Flashing lights cause accidents -- police experience

Hi,

Nate Nagel wrote:
Along the same lines, does anyone make "suitable" wheel reflectors of
any type? This is more of an academic question than one that has actual
bearing on my life, as they are not required where I live, but if there
were some available that actually stayed put, didn't rattle, etc. I
*might* consider trying them out.

Get tires with a reflective stripe on them. Best and most durable
solution...

I like the idea of reflective-sidewall tires, but I'm not aware of any
for sale for a price anywhere near the bargain-basement prices for which
one can purchase Paselas...

Don't know in your place, but I pay about 20Euro for a Continental
Contact tire with reflective sidewall. Recently I had to replace one
after about 10.000km cycling. The cheapo tires I used before (10 Euro)
didn't last for 2.000 km... So the "expensive" option is really cheaper
;-) For me..

Ciao

Bernhard Agthe writes:

Hi,

thirty-six wrote:
The lights you need to match car headlights are reflectors. Put white
reflective tape in three sections on your wheel rims and you get the
flashing lights while the headlights are upon them. You also need a
big red (legal) or amber rear reflector. I decided to hang the amber
trailer reflector from my saddle loops because the red official one is
good enough for closer proximity.

Carry a pair of Ortlieb bags. Their reflectors are extremely good.

But then you should also note that reflectors work only in a very narrow
range (only if the angle is right) and dim rapidly when seen from 45° or
so. For example, a truck-driver may not be able to see the reflector,
because the light from his headlights reflects mainly back into his
headlights and not 1.5m higher to where the driver's eyes are. Or, as
another example (which Andre Jute will like), on a narrow, winding road,
the car's headlights will only light the reflector, when the car is very
close behind the cyclist.

So, yes, while I do think that reflectors should be, I also consider
them a secondary item of lighting. Nothing is better than an active light.

;-)

Reflectors on ortlieb for example are MUCH better than natural light at
being seen by a car approaching from the rear IMO. And the great thing
about them is they are on the pannier fabric which is not flat and thus
gives greater angle coverage.

On 02/22/2010 05:29 AM, Bernhard Agthe wrote:
Hi,

Nate Nagel wrote:
Along the same lines, does anyone make "suitable" wheel reflectors of
any type? This is more of an academic question than one that has
actual bearing on my life, as they are not required where I live, but
if there were some available that actually stayed put, didn't rattle,
etc. I *might* consider trying them out.

Get tires with a reflective stripe on them. Best and most durable
solution...

I like the idea of reflective-sidewall tires, but I'm not aware of any
for sale for a price anywhere near the bargain-basement prices for
which one can purchase Paselas...

Don't know in your place, but I pay about 20Euro for a Continental
Contact tire with reflective sidewall. Recently I had to replace one
after about 10.000km cycling. The cheapo tires I used before (10 Euro)
didn't last for 2.000 km... So the "expensive" option is really cheaper
;-) For me..

Ciao

Here they're at least $40 - I just searched online and the absolute
cheapest online price for a Continental tire with reflective sidewall,
28 or 32x700c, non-cyclocross, is $35 plus shipping. Double that if not
more if you buy in a bike store. If I wait for a sale, I can get
belted, Kevlar-bead Paselas for $25 or less.

Plus, I am hesitant to try a Continental bike tire, I'm afraid they'll
be as bad as their car tires.

nate

--
replace "roosters" with "cox" to reply.
http://members.cox.net/njnagel

On Feb 22, 5:10*am, Bernhard Agthe wrote:
... mostly because the flashing one was a backup
for the case that my (then) sidewall dynamo failed halfway home (which
it did occasionally).

That surprises me. I've used dynamos (mostly those that mount low
behind the bottom bracket) for decades, and I've had so few failures I
can still remember each:

* I've blown a headlight bulb, but only once or twice. (I usually
change them every year or two.)

* I've snagged a wire when unfolding my folding bike and had a
connection rip out. (I stripped the wire with my pocketknife and
twisted the wires together until I could do a better repair.)

* Most maddening was a brief intermittent disconnect, caused by the
headlamp's spring contact wearing into the soft solder at the center
terminal of the bulb. Had I just changed the bulb, it would have been
a two-minute repair.

* And for experimenting with my commuter bike, I've fitted it with two
switched dynamo headlamps, a dynamo taillamp, and switches to control
each independently. (This is my only bike that requires a circuit
diagram!) I had a wire connection fail at the terminal block.

What failures did you have with your sidewall generator?

