillight parallel to the road/riding surface and straight ahead into the space in front of the handlbars - sure to blind other users and make things less safe for everybody, as well as reducing chances of *seeing* the important details where the light should be trained - where your wheels will soon be, *on the road*.
...maybe I'm just really tech savvy and take it for granted, but building my own bike is incredibly simple for me. And a lot of things that some bike mechanics have told me wouldn't work, I've made them work, perfectly, and it was never even difficult. I have a background working on old cars, and compared to that, bicycles are a cinch.
I can't believe flashing lights are such a contentious issue. They'd have to be extremely bright and flash very fast to bother me. I've owned some eBay special lights that had ridiculous strobe settings but I've never seen anyone using them like that in the wild.
Nic’s consultancy is absolutely something I’d use from the states. Blessed with great LBS options here but almost too many that it’s super time consuming to find that best knowledge source for what it is I want. Would definitely pay for consultation time, either locally or virtually, for that. Expertise has value all on its own.
29:48 "I'm from Bavaria near Germany." is such a Bavarian thing to say 🤡
#freebayern
@@jrother free germany from söder :D
Nervt zum Glück gar nicht 😂
29:30 re: flashing lights on the continent. As a cyclist in the Netherlands I still feel that being visible is not enough. You need to kinda demand attention sometimes, and flashing lights are a way to do it. I anecdotally get less failures to yield and less close passes. But always accompanied by a continuous light, to keep it legal (rules don't forbid an additional flashing light, they only demand "a" continuous light, plus flashing lights are still sold here).
A lost of flashing bike lights just blind me, as a fellow cyclist, I hate them. Don't even get me started on electric scooters who just rip my eyes apart.
@@julienparis3512….. and cars (especially Tesla) .. it’s like an arms race out there … that’s the issue
@JIMMYHIBBS1 yeah
Flashing lights during the day are a must and I feel much safer with them. Been using them for years and never going back. After dark constant beam is the way to go.
Until you get into an accident and the driver gives you the usual excuses. I find a constant beam is often missed at night but a good flash quite effective but I never assume I've been seen. It's all on the driver and their attention, night or day.
Cameras. In your car too. End of story.
Certainly. Got a set of the exposure mini lights and ride in the day with the day strobe setting on always. At night constant beams unless I am in a built up area. Then I feel you need to fight to be seen so more attention the better.
Flash lights are a necessity in London whether its at night or not which is oversaturated with car lights, reflections and lights from street lamps and buildings. You'd just blend in with the background if your lights were on constant.
I think those lights with a sliding red line are a better design, the light moves but doesn't flash.
Jimmi and Nic together are frigging awesome! And Emily moderating the boys is brilliant. Love the podcast, keep it up. 💯
More cyclists need to check their lights and how they impact those around them. This means: no lights pointed UP and straight into the eyes of other riders, no "daylight flash" strobes at night that blind everyone around you, and no "I just need something" weak little led dangling off a random point either. Invest in some decent kit, set it up properly so it both makes you visible and helps you see the road ahead, and doesn't interfere with other riders and traffic.
I always ride in Anti-Karen strobe mode on full powah🤨
Front lights need to sit below the horizontal like car headlights
Dip beam angle
A vehicle with a 1.3% dip beam angle will have a dip beam that sits 39 mm below the horizontal center-line of the headlight when measured 3 meters away
Car lights dazzle everyone these days- it’s out of control
Highly recommend the Road/Gravel headlight from Outbound Lighting. It’s expensive, however it’s well built, offers good battery life, and the projector optics are designed in such a way that the top edge of the projector cuts off the beam so it doesn’t blind oncoming traffic or other road users.
There are certainly brighter options for less money, but I think this is the best designed light for anything on road.
in the city, with street lights, flashing is the best option. On darker roads put the full light on or even, have two, one flashing and one permanent. Back lights always flashing
I have build a fairly standard gravel bike by my self. (Alu frame, BSA, round seatpost no wired standards). Things i couldn‘t or don’t feel confident doing my self, i bought this Parts at my local bikeshop and paid them to do it. Facing and reaming the bottombracket, so i bought the bottembracket from them. Cutting the carbon steeringtube, so i bought the headset from them. All the rest i have bought online and done by my self.
