Originally Posted by
chrisx
I have read that an amber reflector is visable at 6 times the distance of a red reflector. Is that true of lights or not?....
....So gents and ladies, oh and cats, any ideas for AA AAA lighting system?
Eh...I couldn't tell you. I will say however that not all reflectors are created equal ( or reflective tape ). The best reflective product I know of used to be the reflective tape made by
Reflexite. I believe they were the first manufacturers of the Highly Reflective, Microprismatic conspicuity tape. This stuff blew the original 3M stuff out of the water. Of course now I think there are many manufacturers making the same type of stuff. I see many types listed on Amazon. Some list a class as "DOT C2 " and this looks like it is using the same tech as the Reflexite tape. Anyway, it comes in all colors including white. I've been meaning to buy a roll myself but the stuff used to be very expensive. Looks like it's come down in price some. I'd like to add a small bit ( of the red ) to the back of my bike fender and to some of the gear I have at work. Yeah, I've got LED rear lights out the Wa'Zoo but can't hurt to have some non-battery powered back-up.
Oh, almost forgot, you asked, "Is that true of lights or not"?...Well, red LED's are suppose to be brighter than amber...BUT....all depends on how they are set-up. All things being equal, red would be brighter....BUT...in the real world, things are not always equal. If you've ever seen an Amber LED being used with a tight /narrow throw Reflector, along with a driver that is over-driving the LED, well...an Amber LED light can be very, very bright, even in the day. DiNotte markets an amber version of their Quad series lamps. The amber quad is being marketed as a "front conspicuous lamp". I'd love to see one in person but they are damn expensive.
Originally Posted by
demoncyclist
Anything other than a RED light on the back of your bike is a violation of the law in most (if not all) states. Remember that you are a VEHICLE, and must use the same rules...
While true this falls into the same class of unenforceable laws as: Tearing the tags off of mattresses, going two MPH over the speed limit, Not stopping at the white line at an intersection, riding a bike on the wrong side of the road, driving with high beams on ( are they High beams or just bright lights ? )....anyway, etc, etc. Tonight on my way home from work I saw guy riding a Walmart bike against traffic ...AND...with a white flasher on the front of his bike ( no rear reflector or rear light ). If I'm a cop do you think I'm going to waste my time telling this guy he's riding the bike the wrong way. Nope, if I'm a cop I'm just glad he's using a front flasher because then hopefully no one will run into him.