I would definitely turn it off. What's going to happen? Somebody yells at you? "Dude, I was turning off your taillight."
2014-04-07 11:47:11
12
Bike choose your own adventure
My wife was at EEFC the other day and on her way in, saw a bike with a rear blinky left on and asked me what she should've done and what I would've done in a similar situation.
You come across a bike that's not yours with a blinky light on, do you...
1) turn off the blinky. -turn to page 32
2) leave the blinky alone. -turn to page 45
She ended up leaving the blinky alone due to the idea of respecting others gear over turning it off and possibly having the awkward experience of having to explain why she was touching someone's bike. She rationalized that maybe the rider wanted it on, though she later thought she should've turned it off because it would suck to want to be lit ay night and find out you have a dead light.
When I came across one, I also left it alone because I felt weird about touching someone's rig, though in hindsight, I would appreciate it if someone turned one I left on, off, even if I never knew they turned it off.
So, turn it off? Or leave it alone?
2014-04-07 11:41:33
I vote for turning off. I've done this fairly often and have never encountered a p.o.'d cyclist.
2014-04-07 11:49:23
I would turn it off in the same way that I might pick up someones bike that had fallen over or move a bike up straighter to allow me some space to use a rack.
If someone is that picky about someone touching their bike, they should not leave it out in public.
2014-04-07 16:05:00
I'd turn it off.
I've gotten accustomed to knowing that when I leave my bike locked for several hours:
...kids are going to play on it
...drunks are going to lean on it
...workers are going to place giant steel barricades next to it and I'll have to call upon the kindness of strangers to help me get the bike free because it's wedged between the barricade and the rack
....it's going to get abused in all manners.
I came back to it the other night to find an unopened can of beer can on the back rack in some sort of drinker's 'pay it forward' karma thing.
I'd be delighted if someone saved me a few hours of batteries.
2014-04-07 18:48:52
I turn off lights when I can. Sometimes they are a puzzle.
It''s privilege.
I'm not typically as respectable-looking as my profile pic, but I'm an affable old professorial-looking guy. If I looked like the freak that I actually am, I might be circumspect about approaching other's property.
2014-04-08 11:00:58
Here's the only issue I have with turning it off: if the rider is accustomed to leaving the blinkie on for short stops, then returns to bike assuming light is ON, said biker might depart with blinkie unknowingly in OFF position.
For me, it depends on the light, and perhaps location. Low battery drain light - don't touch it unless bike appears to be parked for longer term (like at office location.) Higher battery drain, turn it off, and hope cyclist notices before they ride off.
2014-04-08 11:37:15
I'm sure I'm in the extreme minority here, but I just got a light that's sensitive to motion and light. So, if it's dark out and the bike is moving the light will turn itself on....unless someone turns it off. I've already had well-intended neighbors in my building bump my bike, see the light blinking, and turn it off for me. I appreciate the gesture, however I've become accustom to jumping on the bike and expecting the light will turn itself on mid-ride at dusk....which it won't do if someone was helpful.
2014-04-08 14:21:46
Mick wrote:I turn off lights when I can. Sometimes they are a puzzle.This happened once at the rack in my building, and despite a good bit of trying, I actually couldn't figure out how to turn the blinky off. Good deed thwarted!
2014-04-08 15:15:37
Assuming a light will be in the same position you left it when you locked up seems like a bad habit. Not as bad as assuming your brake cables are still connected, or your quick-release levers haven't been flipped by some merry prankster, but related. Perhaps turning off lights helps to break people of that bad habit, and gets them in the habit of checking their gear after it's been unattended?
2014-04-08 17:53:07
@mattjackets - What make and model of light does that? I think that those are in the vast minority, but if I knew what to look for, I'm less likely to mess with it. Most of what I see are common Cateye, Planet Bike, etc.
A picture or link to a website would be helpful.
2014-04-10 10:57:53
I have a light/motion sensitive light. It's the Cateye Reflex.
http://www.cateye.com/en/products/detail/TL-LD570-R/
It looks like this:
But I never assume it's working because it went through a period where it was on the fritz and turned itself off regularly.
But I never assume it's working because it went through a period where it was on the fritz and turned itself off regularly. 2014-04-10 11:28:00