Re: Riding at night: a strategy for survival?

On May 1, 2:19 pm, "rms" <rsqui...@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote:
>
>     In any case, pay close attention to nighttime lighting.  Both
distance
> viewing and depth perception are greatly reduced with cheaper
> headlamp/bikelights.  $2-300 for a quality high-wattage bikelight system
I
> don't think would be out of line if you are serious about night-riding,
> especially on a fast roadbike.

Or even a moderate-speed utility bike!  Lighting systems costing $200
to $300 have always been the rage (or at least, for the past 75 years)
in places like northern Europe, where people ride bikes every day for
trans****tation.

No German housewife, for example, would ever think of going out after
sunset without a 20 pound rechargeable battery and a headlamp as
bright as an aircraft landing light.  Ditto for the elderly ladies,
young children and businessmen I saw tootling around Ireland, Austria,
Italy and Britain.

And those people (who have used bikes every day, all their lives),
obviously don't know _nearly_ as much about this as the plump
Americans doing occasional "training rides" on delicate road racing
bikes!  Americans know lights have to be much, much brighter than
that!  TWO aircraft landing lights are not unreasonable!  After all,
if it's bright enough for a 150 mph motorcycle, it's obviously not
quite bright enough for a 15 mph bicycle!

Is that how you meant to say it?

- Frank Krygowski