Advocacy & Safety - where i ride reflectors are for "opeys"

a "hood" riders first modifications to a bike are ditching the reflectors and decals, why? its tacky and looks like ****. well since the past few incidents of people getting hit because of low visibility i managed to push this cheap mod so cheap i do it for free and it works. a good wrap around the fork and rear stays helps and it doesnt stand out or look like ****.

http://www.head-nature.com/images/product/03906/03906.jpg

?what?

Pics or it didn't happen.

Is that a roll of tin foil?

Is that a roll of tin foil?


Keeps you safe and keeps the government from listening to your thoughts. Nice.

Keeps you safe and keeps the government from listening to your thoughts. Nice.

:beer:

Is that a roll of tin foil?

Any fool can see that it's window tint.

Please Mr. Sledbikes, sir, tell us more. Cheap, unobtrusive, sticky and effective sounds good to me. Much better than rooting around to find discarded reflectors.

White reflective tape on the rims and cranks is what I used

Is that reflective sheet?

yeah its reflective mylar the stuff i got from a vinyl shop had a adhesive side

Gcottay, most sign shops carry this

Reflectors don't work. I've seen some reflective sidewalls that are OK, but those little red things are worthless. Not sure why anyone would take off decals.

However, lights are a huge improvement over any sort of reflectors. I'd skip the mylar or whatever it is, and just get some lights.

yeah its reflective mylar the stuff i got from a vinyl shop had a adhesive side

lol, I went onto the source website of the picture and found a marijuana grow-op supply store.

I like 3M Scotchlite tape. Put some on your rims for a nice effect.

Reflectors don't work. I've seen some reflective sidewalls that are OK, but those little red things are worthless. Not sure why anyone would take off decals.

However, lights are a huge improvement over any sort of reflectors. I'd skip the mylar or whatever it is, and just get some lights.
many of them ride whitewalls so side visibility isnt much of a issue, good luck with that. lights clutter up the bars and the bike, they too also look like ****. a lot of them have expressed interest on street glow neon. its affordable and looks more custom than some suppository shaped led light.

Keeps you safe and keeps the government from listening to your thoughts. Nice.


I recommend 3mil of lead, tinfoil was so before Bush.

And you say reflectors look tacky? Scheesh! Must be a matter of taste!

Reflectors don't work. I've seen some reflective sidewalls that are OK, but those little red things are worthless. Not sure why anyone would take off decals.

However, lights are a huge improvement over any sort of reflectors. I'd skip the mylar or whatever it is, and just get some lights.

They only work if a)turned on, b) contain charged batteries, c) have a generator powering them if wired correctly and not burned out. Reflectors will provide at least some visibility. I saw a wrong way ninja rider before dawn the other morning, only thing that caught my eye was his pedal reflectors going up and down. AFAIK those were the ONLY reflectors on his bike. Side wall tire stripes are decent and will give you a strobe effect when going around. The best system is a combination of working lights AND reflectors.

Aaron:)

but those little red things are worthless.

This is true but there are tons of larger, more visible reflectors available. I got one from Cateye which clips onto my seatbag and is at least twice the size of the standard bicycle rear reflector. There are some huge automotive ones available and as soon as I come up with a satisfactory way of mounting one, I'll be switching over. I have two taillights but wouldn't it be a b!tch if both went out on a night ride? I've had one go out...

I've got some nice 3M 'solas' (safety of life at sea) reflective/adhesive tape - stuff they put on life jackets. Nice gear.

Small rectangles put on the rims every few gaps or so - strobes really well with the headlights of a car. Doesn't look silly during the day, very light.

I'm proud to be an "Opey" from Muskogee

I ride with these!

82074

Personally, I prioritize visibility over the aesthetic value of a bike. No bike looks good when it's a twisted, bent piece of metal. I remove reflectors and replace them with 3m scotchlight tape. It's much more effective.

Are you sure this is retro-reflective material or just shiny/mirrorized sticky backed mylar. If the later it will won't do much for effective night visibility - you need to reflect light directly back to the light source, not scatter/reflect the light aimlessly.

Al

I'm sure covering your frame in adhesive backed vinyl doesn't look stupid at all.

Where I'm from only a tool would use the term "opey".

Opey? Or Opie?

http://www.tvland.com/photogallery/photos/Andy-Griffith-Opie-Taylor.jpg

I'm sure covering your frame in adhesive backed vinyl doesn't look stupid at all.

Where I'm from only a tool would use the term "opey".

not the whole frame just the top of the rear stays, opey is a nice way of saying C*****r

Opey? Or Opie?

http://www.tvland.com/photogallery/photos/Andy-Griffith-Opie-Taylor.jpg

Opey aka Global Chicken Little
82140

Just remember: Reflectors are required equipment in virtually every state for riding in low visibility conditions. If you're hit by a car in low visibility conditions and your bike isn't equipped with reflectors, your violation of the equipment requirement will make you the negligent party in the collision, regardless of whether or not the other party is also negligent. Good luck arguing that your jury-rigged "improvement" means you weren't negligent.

