What's the deal with wheel reflectors?

[Onthedrops]

A question?

Are wheel reflectors required by law to be fitted to the spokes on bikes?

My Triban 3 came with them fitted and personally I think they look terrible. I would like to remove them as they don't do anything for the bikes looks. However, if I'm likely to get into trouble with the Fuzz if I remove them, then I guess they'd better stay.

 

[marzjennings]

I believe bike shops are obliged to sell bikes with reflectors, but you are not, by law, obliged to keep 'em.

Get 'em off.

 

[mattobrien]

Three years inside if you get caught without your wheel reflectors. Remove at your own risk.

 

[SatNavSaysStraightOn]

always take them off and replace them with 3M spoke reflectors which I much prefer.
I think there is this letter of the law and what you can get away with...

My understanding is this...

It is a legal requirement for your bicycle to be sold to you from a retailer with reflectors in place. However it is not a legal requirement to leave the reflectors on unless you are cycling at night.

Reflectors in this instance refers to pedal reflectors, wheel reflectors and rear reflectors (and should be of correct colour).
this is for the UK only. In Germany for instance, things are different completely.

A better article is here http://www.ctc.org.uk/cyclists-library/regulations/lighting-regulations

 

[Rohloff_Brompton_Rider]

Ive just added some to my brommy.....safety over looks.

 

[ianrauk]

Take them off, they do look rubbish.
You will never ever get stopped by the fuzz for not having them.
And if you do...........you would be the most unluckiest of cyclists that has ever lived.

 

[SatNavSaysStraightOn]

Ive just added some to my brommy.....safety over looks.

I find the 3M spoke reflectors are much more obvious and attract drivers attention much better than those yellow orrible things that tend to break & migrate... http://www.amazon.co.uk/Aero-Sport®...sr_1_7?s=sports&ie=UTF8&qid=1361635807&sr=1-7 decathlon do some as well but they don't seem to work as well muddy as these ones do and these meet German road regs - useful if cycling through Germany...

 

[Rickshaw Phil]

My understanding is that only the red rear reflector and orange pedal reflectors are required by law.

Everything else is optional, but a good idea. Having said that, I'm not a fan of the standard wheel reflectors after having one move up its spoke and go through the fork sideways. My main bikes now have these removed!

I quite like the look of those 3M spoke reflectors. Reflective tyres are quite good too. These are Schwalbe Marathon:

The photo was taken a while ago and as you see, the strip on the sidewall reflects much better than the standard reflectors.

 

[SatNavSaysStraightOn]

My understanding is that only the red rear reflector and orange pedal reflectors are required by law.

Everything else is optional, but a good idea. Having said that, I'm not a fan of the standard wheel reflectors after having one move up its spoke and go through the fork sideways. My main bikes now have these removed!

I quite like the look of those 3M spoke reflectors. Reflective tyres are quite good too. These are Schwalbe Marathon:
View attachment 19538

The photo was taken a while ago and as you see, the strip on the sidewall reflects much better than the wheel reflectors.

These are the spoke reflectors with Marathon Extreme tyres after not having been cleaned for 5,000km. the photo was taken at midnight in the midnight sun, witha camera flash, so bare in mind they are more obvious in car headlights in the dark... you can see the difference between our bikes and the 3rd bike in the picture. We only have the reflectors on every other spoke rather than on all spokes (which german law requires, we had cycled through germany so should have had a complete set on...)

 

[Peteaud]

My new Pro-Lite wheels didnt come with reflectors.

And they are not getting any either.

 

[HovR]

Another vote for 3M Spoke reflectors. I got mine from Aldi in a sale for £5. They're far more visible than normal wheel reflectors.

 

[Rickshaw Phil]

These are the spoke reflectors with Marathon Extreme tyres after not having been cleaned for 5,000km. the photo was taken at midnight in the midnight sun, witha camera flash, so bare in mind they are more obvious in car headlights in the dark... you can see the difference between our bikes and the 3rd bike in the picture. We only have the reflectors on every other spoke rather than on all spokes (which german law requires, we had cycled through germany so should have had a complete set on...)

View attachment 19540

They do work well. I'll have to get myself some.

 

[deptfordmarmoset]

I also use those 3M spoke reflectors. If I remember rightly, a leaflet that came with one packet said that they conformed to German regulations when all the spokes had one.

 

[SatNavSaysStraightOn]

I also use those 3M spoke reflectors. If I remember rightly, a leaflet that came with one packet said that they conformed to German regulations when all the spokes had one.

yep - but I just settled for every spoke on one side and then every spoke on the otherside with the other wheel, so it cost less to fitt out 2 bikes!

 

[mickle]

In Dutch law wheel reflectors must be circular. Some brainiac realised that reflective tyre sidewalls qualify and thats the reason Dutch bikes arent sold with spoke reflectors.