3" Rear Reflector - Necessary?
 

I have read on some commuting boards that a 3" relector is recommended. Most refectors I have seen or an inch in diameter. Is a 3" relector required? If so, who sells them?

Recommended. Look for DOT approved if in US. They reflect back at a somewhat narrower angle, but are therefore brighter too.

al

Necessary like clean drinking water? No. Is it required by law? In Georgia, yes:

40-6-296.
(a) Every bicycle when in use at nighttime shall be equipped with a light on the front which shall emit a white light visible from a distance of 300 feet to the front and with a red reflector on the rear of a type approved by the Department of Public Safety which shall be visible from a distance of 300 feet to the rear when directly in front of lawful upper beams of headlights on a motor vehicle. A light emitting a red light visible from a distance of 300 feet to the rear may be used in addition to the red reflector.

I don't know if 3" is the minimum required by DPS, but you can find some excellent ones at your local auto parts store or WallyWorld...

Required by law in Washington, too. Rear light is optional, in addition to the required red reflector.

Colorado's the same. We really need to get this stupid law changed throughout the US. A rear red light should be required and the reflector optional.

No matter what the legal requirements might be, a red rear reflector is "necessary" to my equanimity. I run two bright red rear blinkies, but you never know when those will fail. Almost every blinky I've ever used has had some tendency to turn off when I hit a bump wrong. So, one of them is the kind that includes a CPSC-compliant reflector.

You can buy huge reflectors in Lawn & Garden stores too, that come
with steel poles to mount them in the ground with, obviously you chuck
the pole but ther reflector has enuff extra plastic on it that can be used
to make-shift attach it to the bike .


For instance :
http://brands.hardwarestore.com/462-...-products.aspx

Has anyone had a cop pull out a ruler to measure your reflectors? I just did with the ones that came with the bike and they're not even 2". Had them in the junk drawer. I wrap a 2 1/2" x 8" piece of 3M relective tape around the seat stays and rack stays. And also a sheet around the head tube. It's a displays a large surface area and visible from any angle.

To the OP. Many LBS shops have a bin in the back...Guess most people don't want 'em. take your pick.

Depending on the bike I use the DOT conspicuity tape in strategic places. Reflective technology has improved greatly over the last 30+ years since the CSPC decided that they needed to protect us from ourselves and specified a really crappy reflector for our safety. DOT rated stuff is much better. FWIW I do run tail lights and a Planet Bike Super Flash on all of my bikes.

Aaron:)

In almost all cases where a car is within 50 feet of you (maybe more, I haven't studied) at night, the reflector is probably the brightest thing he can see. It's powered by his headlights, which are very bright. There are situations where the reflectors don't work, but most times they do, and they're the only thing that's going to work if you run out of battery power.

Reflectors are cheap and there's no good reason not to have them on. I run a 3.5x1.5" DOT truck reflector on the back of my bike. I think it cost about $2.

I don't know and don't care about legality. I know and care that reflectors work really well. The things that come on bikes are pathetic little things, I replaced them with bigger, much better mounted (on aluminum brackets bolted to the rack) reflectors right away.

I don't know if any state requires a 3" reflector, but I agree with ItsJustMe and others that it's nice to have one that big back there.

I just attach a regular pathetic bike reflector to the back of my bike with its mount (get one from the bike store bin if you're on a budget), make sure it's clean, then I glue a $2ish DOT approved 3" reflector from the auto parts store to the back of it. It comes with sticky peeloff tape. Takes about 5 seconds to convert a 1" to a 3" reflector... Better yet, mount a red and an amber one back there...

I seem to remember that reflector requirements typically state how it must be visible from X number of feet (typically 300 or so), rather than specifying the size. Speaking of which, I have a red light that has a somewhat reflectorized lens cover. I wonder what would be a decent way to test its reflectivity to see whether it would meet the standard.

