ModeratedUser24102018

okay so basically i commute to work alot. and now its starting to get dark really early (in the uk). i take safety very seriously, basically because i have a family of my own now and i wouldn't want them to find out id been hit by a car because i didnt have any lights on.

now most of you may know its all good and well having lights on the front and the back to help people see you aswell as so you can see the road. but what alot of people dont know is that you cant see someone on a bike from the side at all, even though they may have a front and rear light.
here comes the point im getting to, alot of places started selling bike wheel lights, you know the really expensive LED lights with a fat chunky battary pack that attaches to the hub, most likely will cost £20/$20 per wheel. so ive come up with my own idea that only cost me £5.99.

i bought two of >these<. the white one is on my front wheel and the red one is on my back wheel. i also bought some small cable ties and i have attached them to my bike spokes. it does not in any way ruin or bend the spokes the way i have attached them, and it means that you can be seen by people driving and other pedestrians. here are a few pictures of my bike and how i have attached them.



so from these pictures you can probably see that they dont have the loops on them anymore, the ones that fitted around the bars. i cut them off and just put the light itself in between my spokes.

ive found that these work extremely well in poor light conditions and i have noticed that alot more people can see me, either because its bright or because when you go really fast it just looks like a big circle of light. the reason for this post is to make cycling safer for people without having to pay an arm and a leg for something that may break not long after. this is cheap, easy to put on and looks really cool. aswell as these on my wheels i have a front light on my bars and a light under my saddle. also i have attached an led light to the back of my helmet through one of the breathing holes.

please ask any questions you may have, also any criticisms are welcome too, im just trying to make cycling in the dark safer for more people.

ModeratedUser24102018

this is what it looks like in the dark.

BobbyG

Those look effective in grabbing the eye of others in traffic. I used to but lights on the spokes and/or valve stems, but battery life was too short. With improvements to LEDs and batteries maybe I should take another look.. Thanks for sharing!

ModeratedUser24102018

They really are effective and really cheap. They run on those flat circle battarys and are waterproof while in the silicone cover. Plus the push button on the top is really easy to turn on and off

cobrabyte

that's pretty cool

RidingMatthew

as long as it stays on i think it looks good.

ModeratedUser24102018

Its solid. Very stable, with the force of the wheel spinning its being forced into the rim which makes it even more stable because its not loose.

noglider 

This product is designed for that purpose. I use one on my rear wheel. I would use one on the front, but it distracts me too much. I have a nice reflector on the front wheel which I can't see when I ride.

ModeratedUser24102018

distracts who exactly? and isnt that kind of the point? atleast if its distracting people see you coming

dynaryder

I've used the SpokeLits as well,but don't think they'd play well with the OP's spoke pattern. These would prolly work though.

ModeratedUser24102018

theyre not that bad looking tbh, all of the things ive recently seen have been led based and had chunky battary packs. but i do like my design also, basically because its bright. i feel something that small may be a little dim while on the road and everyone has their headlights on etc.

G1nko

I have:

• High-intensity rear-facing blinky
• Ixon Core headlight
• Monkey lights on the front spokes
• Reflective sidewall Schwalbe tires
• Reflective strips on my jacket

And cars still don't see me. Perhaps a car with flashing lights in front of and behind me with one of those "wide-load" signs on it might do the trick.

chaadster

Oh my god, that'd drive me nuts! I tried running a front M232, and ditched that fast.

takenreasy

I have 3M reflective tape all over one of my bikes. When car lights hit it’s like instant neon. That never stopped an occasional close call in the dark. I’m all for being seen but it really boils down to the rider looking out for his/her own ass.

PatrickGSR94

Unfortunately I don't think it will look like a solid circle to the human eye. It will look like a single point of light going round and round as you roll by.

ModeratedUser24102018

Of course :'). This was taken with a professional camera with a very slow shutter speed, to give the general idea of what its like in the dark, seen as how i cant take a picture while riding by myself i thought that was the easiest way.

newbie101

Could you post a photo?

I just bought a 2 foot roll of 3M in white, and looking for ideas on where to place the tape. I'm planning on placing the tape on the following:

-backs of crankarms

-seatpost

-pedals (front/back/side)

-helmet

One thing I'd like to do is to use the 3M on the spokes somehow, if anyone has tips on that.

newbie101

Good stuff. I like your ideas. Perhaps a helmet mounted set of lights so you can announce your presence by turning your head in the direction of cars to your side?

I'm also toying with the idea of mounting inexpensive red blinkers facing the left and right side.

noglider 

Use strong tape between the spokes, such as a pair of almost parallel spokes. Then put the 3M tape on that.

takenreasy

It’s black tape on black surfaces. So, not much to show without waiting for dark, blasting the bike with headlights and snapping a photo. I placed the tape along both sides and center of my black fenders, and on the back and sides of my black rack. It’s primarily to make me visible from the side. If cars can’t see two rear lights and two front lights, I guess I’m goner.

newbie101

My understanding is that black tape is the least reflective, although I understand why you'd use it on a black bike.

Even with a black bike, I'm still surprised the monkey lights don't announce your presence rather boldly compared to the average bike on the road at night?

I do think a helmet mounted light could work to your advantage. Side facing blinkies could do the trick also.

chaadster

?!? It depends on how fast he's going!

Bikerdave222

I mounted a flashlight (Fenix LD 12) with a strobe feature on the bottom part of my rear rack. It strobes the ground on the left side. It swivels too so I can point it backwards if I like.

ModeratedUser24102018

indeed this is true, although it isn't exactly true to the picture because it was taken with a very slow shutter speed on a camera. it is similar. it does look like a single line of colour from about 15-20mph

thats pretty cool, i was thinking of getting something like push button LED's for my forks and seat stays, but in the end i went for the wheel lights.

Bikerdave222

I got the idea partly from seeing a biker at night, down town, flashing a strobing light on the ground with a hand held light as he passed a street corner. It took a second to realize just what he was doing.