Moving flashing lights and reflective clothing

[Gwylan]

Hi all
I was reading this
https://www.bikeradar.com/features/tech/hi-vis-is-not-silver-bullet-for-cycling-safety

And I was thinking that maybe a snap on or velcro ankle strap - bit like cycle clips - would be a good idea

Any opinions

or idea of things that work well

seems like something useful at this time of year?

Interesting. Makes sense that the movement is what's detected most easily.

I have a couple of wrist or leg bands with green led lamps.
These were a gift at a show or something. Also they've sat at the bottom of the odds and sods bike box.
Going to get them out and use them on my twilight ramblings around the countryside.
Hopefully there will not be too much evidence to suggest whether they work or not.

 

[Dogtrousers]

I had some ankle bands with lights in which I liked because they were somewhat ludicrous. But sadly they fell to bits over the years.

 

[ebikeerwidnes]

On Mondays I have to join the commuter traffic to Manchester as I go to collect my granddaughter.

Problems on the M61 today meant I chose to use an urban route via A and B roads. On a dark, drizzly morning I saw three riders with lights, each dressed head to toe in black. Every other rider had inadequate lights, if any, probably half had dirty hi-viz. None of the riders were truly visible.

Is it any wonder?

I can see why some people complain about cyclist
a while ago I was driving home on a rainy dark night
and I saw a couple of people on bikes go through a red light whil wearing black with a black face covering and everything

OK there were road lights - but they were nearly invisible against any background that wasn;t brightly lit!

 

[cougie uk]

Hi all
I was reading this
https://www.bikeradar.com/features/tech/hi-vis-is-not-silver-bullet-for-cycling-safety

And I was thinking that maybe a snap on or velcro ankle strap - bit like cycle clips - would be a good idea

Any opinions

or idea of things that work well

seems like something useful at this time of year?

I was on holiday in the lakes and driving down a fast dual carriageway at night - it was empty.
Pitch black and no street lights and I was doing 60 or so.
From about 400 meters I could see a cyclist ahead of me. The only thing I could see were his pedal reflectors. No lights that I could see and no reflective kit. I think he was dressed in black. If it wasn't for those reflectors I'd probably have killed him. Absolute insanity.

I've also been behind a cyclist who had reflectives on the back of his calfs - they show up really well in car headlights. Get something with reflectives all round the leg and you'll be visible from behind at least.

Spoke reflectors are a good idea and you can get tyre flys that go on schrader valves. Fantastic for side visibility.
If you have presta valves - you can glue them to the valve cap.

 

[ebikeerwidnes]

The tyre caps seem like a good idea
just looked up the price and the first few are for 20 or 24 in a pack


How many bikes do they think I have!!!!

 

[Gwylan]

The tyre caps seem like a good idea
just looked up the price and the first few are for 20 or 24 in a pack


How many bikes do they think I have!!!!

Maybe THEY know something.

 

[ebikeerwidnes]

Maybe THEY know something.

As long as they don't g talking to my wife then that's OK!!!

 

[cougie uk]

The tyre caps seem like a good idea
just looked up the price and the first few are for 20 or 24 in a pack


How many bikes do they think I have!!!!

Here you go - I've had similar to these and they work great.
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/22513497...xxJM3ZR55pIDN8l8HvUg2keRk=|tkp:Bk9SR7zDwNjXZg

 

[Gwylan]

Here you go - I've had similar to these and they work great.
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/225134973512?_skw=tyre+flys+lights&itmmeta=01KAYRG46B79PNH8KMN8XHWRCW&hash=item346b171248:g:TIwAAOSwnG9jCB0Y&itmprp=enc:AQAKAAAA0FkggFvd1GGDu0w3yXCmi1cjdQX2sfn6buopPOMVoNFalSe/NOAN5I2h6qGmsquhnXMSlWqv6WfJ5yQgvyVOOd5my7s2Z252Rnc/AvuB9+owad465xzCpkGGAq7iCeXBDdZIL35kGfKNZfx+7fE3G4XFTtKWB+FG6r1WoZfTnbhWvQgl9pTEhUO8PqAf4n185WzeEuXvoryRgb4d2MGn7TSqbMTNNU2nRD5ByBCNTeCbyCeBcAdpUTwvXdO6zYxxJM3ZR55pIDN8l8HvUg2keRk=|tkp:Bk9SR7zDwNjXZg

Don't you find the windage slows you down?

