Reflectors on wheels

[Beaker39]

I got a new Boardman as my first road bike and they come with some whopping bid reflectors on the wheels.

Do people generally leave them on or remove?

 

[Crackle]

Remove before they come loose. Had one jam between my forks going downhill at 40mph. It broke luckily but I nearly lost control of the bike.

 

[ianrauk]

They are there for safety.. but as with most 'roadies' I remove mine... along with the plastic disc betwixt the back wheel and gear cassette

 

[Crash]

You live to far away otherwise i would volunteer to do it , for some reason i find it very satisfying removing those buggers from wheels.

 

[cyberknight]

Must admit stuck mine back on as i cycle on unlit roads i will take any bit of safety i can get

 

[ACS]

Get 'em off.

 

[Beaker39]

Off it is!!

 

[GrasB]

Getting some retroactive stickers/tape on something which doesn't move & thus can come lose mid-ride breaking spokes etc. is a better way to go imho.

 

[marinyork]

Remove before they come loose. Had one jam between my forks going downhill at 40mph. It broke luckily but I nearly lost control of the bike.

That's quite a scary story. I wouldn't like that to happen when trazzing .

 

[gaz]

i prefer to paint my spokes with reflective paint, it looks much cooler, i recommend the pink!

 

[Crackle]

That's quite a scary story. I wouldn't like that to happen when trazzing .

Trazzing?

I reported it here originally, in a lighthearted way but actually it was quite scary.

I also note I've added 4mph onto my speed. Next time I tell it I'll be doing 45mph

 

[purplepolly]

Schwalbe tyres have relective strips incorporated into the sidewalls. If I were really worried about side visibilty this is what I would go for - the plastic type that fit on the spokes are awful.

I've got schwalbe tyres and clean the sidewalls every week when I do the bike but it's now got to the point where the reflective strips can't be cleaned properly and so don't reflect like they used to. Also the strips are starting to peel off where the ends join, probably from my attempts to clean it. The treads aren't worn enough for replacing yet, it's just all the road dirt.

 

[marinyork]

Trazzing?

I reported it here originally, in a lighthearted way but actually it was quite scary.

I also note I've added 4mph onto my speed. Next time I tell it I'll be doing 45mph

Like you I've unusually had some wine tonight and must have slipped into sheffield vocalisation that has a lot to be desiricated. It means pretty much what you described in that thread , going very fast and dangerously!

My Marathon reflective strips have lost a lot of their reflective properties too.

 

[threefingerjoe]

As a commuter, I do a LOT of night riding this time of year. I consider anything that makes me more visible in the dark to be an advantage. I keep the reflectors on my commuter. I've also added reflective tape on the frame, rear mudguards, fork, rear rack, etc. Continental also has the reflective strip available on some of their tyres. I've never had any, but wouldn't rule it out in the future. However, I'm now taking into consideration the comment that someone made about reflectorised tyre strips not working well as they get older and dirty. Does anyone else have similar experience with reflective strips on tyres?

 

[Arch]

Schwalbe tyres have relective strips incorporated into the sidewalls. If I were really worried about side visibilty this is what I would go for - the plastic type that fit on the spokes are awful.

I can't find the link for them now, but I have some spoke reflectors on my winter bike - little tubes of retroreflective plastic that clip on along (not between) the spokes. Less likely to get dirty than the sidewalls, firmly fixed, no likelihood of them coming off or jamming. You can put on on every spoke, or share them out more thinly. My boss got them at a trade show, I thought they were from Schwalbe....