Cognitive

I just added a front and rear light set to my bicycle. The rear went on the seat post with no space for the OEM red reflector. The front light is on the handlebar of course next to the OEM white reflector.

Do I need the reflectors if I use the light kit?

znomit

Yes.
GP4000s with reflective sidewalls, + some red reflective tape on the seat stays.

prathmann

I would say yes - especially for the rear. You don't specify where you are, but many jurisdictions require at least a front headlight and rear reflector (which may be supplemented with rear light(s)) for riding at night. Some have additional reflector requirements such as on pedals/feet and/or side/tires. Good to be strictly legal in case there's an accident and a dispute about fault.

And if you only have a single rear light I'd strongly recommend keeping a rear reflector regardless of legal requirements just in case the light fails (bad battery, poor contact, mounting snaps, etc.). With the rear light being behind you it might be some time before you even realize that your light is no longer working - at least with a supplemental reflector you'd remain more visible to motor vehicle traffic in this situation.

no1mad 

You're in Indiana, right? Here's the pertinent info you need to know-
https://bicycleindiana.org/images/Ind...cycle_Laws.pdf

So now you have to go and double check both the lights and reflectors to ensure that they are all visible from 500' to be legal.

10 Wheels

Why gamble?

linnefaulk

Some lights act as reflectors when not on. But the more reflectors, the better.

Cognitive

Ouch. Good thing I asked :-)

I bought the NiteRider 150 kit. I will have to see if the rear reflector could be mounted on the seat frame (higher).

Thank you!!

1nterceptor

You can try wearing clothes with reflective elements;
these will havelarger areas. Vests, ankle bands, jackets, etc.

TEMP, 22F or -5C by 1nterceptor, on Flickr

NITERIDER by 1nterceptor, on Flickr

cyccommute 

No. The more lights the better. I'd rather depend on someone seeing my lights than depending on the angle of reflection.

My state, by the way, requires a red rear reflector that can be supplemented by lights but the reflector that can be seen from 600 feet away has to be there. I either use relfectorized rear lights or add a small reflector. Front lights have to be visible from 500 feet away. Think about those two distances for a while. It's an almost impossible standard to meet. Active lights can be seen from that distance but reflectors would have a tough time doing it.

The statue

I also find the requirement for side reflectors that can be seen from 600 feet doubly goofy. I can't think of a situation where I would be riding orthogonally to a motor vehicle for 600 feet. A motor vehicle traveling at 60 mph (88 ft/sec) would take almost 7 seconds to get to me. I'd be out of the way long before the car go there. If the car were traveling 400 mph, it'd take 1 second to get to me and I might be in trouble but anything less than that, I'll be out of the way.

DiegoFrogs

While driving, I especially find the wheel and pedal reflectors to be helpful in in telling my brain what exactly I'm looking at. I'm able to then identify something as a moving bike, and make some judgement about the speed and such. I really think these are great supplements to good lighting where, provided the rider doesn't think of them as a lighting substitute, there are virtually no downsides to including them.

unterhausen

Pennsylvania law is ambiguous, so I always get a rear light that also has a reflector.

gecho

There have been a number of times I've got to the end of a ride only to discover my taillight turned off somewhere along the way. Sometimes due to dead batteries, or in the case of my Radbot 1000 a random big bump. I do like that the Radbot 1000 has a reflector in addition to the light.

They really should redesign the Radbot 1000 so that it defaults to "on" when the batteries are inserted (like their Dangerzone light does) which would eliminate the chance of a good bump turning it off. Or they could physically attach the electronics to the battery holder. The contacts for the electronics are springs that press against a circuit board. Though supposedly the cutting out problem was limited to an old batch.

PaulRivers

I always put a Planet Bike Rack Blinky on my bikes with racks, because it has a reflector built into it. I've had stuff happen where the battery was bad, battery jumped out of it's connection on a sharp bump, etc, and I arrive at home to find that the rear light turned off. The reflector works as a backup...though I usually also try to have 2 rear lights as well. The problem with a rear light is that it can turn off without you noticing.

For the front light I don't bother, because it's right in front of me if it turns on and I'll notice it immediately. I've had a front light go out a time or two - I bike more carefully, realizing cars might not see me, but I think the rear blinky is far more important.

cyccommute 

Again, more lights are better. I agree that batteries can drain and they can lose contact but the solution to that problem is another unit since 2 lights are less likely to both fail.

You are mistaken about the front light, however. Accident statistics show that getting hit from the rear is far less likely than having a car turn left in front of you, which is the most common type of bicycle/car accident. Rear lights are important but having a front light is far more important and, again, a place where more lights are better.

PaulRivers

I don't see a reason why I wouldn't get a rear blinky with a built in reflector when they are available.

It's better to have 2 lights, but somethings I don't have room on the bike for 2, or sometimes a large jarring bump might affect both lights. A reflector is also useful if you forget to turn on your light. It's not an either/or situation.

That's a totally different subject, my point was that with the rear light you don't even know it's out. With the front light you do - immediately. So you can make a decision about what to do. I don't bike high traffic routes, so personally I could just bike more carefully home. If I did bike high traffic routes, I could choose to take a cab home, buy another light on my way home, etc.

For what light is working right and visible, the rear light is far more important for not failing because you don't know that it failed while riding. Wasn't trying to comment on which was more important for biking overall.

01 CAt Man Do

In keeping with the opening post: It can't hurt to have the rear reflector as a back up. That said I don't use one on mine. Like others I use two rear lights. My main rear lamp is so bright that all I have to do is turn my head and I can see the plume or the light reflecting off signs. If I use a helmet mirror this is even easier to do. I also use a light on back the helmet. ( *note my main rear light has a remote switch that sits right where the seat post and top tube meet. ( *Xeccon Geinea rear ) If the battery is low it will give me an indication with a "red" warning led. It is very easy for me to see at any time. ) The rear helmet lamp cannot be seen unless I have a helmet mirror on. With helmet mirror I just hold my hand up to the back of my helmet and I can see if it's working.