They were very friendly and sometimes they also gave me tips for other things on my bike.
Yup! Flashing lights all the way! During daytime, flashing both front and back. At night, flashing at the back and hyper constant in fromt.
Love the pod! yall have such good chemistry to make things fun and exciting
There's a difference between a light strategy where a visible flashing light is used for awareness and static light is used for seeing the way ahead; and only a flashing light which is like a pulsar star on the handlebars.
I use a flasher on the rear, but a solid on the front, flashing on the front is annoying for me and makes me not want to ride the bike
Do mind that if you use a strong/bright flashing rear light, like many cyclists do... It irritates drivers behind you. It irritates so much that they hate you. So instead of warning other traffic participants you simply make them angrier.
Building up your own bikes is a major part of the cycling experience for many including me. Fortunately, I'm happy with steel frames (can be bent, filed, drilled etc) and mechanical componentry where compatibility and adaptability is good and tools relatively simple.
For depth perception using lights in the dark, you need 2 lights. Commuting in Manchester for 10 years I chose 2 front lights one flashing and one solid, I had loads of lights on the rear some on the bike some on me. Strobe setting is too fast and inappropriate it needs to be more of a blink.
And for the dude that want to build his dream bike, I don't know what level of maintenance you're comfortable with but I totally recommend taking one of your current bikes apart and rebuilding it. I guess once you have rebuilt it successfully take one of your other bikes apart and see how things are different, or even swap components between bikes for shits and giggles, that would probably be a good introduction
to compatibility issues. Speaking from personal experience if you have a bike you love the look and feel of just upgrade it. You'll save yourself a lot of grief and money.🤙
Thanks Emily , Jimmi , and Nic . I use flashers as well . The changing of state , off and on , makes me more visible during the day . At night I use a steady on head light to see , and a Varia . The ending of today's show should be the beginning from now on , "energy , energy energy " !!
When I built up my trail hard tail I got the frame, fork and wheels used and went to my lbs for the group set and the other little bits I was missing. Brought it home got it as far as I could and brought it back to the shop for them to finish and perform a tune up. They gave me a good deal and fixed a couple of the things I apparently broke and didn’t know. I ended up with a better bike for money and the shop for business and return customer for the near future. I suggest more people do this if they are building up a bike for the first time.
Speedy recovery Nigel
💪
Virtual hug to Bella 🤍
For some folks there are dream bikes. I started making a list of components I wanted, bike specs I wanted, and the kind of riding I was doing. Over 6 or 7 years I kept refining the list until I couldn't find anything else to change. Then I ordered the frame (custom steel) and everything attached to it. It does exactly what I want. It looks like I wanted.
LIkewise there is no shortage of people riding 10 or 20 year old (or even older) bikes because those bikes are their dream bikes.
O.E.M. = Original Equipment Manufacturer
I use BOTH flashing lights and steadies in both daytime and night time. Both front and rear. The steady lights allow other road users to determine distance and the flashies are for getting attention. Yes, properly angled. It makes no sense to throw lumens into the sky and straight into other people's eyes.
I noticed a few years ago that when I am driving a car, I can't tell where the bike is when it is a single point. So I wondered why I can tell where a car is on the road. The car headlights light up the road in front of the car so you know where it is. So my bike lights have a cut off so they don't blind others but are bright enough to light the road so cars can see where I am. I do use a pulse red light in the back. If I rode in a big city with lights everywhere, I would use a pulsing or flash in the front. At 69, I can tell you lots of my peer group are having a hard time seeing with the bluish car headlights. So I'm pretty sure they can't see bikes that well either.
We can criticize cyclists for their choices in lights but let's not forget it is the car drivers that are the problem, not the cyclists.
I'd be very interested in a full bike building course by Nic, provided you buy all components from his shop. Nic's bike building videos are amazing. Imagine the knowledge he'd pass onto his students. Hope this idea develops.
The new Trek Madone is the only diversion for the standard double diamond frame shape that I've seen in decades where riders seem to actually like it for more than it's weird look.
