From: RONEAL@lexmark.com (Randy O'Neal)
Newsgroups: rec.bicycles.soc
Subject: Re: Should lights be req. Std. Equipment? NOT!
Date: 6 Nov 92 09:57:18 GMT
Organization: Lexmark International, Lexington, KY
X-Disclaimer: These views are the poster's and not necessarily those of Lexmark

In article <68962@cup.portal.com>
SteveSgt@cup.portal.com (Steven Eugene Sergeant) writes:
 
>
>We all know that helmets save lives.  Whether they should be required
>is a hotly debated topic that people will be ranting and raving on-and-
>on about for years.  But how about lighting?
>
>Some countries, The Netherlands and West Germany for example, require
>that all new bicycles sold with a street license have a lighting system
>that conforms to a DIN standard (number 49848-T2 I think).  Should
>lighting be required standard equipment on street-legal bicycles in
>the U.S.A.?
>
>I personally think it's a good idea, and I want to read your comments.
>Requiring lighting would mandate manufacturers to reinvest energy
>into producing bicycles that meet practical transportation needs,
>rather than concentrating on the style driven whims of the sport-
>riders.  Why can't I buy a 6-speed bike with a chain guard, fenders,
>a sturdy rack, and lighting as standard equipment for commuting purposes?
>Why are the extemely reliable and relatively maintanence-free 3 and
>5 speed hubs no longer available on bicycles of quality construction?
>
>I suppose some of this might belong in rec.bicycles.tech, but it seems
>like a social issue to me.  Anyway, I've digressed.  Isn't it time to
>make lighting REQUIRED STANDARD EQUIPMENT?  (What if it was optional
>on motorized vehicles?)
 
You've *GOT* to be kidding.  You want to *REQUIRE* lighting systems on all
bicycles???  Go buy your own blasted lights and drop this utterly stupid idea
in the trash.  I'm one of only 3 or 4 people I know in this area that ride
much in the dark and yes, I have lights a-plenty on my bike.  Should we then
penalize the other thousands of bicyclists that *never* ride unless it's
A)light, B)clear and C)temperate weather?  I don't think so.
 
If you go off and require lights on all bicycles are you then going to require
all lights to be turned on all the time (similar to motorcycles)?  Do you
seriously think the 2-3 candlepower average lighting capacities of the average
bicycle headlight is going to do **ANYTHING**?  Or, do you really think that
people that won't pay the difference between a Huffy for their kid at $145
and a DiamondBack for $200 because the cost is too tough to justify would
be willing to fork over the $50-100 for a real lighting system?  **NO!**
 
I just put together a real lighting system for my bike.  I've got two 5-watt
each Cateye's with Krypton bulbs powered by two 1400 mAh R/C electric car
racing batteries.  The charger alone (bought it while racing R/C cars) costs
about $60... the danged batteries are almost $30 each.  And these complement
two VistaLites, one front and one back.  You add the expense of this system
(and I'll admit that I wouldn't have gone out and specifically purchased
some of this equipment solely for my bike, but the good stuff outperforms
the lousy el cheapo stuff) to the purchase price of a modest $300 bike and
you're talking about adding over $180 to the purchase price of that bike!
Now, add law enforcement, etc. and your brilliant idea becomes moreexpensive
and more ignorant by orders of magnitude.
 
Bad idea... If you feel strongly about this, go buy a lighting system and
be happy... don't force the public to do as you do, 'cause I'd guess that
98% of the other casual cyclists would never use such a setup unless
incompetent legislators were to decide ideas like yours make sense...
 
 
Randy O'Neal  RONEAL@lexmark.com     Printer Attach Software Development
                                     Lexmark International, Inc.
-- Weinberg's Law --                 Lexington, Ky.
'If builders built buildings like
 programmers wrote programs, then                                     __o
 the first woodpecker that came      "The views above are not those  `\<,<=====
 along would destroy civilization.'   of my employer... just mine."  O/ O
Newsgroups: rec.bicycles.soc