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I am so incredibly confused by this product.

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Singlespeed & Fixed Gear "I still feel that variable gears are only for people over forty-five. Isn't it better to triumph by the strength of your muscles than by the artifice of a derailer? We are getting soft...As for me, give me a fixed gear!"-- Henri Desgrange (31 January 1865 - 16 August 1940)

I am so incredibly confused by this product.

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Old 12-12-05, 01:51 AM
  #1  
bought a new car
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I am so incredibly confused by this product.

gg

Last edited by $0.00/Gal; 02-21-07 at 04:04 PM.
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Old 12-12-05, 01:55 AM
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Will it attach to my white belt?
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Old 12-12-05, 02:02 AM
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i'm not getting it either. meh. i've got 3 flashy clip on lights. i can clip them nearly anywhere on me/the bike/my bag/my backpack/panniers and take them off again pretty d@mn quick and easy. with the added bonus of...... they actually flash, and might possibly let a car see me and not hit me. whodathunkit?
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Old 12-12-05, 02:05 AM
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wow, that is possibly one of the stupidest things i have ever seen.
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Old 12-12-05, 02:08 AM
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gg

Last edited by $0.00/Gal; 02-21-07 at 04:04 PM.
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Old 12-12-05, 02:10 AM
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or trying to make a bit of money off the clueless.
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Old 12-12-05, 02:16 AM
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that **** rules... crustpunxisbixe style! buttflaps for your bike! oi oi!
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Old 12-12-05, 02:38 AM
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I'm guessing what they are using is 3M reflective material. One of my motorcycle riding suits has a strip across the entire back. Whenever I come across another rider that has something similar I swear I can see the reflection for a good 1/3 mile. the material really does an excellent job reflecting.

Now as far as not understanding the product, this could be a great solution to those that want to be aid in being visible without having to carry spare batteries and/dispose of old ones. However I would saw that probably the best way to use the product is in conjuction with blinkies, not as a subsitute. If one extra car saw you that might not have then it's worth it.
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Old 12-12-05, 02:59 AM
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Originally Posted by $0.00/Gal
I mean...seriously.

I spotted them being sold on chicago craigslist for $15 each.

What is 'wig?' How is this any more 'fashionable' than a reflector or more visable than a blinky light? WHAT AM I NOT GETTING?
$15USD?? pretty crazy, considering i can buy, for example, 16 of THESE for $5CDN.

or THIS for $3CDN.

then, add THIS and THIS, and you would then have a front AND back light AND reflector for $13.75CDN.

Last edited by fixedude; 12-12-05 at 04:05 AM.
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Old 12-12-05, 03:09 AM
  #10  
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C'mon guys . . . we aught to feel bad for them . . . I mean they spent all that time & effort putting together a website and all, while they could have been riding. I pity them (but not enough to by there reflector/patch thingy)

P.S. I would never rely on reflectors alone to be seen at night. That'd be ridiculous IMO.
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Old 12-12-05, 03:10 AM
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buy a fedex jacket.
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Old 12-12-05, 03:17 AM
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Don't forget their chainskins, now - https://www.chicagowig.com/chainskinpage.html

I kind of like this, just because of the reflective material. My Krypto cover is falling to bits and starting to scratch my frame, so maybe I'd be in the market for summit like this.

But the reflector are a wee bit silly. The intent is good, 'cause in the winter time we could all use a little more visibility, but the end product just seems off, but I'd like to see one in person before totally dissing it.
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Old 12-12-05, 03:40 AM
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Originally Posted by Kiecker
Now as far as not understanding the product, this could be a great solution to those that want to be aid in being visible without having to carry spare batteries and/dispose of old ones. However I would saw that probably the best way to use the product is in conjuction with blinkies, not as a subsitute. If one extra car saw you that might not have then it's worth it.
i would agree with you, but rear lights last a pretty long time, and you can always get rechargeables
 
Old 12-12-05, 03:42 AM
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Originally Posted by $0.00/Gal
How is this any more 'fashionable' than a reflector or more visable than a blinky light? WHAT AM I NOT GETTING?
these things are sooo ugly and tacky, they are sooo expensive and they actualy make you like kinda poor (maybe that's just my thinking), it's super ghetto! haha

