steveknight

I had some fun with reflective material (G) I started with the pink but then I found some black and rend that came close to matching my bike. So I could use a fair amount but it does not stand out in the daylight.
The black works better then I though. Most of the white you see is black reflective tape. The helmet pic has it as my helmet is black. I took these pics from about 15 or 20’ away.

Konakazi

I think that's awesome! Do you have a pic of the black tape in the light? Where did you get it? I have a matte black Specialized Rockhopper Comp. I love how it looks but I'd like to get something not totally hideous to make it more visible at night. I already have a couple of lights, and probably will buy a helmet light to boot but hell, the more visible the better. I even have reflective sidewalls on my tires.

slvoid

Here's what mine looks like from behind.

steveknight

https://www.identi-tape.com/hi-intensity.htm
the tape is glossy but it blends in well.

steveknight

we are going to have to work on that (G) my pics are wtihout the lights going. when they are all flashing and glowing I look like a christmas tree.

Erick L

I think it's a lot, especially the colors. I believe the best place for reflectors are in the wheels, like in Slvoid's pic, and standard white/front and red/rear. Other than that, I prefer to rely on active lighting. I want to be seen but without being a distraction to drivers. I want them to identify me without being some sort of lighting spectacle.

slvoid

I'm not so much concerned about drivers directly behind me as I am with drivers from the side, which is where the two huge glowing rings off my wheels come from. From behind, my one 19-LED niterider is enough to blind most drivers directly behind me from several hundred feet away.

steveknight

getting noticed is key. I have lights too one solid and one xenon flasher in back and a xenon flasher and powerful headlight in front. being different is more effetive then most other things. Just ask a bent rider about that.

steveknight

I lucked out and when ig ot the new rear tire it was reflective. few tires have reflective sidewalls though.
you think your nightrider is bright you should see my xenon flasher (G) it lights up the road.

Erick L

Yes for being noticed but I want the drivers to... drive. I want to be seen but I don't want to be such a distraction that they keep staring at my weird lighting/reflector pattern instead of looking where they are going.

steveknight

I don't think that whill happen. I have not had anyone run off the road yet. but with brain dead drivers they need something (G) when I was on my road bike I never got noticed. now that I ahve my bent I am always getting looks and a lot of hey thats a great bike.
I debated on the ansi high viosiblity oarnge and green shirts. but I did not want to stand out when I was not on my bike.

Raiyn

That black reflective tape is the same stuff the Air Force uses on it's Aerospace Ground Equipment. It surprised me when I first saw it at night too. Good stuff

dab60

What brand do you have? I have a Lightman xenon strobe, and while it is noticeable, it is not that bright.

slvoid

I've seen the strobes at the LBS, they're bright and distracting but I prefer a really bright solid light to indicate "Hey I'm here for good" instead of a flashing mess of light.

bkrownd

Personally I'd try to apply reflective tape in long solid stripes that present an outline of your bike as much as possible. The more they see your actual shape the faster they'll process what you are. I like the tape on the rims, too - whirling rims scream "bicycle".

steveknight

I have a liteman in back and a sparky in front. the problem is the light from a xenon strope is blueish. so when it is filtered through red it looses a fair amount of the brightness. the sparky when I run it on white it is really bright. on red it is less so.

steveknight

I have both the strobe for attention and solid to show me better.

steveknight

I do admit though if I did not already have the xenon strobe and have them wired for a bigger battery I would just use LED lights. but since I ahve them no use spending money to replace them. they are a bit of overkill.

clancy98

HA!

only on BF.net could you find someone argumentative enough to argue with you that you are in fact "too visible" at night.

GEEZUS

operator

True that rofl. You might be too visible.

HiYoSilver

Actually you may have under done it. The one wheel is great. Why not both wheels?

The tape on the frame may be just a tad too broken, it is hard to immediately connect the dots.

See my thread on show me your nite bike. It would be fun to have your bike there, once with lights and reflectors and once with reflectors only. Like you are in an emergency situation and your batteries have all failed.

hi yo..

steveknight

not both wheels becasue I just got the bike and I had a kevlar belted tire put on back. I did not have the money to do both and I did not notice that it was reflective when I got it.
I did not want the tape to stand out in the daylight. Plus there are no real good straight lines on the bent. there is always something in the way. it would be hard to get a pic of all my lights since the xenon flashers are so rapid. but I can give an idea.

HiYoSilver

I understand. I got black "stealth" tape, black in the daytime and white at night for wheel rims.
It will be a bit before I get it on as I want it to be nice looking and need a weekend when I have gobs of time.

Turn off the xenon flashers as we all want to see worst case, if all batteries die, what do drivers see.

hi 'o

peterm5365

I've been considering painting my frame with krylon reflect-a-lite. It's clear so it doesn't mar the paintjob in daylight, but reflects under direct light. About $15 a can, but you can't beat it for coverage. Now I just need a space to do it. Damn apartment living.

HiYoSilver

Interesting. Do you have any sites which show the effectiveness of this? Tape is easy to take off a bike if it doesn't work well. Taking off a paint overcoat is more difficult.