NYMXer

The wheel reflectors are not a good idea from a dynamic point of view, but if your ride at night.... visibility is key to safety. There are many ways to increase nighttime visibility like a tail light, helmet or bar mounted light, reflective tape on your bike and reflective clothing on your body. A new paint was developed that is invisible to the eye during the day but makes the whole bike reflective at night.

Do a little research and see what works best for you. Maybe a combination of a few available items, but wheel reflectors would only be my choice if I had no other choice. My shoes, tape on pedals, clothes and lights (front and rear) help make me visible and sometimes, to a texting driver who isn;t looking at the road...... no amount of reflection will help you!

Ride smart, do your best to be visible and live to ride another day

RonH

Lights, front and rear, and hi-viz clothing are much more noticeable. Get rid of the reflectors.

KD5NRH

Even the good old stamped steel ones were a bit flexy. Maybe an aluminum one with retroreflective paint on both sides is the answer.

American Euchre

All bikes have a tendency to roll into the ditch. Counterweights are needed for derailleurs mounted on the right side of the bike, along with the cassette.

Add to that the chain, crank and rings. Those rear wheels look pretty lopsided, too. It's a wonder anyone stays upright on a bike, ever.

cyclist2000

I build my own wheels so I don't have reflectors on them. but if you are worried about balance put one on the there side.

Yan 

One of the signs of a quality bicycle is the lack of random stuff attached all over it: the wheel reflectors and dork disk being the prime culprits. I prefer to use reflective sidewall tires instead, not to mention lights.

techsensei

FWIW, technically all non-custom bicycles here in the USA are required by the CPSC to be sold with reflectors, and on derailleur equipped bicycles, a spoke protector.

Miele Man

Cycle Sense: Why Reflectors Don't Work

Cycle Sense: Why Reflectors Don't Work

Myself, if I were to use wheel reflectors I'd use two of them per wheel. I'd mount them opposite each other and at 90 degrees to the valve and rim joint for better balalnce.

The long wheel reflector that mounts on one spoke can be dangerous if it slips down and turns on the front wheel it can jam against the front fork with very unpleasant results such as an instant stop.

If I was going to have something reflective on the wheels I'd staple reflective tape across two spokes. If it came loose it wouldn't be a hazard to the bicyclist.

Cheers

techsensei

Reflectors are very lightweight plastic and would break instead of brake.

Miele Man

I'm talking about ones like these.

https://www.sino-zhome.com/upload/20091112214830.jpg

Cheers

techsensei

Yes I know. They will break at anything approaching cycling speed. The only time it will stop a wheel is when there is no mass behind it, like when the bike is up in a stand.

ltxi

That was a timely comment. I picked up a new BMC GF02 Ultegra yesterday. No reflectors nor dork disk. LBS mech that built it up said he just won't put that stuff on a bike of this caliber.

NYMXer

You are absolutely correct. There is no way those spoke reflectors would stop a rotating wheel with a rider on the bike and cause an accident.

Cychologist

First thing I do to a new bike is take them off. They aren't effective and manufacturers put them on bikes to satisfy their lawyers.

I ride with a bright tail light day and night and very bright head light at night.

italktocats

i remove mine, since they mainly help being seen on a 90 angle, so pretty much never..


law requires them though

techsensei

CPSC regulations only requires that the bike be sold with the reflectors (and spoke protector) installed. It's perfectly legal for the consumer to remove them ... kinda like the do not remove tag on mattresses ... unless of course your particular city/state requires them. And of course some shops/mechanics won't install them on "good" bikes. But these are the kind of regulations that rarely get enforced; it might only come up if the cyclist is in an accident at night (and such cases have occurred from time-to-time).

SteelIsRealHevy

3 pages in & still no mention of the most vulnerable of the road, pedestrians who won't see reflectors at all.

Still waiting for a Fred w/ dork disk & reflectors to lead group breakaways @ 30mph.

jefnvk

Meh, call me Fred then.

Reflectors, I don't personally care one way or another. It is rare I ride at night, so it is rather irrelevant anyways, but unless I've got a very specific reason to take them off a bike that has them or put them on one that doesn't (say, a bike tour in Europe where they are legally mandated), it gets ridden how it came.

Dork discs? Love em, I've seen enough times (once) where debris got tossed into a drivetrain and knocked the chain off despite proper deraileur alignment. Plus it makes me feel good that I'm not a self conscious nitwit that thinks a piece of plastic speaks to my manhood.

As to that article, a list of ways they may not work is far different than them being completely ineffective. All one must do is watch a bike cross the street perpendicular to you to note their effectiveness.

Dave Cutter

Bicycle reflectors are meaningless. They weigh near nothing. Your bicycle wheels will never rotate/spin fast enough for the reflectors to be a balance issue. Those who think you look dorky or Fred-like because you left the reflectors on... are all younger than 14.

Leaving the reflectors ON.... may be the one chance in a lifetime when you can gain points with your wife.... by doing nothings. P.S. She's right... the reflectors are safer.

GlennR

Unless you ride at night, they are useless.

Now a blinking front a rear light are a good idea.. .even during the day.

Cougrrcj

A good high-intensity blinking HEADlight is also a good idea since it grabs the attention of otherwise distracted or unobservant motorists. (see related post here: https://www.bikeforums.net/fifty-plus...me-lights.html )

MuddyBikeRider

I don't ride in the dark so I don't need reflectors. If you ride in the dark then you need them.

chedarhead

I took off the reflectors and noticed a definite improvement in the way the bike handled. I don't ride much at night as I used to. I still have the dork disc on and perhaps I will remove it when I service the free hub. It isn't a large one anyway.

bikecrate

I'd rather put my faith in lights than reflectors. The ones that came with my road bike were especially huge and ugly, so they came off immediately.

jefnvk

Funny how many people insist on flashing lights and being visible are essential, and then rip off such a visibility device because it is big and ugly.

Flashing headlights and taillights do little for cars approaching you from your side. Flashing headlights can get drowned out in street lights, making you rather invisible from anywhere you aren't looking directly at the headlight. I've seen both cross the road in front of me in the past few weeks, reflectors scream BIKE far more than any sort of flashing light.