These lights look a LOT better than this ugly ass flap. and this light come on and off faster than that flap and it looks good
 
Old 12-12-05, 03:52 AM
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Originally Posted by Mehow
C'mon guys . . . we aught to feel bad for them . . . I mean they spent all that time & effort putting together a website and all, while they could have been riding. I pity them (but not enough to by there reflector/patch thingy)

P.S. I would never rely on reflectors alone to be seen at night. That'd be ridiculous IMO.
i hope we're all familiar with sheldon's "Why Reflectors Don't Work" article.

i think it's funny how they wanted to keep their fixies looking slick while steel being seen. what they ended up doing is charging more than the price of a light for an ugly patch that doesn't do you much good against cars without headlights... or as Officer Wiggum calls them "Ghost Cars". ive seen too many people forgetting to turn their lights on to rely on reflectors.

 
Old 12-12-05, 05:23 AM
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I suggest one of these and one of these. I use both... have two pairs, one pair in my bag and one in my pocket. This way you can look fly on your ride when you want to and not like a complete ass online when you try and solve a problem which never really existed.
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Old 12-12-05, 06:04 AM
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Originally Posted by fixedpip
Don't forget their chainskins, now - https://www.chicagowig.com/chainskinpage.html

I kind of like this, just because of the reflective material. My Krypto cover is falling to bits and starting to scratch my frame, so maybe I'd be in the market for summit like this.

But the reflector are a wee bit silly. The intent is good, 'cause in the winter time we could all use a little more visibility, but the end product just seems off, but I'd like to see one in person before totally dissing it.
What fixedpip said.

You've got to cover your chain, why not do it w/ something reflective?

Why not make everything refllective?

Sheldon's article has good points and we should all think about how reflectors work.

I use pedel reflectors and spoke reflectors because they work.

We should strive to make being visible part of the cycling culture. It's tough enough out there. No need to make it tougher by making yourself less viistble.

Can't being visible be kool?

The WIG folks seem to be a lot closer to us culturally than say SUV drivers. Why not cut them a little slack?

Neophobia: Fear of anything new, of innovation, an irrational fear of new situations, places, or things. In animal behavior, neophobia refers to the tendency of an animal to avoid or retreat from an unfamiliar object or situation.

All phobias are unreasonable sorts of fear that can cause avoidance and panic. They represent a relatively common type of anxiety disorder. Phobias can be treated with cognitive behavioral therapy using exposure and fear reduction techniques.
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Old 12-12-05, 06:37 AM
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The page about the creation of the WIG brand is priceless though. I can just imagine how that conversation went.

#1: wow I can't believe we almost got doored by that guy... it's like he didn't even see us!

ZOOOOOOOOOM

#2: F*ckin Cabbies... no respect I tell yah... It's like they wanna hit us cause they're jealous of how sweet our bikes look

#1: I know... It's like she never even saw us... weird!

#2: I just wish there was some way to make out bikes more, uh, hmmm, reflective? yeah that's it. You know without sacrificing how frickin sweet they look... It's not like I just rolled this pista out of the store... I had to take off all those reflectors to get this fresh ride.

#1: You know you'd think the contrast between our white belts and black jeans and hoodies would have made us more visible... like they didn't even see us... *shakes head*

Sorry that's probably overly critical... but when I read that page I had laugh to myself a bit...

"Unfortunately, this collective act of rebellion became the main link to most of our misfortunes on the mean streets. 90% of all our accidents could've been avoided if we had been seen."
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Old 12-12-05, 06:42 AM
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Originally Posted by Kogswell
What fixedpip said.

You've got to cover your chain, why not do it w/ something reflective?

Why not make everything refllective?

Sheldon's article has good points and we should all think about how reflectors work.

I use pedel reflectors and spoke reflectors because they work.

We should strive to make being visible part of the cycling culture. It's tough enough out there. No need to make it tougher by making yourself less viistble.