I'm using varia light and knowing that car is approaching makes me safer for others aswell. I also tend to signal drivers that I know that they are there so I won't be making any sudden moves (at least that's what I believe). Regarding colnagos aerobike, they could be preparing for changes to road bike only TTs.
30 years ago, guys talked about the Titanium Hard Tail being a "lifetime" dream bike..
Those bikes were dreamy, but became wall art as fast as any dream bike.
Dream bike info - find your nearest bicycle collective/coop and go and make some new friend there.
I use both flashing and constant on front and rear! Best of both worlds and I am well lit up!
I recently went to a bit of trouble and expense to upgrade my gravel / tour bike to SON dynamo lighting. My one concern is (being of German manufacture) it isn't flashing. Prior to that I had a rear saddlebag light flashing at one cadence and a seatstay light flashing at a separate cadence. As I told my son, "I want to actually induce seizures in drivers following too closely."
Loving the carefree dynamo light existence: no worries about batteries or indeed turning lights on or off.
Most serious cyclists here (Japan) use flashing lights day and night, on road or cycling path.
Love the behind the scenes footage included. Please keep doing it.
The people behind the PC Part Picker which checks the compatibility of computer parts tried to make a bike part picker many years ago but it wasn't sustainable for them.
I was literally thinking "oh yeah like pc part picker for bikes", didn't know they tried it. I'm guessing there's a lot less affiliate deals than tech companies have.
There's too much variables and proprietary BS that goes on with bikes
I mean there are basically 3 main players (intel, AMD and Nvidia) in the PC space, so everyone has to go by what they dictate
@@ashaw1016 If you think that what these companies make is what REALLY makes compatability issues, I take it you haven't build a computer in recent times. Whether things fit together is more about the motherboard, the case, the cooler, the RAM height/speed/timing, motherboard header/case ports etc etc etc.. Mathcing the CPU to the correct chipset/socket is the least complicated part about PC building.
@@rasmusvedel I put together a Ryzen 7800x3d system this year :-)
You have a fair amount of wiggle room on what ram you pick for the PC to work (albeit you may be leaving performance on the table). For example cases are standardised and have been for many years and a motherboard will still fit into an atx case from 10 years ago (assuming it's big enough for the whopper graphics cards you get these days, I know this as I have mine in an old Antec case right now 😅). Same as CPU cooler, I know company's like Noctua will even send you out adapters for newer chipsets.
So yes you may not make a perfect pc. But it's fairly easy to make a completely functional pc. Bikes on the other hand are a fucking pain in the arse if your building up from scratch because of all the random standards. So even makeing a functional bike can be hard never mind worrying it's perfectly aero.
What a pleasant discussion, especially the second part, I did some indoor cycling meanwhile because it’s raining outside :))
My LBS lets me use one of their stands to build my bikes. I buy everything I need from them of course. One of the mechanics will always answer any questions I have.
Flashing lights... I apply situational application. On the rear, all the time. On the front, I use it riding in traffic and in towns, especially where traffic needs to give way to me. When I'm riding bike lanes, I don't use the front flash in the dark, I use a steady light. I do use a flash on the front in the winter when the sun is low as I frequently ride a lane that is affected by sunstrike. Flashing lights were illegal for a long time in New Zealand, however I don't know of any cyclists who was ever challenged about their use, let alone fined, and now it is recommended.
Flashing lights were illegal in the UK years ago
You can build your dream bike if you're patient and know what bike you need for your riding - its just then new products are released that are even better at satisfying the demands you have. Example - I built (well a LBS built it for me from parts I assembled bit by bit as they became available during COVID) a Trek Checkpoint SL frameset with Pro Discover carbon bar and alloy stem, Zipp carbon seat post and a GRX Di2 two by 11 speed groupset (the bit that took time to get) and Garmin rally pedals. It runs with Roval Terra carbon wheels in gravel and bikepacking mode, or Hunt Aerowide 34s for road group rides. My absolute dream bike. Then Shimano released GRX Di2 12 speed....
Oh.
want want want.... still want.
Glad my unpopular opinion made it in with Sebastian's. It annoys me the most when someone has their front strobe on when on a cycling trail, but I understand that safety is #1 when sharing road with cars.
people have routes rhat include paths. so you expect someone to turn the light off everytime they hit a path within their route?