Right now I have no good place to mount a rear reflector. I plan on buying some "Reflexite" tape at some point and mounting some to either the seat post or my lower rear fender ( if I'm using them ). In the mean time I always ride with reflective bits on my clothing and shoes. If by chance both rear lights went out I would not be invisible to approaching traffic. ( I also sometimes use wheel lights which are also visible to traffic approaching from the rear ). Still, all these things use batteries. Can't hurt to have some reflective bits on the bike as backup 'cause you never know.

cyccommute 

It depends on the rear light. The Planet Bike light you have (I have one too) isn't that great a rear light. Yes, it has a reflector but it's a low output light compared to other lights like the Superflash. The PDW Radbot has an integral reflector and a good output but it has other issues. I've owned 3 of them now and the first two would turn off with the slightest jarring. 01 CAt Man Do did a review of them when they first came out and had the same problem. His take on it was that it's a lot of money to spend for a reflector. That, by the way, is my feeling on any light that won't stay on if it gets jarred. If it won't function as a light...batteries running down don't count...then it's a very expensive reflector.

I actually have 4 lights. One on the rack, one on the rack bag, one on my Camelbak and one on my helmet. There is no force short of a Mac truck that could turn off all 4, although the old Radbot even turned off on my Camelbak.

I don't totally agree with your statement that it's not an either/or situation. It's partly an either/or situation. You should have functioning lights and use them. I understand that things happen but you should also build enough redundancy into your lights that you don't end up depending on the reflectors. Having 2 lights is pretty good insurance against losing both of them, having 3 is even better insurance. Having 4 is probably overkill. I have similar redundancy for my forward facing lights plus backups.

PaulRivers

I don't agree (or I wouldn't use it). It's bright enough that everyone can see it at night, but no brighter, and has a consistent flash mode. I don't find brighter to be automatically better as long as both lights are clearly visible.

I've occassionally seen pictures of road situations with competing high output lights where more light output would be warranted, but since I'm talking about my situation, I personally just don't ride any of those routes so it's not a problem for me.

I agree, sounds like an unfortunately disappointing light.

Fair enough, I agree with you that having functioning lights is more important than having rear lights with a reflector. For me, I only have so much space on my bike and gear, so I try to have them have both. I have debated whether I would be better off putting 2 smaller rear lights on my rack (can only fit 1 planet bike rack blinky) and forgoing the reflector. Mostly what's kept me from doing it is a personal preference for an even steady blinking pattern, and since I always have a bag of some sort I always have 2 rear lights anyways.

Athens80

FWIW, I haven't had any problems with the Radbot 1000. I wish more lights on the market had its "precision reflector that conforms to strict EU standards" and I like the "zZz pop, cornea blitz and rock steady modes." I appreciate that it comes standard with "rack, seatpost and seatstay mounts"; that seems to be less common now.

In the time since I got it four and a half years ago it's moved to a role on an older bike. My ideal smaller light would include side lighting and two watts rather than one for the main LED. But it's a worthy device. They say the 1000 LED is the "same powerful LED used in the brake lights of new cars" so many might be happy with that.

PDW also says that "By popular demand, the new RADBOT™ features a switch that must be held for 1.5 seconds to turn the light on/off. This prevents the RADBOT™ from being accidentally turned on in your pocket or bag when not in use." I don't know whether that addresses the issue that some have cited of the light unintentionally turning off during a ride. I haven't had that problem and don't know whether my early 2010 model is one of the "new" ones.

rumrunn6

Massachusetts:

You must use a white headlight and red taillight or rear reflector if you are riding anytime from 1/2 hour after sunset until 1/2 hour before sunrise. At night, you must wear ankle reflectors if there are no reflectors on your pedals

Athens80

What options / accessories are available to mount a red reflector on the back of a conventional road bike, given a scenario where the seat post is taken up with a seat bag and a good tail light, and there's no bike rack?

I'm interested in options other than a second tail light with integrated reflector mounted on a seat stay -- though what tail lights with reflector are available that are brighter than the Radbot 1000?

There are probably clip-on reflectors available for the fabric strap on the seat bag, but having it flop around there does not seem like the most effective mounting.

10 Wheels

Athens80

I see the Radbot on there, but I don't see anything else that's clearly a reflector. (Maybe the top middle and middle sides of the bike on the right?) And I'm asking "what options / accessories are available to mount a red reflector on the back of a conventional road bike, given a scenario where the seat post is taken up with a seat bag and a good tail light, and there's no bike rack." I'm not looking to weld, glue or otherwise attach an erector set rack on the road bike.

KD5NRH

Stop giving me ideas.

Just got some reflective laces for my running shoes, and I'm thinking about adding those to several other pairs of shoes just in case...especially bike shoes. I like having some of the reflectors on me in case something happens that separates me from the bike. If I fall into the lane on some back road, all the reflectors and lights I can cram on to the bike might just be distracting a driver from the body in the road. The bike pic here is with all the lights off; in the unlikely event all my batteries die at once, at least I will still be visible.

Athens80

I'm still thinking of the red reflector, however. Clothing, shoe and vest reflectors are most often not red, and not-red does not satisfy the letter of the law for night-time riding in some jurisdictions. If the law requires a red reflector at night -- regardless of lights and of reflectors of other colors -- what are the best alternatives for a road bike if the seat post is not available? Is the Radbot the best commercial option?