 

[Punkawallah]

I wear an unfastened hi-vis waistcoat, because of the movement during the day and flashing reflection at night. Also white trainers to ride - the white feet bobbing about to get me noticed.

 

[cougie uk]

Don't you find the windage slows you down?

That would imply there was speed there in the first place.

 

[PaulSB]

Last night I was driving through Blackburn's back streets to Ewood Park. Drizzling, dark and at best half lit. Visibility was difficult.

There were at least three running groups out. I feel one can equate them to cyclists in the need to be very visible. They had a range of clothing:

Reflective white tops - 10/10 made the whole group visible. Excellent

Lights - bright ones very visible. Dull types, pointless

Hi Viz - clean, new and with reflective strip 7/10.

Hi Viz - old, dirty and dull 3/10

Dark blue club kit - you may look cool in the mirror but you're in danger of being hit

I've been thinking about this thread over recent days when I've been driving in a variety of dark, wet, low visibility, urban situations. The only people who truly stood out are the runners and cyclists wearing these highly reflective, white tops that illuminate when caught by car lights.

What is very noticeable is of those wearing yellow "hi viz" probably 90% of that kit is useless. It's old, dirty, non reflective, perhaps was never truly hi viz. Slightly better than dark kit but only just.

Lights? Probably 80% are not good enoug for a variety of reasons.

If I rode at night I would invest a lot of money in one of these reflective tops. My completely non-scientific analysis says these are the best thing out there.

 

[Drago]

But as we can see from post #30, conspicuity is not the issue. You could be on fire and they'd still drive into you.

Im not suggesting we do nothing or, perish the thought, even camouflage ourselves, but we need to keep it well in mind when riding at night that these measures do little to make us any safer. We're not being wiped out because drivers cant see us.

 

[Oldhippy]

The onus on someone driving a vehicle is to pay attention to the road conditions and be aware of what is around them, not the other way around, providing other road users have the required lighting. As with cycling, there will always be someone with no lights. There is little uproar about car drivers driving with broken or no lights but much about people in black on hyped up electric bikes delivering goods. These are not all cyclists in the same way as one speeder, non compliant lights driver, represents all car drivers. As an ex motorcycle rider I remember the 'One eyed monster' adverts used by MAG to highlight cars with one headlight. There are still many cars with broken lights. All road users have a responsibility but that is lost in translation. Roads are for all.

 

[PaulSB]

But as we can see from post #30, conspicuity is not the issue. You could be on fire and they'd still drive into you.

Im not suggesting we do nothing or, perish the thought, even camouflage ourselves, but we need to keep it well in mind when riding at night that these measures do little to make us any safer. We're not being wiped out because drivers cant see us.

I agree we can do nothing to stop the inattentive, distracted or irresponsible driver from hitting us. I speak as someone who has been hit at +/- 32/33mph in broad daylight, clear, sunny, by a tractor driver from behind. He thought he had enough room to pass......he didn't.

The point I was making is some methods we use are more effective than others, I would go so far as to say some of the methods I've seen cyclists employ actually increase the risk of being hit. The two things I see which are highly effective are quality, correctly positioned lights and highly reflective jackets/jerseys. I know instantly what these are. A cyclist!

I often see cyclists, runners, pedestrians who think they are visible because they have some crappy little light or a bit of hi viz bought 15 years ago, most of this is utterly useless. Then we have those who go completely overboard. There is a rider local to me who wouldn't be out of place at Blackpool Illuminations; one's first thought is "WTF is that?" and not "there's a cyclist." Creating a WTF moment is actually distracting to the driver and potentially creates danger. Then we have multiple rear lights. What is it? One should know what one is seeing not have to interpret it. Other riders think it appropriate to ride with a search light on the front, often set in a blinding position. There's a guy who rides with my group who owns one, if we shoulder check and he's behind it's impossible to know if the light is him or a car. I told him to ditch the light, always stay in front of me or stay home. He ditched the light and bought a better one.