@raynerussell7998 If possible, I would appreciate it. I'm sharing my unpopular opinion to spread awareness, not advocating for any rule change.
@@ColinAoC asking ppl to go out of their way to cater to you is deff an unpopular opinion.
@@raynerussell7998it’s very easy to tilt your light as you approach people on foot or other cyclists in the opposite direction. I either tilt mine or switch modes so I’m not blinding people. It’s no issue at all.
Love the new riser stem trend with pro race bikes....first Cervelo, then copied by Bianchi and now Colnago. It actually makes sense with shorter head tube from an CDA standpoint...less head tube frontal area.
Heck, seniors have known this for years, using a riser stem. 😂
At 70 y.o., I am glad this aesthetic is finally accepted by the race community. 🙂
Flashing…there is a study. Which showed flashing was good from behind to get attention, but the solid light helped the driver determine distance. Sort of a neat Study and supposed front flash and rear solid.
I understand. Flashing is annoying, but it’s a safety feeling issue…Agree Jimmy.
I love the Garmin Radar with the solid light which flashes with the first alert of a vehicle coming from rear. The engineers must have rear the report. Thanks Garmin! I used to keep my rear on flashing too, but with this report…Solid light only on the rear light now.
Flashing lights are good to get noticed. I don’t think they need to be super bright to do that. At night a flashing light is noticeable in any case. A dazzling light of any type makes the roads less safe in my opinion.
I also think a flasher should be additional to a constant light front and rear at night though. Not instead of a constant light.
Reguarding flashing lights.
I never used them (until my accident) because they are forbidden in Germany.
Had a lot of close calles over the years of cars pulling out in front of me at junktions/driveways, or cut me off when taking a turn.
I got hit by a car pulling out of a driveway last year in the summer, in broad daylight, the sun was out, no parked cars on the road, and visability was perfect. He did not see me even though i had my daylight on.
Fractured/broke a alot of bones...(hip, shoulder, back, some ribbs)
After that incident, i got myself a flashing headlight, and from my experience, drivers now see me 99% of the time. Yes there are still the assholes that hate cyclists, but the overall safty feeling has improved greatly.
Never again without a flashy headylight.
The only time I’ve been knocked off was the time I didn’t put my lights on - lights make me feel safer, but people still pull out in you …..
29:30 ish. The constant v flashing lights debate. I agree with the statement that sometimes flashing lights are less effective simply because some of them have far too long an interval between strobes. Personally I use the Exposure lights that have a hybrid mode (constant on but with a brighter pulse effect) and find them to be excellent. When I see others on the road using them I also find them much more visible and attention-attracting. Basically, why choose when you can have the advantages of both?
It sucks that some lights have become "too much", I swear people are often projecting their own lack of focus when they drive by having red seizure bolted under the seat.
I couldn't disagree more strongly with Emily's point on the "how do you choose your dream bike" segment. It's not about undervaluing the experience and skill of a professional bike mechanic; it's (at least for me) about wanting to know my bike intimately, to be able to repair most problems, being able to upgrade or modify it as it suits me, and in many cases, just the pure satisfaction of building something with my own two hands.
Flashing lights when cycling on a busy at night are a must, you cant be spotted by drivers if you have constant lights due to glare of car and street lights especially when it raining. You need to be seen.
Nick is always great to have on the show 👏👏
I totally agree with Nic on the downhill races. I don't care about TDF or time trials, but I love watching MTB and gravel races, because there is so much more going on: Bike handling skills and riding technique, line choice, technical issues with the bike, all that jazz. Being good at hiking and repairing your tires can decide a race - not to speak of Aaron Gwin and Rachel Atherton both winning a race without a chain! Amazing! Still get goosebumps just thinking of it... Only being fast just doesn't cut it for me.
31:40 So spot on! Flash the lights till they finally see us and stop ignoring. Or maybe carry a damn brick in one hand, when riding?!
I built my bike up from a frame with the help of the local bike co-op and it was a brilliant learning experience and I ended up with a bike that was excellent value without the significant cost of replacing parts of things went wrong or I chose the wrong parts etc.
Very good podcast, as always. Maybe you could elaborate a bit Jack Burke and his KOM huntings and wishes to return into Pro Tour...