Just remember: Reflectors are required equipment in virtually every state for riding in low visibility conditions. If you're hit by a car in low visibility conditions and your bike isn't equipped with reflectors, your violation of the equipment requirement will make you the negligent party in the collision, regardless of whether or not the other party is also negligent. Good luck arguing that your jury-rigged "improvement" means you weren't negligent.

wouldnt make a difference if youre hit by a car in Chicago 99.9% of the time they will run and never be caught due to the awesome police work provided by the keystone police department. i dont take the reflectors off they do i just provide the film

lights clutter up the bars and the bike, they too also look like ****.
You're joking, right? Most lights can be popped on and off in seconds, take up almost no room, some are almost the size of a quarter. Maybe some of the big honking lights are aesthetically unappealing, but plenty (e.g. Planet Bike) are quite streamlined and unobtrusive. Lights are also far, far more obvious, visible and safe than any reflectors. Lights are also required for night riding in some cities / states.

C'mon, people. Wrap your seat stays if you want, but really, lights are superior. This is a no-brainer.



They only work if a)turned on, b) contain charged batteries, c) have a generator powering them if wired correctly and not burned out.
Is it really that hard to buy batteries? ;) LED's last a long time these days, by the way.


Reflectors will provide at least some visibility. I saw a wrong way ninja rider before dawn the other morning....
I've seen bike lights from nearly 1/4 mile away. Somehow, I doubt you can say the same for any reflectors. ;)

I agree that highly reflective sidewalls are a good thing, but with a halfway decent light I wouldn't regard reflectors as all that important.

Reflectors aren't as good as lights. But they do serve an important function-- as a failsafe system, in case your lights fail.

You're joking, right? Most lights can be popped on and off in seconds, take up almost no room, some are almost the size of a quarter. Maybe some of the big honking lights are aesthetically unappealing, but plenty (e.g. Planet Bike) are quite streamlined and unobtrusive. Lights are also far, far more obvious, visible and safe than any reflectors. Lights are also required for night riding in some cities / states.

C'mon, people. Wrap your seat stays if you want, but really, lights are superior. This is a no-brainer.



[QUOTE=Bacciagalupe;7539065]Is it really that hard to buy batteries? ;) LED's last a long time these days, by the way.

If you know you need them and it isn't freakin' 2am AND the light managed to get turned on in your bag, etc, etc.



I've seen bike lights from nearly 1/4 mile away. Somehow, I doubt you can say the same for any reflectors. ;)

The CSPC required reflectors are pure crap, I use DOT conspicuity tape. I have seen bike lights that were so dim that the reflectors showed up first.


I agree that highly reflective sidewalls are a good thing, but with a halfway decent light I wouldn't regard reflectors as all that important. What is a "halfway" decent light? Not everyone can afford mega dollar systems, or even less expensive systems. Most of the riders I see without lights probably can barely afford their bikes.

Aaron:)

i dont take the reflectors off they do i just provide the film

And what do you tell them about the film? If you are telling, suggesting or implying to anyone it provides any safety or visibility benefit equal or better than the reflectors that get removed then you are giving false information.

Doing nothing would be better in this case.

But if you must do something, at least give away reflective tape (such as DOT conspicuity - take it from your truck ;) ) that provides equal and often better performance than a CSPC reflector.

Al

And what do you tell them about the film? If you are telling, suggesting or implying to anyone it provides any safety or visibility benefit equal or better than the reflectors that get removed then you are giving false information.

Doing nothing would be better in this case.

But if you must do something, at least give away reflective tape (such as DOT conspicuity - take it from your truck ;) ) that provides equal and often better performance than a CSPC reflector.

Al

i dont tell them its better than reflectors most of them ride murdered out bikes with the exeption of a few. reflective paint works a few of them caught on to it and a few liked the G.I.D. paint idea as well. its an alternative. theres nothing you can say or do that will make any of them put reflectors on bikes that includes reflective tape. the paint works to a degree and its invisible during the day.

What's an "opey"?? At first I thought you meant "ofay". (First thing that popped in my head.)

If you know you need them and it isn't freakin' 2am AND the light managed to get turned on in your bag, etc, etc.
OK, so let me see if I have this straight.... Let's say you go 3 months before you need a battery change. On one night - possibly even only half a night - your battery dies. So that's 3 months of actually being visible to cars and 1 or 1/2 where you, well, pretty much look almost the same as if you only have reflectors. Sorry, not exactly a convincing counter-argument. :D

I'm not sure about your experience, but I cycle in urban and suburban areas. Without lights, cyclists are nearly invisible -- even in a well-lit urban environment. Reflectors simply are not catching my attention -- which indicates to me that they offer substandard visibility. And again, I've been able to see stupid little blinky lights from at least 1/4 mile away.



