toolbear

Having observed them in their native habitat, I must say that the average bikie does not stand out on the road.

This is not a Good Career Move. If you are out there playing with cars, you should do everything possible to call attention to your presence as far off as you can. It is amazing that so few will invest a few dollars to keep their hides and bikes intact.

The average driver is not trying to run you over or door you or cause you to scratch the paint on his Lexus with your bike or break her windshield with your body (You know what those things cost to replace?).

He does not need the trouble, but all too often bike riders are running below radar in stealth mode. That is, until they interrupt that cell call the hard way. A smart move would be to take a look at what you look like from the rear. "Can you see me now?"

The examples are numerous by day and by night, but tonight's rider was typical.

Stopped at the light (full dark), I caught a flash of movement to the right, between the lanes of cars. There goes the guy, dark coat, may have had some diagonal lime green something on his back, but who knows. He had a messenger bag over it. However, he did have a working fixed red taillight. I have seen brighter lights on log booms. Headlight, I did not see.

How visible do you think a dim fixed red light is amid a sea of bright fixed and blinking red lights? Not very. Movement attracts the eye. Something reflective to catch the headlights would really help. A fixed tail light is better than nothing, but not very much.

Dude: at least put it on flash. Better, go to Pricepoint and spend $10 for their knock off of the Planet Bike Superflash (got 3, they work fine).

In the predawn darkness I can find the Latino commuters - they are dark moving spots against a brighter background. Lights are not common here. The best before dawn rider is a roadie I can see three blocks off and coming. I look for him.

Here come a brilliant white flashing light. The eye is immediately drawn to it a long ways off. When he passes, you see the strobing tail light. He is making a large blip on the motorist's radar.

Wish more would do the same. Light 'em up! If we notice you, we will certainly try to avoid you. Better for everyone if you get noticed a block away instead of three feet away.

10 Wheels

In the predawn darkness I can find the Latino commuters - they are dark moving spots against a brighter background.

How is it that you Can determine the dark spots are Latinos?

Mr. Beanz

Hmm, sort of hard to get this type of message through to cyclists. One posted cycling death had to do with the sun, driver not seeing the rider. I posted a comment stating that I avoid certain roads at sunset because I myself driving know how difficult it is to see anything traveling in that direction at that time. I got several responses stating, why should we have to avoid certain roads at certain times, that just means the drivers are going too fast for given conditions.

Whatever, I do what I have to do to keep myself safe.

IMO, riders need to take a look around at the conditions. I know another member that will back me on this. We were playing somewhat of a game on GMR, cat and mouse. I'm a much faster descender weightwise so I stopped to take a pic the other rider went by and was expecting me to easily catch him before the bottom. I was gaining fast when the road turned to a dirt covered mess. I backed off figuring my safety was much more valuable than my pride and catching the other rider. At the bottom he asked what happened. I told him I backed off because of the mess on the road (lower section of GMR). I think I made a wise decision. This was 3 days before the deadly GMR incident.

Mr. Beanz

Heck, I'm dark and some people don't even know I'm Latino!

CritEastwood

Darwin will take care of this non-issue.

toolbear

***

When I pass them it is obvious.

toolbear

I got several responses stating, why should we have to avoid certain roads at certain times, that just means the drivers are going too fast for given conditions.

@@@

Too fast? A colleague returned from the NorthWet to complain (horror!) that they were driving the speed limit! Plus those important calls and that chase on the DVD. But who wants to prove the point with your bod and bike?

I recall the couple this summer on cruiser bikes on the Chuckanut Drive - a narrow, scenic white knuckle road. It has cliffs up and cliffs down on both sides for miles, no shoulder, trees and blind curves - a 35mph road.

I don't really like it in a car. Never on a bike. Too much adventure. The sun was in the face and ahead was a flicker of motion in and out of tree shadows. Look hard and you can see two bikies at the side of the lane. Normal street clothes. No lights. Very hard to resolve them from the background. Folks: a simple flashing light would really help drivers see you in time to avoid. Cost of a Sette tail light, $10. Cost of you bods, priceless. If I were on that road, I'd be illuminated like Times Square on New Year's Eve. On the trike I have enough lights to make a try at it.


"He was right, dead right, as he sped along. But he was just as dead as if he had been wrong."

Whatever, I do what I have to do to keep myself safe.

@@@

Gut reactions work. I listen to my tummy, which has kept me alive on assorted occasions. It often reminds me that doing 30 downhill into unknown terrain around the curve is not smart, however much fun it might be at the moment. I slow down.


IMO, riders need to take a look around at the conditions. I know another member that will back me on this. We were playing somewhat of a game on GMR, cat and mouse. I'm a much faster descender weightwise so I stopped to take a pic the other rider went by and was expecting me to easily catch him before the bottom. I was gaining fast when the road turned to a dirt covered mess. I backed off figuring my safety was much more valuable than my pride and catching the other rider. At the bottom he asked what happened. I told him I backed off because of the mess on the road (lower section of GMR). I think I made a wise decision. This was 3 days before the deadly GMR incident.[/QUOTE]

@@@ The saw about the pilots could be applied here. More fun to survive to be an old rider.

toolbear

@@@

"Consider it evolution in action."

Doohickie

Okay, so in the case of an accident, they are the person at fault. But the cyclist is just as dead. So yes, it's prudent to avoid certain roads at certain times or take other self-protective measures.

Rick@OCRR

Wow Beanz, I've known you for several years and I didn't know you're Latino!

But then you probably didn't know that I'm half Scotish and half German, so whatever . . .

Rick / OCRR

Mr. Beanz

That's the way I see it!

Mr. Beanz

Actually I did!

GP

I'm not sure about this. There's been a long debate about drivers fixating on flashing lights.

calamarichris

I've always been a big fan of visibility. I wear the hi-viz yellow and run my blinking lights day and night, but I'll turn them off if surrounding riders express annoyance.

I figure if I do get run over, I'm going to make it extra easy for my family's lawyer to prove negligence and for my loved ones to stinking rich off my untimely death.

Jed19

Very nice. How easy was your jail-break?

calamarichris

Piece of cake...

I got that suit shortly after watching the trainwreck-scene in Fugitive, and I stenciled IDOC in thick, black letters on the back. Sadly no one ever gets the joke. I've had several cops follow me for a while on the freeway--perhaps they got it.

(IDOC = Illinois Dept. of Corrections.)

CritEastwood

the "moth effect"

toolbear

You mean Like Moth to Flame? If they can fixate, it means they can see you. Perhaps even avoid you.

toolbear

One of Sheriff Joe's pink jumpsuits?

robertkat

As I understand it, in most of Europe, flashing tail lights are not legal unless they are secondary to a brighter, solid tail light.

GP

A vehicle (car or bike) will go where the driver's eyes are looking. You hear about drunk drivers hitting police cars during traffic stops - the drunks fixated on the light bar.

urbanknight

Unfortunately, he's not taking care of it as quickly as they procreate.


Seriously? His sig used to say "the meaner beaner"

CritEastwood

I run solid/blink-free all of the time after getting hit by Countess Drunkula at night three years ago.

Mr. Beanz

I had to remove it cause turns out I'm was too nice, and "nice" doesn't rhyme with Beaner.

I would have thought the tamale videos would have been a tip off.

jeff^d

Reflective tape is another great tool. Granted some have very nice bikes and don't want to tape over stuff. But my commuter bike, typically the bike I'm out on before light and after dark, is covered in reflective tape. The frame has some, but also the moving parts like rims and cranks. It's SUPER bright when illuminated with car lights, and all the spinning/rotating parts lighting up looks like a mini ferris wheel.