There are so many static (non-flashing) lights and reflections on the road that as a cyclist and car driver I would much rather be alerted by a flashing light than not. I find a front flashing light in the daytime helps drivers know I’m there and they are less likely to cross in front of me or door me because they can see me in the side mirror. An opinion from Canada.
Chuffed my TT diatribe madebit onto the show ❤. But the flashing vs non-flashing has swamped any controversy! PS flashing... there's a reason ambulances don't use steady lights...
The gent at the Hardtail Party does that for his channel supporters, consultations on frame size and components and budgets and such. And that seems like a win-win for both creator and rider.
I find that on-off flashing lights make it harder to judge distance but I have no problem with high-medium flashing lights and I use them in the daytime.
good old days cold setting the back ends on Frames from 126 to 130 mm
Great Video Ben, that's exactly what life is about my friend. 🙌🏼💪🏼😁
I used to use flashing lights and hi vis, and then i invested about a hundred pounds total in proper front and rear lights, and the difference is immense. At night the more powerful the light the more of a 'proper' thing you seem to be to other road users. It could be my imagination but I think it's really noticeable.
The thing I don't like is flashing lights where the flash frequency is slow and they are dark for long periods of time. I've seen agitated motorists make snap decisions to pull out into the next lane, not realising there is a bike in there as the only glance they gave the lane was at the point the light was off.
Having two lights is very useful for others to judge your speed. The eye naturally notices how quickly they are converging or diverging and maps on appropriate judgment of velocity.
Like Jimmy I am a tinker, but like Nic I have had my dream bike for many years (11). I splashed out on a really good bike, then have tweaked it since over the years (cassette, RD hangar extender, RD, some other stuff). I have built up a couple of bikes from scratch as well, and learned a lot in the process including from my mistakes of course. I would advise just making some choices and decisions and then going for it. And have another bike to ride in the meantime... :)
the colnago looks sick!
I guess my main point regarding dream bike build was how to choose a frame. How will you know the feel of the geometry unless you've already ridden it? I'm happy to 'play' with consumables and even wheels to a certain extent but seems wild to do that with frames 😂
On hyper bikes & cars. I don't know about cars, but I recently heard some hyper hifi 13:1 surround sound at a friend's house... omg, as they say. I would never have believed that such stuff was worth it but... wow! Heard familiar music like I'd never heard it before - micro little details in complex material, space, clarity, emotion. Can't afford hyper bike or even basic hifi but would like a go on such a bike. But wouldn't ride far or on my own... far too much chance of robbery
Flashing lights are good for the day. Solid for night. Flashing lights in the dark can make you harder to see or judge where you are in the dark because of the off moment and the blinding effect of bright/dark at night.
There's a subscription for Geometry Geeks that does exactly what Jimmy said. For example, you can input the desired reach and stack numbers and it will give back bikes around that.
Well worth the price before buying a new bike/frame!
I cannot endorse the idea that because you might make mistakes you shouldn't try. If you want to build your dream bike, do it. You will never get anywhere if you never try because you're not perfect your first time. Nicks advice about looking at yourself and building the bike that is perfect for what you ACTUALLY do on a bike is the best advice for anyone building anything for themselves. I've built many bike for many years and yes its complicated but all of this is available on line. Knowing that you have to check, recheck, and you're still going make a mistake here or there.
Can we get a compromise on the lights? Like pulsing (0.5-1 Hz) instead of strobing?
Fast strobing lights are rare, I know they exist but I never see anyone using one. I think people are complaining about nothing. I wouldn't describe a light that flashes 2 times a second as "strobing"
@alex_mcclay In my opinion it's the rapidity of the on/off action that is the problem. Why not make the light intensity sinusoidal? It would still draw attention, but not overwhelm.
@@mateuszQRDL I agree that rapid flashing lights would be annoying I just don't think that any of the lights I've seen people using are overly fast. Like if they flashed any slower you'd worry people wouldn't see you during the second or so when they're switched off.
I'm guessing they don't make them sinusoidal because that would be more complicated and expensive to manufacture than a simple on/off idk
I bought a CX bike before gravel became a thing. Love it - great for commuting ,fast trail riding and bike packing.
