I hate it when this happens, as I feel so bad for the family and friends of the cyclist (sincerest condolences from a fellow cyclist). This guy would have been riding Mountains of Misery with us, apparently, but at least he lived his life to the full. I wonder if good lighting would have alerted the driver of the oncoming bicycle, even if he were in the vehicles blind spots?
Hi folks! Thanks for stopping by!
Dinotte Lighting System installed on FitOldDog’s road bike. Worked like a charm.
The other day, my triathlete dentist son, Nigel, said, “Have you put those high intensity lights on your bike yet?” I hadn’t, having bought them over a year previously on his recommendation. Shamed into it and after an extended search in our basement storage area, I found the equipment that I had ordered, all that time ago, from Dinotte Lighting (“Die Not” – clever that, and I only just worked it out). It just took a few minutes to install the lights on my bike, and it turned out to be a very good idea. I then headed out with Rory, one of my cycling buddies, on a 50-mile easy recovery spin (sounds like an oxymoron, I know, but that is what it was). Thirty miles into the ride along comes a massive thunderstorm, just as we arrive on the heavily travelled Highway 64, and the rain came down as a deluge impairing visibility for all.
But I had my Dinotte lights on high power!
A small memorial has been set up for Christopher C. Mangum. Buy photo via newspaper linked to this image.
During this extended downpour, I noticed in my mirror that all vehicles, including large trucks, pulled into the fast lane to avoid the source of this strange bright light about a quarter-mile ahead of them. Little did they know it was just a couple of cyclists, for whom many drivers would make almost no course correction on such a busy highway. They would just zoom by feet away, bathing us in road spray, grit, and unsettling air turbulence.
I’ll never ride without bright road lights on my bike again! Thanks son!
-k @FitOldDog
For the last year you’ve been “lucky” then.
Last 15 years!
I REALLY need to get lights on my bike, too. Thanks for the reminder.
These lights don’t come cheap, but then what is your life worth? Highly recommended. I linked to their site in this blog post, where they can be ordered. Highly recommended product, with remarkably beneficial effect on traffic behavior under dangerous conditions.