Pride, literally, comes before a fall

That ultra-bright new tail light
That ultra-bright new tail light

I love riding my bike to work, even in the cold and dark of winter. Knowing that if I can’t be seen, I can be run over, I bought a taillight so bright that “it can cause seizures,” as a friend described it. That same friend went on to tell me of his ultra-bright headlight that allowed him to see potholes and road imperfections.

I pridefully said I was good with my little flashing headlight that allowed me to be seen – but not to see.

The very next evening after that conversation, I was riding home and ran head-over-heels into a corner curb. I had assumed that there was a wheelchair ramp on that corner. No.

Ouch!

Thankfully, I did not tumble into oncoming traffic or damage myself or my bike more than just a few scrapes and a destroyed innertube.

Lesson learned. I need to listen to advice, even when it’s not given as such. (My pride could have been the death of me.)

FacebooktwitterpinterestlinkedinmailFacebooktwitterpinterestlinkedinmail

2 Replies to “Pride, literally, comes before a fall”

  1. Interested in the headlight – please more details. I’ve stopped riding to work because my standard bright headlight isn’t any good on the downhill bit. The standard headlight gives me about 3 metres of visibility, at 35mph on a long downhill, unlit and in the dark it’s just not enough.

    1. Phil, I’ll give the full review after I try it out. (Too cold this morning!)

      In the USA, it’s available here. Maybe you can use your US connections to buy one for you and ferry it back to the UK.

      (Wish I were coming over!)

      My living-room-with-lights-off test demonstrates that it’s VERY bright.

Comments are closed.