The subject of lights would be a good opportunity to do some journalism and go and talk with transportation experts etc... Either as a guest, or stand alone videos...
EMILY 😍🥰😍❤
I use dual lights, a strong headlight and a small flashy light.
The same on the rear, a small flashy and a stronger constant.
Flashing lights are illegal to use here in Sweden as well but I don't know if they actually enforce it.
Literally spat my coffee out at the gravel is safer bit and Jimmy's reply about breaking your hip haha
Curious what you all think of Wheeltop electronic groupset and also one by vs two by in that since one can't tune perfectly for all gears. Best I can do is 17 gears for a two by 11 speed. Does it even make sense to have a two by with something like Wheeltop being able to get 13 speed and up to 14 speed in the future with their one by groupset?
Hello Wild ones team, about the flashing lights, here in France a law has been put into application to forbid front and rear flashing lights. Tho, I found front strobe lights a really annoying in when super powerful and used into the city by commuters : when I’m riding my bike I found it blinding.
I’m just concerned now about rear flashing lights as I feel much more secure with mine with a slow flash mode combined with a permanent red light.
Regards from a commuter cyclist of Paris.
For the guy asking abt doing it by himself; imo diy is an experience, and researching things for yourself is never the wrong way.
But in the US, Some yt’ers offer the consultation service here in the US like Steve from bigbrainparty/hardtail party, Nolan from the bike sauce and I think Russ does it too from path less pedaled, and Maybe Dustin Klein from EBD. But yes, it is a worthwhile service if you need inputs. But if you’re one for the authentic experience, honestly doing it your own, figuring out what works and what doesn’t is an experience you’d keep for the rest of your life. 😅
Being a driver, rider and engineer I find the front light flashing not that bad either way day or night. What the issue is is the dazzling nature of poorly directed LEDs. LEDs can be litterly blinding.
"Always greet cyclists" -- Yes! Thank you, Nic. Show love to your fellow riders, whether acoustic or ebike. We share the same roads, the same joy and the same challenges. Solidarity!
Hey guys, love the show! I feel safer with flashing lights. I feel naked without it.
I find during the day or solo ridding flashing lights are fine. In groups it's a different story. I do some night group ride and when a rider in front of you has a bright flasher it's impossible to see anything.
Flashing front lights is better as a DRL. But if you’re riding at night, flashing is stupid. You can have a mix imo at night but don’t ride with only flashing light at night.
If we’re talking about rear lights, Flashing is the only way. I have two lights on my daily commuter, One that is heart shaped, and one has a turning indicator and I have them both at flashing for drivers to differentiate that I am indeed a bicycle and not a motorcycle and also for battery consumption, especially in the cold.
What's a good spray/wax/coat you can put on a carbon bike to protect the frame and paint work? I have a Specialized Diverge which is 3 years old where the paint has gone very thin in places and the carbon is showing through. Which is ugly. I've recently bought a Specialized Roubaix Carbon Comp with a beautiful paint job on it and I really don't want to make the same mistake twice. I have been using Muc offs bike protect which is so far so.good.on the Roubaix after 4 months but I worry about it's longevity over years.
I really enjoy a time trial.
Even more so if there is a swim before and a run afterwards.
In the states, flashing lights can be unlawful bc of the potential for seizures. However they make lights that pulse. No black flashes and I use them to be seen.
I think the bigger issue is how riders have their front lights positioned. They can be right in everyone's eyes, which defeats the safety of them
Well, that Colnago thingy escalated quickliy 😂
in James nestors book - Breath - The New Science of a Lost Art - he is writing about the benefits of increased co2 levels in the blood, apperently you can also generate this by controlling your breath. i think i remember that it was possible to detect co2 levels. if the device would be misussed you could probably dedect it then.
thank you for all the premium content
I'm a lights 24/7 guy. Riding with traffic means strobbing lights to be seen. Separate bike lanes and off road I use the very slow flash.On the rare occasion, at night, I've had to use flashing a night due to cars taking short cuts, Cali stops, to get home on a friday night
Especially in group rides, there is no flashing light on a bike that in the middle.
In Sweden you are not allowed to use a flashing front light when it´s dark.
