Northern California - Are there road legal clipless pedals?

Since CA requires white/red reflectors on pedals, and bikes can't be sold without them. I don't recall seeing anything that is compliant.

Bikes that would generally be used with clipless pedals are frequently sold without the pedals so the buyer is free to choose their own preferred style.

The California CVC requirement is:"A white or yellow reflector on each pedal, shoe, or ankle visible from the front and rear of the bicycle from a distance of 200 feet."

My cycling shoes have yellow reflective patches in back and some white in the front and I have ankle straps with white reflective material all around.

I don't think I have ever once been in compliance with that law... oops.

I don't think I have ever once been in compliance with that law... oops.

Me neither, and I'm not in a big hurry to get in compliance either. What a ridiculous law...

Crank Brothers has a clipless pedal with front and back reflectors. Don't know about any others.

Reflective tape on pedal spindle and crank arm. Scotchlite black reflective tape is pretty good if you have black cranks.

You better off with a good light.

I think how that law is written all new bikes that come with pedals need to have those reflectors on the pedals. Most lower end bikes just come with platform pedals, and higher end just without pedals. Problem solved.

I'd like to see this law- does it require bikes to have them in operation or just that new bikes must be sold with them on? Big difference.

Do you have a link?

Yea.....seeing as how most bikes dont come with pedals I dont see how they can enforce that

Cali sure has some stupid laws

During operation - but only at night ("during darkness").

http://dmv.ca.gov/pubs/vctop/d11/vc21201.htm

I'd like to see this law- does it require bikes to have them in operation or just that new bikes must be sold with them on? Big difference.

Do you have a link?

http://www.dmv.ca.gov/pubs/vctop/d11/vc21201_5.htm


21201.5. (a) No person shall sell, or offer for sale, a reflex reflector or reflectorized tire of a type required on a bicycle unless it meets requirements established by the department. If there exists a federal Consumer Product Safety Commission regulation applicable to bicycle reflectors, the provisions of that regulation shall prevail over provisions of this code or requirements established by the department pursuant to this code relative to bicycle reflectors.

(b) No person shall sell, or offer for sale, a new bicycle that is not equipped with a red reflector on the rear, a white or yellow reflector on each pedal visible from the front and rear of the bicycle, a white or yellow reflector on each side forward of the center of the bicycle, and a white or red reflector on each side to the rear of the center of the bicycle, except that bicycles which are equipped with reflectorized tires on the front and rear need not be equipped with these side reflectors.

(c) Area reflectorizing material meeting the requirements of Section 25500 may be used on a bicycle.

If you want to be road legal at night, you can meet these requirements with retroreflective material on your shoes: "A white or yellow reflector on each pedal, shoe, or ankle visible from the front and rear of the bicycle from a distance of 200 feet."

Many (most?) cycling shoes come with some retroreflective material in the back. If you added some retroreflective tape to the front this would make it road legal. Some tape on the fork and the seat stays or reflective tires (like Schwalbe marathons) takes care of the other reflector requirements.

Of course what actually keeps you safe is lights, and to a lesser extent high visibility clothing. This is all aside from good riding practices, which are the most important.

My impression is that it's very rare for someone to be cited for anything other than (still pretty rarely) a lack of a front light.

Here's an article about why reflector laws are stupid: http://sheldonbrown.com/reflectors.html

Just get ankle bands for night riding. The only pedals that I know of with reflectors were the Crank Bros Smarty pedals.