Nice idea. If you get buzzed too often, by all means use the flag. I couldn't use it here due to too many other cyclists, and I wouldn't because there are narrow, slow streets where I really don't mind cars passing me with less than 3'. But being fine with 1.5' at 10 mph delta (me 20 mph, car 30 mph) doesn't mean being fine with 1.5' at 60 mph!

Actually it is the LAW in many states.

LC

Yeah - obviously like the laws that state that riding side by side on a bije path is illegal, that cyclists should NOT be wearing earphones, that stop signs and other traffic signals are for ALL traffic including cyclists, and that lights are a requirement at night for your own safety.

The real problem is that since cyclists are currently excempt from requiring a driver's license and registration - many assume they're exempt from anything and everything - thats the only real behavior that can be considered 'stupid'.

Count me as one who likes the idea. I'd even gone so far as to consider getting a dandelion digger, with that lovely two-pronged metal end, and bungeeing that to my rear rack to deter buzz-by's. This is much more polite.

I bet you could rig a real simple pulley system to a friction bar end lever or similar that would move the flag from the 3ft out position to the typical upright position for safe passing by other cyclist/pedestrians.

It sounds like you wouldn't really need that feature for your ride but it might be a fun project for you or someone who likes the idea but sees more bikes and peds on their route.

I am always appalled at how little scientific, mechanical or intuitive logic resides in the middle classes of American society. The average European housewife could look at that flag and realize that a mechanism to lift it out of the way could never be operated by a thumbshifter. That same housewife (homemaker) would also realize that such a device is the antithesis of the bicycle ethic. A pedestrian walking around with bumpers on to delineate their "personal space" would quickly find themselves in a fistfight upon actually contacting another person with it as would inevitably happen. No matter how remote the setting, if it involves enough "close" situations to require a device like a side marker flag in the first place, would also see that side marker flag inadvertently contact another fixed or moving object or person. More to the point, the rider would forget to raise the flag when it needs raising most. It would happen. I have never understood the wisdom of car topping bicycles around so I would never do it, but... now that I am in a club and get to talk to lots of riders, when I hear about the many, many, many instances of driving into the garage with thousands of dollars worth of tandem strapped to the roof.... to say nothing of the thousands of dollars worth of damage done to the garage facing and door mechanisms... this is even after a previous incident and a warning sign on the garage door to check for bike on car roof... CRUNCH!... well after all that you realize how fallible human memory and situational response is... anyone who has posted in this thread about the at will retraction and deployment of such a thing as a side clearance marker is completely and fundamentally in denial about the human psyche. It ain't gonna happen. That flag will be out there waving just when you would rather it not be... FWIW.

H

if I was a drunk redneck I'd see that as a target and challenge to tap with my mirror. just too tempting

Put the flag on a pivot and have a cable attached that when its pulled would move the flag up. A spring would help return it to the down position when tension on the cable is released.

That's pretty simple stuff. I'm sure you could probably manage to rig something like that up if you used some of that grey matter for something other than turding all over the place.

I'm not the one interested in rigging something up like that. For the main reason that no amount of rigging is going to compensate for the complete lack of prescience in the human animal. IOW when you realize you ought to raise the flag, the flag should have been raised 4 seconds prior... now what? Is that so hard to understand? Really, read my post again, its all in there. But since you are thinking about it, the way to accomplish the task is to put the flag on a pivot. Raise and lower the flag by direct force. Once you introduce mechanism, you need too much input at the user end to get much movement at the action end of the lever. Only direct application of arm force to the shaft of the flag will work. And... for the final time, the reason why that is a non-starter (won't work) is that it is inevitable that the flag will be up when you want it to be down, or down when you need it to be up. Murphy's Law. I'm smart, but Murphy was even smarter. KISS. Just saying.

H

Not all of us are as slow and dim witted as you might be.

Interesting concept. I am trying to think of things that can go wrong. What about if the flag gets caught on lets say the grill of a passing car.

Will it break away or are you getting pulled down and dragged?

Now if you would just put a sign on the back saying "Wide Load"...

See "Flash Flag" for prior art.

http://www.flashback.ca/flashflags.html

my left drop bar strobe keeps cars further away and dramatically reduced the # of buzz attacks

I like the idea of the 3' side flag as an informational, awareness event. IE, all cyclist in the city using it one day.
However, it seems a bit cumbersome for every day use to me. It'd be in the trees on the MUP, dragging on one of the bridges. It'd be pointless on the bike lanes and narrow downtown streets. Only on the two-lane road in suburbia would it be an advantage - for me.

Wasn't there some bike light that claimed to shine a line on the road 3 feet from the side of the bike a year or so back?

yeah that was cool, for nites ...

hausfrau

just use the EU certified Safety Wing.

why do you guys make this huge fuss over 3ft (you could squeeze a bidirectional cycle lane in 1m of space!)

http://bikepgh.org/mb/topic/safety-wing/

on amazon:

http://www.amazon.com/CRSWING-Safety...ds=safety+wing

A consideration given some previous thought. My mount will swivel forward under friction and the flag mast can be pulled free of it.

I tried that too and kept breaking the mounts. I think a problem it helps with is the impression that a bicycle is where the tire contacts that road; Somewhat of an optical illusion.

Yes, and it's exactly as useful as you'd imagine (not at all). Unless you're using a 100 watt halogen spotlight to project the light, no car driver would ever see it at speed.

That would be a squeeze, for sure! You must have remarkably steady riders and very fine surfaces on your cycle lanes.

I'd want to ride a minimum 6" from the edge to allow for potholes, crumbling shoulders, trash on the edge of the road, etc. Toss in 9" more for half a handlebar, call it 2" for fat bike tubes, and I'll take up 17" on my side of your bidirectional lane. If somebody is coming the other way with similar space requirements, we'll pass with 5" to spare. If somebody veers, we both go down.

We've got a half mile of heavily traveled city street with 9' lanes. Most of the lawn care trucks can't stay in that. I'd hate to get those guys pedaling down a narrow cycle lane towards me!

That's really going to hurt, when it swivels forward and whacks you. But I guess it will hurt less than being hit directly by a passing vehicle.

Having been a passenger in many vehicles driven by aggressive (insecure) drivers, that flag causes me a lot of concern. I can think of many drivers I know who would hit that flag on purpose, and consider themselves in the right. Hopefully you won't meet up with any of them.

I like the foam noodle, though.

That's a pretty good idea.

The one I like best has a spring loaded breakaway mount, a reflective flag, and an obvious jagged hunk of steel paint job ruiner on the end.

Let's see... spring loaded breakaway mount... and jagged hunk of steel paint job ruiner... you thought this through well... not. Look... it really isn't that bad out there. Flags don't keep drivers from hitting you. If they want to hit you... guess what. You're hit. The reason you keep coming home day after day is because you've not yet (in your life) encountered a driver that really, really wanted you dead. So why piss off total strangers for no good reason? Why? Do you think your jagged hunk of steel paint job ruiner registers at 50'?? Honestly, the takeaway of this entire thread is: vehicular cycling is not for everyone. There is no shame in admitting that you just don't have the stones for it. Take the bus... drive... anything but riding anyway full of fear and loathing. You make it bad for the rest of us. Your flags, super bright strobes and too many of them going at once at that. Hogging the lane... it goes on. Just do yourself a huge favor and stay out of traffic if the only way you can do it is to make a public nuisance of yourself.

H