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Project Beseen : Lets See That Reflective Tape!!

23K views 38 replies 18 participants last post by  mcbecerril 
#1 ·
Lets see them reflective bikes (tron?)

Here is my 2009 gf cobia, unfinished

with dieter rack pack bags and junk
 

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#4 ·

Reflecto-Bike, plastered with high-performance Reflexite V82




Reflecto-Bike and me as viewed with illumination from the rear at close range


Reflecto-Bike Lite


Iron-on reflective tape is fun too :)


A scene from my daily commute. Visibility is pretty important.

I've seen a fair number of people driving around with their headlights off in the downtown area, where it's not immediately apparent, and reflective stuff won't show up for them, so I also use a DiNotte taillight, a headlight, and a BikeBrightz or FibreFlare light bar for side visibility, depending on which bike. I'm sure people think I'm some sort of exhibitionist weirdo, but whatever ;)

 
#5 ·
mBgon used to be the undisputed champion here, but I think AntiNSA is giving him a run for his money.

Mine:
Original recipe, with little flag thingies on the spokes. They fell off almost immediately.
Later I went to flat pieces of tape on the rims, seen pretty well in last year`s snow chain pics.
 

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#11 ·
I just made Tron Jacket 2.0 the other day, using 2"-wide glass-bead tape like the previous one. Some photos with deliberately-weak lighting:









I also ironed some of the reflective tape to my panniers. We'll see how long this holds up; my previous Tron Jacket eventually did begin "shedding" tape. I plan to wash it by hand, since machine washing was part of the problem.

In the photos above, the reflective tape on the bike's fork is the Reflexite V82. The iron-on stuff is right up there, maybe brighter, as long as it's dry. When wet, it'll lose some performance.

Anyway, I didn't want to post flash-assisted photos because motorists don't illuminate you with a camera flash, it's fringe lighting from their low-beams most of the time. If you look again at the photos, you can see how even the neon-lime jacket is basically invisible compared to the reflective tape... I feel much more confident about my hand signals being seen this way.
 
#13 ·
mechBgon said:
I also ironed some of the reflective tape to my panniers. We'll see how long this holds up; my previous Tron Jacket eventually did begin "shedding" tape. I plan to wash it by hand, since machine washing was part of the problem.
mBg, did your previous jacket lose it reflectivity from washing as well as the shedding problem? And do you wear it in the daytime too? When I replaced my "road crew" vest a few months ago, I noticed that the new one was WAY brighter than the old one in color, and the tape had a much different look to it also. So I checked both vests in the light and the new one clearly reflected better than the old one did. I attributed the differences to washing and decided to never wash the new vest (easier to get away with than for a jacket), but now that I think about it, the sun could have been the culprit too. This was sewn on tape, so no shedding.

Re: flash VS low beams
I agree that motorists don`t see by camera flash, but when I see reflective gear on people while I`m driving, it shows up very much like it does in flash photos. That`s pretty much always with low beams, and whatever mix of other conditions should be exactly the same mix of conditions that other drivers see ME by. So it seems to me, anyway.
 
#14 ·
The old jacket was a Pearl Izumi and retained its "neon" really well over time, even though I wore it in the daylight a lot. But I have another jacket that faded (an REI breathable rain jacket), so I know what you mean about the fading. This new jacket is a Mt. Borah so I guess we'll see if its dye is as durable as Pearl Izumi's in a couple years :)

I threw the old jacket away a week ago, so unfortunately I can't compare the reflective tape's performance. It was still reflective enough to be quite visible.

Yeah... its cool I wish I could find reflective cloth for my paniers. it shreds too easily
If you search eBay for "sew-on reflective tape," there's various widths and quantities. If you want the best available, the Reflexite GP440 is supposed to be the best: very high reflectivity, and it's gloss-finish so it sheds water and retains high reflectivity in rain.
 
#17 ·
My old Nashbike. I see about 5 cars on my dark morning commute...so the Lightweights were more because I thought they looked cool. I use a Planet Bike Superflash in the rear and I now have a Cateye 2 watt Blaze up front...the flashy mode on that causes seizures and carnage.. turns the world into your own strobe/rave dance party. low beam is plenty for my rural commute...planning on using high beam on the singletrack route when the snow melts.
 

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#18 ·
mechBgon said:
..... I'm sure people think I'm some sort of exhibitionist weirdo, but whatever ;)
Whatever = an uninjured and living exhibitionist weirdo! Excess leads to Success! (BTW, here 'weido' and 'cycling commuter' are synonymous :D ).

Pics after new wheels in June and new tailights circa August, before new bag (liked reflective stripes on bag, but it did not stand up. My ANSI vest and 'Light Weights' marked helmet with front and reaer lights not in evidence. No pics for other bike with panniers or without.





Performance Bike in Cleveland only had the oval lightweights which Kathryn got for me. They are longer and fewer, so that's why they look as they do on this bike. They shine in the setting or rising sun!

Both CommuterBoy and MechBgon were inspirations in this effort but any reduction in the relative amounts of tape and Light Weights is not to be taken as a 'reflection' of their excellent examples, but my reluctance to cover the classic frame overmuch.

I want pics so I know how I appear now in hlemet and vest on either bike, and need an excuse (reminder?) to get them. So I will update when if I can talk my son into being the photographer.
 
#20 ·

kinda shiny.

testing the new (sewn by me) pannier-pack on dirt. just for fun. Goes on in 1 min, off in 30 sec, has a padded shoulder strap for comfy carrying. holds a pile of engineering textbooks, clothes, tools, etc. everything else goes in the custom by me tapered frame pack with lock pocket :) that would've got some reflective too, but I didn't have enough when it was sewed. oh well.

custom pockets for the pocket protector and TI-83 for nerd organization.


my "road bike" testing the new pannier, saw a dry stream bed under a RR overpass and had to ride down it. wouldn't want to be hear during a rainstorm. too bad this isn't on my commute....
 
#21 ·
campredcloudbikes said:
testing the new (sewn by me) pannier-pack on dirt. just for fun. Goes on in 1 min, off in 30 sec, has a padded shoulder strap for comfy carrying. holds a pile of engineering textbooks, clothes, tools, etc. everything else goes in the custom by me tapered frame pack with lock pocket :) that would've got some reflective too, but I didn't have enough when it was sewed. oh well.
OT, but what the hell.
Great job on the pack! I like your pictures too, especially the lighting in the last one.

Did you ever get your custom footpeg designed? Still considering it? We went out of communication for some reason and I`d forgotten all about it until I "saw" you again in this post.
 
#23 ·
Here is mine so far. Sort of a cool shot if nothing else.

A quick opinion question.... is there a point where too much reflectivity and crazy lights might be distracting to drivers? Maybe they don't hit the cyclist but they veer into the opposite lane or don't see a car stopping in front of them? Thoughts?
 

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