Can't being visible be kool?

The WIG folks seem to be a lot closer to us culturally than say SUV drivers. Why not cut them a little slack?

Neophobia: Fear of anything new, of innovation, an irrational fear of new situations, places, or things. In animal behavior, neophobia refers to the tendency of an animal to avoid or retreat from an unfamiliar object or situation.

All phobias are unreasonable sorts of fear that can cause avoidance and panic. They represent a relatively common type of anxiety disorder. Phobias can be treated with cognitive behavioral therapy using exposure and fear reduction techniques.
good point, now i feel like a jerk

i wouldn't say we're neophobic though, this just seems like a pretty expensive dumb idea. it's like all those dumb inventions you see on tv. we ignore them and then one of them happens to be fixed-gear related! what else are we supposed to do? it's almost like they were asking for it
 
Old 12-12-05, 06:51 AM
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HAHAHAHA

"THE SHINER IS A REMOVABLE REFLECTOR. SMALL ENOUGH TO FIT IN YOUR BACK POCKET AND BIG ENOUGH TO LET A CAR 1000’ AWAY KNOW THAT YOUR THERE."

if only they made small inexpensive little LED lights that fit in your pocket..... until that day comes we should all thank god for blessing us with WIG.

WIG WIG WIG WIG!
 
Old 12-12-05, 07:22 AM
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Originally Posted by Kogswell
You've got to cover your chain, why not do it w/ something reflective?

Why not make everything refllective?
sure, the chain cover is somewhat innovative, but charging $15USD for a reflector is ridiculous! i do not think everyone has qualms with being "reflective".

Can't being visible be kool?

The WIG folks seem to be a lot closer to us culturally than say SUV drivers. Why not cut them a little slack?
yes, being visible is "kool", but charging $15USD for a reflector is NOT "kool". just because someone is "closer to us culturally" does not mean they are offering a well-designed product and does not oblige anyone to "cut them a little slack". i do not mind paying extra for innovation, locally-produced/designed goods or for any other of many positive attributes of a well-designed product, but, aside from the chain cover, they are simply offering an over-priced reflector! they would be better off expending less effort on the kool factor and more effort on conceiving new and interesting ideas/products.

one of the arm/leg bands i linked to above was $3CDN; for $15USD i could buy one for each appendage, one for my neck and another to hang from my bag or bike. 6 REFLECTORS to make sure i am visible from 1000' away! or, as noted, i could get front/rear lights AND reflector.

really, other than if i were helping to support some friends, WHY would i buy the WIG?? the cats producing it may be genuinely cool and positive people, it is just the product is not.

Neophobia: Fear of anything new, of innovation, an irrational fear of new situations, places, or things. In animal behavior, neophobia refers to the tendency of an animal to avoid or retreat from an unfamiliar object or situation.

All phobias are unreasonable sorts of fear that can cause avoidance and panic. They represent a relatively common type of anxiety disorder. Phobias can be treated with cognitive behavioral therapy using exposure and fear reduction techniques.
it is good that even if any of us did have a 'neophobia', the old skool reflector being offered lacks any significant design changes to warrant a description of 'new'. well, the old skool reflector is being sold with a new school price, so maybe that IS what is causing such a rash of fear...

Last edited by fixedude; 12-12-05 at 07:32 AM.
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Old 12-12-05, 07:22 AM
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Man, what a nice ass website for a ****e-ass product.
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Old 12-12-05, 07:30 AM
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3M reflectice tape on your bag + properly lit bike = miles of night time goodness

I couldn't read that site. I never made it past the first picture. Told me all I neede to know. There's been a lot of that lately.
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Old 12-12-05, 07:34 AM
  #24  
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You can get a meter of the 3M reflective tape they're using on ebay for about a dollar... that plus some Cordura + sewing machine = new chainskin. I'm planning on re-skinning mine when it gets more shot than it is now.

The tape-on reflector is just sort of doofy.
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Old 12-12-05, 07:42 AM
  #25  
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Glad they clarified the color scheme option.

Now I know what happens to those who can't draw the pirate.
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