Indicators for bikes
Discussion
It's been tried many times, I wonder what you all think of these:
http://www.cycl.bike/
http://www.cycl.bike/
- I am not connected in any way shape or from.
People won't be looking out for them as they won't be very common, so won't be much use until people are expecting them. Also I doubt a significant amount of collisions with cyclists are with a lack of indication and more to do with motorists not giving them enough room on the road and clipping/squashing them instead, although the STRAVAists also don't help by jumping red lights and squeezing through tiny gaps. The "SMIDSY" excuse seems to spring to mind at this point.
I would probably say a non-flashing version would be better for night time as often cyclists put lots of lights and reflectors on the front and back of their bikes and fail to think of the side-on view.
I would probably say a non-flashing version would be better for night time as often cyclists put lots of lights and reflectors on the front and back of their bikes and fail to think of the side-on view.
Waste of time.
- Arms work a lot better than lights during daylight hours, bright/reflective jacket sleeves at night also work better.
- Road positioning and educating cyclists will prevent far more accidents than these will.
- They look to make your handlebars at least 50mm wider, which is annoying/dangerous for city riding.
- Arms work a lot better than lights during daylight hours, bright/reflective jacket sleeves at night also work better.
- Road positioning and educating cyclists will prevent far more accidents than these will.
- They look to make your handlebars at least 50mm wider, which is annoying/dangerous for city riding.
Nobby Diesel said:
How would they work with road bike handle bars, where the tube end points backwards?
Wouldn't they be rendered pretty much ineffective?
I think they are aimed more at a city commuter than a die-hard roadie. I've always thought it a bit mental to commute in rush hour with drop bars anyway as you lower your ability to look around more for mental motorists, although depending on your commute length this is offset if you need to travel 15+ miles efficiently.Wouldn't they be rendered pretty much ineffective?
TheAllSeeingPie said:
I think they are aimed more at a city commuter than a die-hard roadie. I've always thought it a bit mental to commute in rush hour with drop bars anyway as you lower your ability to look around more for mental motorists, although depending on your commute length this is offset if you need to travel 15+ miles efficiently.
I commute every day on drops. never hindered me, I fact its better as the bars are not as wide. Doesn't the highway code mandate cyclists use their arms? If everyone is aware of "arms" they won't appreciate that yet another flashing light is an indicator.
As an additional light to an indicating arm, it probably can't hurt draw attention to the cyclist I suppose, but they will be damaged within days of installing. I bought some cheap red lights to insert as bar-ends to give me more confidence as I cycled across a couple of notable T-junctions in my area, but even though I am always careful not to lean my bike against the bar-ends, inevitably the lights got knocked and damaged.
As an additional light to an indicating arm, it probably can't hurt draw attention to the cyclist I suppose, but they will be damaged within days of installing. I bought some cheap red lights to insert as bar-ends to give me more confidence as I cycled across a couple of notable T-junctions in my area, but even though I am always careful not to lean my bike against the bar-ends, inevitably the lights got knocked and damaged.
I'm sure there was a similar product mentioned on here a while back on ebay for about £3?
I think electroluminescent gloves would be cool, still indicate like normal to give a better indication of direction but your hands would glow in the dark. but I guess products like these are aimed at the no helmet/no gloves/wobbly wrong gear all the time brigade that can just about ride a bike let alone take one hand off the handlebars to indicate at the same time as going along.
I think electroluminescent gloves would be cool, still indicate like normal to give a better indication of direction but your hands would glow in the dark. but I guess products like these are aimed at the no helmet/no gloves/wobbly wrong gear all the time brigade that can just about ride a bike let alone take one hand off the handlebars to indicate at the same time as going along.
Watchman said:
Doesn't the highway code mandate cyclists use their arms? If everyone is aware of "arms" they won't appreciate that yet another flashing light is an indicator.
As an additional light to an indicating arm, it probably can't hurt draw attention to the cyclist I suppose, but they will be damaged within days of installing. I bought some cheap red lights to insert as bar-ends to give me more confidence as I cycled across a couple of notable T-junctions in my area, but even though I am always careful not to lean my bike against the bar-ends, inevitably the lights got knocked and damaged.
I got a pair of these in a Chrismas stocking a couple of years ago. I've no idea if they're any good at signalling my intentions but they're my spare gloves if there's a cold snap. As an additional light to an indicating arm, it probably can't hurt draw attention to the cyclist I suppose, but they will be damaged within days of installing. I bought some cheap red lights to insert as bar-ends to give me more confidence as I cycled across a couple of notable T-junctions in my area, but even though I am always careful not to lean my bike against the bar-ends, inevitably the lights got knocked and damaged.
Given how many scooters I see each day forgetting to cancel their indicators I'd imagine that on bikes people who are capable of using their arms or road position to indicate wouldn't need them. And those who need an alternative would probably be incapable of using it correctly or maintaining it.
I saw a guy with indicators on his bicycle a few weeks back. He was indicating to turn left at a junction, failed to cancel and then tried to turn right while still indicating left. Had he been using his arms then everyone would have known what was going on.
There's a reason why so many people have tried and failed to get these into mainstream use.
There's a reason why so many people have tried and failed to get these into mainstream use.
The ones in the OP are stupid and dangerous.
A following car driver won't be able to see the other indicator, there is no way to tell that it is an indicator apart from the colour. Car drivers are not expecting to see a bike with indicators, so when they see a flashing light on a bike, they'll just assume it's another flashing light on a bike. It does not say indicator to me.
Ideally the indicators would be mounted on the rear of the bike (rack mount) and would be arrow shaped, and would flash at the same speed as a normal indicator. The arrow would also need to be large enough to be distinguishable at a reasonable distance from inside an approaching car.
A following car driver won't be able to see the other indicator, there is no way to tell that it is an indicator apart from the colour. Car drivers are not expecting to see a bike with indicators, so when they see a flashing light on a bike, they'll just assume it's another flashing light on a bike. It does not say indicator to me.
Ideally the indicators would be mounted on the rear of the bike (rack mount) and would be arrow shaped, and would flash at the same speed as a normal indicator. The arrow would also need to be large enough to be distinguishable at a reasonable distance from inside an approaching car.
There's a much simpler and less costly method.
Gloves with 3m strips on the fingers. As you approach your junction you stick your hand out as normal, but open and close your fist.
Dead simple, low-tech solution.
However, as mentioned above, very few of the accidents I've read about have been to do with cyclists not being seen indicating, but more to do with them not being seen at all.
A high percentage of fatalities in London are down to big vehicles turning left and squashing cyclists as they do so.
Gloves with 3m strips on the fingers. As you approach your junction you stick your hand out as normal, but open and close your fist.
Dead simple, low-tech solution.
However, as mentioned above, very few of the accidents I've read about have been to do with cyclists not being seen indicating, but more to do with them not being seen at all.
A high percentage of fatalities in London are down to big vehicles turning left and squashing cyclists as they do so.
GarryDK said:
TheAllSeeingPie said:
I think they are aimed more at a city commuter than a die-hard roadie. I've always thought it a bit mental to commute in rush hour with drop bars anyway as you lower your ability to look around more for mental motorists, although depending on your commute length this is offset if you need to travel 15+ miles efficiently.
I commute every day on drops. never hindered me, I fact its better as the bars are not as wide. Perhaps it's having less confidence in the brakes, or maybe less awareness of traffic.
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