Flashy lights at night I keep my headlight on normal and my rear red I put on flash, and I also wear a yellow reflective jacket, my tires have reflective sidewalls, my pedals have reflectors in them even my backpack is highly reflective and some drivers still try to kill me or so it seems does it make me more visible or a better target?
I think the flashing lights thing is strongly region dependant. I live in Ghent, Belgium where many many people cycle and sitting at a red light behind 20 flashing lights is crazy overwhelming.
I also think the point on flashing lights being dangerous because they attract attention to you, away from others, isn't aimed at others being cars, but others being other cyclists.
Flashing headlights do absolutely suck, especially at night. Taillights, whatever, I also tend to do pulsing or constant. But flashing taillights are ok.
Here in The Netherlands flashing lights are not allowed either, I've been pulled over multiple times by the cops because of my Garmin Varia.
And you still use it. Like me!
On the subject of TT races I’ve had this idea for years on how to make it more interesting (if we’re gonna keep them in) - and that’s that each team picks one (1) rider from their squad to race the ITT, instead of everyone from that team racing.
Because that’s the thing for a lot of people I’ve spoken to, that it’s just not interesting watching some riders and you kind of just want to see the big dogs go up against each other.
🤷♂️
Surprised you agreed that Time Trials are a waste of time. I’d argue that they’re way more significant to GC standings than Sprint stages.
Wiggins’s dominance in 2012, Roglic’s collapse in 2020, Roglic’s Giro winning TT in 2023, Alaphilippe TT to retain the yellow jersey on stage 13 in 2019, Tom Dumoulin and Ryder Hesjedal both winning their Giro’s in the final TT.
If you took those TT’s away, you’d have very different races. If you took Sprint stages out of a grand tour, the results would stay the same (unless a GC rider went down in a crash).
The whole reason I use flashing lights in daylight is to be seen, it’s like ultra hi vis clothing. Hopefully if it’s difficult to judge distance car drivers may be more cautious.
Flashing lights blind drivers and other bike riders.
@@lukewalker1051 incorrect. Badly directed lights (flashing or steady) blind other road users. You think that emergency vehicles that using flashing lights (of varying colour and location) would be doing so if it would blind people?
Driver's are not more "cautious", it's just distracting and they simply become unsafe in their driving style.
So nobody win's when people put 1 or more (i've seen up to 3) blinky led lights on their bike and themself...
Sebastian is only partially correct. At night, a flashing light all by itself does make it harder for a driver to judge distance to cyclist. However, a flashing light in combo with a solid light resolves that issue. The reason flashy lights exist is because it makes a cyclist standout from the background.
During the day, my headlight is set to flash, one of my taillights is set to flash, and the second taillight is set to constant. At night the only change is switching the headlight to constant.
Build your own bike. It IS expensive compared to buying off the shelf or from a shop BUT it will be YOUR bike and you will appreciate it more. Plus *WHEN* it breaks, you'll have the tools to fix it. Ignore anyone that says not to. You want to do something, do it. Just go into it knowing full well you are doing it because the journey is more important than the product.
YES Jimmy! Flashing road lights every day of the week. I've even had a couple of 'cyclists' negatively comment on the front flashing...bell ends!
Yes Jimmy - tinkering on the bikes, half the reason I’m into cycling. Metal militia! 🤘
biggest foul i've encountered regarding bike lights is the plethora of riders who have the headlight/taillight parallel to the road/riding surface and straight ahead into the space in front of the handlbars - sure to blind other users and make things less safe for everybody, as well as reducing chances of *seeing* the important details where the light should be trained - where your wheels will soon be, *on the road*.
...maybe I'm just really tech savvy and take it for granted, but building my own bike is incredibly simple for me. And a lot of things that some bike mechanics have told me wouldn't work, I've made them work, perfectly, and it was never even difficult.
I have a background working on old cars, and compared to that, bicycles are a cinch.
Lights in flash mode have a much longer battery life than constant.
I can't believe flashing lights are such a contentious issue. They'd have to be extremely bright and flash very fast to bother me. I've owned some eBay special lights that had ridiculous strobe settings but I've never seen anyone using them like that in the wild.