"Oh Shit" moments...

Front light battery went dead on way home just now. Dressed as ninja in oh shit moment all the way home. Cycled much slower and much more carefully without acting stupid in any way possible.

If your light die, try and be more visible by taking primary more often, it's easier for drivers to see a cyclists ahead of them than hugging the kerbs like a nodder.

^^ LOL

If your light dies, get off the fucking road. You are breaking the law and creating a hazard. Or put your spare lights on. Or get some spare lights.

I did wonder whether the cops would pull me over the few times I passed them but they didnt. Clearly didnt see the ninja cycle by them.

Probably more hassle than it's worth for them. I'd be more worried about the bus driver steaming up behind you than PC Plod having a doughnut in his van (which, given the thread you put this in, you probably were).

I had rear lights and a hi viz bag cover so the rear wasnt the issue. My main worry were cars pulling out from side roads and notbeing able to see me possibly masked by the lights of the car behind me.

Hence the suggestion of riding more often in primary to reduced the risk (which you should ride primary either way base on your risk assessment).

primary allow you more room to maneuver away from the offending drivers/more visible to the drivers.

It was 2C and wet around 7 last night. Coming back from kids tennis. I was unsure about road riding that night. At 8:30 I figured feck-it, I'll go out on the bob jackson anyway. Didnt want to unwire the fatbike, so I strapped on 2 tiny LED lights. Got to the other side of the lake, it was pitch black, and below freezing. I couldnt see a thing, and the road was totally frozen. Come around a corner slidding sideways, totally blind, wondering where the road ended, and what I was going to hit. Did'nt go down, or hit anything.

in the words if the wise IceCube.

'today was a good day'

Hence the suggestion of riding more often in primary to reduced the risk (which you should ride primary either way base on your risk assessment).

primary allow you more room to maneuver away from the offending drivers/more visible to the drivers.

Very true, but I always ride primary anyway. I ride at least 1.5 -2 feet away frmo the edge as much as i can.

^ not primary position and not far enough out from car doors.

Whats primary? In the middle?

Didnt really want to be too far out as I was riding slow and it was pretty heavy moving traffic for most parts.

Hence the suggestion of riding more often in primary to reduced the risk (which you should ride primary either way base on your risk assessment).

primary allow you more room to maneuver away from the offending drivers/more visible to the drivers.

Nope. If you're front light is not operational, get out of primary, get off the road.

Whats primary? In the middle?

The standard way of putting it is: 'Just to the right of the left-hand (car) tyre track.'

Note that it's measured relative to traffic and not to kerbs and the like.

There may, of course, be circumstances in which you need to be further out than that, but it depends on your risk assessment in the circumstances.

Nope. If you're front light is not operational, get out of primary, get off the road.

You must be new here , ed's always right regardless

Like phone emergency suggestion :)

Dynohub powered light system?

I've lights and spare lights too...and a hi-vis vest. Still doesn't stop people choosing not to see me.

Does any one know if aforesaid PC plod would tend to let you off if you can show you tried hard to have lights but some batteries died on you unexpectedly and you're just going home?

Obviously you're still committing the crime and you should have given up and got the train, but considering the shitty cycling and no lights brigade that nod past on the pavement everyday it would be pretty galling to get done...

Up to the individual office I would guess.

Carry spare batteries or go to a fucking shop and buy some.

At 3am?

When I'm drunk?

^ Local 24Hr Petrol Station obvz...

snotter is barred from anywhere that sells booze in a 20mile radius of his house.

I was stopped for a really weak rear light last year. I hadn't realised how poor it was and to start with was grateful to the 5-0, he was being very nice.

He then started writing me a ticket, he wouldnt accept my assertion that it was an honest mistake and that I did still actually have a light and insisted on ticketing me. So I waited until he was looking down and rode off.

I don't know if he chased me. I didn't look back.

Good thing the light is too weak for him to chase you.

While it's a bit of a cuntish move for him to write you a ticket when you did not realised how weak your light is, it's highly inadvisable to cycled away from the police.

^ Crimewatch FTW!

it's highly inadvisable to cycled away from the police.

I know.

'citing tho.