I believe it would say "CPSC" on the light somewhere; many lights available nowadays are NOT CPSC certified reflectors. the old vistalite was, and one of the Serfas ones is; very few other lights combine CPSC certified reflectors nowadays.

the manufacturers failing to combine lights with CPSC fleccos is a bad trend, in my opinion. leaving cyclists vulnerable on the roads AND legally, if their blinkie goes dim, stops blinking or fails to warn drivers a bike is up ahead.

Most states don't even hassle cyclists without any reflector or lights! Even in California where I use to live I saw many cyclist without reflectors or lights ride around at night and not a peep from the law; likewise here in Indiana it's rare to see a cyclist running lights or reflectors, and yet again not a peep from the law.

In Californa I didn't have any reflectors except my leg bands and yet by law their required on the rear, the pedals and the wheels; and yet myself or anyone else I knew never got citations for not having them...but I did have lights.

I think if you had a rear light and no reflector but the reflector is required in your state, I bet the law would be happy you had the light and would leave you alone!

My state requires a bell, I have yet to run into anyone with a bell (including myself) and no one has ever received a citation.

Personally I think the law enforcement agencies are doing an injusticeto their citizens by not ticketing cyclist without lights or (not and) reflectors.

This is MI law regarding reflectors with an interesting requirement for additional lighting. So if the light is not visible from 500 feet it is illegal even though it is just an "additional" light? How about if it is visible from more than that? Not that it matters because it would never be enforced, but I wonder sometimes if the legislators even read the laws they approve.

there's a reason us riders called the Vistalites "lawyer lights"- IE you were covered, legally, if you ever got in an accident, and wound up having to sue the driver to collect damages.

not having required safety equipment, suit gets thrown out of court.

I seriously doubt anyone is going to receive a ticket if they've not got the required safety equipment, but it sounds like it happens in Hawaii.

Heck, in some commuter forums a 3" reflector is recommended?

Here's what I recommend- a CPSC flector/vistalite for backup use and legality, a Planet Bike Superflash on flash, and a 12" slowmotion triangle. seems to help with passing clearances....

+1 Bek
Where they get ya is when there's a "traffic incident". Like if you blow a light or are in some sort of collision...they tend to look for every infraction -- because it's worth it.

Too add to that I would invest in a clear or amber flasher for the front in addition to a headlight. The flasher helps attract motorists attention to your bike better then just a light alone, because bike lights are very small in diameter and most motorist either don't see the headlight or misjudge how far away it is.

Also leg reflector bands work very well.

I'm not sure if I agree with a tailight on the flashing mode. There has been many studies that prove that a flashing tailight confuses the driver whereas a steady one does not. Most countries require a steady light. I leave my main on steady and my barend lights on flash mode only because the little button bats would not last long on steady.

But make sure your flashers are bright ones and the bats are good. I saw another rare sight of a cyclist with reflectors and a tailight tonight...but the reflector is what caught my attention, the tailight was so dim it was virtually useless.

True. When I was telling my stepdad about cyclist traffic stings and tickets for no lights, he couldn't believe it. Then again, he lives in metro Detroit.

Blinkie lights are now so cheap that there is no excuse not to have them, red in the rear, white in the front. Always carry spare batteries.
Reflectors don't work nearly as well.
A blinking light is far more conspicuous than a steady light.

I'd like to get a triangle like that. Is it metal or plastic? How did you mount it?

NAPA auto parts has 3" reflectors available. They have a mounting hole in the middle, which makes for easy mounting. About $4 for a package of 2, I recall.

In Flordia you have too have a white headlight, on the back a Red flashing LED plus a red reflectors. And just to let you know helmets are

Equipment requirements and carriage of passengers
(Section 316.2065(2), F.S.)

2. A bicycle operated between sunset and sunrise must be equipped with a lamp on the front exhibiting a white light visible from 500 feet to the front and both a red reflector and a lamp on the rear exhibiting a red light visible from 600 feet to the rear.

inexpensive fabric slo-mo triangle, available at most bike shops or online. mounted on a spoke ziptied to the rear rack.you can also setup one with one on a spoke zipped to the rear brake boss in the rear triangle if you don't run a rack.