- Frank Krygowski

Bernhard Agthe wrote:
Hi,

thirty-six wrote:
The lights you need to match car headlights are reflectors. Put white
reflective tape in three sections on your wheel rims and you get the
flashing lights while the headlights are upon them. You also need a
big red (legal) or amber rear reflector. I decided to hang the amber
trailer reflector from my saddle loops because the red official one is
good enough for closer proximity.

Carry a pair of Ortlieb bags. Their reflectors are extremely good.

But then you should also note that reflectors work only in a very narrow
range (only if the angle is right) and dim rapidly when seen from 45° or
so. For example, a truck-driver may not be able to see the reflector,
because the light from his headlights reflects mainly back into his
headlights and not 1.5m higher to where the driver's eyes are. Or, as
another example (which Andre Jute will like), on a narrow, winding road,
the car's headlights will only light the reflector, when the car is very
close behind the cyclist.

So, yes, while I do think that reflectors should be, I also consider
them a secondary item of lighting. Nothing is better than an active light.


The bottom portion of my black mudguard is painted white
with a simple small red reflector. Although I've been hit,
several times, never from behind. Magic.

YMMV.

--
Andrew Muzi
www.yellowjersey.org/
Open every day since 1 April, 1971

Bernhard Agthe wrote:
... mostly because the flashing one was a backup
for the case that my (then) sidewall dynamo failed halfway home (which
it did occasionally).

Frank Krygowski wrote:
That surprises me. I've used dynamos (mostly those that mount low
behind the bottom bracket) for decades, and I've had so few failures I
can still remember each:

* I've blown a headlight bulb, but only once or twice. (I usually
change them every year or two.)

* I've snagged a wire when unfolding my folding bike and had a
connection rip out. (I stripped the wire with my pocketknife and
twisted the wires together until I could do a better repair.)

* Most maddening was a brief intermittent disconnect, caused by the
headlamp's spring contact wearing into the soft solder at the center
terminal of the bulb. Had I just changed the bulb, it would have been
a two-minute repair.

* And for experimenting with my commuter bike, I've fitted it with two
switched dynamo headlamps, a dynamo taillamp, and switches to control
each independently. (This is my only bike that requires a circuit
diagram!) I had a wire connection fail at the terminal block.

What failures did you have with your sidewall generator?

Mine used to slip annoyingly in salt slush until I bent the
bracket to "always on". Otherwise unfailingly dependable.

--
Andrew Muzi
www.yellowjersey.org/
Open every day since 1 April, 1971

On Feb 22, 1:05*pm, Phil W Lee phil(at)lee-family(dot)me(dot)uk
wrote:
Frank Krygowski considered Wed, 17 Feb 2010
11:19:11 -0800 (PST) the perfect time to write:

On Feb 15, 11:40*am, Bernhard Agthe wrote:
... The
following is the one (and only) legal setup he

- 1 white front light (non-flashing)
- 1 red rear light (non-flashing)
- 1 Dynamo 6V 3W (to power the lights)
- about 15 reflectors:
* *- 1 white in front,
* *- 1 red at the rear,
* *- 1 red at the rear (Z-Reflector),
* *- 8 in the wheels (two per wheel, two sides of the wheel, two wheels),
* *- 4 in the pedals.

All lighting equipment must be approved and be marked with a "K"-Number.

On Feb 22, 2:49*pm, AMuzi wrote:

Frank Krygowski wrote:


What failures did you have with your sidewall generator?

Mine used to slip annoyingly in salt slush until I bent the
bracket to "always on".

Good point. My bottom bracket ones have sometimes slipped after I ran
through mud. I stopped and cleaned it off.

I do very little snow or slush riding at night. (Yep, wimpy.) When I
did, I fitted an FER2000 spoke drive dynamo. It's noisy, but it
doesn't slip and it's efficient. It's klunky looking, but easier to
install than a hub unit - just a five-minute job, if the headlamp's
already in place.

- Frank Krygowski

got a news clip from back 'home'. Prob Haitian driving Toyo slid 162
feet over a trike on a Blvd. Trike has turned crossing Blvd.
after sunset.

Hi,

Simon Lewis wrote:
Reflectors on ortlieb for example are MUCH better than natural light at
being seen by a car approaching from the rear IMO. And the great thing
about them is they are on the pannier fabric which is not flat and thus
gives greater angle coverage.

Yes, those reflectors are bright. But even they will not be seen in bad
conditions (as stated in my previous email). Actually those reflectors
used to overpower traditional rear bike lights (not anymore).

Cycle safe...