Do bicycles have targets painted on them or are we invisible

[amberwolf]

those lights are very impressive,i would pull over if you were to overtake me .

Ditto--Except for not having any blue those are like the police motorcycle flashers.

Personally, I'd have them flashing at the same time, rather than alternately, for normal riding. Then I'd flash just one side for turn signals.

What exactly are those lights, anyway, Yopappamon?

the most important thing to practice is EMERGENCY STOPPING.it gets you ready for just about anything.everyone wants to go but no one wants to stop.

Ditto to this, too. Every time I make a change to the bike, or make another bike, I re-practice stopping with it in various scenarios. Sometimes I do it in empty parking lots, sometimes just in neighborhood streets, sometimes on the canal paths--depends on what's practical at the time, and how experimental the changes are. The more experimental, the closer to home I'll do the practicing, so a fair bit of it is done on my street.

A truck with really big mirrors and the driver never saw him until after the mirror broke his skull.

I've been hit that way twice; once over a decade ago the mirror hit the end of my handlebar, and once about a year or two ago it hit the back of my helmet, and felt like it cracked my head but it didn't even knock me off the bike (but it was a really close thing). Left my head ringing for a while.

 

[yopappamon]

What exactly are those lights, anyway, Yopappamon?

LEDs driver board and lenses
http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.2394

http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.13557

http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.1917

http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.1776

Controller to flash the lights
http://www.sparkfun.com/commerce/product_info.php?products_id=8316

 

[dogman dan]

I used to swear by the eye contact thing, but not so much anymore. I dunno if drivers changed, because it worked good 30 years ago. Now I tend to focus on the front wheels, do they start pointing my way? Are they rolling? I trust no turn signal or hand wave ever, and pretty much ignore them. I only care what a car is doing. Not what I'm guessing it will do.

No car EVER overtakes me that I'm not watching. I ride where this is possible. Living in a real city, that might not be possible with so many cars. Emergency stop is something to practice. That practice is one of the reasons my commuter with the heavily loaded panniers got a new motor that is slow. Too hard to stop that thing with too much weight in the rear from 30 mph. Dodging works better than stopping in many cases, so learn to drift a 90 degree turn on a pedal bike, and be ready to do it on the ebike.

 

[The Stig]

...Starting with most important first:
Rider Cautiousness, Rider Training/Experience, Front Strobe light, Motorcycle Helmet, Reflective vest, Rear Strobe light, Bicycle Helmet, Gloves, Boots...

You have helmets on there twice. Why?

Also, I would put boots ahead of gloves. Boots not only protect the skin, but also greatly protect the ankle from being broken or sprained. Gloves do not protect the wrist, only the skin.

FA

Because they are two different types of helmets with two different design standards. As a result they have very different levels of effectiveness in preventing serious brain injury and death.

Bicycle helmets only meet bicycle helmet standards: "Standards involve the use of an instrumented headform which is dropped, wearing a helmet, onto various anvils. The speed of impact is designed to simulate the effect of a rider's head falling from approximately usual riding height, without rotational energy and without impact from another vehicle.[14][15]"
In other words I bicycle helmet is effective at preventing light concusions and bruises to the head. Beyond that they are likely to crack open and fail, providing very little protection. Beyond that they are largely ineffective in serious or fatal impacts. They are not designed to withstand or even help much under such severe impacts. Some argue that its better not to wear a bicycle helmet as this has psychological effects leading you to better avoid accidents. Motorists will also pass helmetless cyclests leaving more clearance between the car and the bicycle.

Motorcycle Helmets are designed for high speed impacts and thus are effective under impacts that could be fatal.

That is why Bicycle helmets come below lights in importance.


So here it is again with a small update, starting with most important first:
Rider Cautiousness, Rider Training/Experience, Front Strobe light, Motorcycle Helmet, Reflective vest, Rear Strobe light, Bicycle Helmet, Boots, Gloves


[14] ^ [3] Requirements for Bicycle Helmets 16 C.F.R. Part 1203
[15] ^ U.S. CONSUMER PRODUCT SAFETY COMMISSION Office of Compliance. Requirements for Bicycle Helmets 16 C.F.R. Part 1203 [4]

 

[Floont]

...So here it is again with a small update, starting with most important first:
Rider Cautiousness, Rider Training/Experience, Front Strobe light, Motorcycle Helmet, Reflective vest, Rear Strobe light, Bicycle Helmet, Boots, Gloves...

I like it.

FA

 

[Farfle]

I have a bell full face helmet, it was $80 because the original owner returned it because the clip that holds the visor up broke , so the visor did not stay up on its own :? . it has saved my ass multiple times on a motorcycle, snomobile, alcohol injected 460 dirt track car, and go-karts to name a few. the hole in the foam is from the kill switch on the steering wheel of a go-kart, i got stuffed into a tree at about 25, the go-kart lost... my head slammed into the steering wheel so hard it slammed a metal kill switch thru the windscreen, and into the foam. I like this helmet.

 

[The Stig]

I have a bell full face helmet, it was $80 because the original owner returned it because the clip that holds the visor up broke , so the visor did not stay up on its own :? . it has saved my ass multiple times on a motorcycle, snomobile, alcohol injected 460 dirt track car, and go-karts to name a few. the hole in the foam is from the kill switch on the steering wheel of a go-kart, i got stuffed into a tree at about 25, the go-kart lost... my head slammed into the steering wheel so hard it slammed a metal kill switch thru the windscreen, and into the foam. I like this helmet.

Well thank god for that helmet. In those sort of activeties it would be suicidal not to wear one!

 

[Rifle]

I just ordered a skull cap DOT approved helmet off eBay. They have bunches for around $30. Can't get a decent bike helmet for much less than that, and I prefer how it looks, so it seemed like a no-brainer to me.