What is a "halfway" decent light? Not everyone can afford mega dollar systems, or even less expensive systems. Most of the riders I see without lights probably can barely afford their bikes.
"Halfway decent" means "blinking LED." You can get a set of blinking LED's with 220º of visibility and 100 hours of run time for $12 via teh Intarweb. A few bucks more and you're using AA instead of a watch battery. So, let's say $20 in the store. In comparison, the pothead's reflective mylar will run you $12.95.

Sorry man, I won't say "don't use reflectors at all!" but a) they can definitely be affordable and b) they are significantly more effective than reflectors alone.

i dont tell them its better than reflectors most of them ride murdered out bikes with the exeption of a few. reflective paint works a few of them caught on to it and a few liked the G.I.D. paint idea as well. its an alternative. theres nothing you can say or do that will make any of them put reflectors on bikes that includes reflective tape. the paint works to a degree and its invisible during the day.

Paint? I thought you started a thread about sticky backed mylar film?

Paint? I thought you started a thread about sticky backed mylar film?

i knew and they knew about it, more work is involved and result varies

I'd much rather go with lights. A good flashlight in front and a basic blinkie in the back can be had for well under $100, and are easily removed when leaving the bicycle.

I'd much rather go with lights. A good flashlight in front and a basic blinkie in the back can be had for well under $100, and are easily removed when leaving the bicycle.

:rolleyes: none of us have 100$ in our pockets

:rolleyes: none of us have 100$ in our pockets

What kind of "Opey" needs $100 for lights? And who on this forum doesn't have a $100?:rolleyes:

If you're using shiny vinyl it's still a reflector, just way geekier. Out of all the advancements in biking technology to come along in the last few decades cheap and bright LED lights have to be at the top of my list. For more like $25 you can easily pick up lighting that will be way more visible than some shiny plastic.

:rolleyes: none of us have 100$ in our pockets

Fine. For <$40:

http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.10727
http://www.amazon.com/Planet-Bike-Blinky-eXtreme-Bicycle/dp/B000KBEH1W

I can keep going lower. The bottom line is that there are kickass lights for low prices available that'll beat the pants off any reflector.

I'm still not knocking reflectors as I think they do a necessary job but if you think lights are unaffordable, you need to look harder: http://www.niagaracycle.com/product_info.php?products_id=3346

The Planet Bike "Blinky Super Flash" has been rated as one of the best in its price range for visibility. There is a you tube post on this as well. It's worth a look.

Why on earth would anybody bother to take of the reflectors of his ghetto bike? That's like half of the bike's value. It's not like you'll make the bike look cool.

You can get a flashing rear light for well under $10. It's bright enough to be visible. You can get a front light for urban use for around $20 or less. This will let you be seen. You can get a highway worker reflective vest for around $20 to $25. For around $50, give or take, you're set for cycling in town at night.

If you want, you can spend more money on a slightly brighter rear light and you can spend more on a bright front light, but the above system is a decent low-cost measure.

Why on earth would anybody bother to take of the reflectors of his ghetto bike? That's like half of the bike's value. It's not like you'll make the bike look cool.
:rolleyes: reflectors suck taking them off improves aesthetics, value? most people that buy bikes from me could care less about the brand unless its a stick up his ass roadie or hipster. we dont call them ghetto bikes we call them Hood Rides or Swagga Bikes. you must ride a hokey bike to say you cant make bikes look cool
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c330/Lownslow302/7c5bf750.jpg
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c330/Lownslow302/84e968f7.jpg

You can get a flashing rear light for well under $10. It's bright enough to be visible. You can get a front light for urban use for around $20 or less. This will let you be seen. You can get a highway worker reflective vest for around $20 to $25. For around $50, give or take, you're set for cycling in town at night.

If you want, you can spend more money on a slightly brighter rear light and you can spend more on a bright front light, but the above system is a decent low-cost measure.
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c330/Lownslow302/3729e85b.gif

ill take my chances im sure theyre gonna laugh too when i tell them this

What's a hokey bike?

What's a hokey bike?
any stock bicycle or bicycle with 50 billon strapons,clip ons,bolt ons,bike racks,and computers

:rolleyes: none of us have 100$ in our pockets

Two flatbed computer scanners from Goodwill: $20
Two beat battery-powered drills w/rechargeable batteries: $15 off Craigslist
Semi-transparent red paint: $5

Wiring the lot up to build a blinding headlight and taillight for your bike: Priceless.

-Kurt