German StVZO rules are not helping when the users are not directing the beam towards the road but horizontally. The current bicycles lights are very strong and I am sometimes nearly blinded from them in day light!
Maybe there are some super expensive ones, but I don't think we can entirely blame cyclists. The design of affordable lights is just not very good.
My 1975 vintage Peugeot bike already has a front light with a lens that directs the beam downwards, can be adjusted to point even further downwards with a screw, and even has a small shield on top of the lens to stop the beam from travelling upwards.
It works perfectly with the original dynamo and a cheap LED light bulb from Amazon.
https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikeforums.net-vbulletin/640x48...
What the hell, are your lights welded/glued in place to the bike frame or what?
Most bike lights are screwed in, and with those screws you can adjust the angle of the light both up/down and left/right like this: https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/71AKoH1V25L._AC_SL1500_....
You have misunderstood. Obviously I can angle the light, but it still has a circular beam pattern like a torch. Dipped car headlights are not like that. They have a sharp cut-off at the horizon so you can light the road brightly without blinding oncoming traffic. Very few bike lights have a beam pattern like that.
Definitely not on any modern light. They usually have a rectangular beam pattern.
Speaking for my German bubble, there are roughly two types of bike riders: those who invest 1k+ on their gear and those that buy a flea market bike for 100€ and then fit the cheapest light they can find (that is, the ones I mention). Most students I know fall in the second category, making those lights quite popular.
[1] https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/71nSkKcBIdL._AC_UF894,10...
It can't be that what he meant, since if you can adjust the vertical angle, you can stop blinding people.
>Most students I know fall in the second category, making those lights quite popular.
I know. I nearly ran over one who had no good lights, dark hoodie with no reflective gear, when I was reversing on a dark street, at night. Nearly shat myself after the close call.
I know students are poor, but God damn man, your life is worth more than a couple of Euros you're saving by running a crappy light who's battery died 2 years ago. Skip on a pizza/few beers in town one time and get a proper light.
You don't need to spend thousands of euros on gear to have a safe and visible cycling experience.
People are just stupid and lazy about their own safety, that's all. You only realize it when you switch from a cyclist to a driver, how dangerous these cyclists with no good lights are at night.
> the cheapest light they can find (that is, the ones I mention
Dude, that light you shared is a luxury compared to what most students I see have. Most have these god awful things with low battery: https://www.alibaba.com/product-detail/Bicycle-Accessories-S...
It's not exactly cheap (and probably can be found cheaper elsewhere), but then it's superbright 2400 lumen with 2 sets of leds (headlights and meeting/dipped lights) and a powerbank. You can switch with the buttons. I own a slightly different version (2200 lumen, same casing) and it's great.
edit: cheaper here: https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005006446894517.html
https://www.gazelle.de/fahrraeder/esprit this is a solution
But that applies more to running red lights, or using bicycle lanes in the wrong direction.