bike turn signals
 

does anybody make them? i plan on making a set, but don't know where to put them on my trek 400T... any ideas? and how would i make them blink (meh, i've got some ic chips and stuff but i dunno how to use them...)?

You could pull a flasher out of a car. Its like a circuit breaker, once so much electricity goes through it it shuts off power, then turns it back on in a second. Goto radio shack and see if they have any recos.

Personally, I don't think it's a very good idea. Motorist, if they do pay attention at all, tend to be looking for hand signals. I doubt they would distinguish between your turn signals and a regular back light with flashing lights.

Yeah, I think you would need pretty big lights spaced far apart to be effective -- no smaller than a motorcycle's setup, and probably bigger since motorcycles have the benefit of being right in front of the cage drivers' line of sight, whereas we're usually off on the right side of the lane.

The bicycle turn signals I have seen for sale are small, cheap looking, and don't make it obvious to those behind you what your intentions are. Not to mention they don't tell oncoming traffic what you are doing. I suggest making a homebrew turnsignal system bright enough to alert drivers from a distance during daylight hours. Sort of like mine. :D

http://www.bikeforums.net/attachment...1&d=1188097283
http://www.bikeforums.net/attachment...2&d=1175739939


I tried using an automotive blinker, but it is a thermal device and relies on the resistance of an incandescent bulb as part of the circuit. It didn't work with the LEDs. I tried using a solid-state automotive blinker that was supposed to work with LEDs, but it didn't work either. Huh. I ended up building a circuit from the "Total Geekiness" sticky on the Electronics, lighting and gadgets forum.

The lights also serve as daytime running lights.

What about a clever mod of a pair of blinkies? Route the power to the turn signal switch on the handlebar, powering up the correct one?

I'd think you'd do better by putting blinkys on your gloves.

That said,there are some small motorcycle lights that would work. Some lights off a dual-purpose bike should do the trick. Just make sure you mount them on stalks so they stick out from the bike.

What's wrong with hand signals again?

Yeah I have a 6'4" wingspan, I think signal lights would put it to waste.

haha, i love hand signals... it's just that drivers never seem to notice when i want to turn...

a couple weeks ago, one hit me while i was slowing down to turn right... idiot... my wheel is now oval... i made it out alright; but that got me thinking about turn signals and whatnot...

yeah, im thinking about making a set... just seeing if anyone else had done it or if the ones on the market were any good...

I plan to try these, for my commutes in the dark this winter. On a drop-bar bike, these bar-end plug lights point rear-ward, and have steady - flash - off modes that can be switched on the fly by simply pressing on the bulb. They're super-bright, and I figure that the rear-shining light / turn signal is pretty intuitive to most motorists, who are used to seeing steady red tail-lights from cars at night, and who already know to expect a turn when one tail light starts blinking.

Nashbar Drop Bar Light Plugs

Too bad they're not Euro-style Orange.

As a supplement, not a substitute, to hand signals I think the only negative is the extra complexity each bit of equipment adds to ones bicycle. The positive is slim and may be outweighed by that negative.

The other potential slight positive is that the signal can be applied continuously vs. hand signals, such as 100' before and thru a turn or while waiting stopped at a light preparing for a left when no cyclist I know is going to stick their arm out for entire the 2min wait. It may help communiation in a few cases when the motorist can see the direction and you would otherwise not be hand signalling.

Al

How about the part about "taking one hand off the handlebars/brake lever"?

I don't worry so much about front signals because I can easily SEE what cars in front of me are doing. I kinda like the idea of rear signals, but so far I haven't seen much available that looked sufficient.

Check Google, there are some light kits available--some also include a brake light (which I like too)--but the turn signals tend to be rather narrow and the lights overall are generally underpowered affairs. There are some LED ones out there, and they might be a good starting point for something to modify however.
~

That's what I was thinking...I have an amber blinkie, I'd need one more for the pair. Dusk to dawn, we need every little advantage we can get.

actually there is a product that I have seen that has that already... and they only blink when you are making the signal...

An Opposing Opinion
 

I read about a study in the UK that indicated bikcyclists should not signal in any way. It seems that there were MORE auto/bike accidents if you signalled. The theory advanced was that if you make some kind of signal, the driver then has to process what you mean and then react. Better to just do what you want.

Now, if you're in slow moving traffic, it should be OK to signal so as to keep Mr. Wheeler happy. But I have this feeling that it doesn't actually help at all. So, I just GO.
...thehick

As a 3rd shift commuter I would like something to make signals more obvious at night. Can anybody recommend blinkies that could attach to gloves or should I stick with reflective tape?

You can just use velcro. Put one half on the back of the blinkie and put the other half where you had the reflective tape.

there is a product called "safeturn"

heres a link to a video showing how it works...

http://razusogo64330.googlepages.com

Here is one product
 

I just use hand signals. Always works. Except when I don't use them, which means I am going straight. That seems to confuse the cagers. I think there thought processes goes like this:

"Damn, there is a cyclist" (if they notice me at all)

"Both of his hands are on the bar, I wonder what he is going to do" (if he is going slow enough to even know where my hands are)

"I'll just assume he is going to turn" at which point their assumption causes them to cut me off.

You know, I think I am giving them far too much credit. I think its more like this.

"Uh...wtf is that? 5 points for running it over"

Use LEDs. A bit more expensive but longer lasting. For the blinking, get one blinking LED per side (left and right). Wire the other LEDs (non blinking) to that LED and they will all blink. So when you want to signal left, just power up the left bank of LEDs and when you to signal right, power up the right side.

All you have to figure out now is how you're going to mount this in a nice case and how you're going to mount the switch on the handlebar.

It's a fairly easy project for even the beginer electronics hobbyist.

I and countless other cyclists rarely if ever have a problem getting motorists to notice our hand signals. If fact, about half the time a hand signal is not required at all, because just looking back (not a quick glance, a real look) causes them to notice and slow down.

Now, a hand signal does not give you the right to move or turn laterally. If someone else has the right of way, you have to wait for them to go by, or until they yield to you. I say this because many cyclists seem to think that to turn all they have to do is signal and go.

In you case you were slowing to turn right, and the car behind you hit you? Well, the other thing you might want to get is a mirror...

dammit, i just bought all the parts for it...

just a thought: how would i make it blink? i mean, i can do it using a 555 ic chip... but that requires a pcb which takes up space and such... any ideas?

As I understand it, the automotive blinker doohingey has a resistance element that heats up from the current, cuts it off, then repeats. This assumes it is in series with the bulb. If you try to use it with bulbs vastly different from that intended, it wouldn't work. (It wouldn't surprise me if they didn't have more sophistocated ways of doing this now, by the way).