THE NEW KIT IS OUT AND THE NEW INSTRUCTABLE IS HERE
Bright Bike is a project we've been researching at Eyebeam for a while now. Why?
1. Biking can be dangerous.
2. Biking at night, in a city, can be even more dangerous.
3. Increased visibility is the best and easiest way to make these things safer.
4. There are some remarkable materials that can make bicycles much more visible to cars. These materials are called RETROREFLECTIVE.
Retroreflective materials have tiny glass beads suspended on their surface that reflect light back to the source. What this means is that a retroreflective material normally appears as a solid color but shines bright white to any direct light - like a car headlight.
The question is, "How do I make my bike Retroreflective?"
The answer is five easy steps.
After that, you've got a beautiful, solid-colored bike, that makes you more visible to cars than ever before.
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Signing UpStep 1: Material Acquisition
There are many different retroreflective materials: threads, inks, vinyls. We found the most useful material for applying to a bicycle is 3M's Scotchlite Plus Reflective 680 Series Engineering Grade Vinyl. This sort of vinyl is sold by sign supply distributors.
An average bike will take at most 6' x 15 to fully wrap. It can be hard to find a sign shop willing to sell that little. We got our vinyl from Beacon Graphics in New Jersey (http://www.beacongraphics.com). They were so excited about what we were doing with it, they agreed to sell smaller, DIY quantities of the material. Information about these kits should be on their website soon, but you can call them at 1 800 762 9205 to get your own DIY kit.
However you get it, it's probably a good idea to take accurate measure of your bike first (see step 3), so that you get the right amount.
You will also need:
Some sponges and soapy water.
Paper towels.
General bike tools (wrenches, etc.).
A cloth measuring tape.
An exacto/utility knife.
A straight edge.
An average bike will take at most 6' x 15 to fully wrap. It can be hard to find a sign shop willing to sell that little. We got our vinyl from Beacon Graphics in New Jersey (http://www.beacongraphics.com). They were so excited about what we were doing with it, they agreed to sell smaller, DIY quantities of the material. Information about these kits should be on their website soon, but you can call them at 1 800 762 9205 to get your own DIY kit.
However you get it, it's probably a good idea to take accurate measure of your bike first (see step 3), so that you get the right amount.
You will also need:
Some sponges and soapy water.
Paper towels.
General bike tools (wrenches, etc.).
A cloth measuring tape.
An exacto/utility knife.
A straight edge.
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Just uploaded a couple of pictures to the flicker group.
Cautions: too much heat will deform the strip. There will be a tendency for the plastic to return to it's original shape.
If I did this project it would be to make my bike look cool, not for safety. I already have blinky lights plus reflective tape on my helmet.
Longer, narrower rolls in several colors can be ordered directly from 3M (www.shop3m.com); searching the web may find better prices, comparable to the kit from Beacon Graphics (currently $55).
http://www.instructables.com/id/Bright-Bike-DIY-Kit-Installation/
http://brightthread.com/
A full roll of vinyl is about $150 +tax/shipping here. You can get a Bright Bike DIY Kit that is less expensive ($20) and *much* easier to install (in about 5 to 15 minutes) here. The Instructable for that is here.
Firstly, I think the tape has a really nice effect on the bike. Seeing it lit up kinda reminds me of the cycle lane logos painted on the road.
I do wonder how effective it would be for safety purposes though. I was with you up until seeing you ride around in the car headlights. In short, that's the test that led to mandating pedal, wheel, front and rear reflectors. The theory being that you can be seen from all angles. Of course, that only works when directly in front of a car. Not in itself a problem, but of *very* limited use.
There are two times I really want a car driver to see me when I'm riding.
1> When they are on the same road as me - coming from the front or behind. In that case front and rear lights are the way forwards (I don't even HAVE front and rear reflectors on my bike - I think they are useless when compared to a bright flashing light) along with pedal reflectors which really stand out a lot. It's possible that the seat stay reflectors in the instructable (and seat post as you added later) would help with visibility from behind but I can't see any of the others helping from that angle.
2> When they are on a road perpendicular to me. In this scenario the most likely problem is a car pulling out in front of you leaving you no room to stop or hitting you in the side. In both these cases reflectors of any kind will be no use as you're not in the car's headlight beam when they need to see you. The only thing that will help there is a headlight.
The one semi-related scenario is a car pulling away while you're directly in front of them. I still ride with the spoke mounted wheel reflectors that came with my bike as the way they bounce up and down really grabs attention. I have a feeling that if a driver missed something as obvious as the bouncing reflector all the retroreflective tape in the world wouldn't help as they are most likely messing with their stereo or doing their makeup!
The video at 0:40 and 0:41 really illustrates this point. At 0:40 the red rims are more visible than any of the tape, which has yet to light up. At 0:41 the frame snaps into being reflective and then out again just a few yards later.
Of course, a bit more reflection can't hurt, but I can't help thinking the practical benefit of using a system of reflection like this is far less than first impressions might suggest.
If you've got any thoughts on this I really would be interested to hear (read) them.
Oh - thanks also for the link you posted to your test of retro-reflective materials - I was shocked at how useless the paint was (I've been thinking about buying some for a project I've got in mind).
From one cyclist to another,
Stay safe. :)
All the best!
Just started riding in London and shocked at how little attention drivers seem to pay to me. Don't want to cover my bike entirely but a few choice bits in strategic places would hopefully catch the eye! Any bits at all would be helpful... :-)
you can get kits here
http://www.brightthread.com/
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I'd be tempted to use a few large sections precisely so drivers can see at a glance whether the wheels are turning or not- if a car driver just glances in your direction and can see you are definitely moving they might be more cautious than if they just see a cyclist. I'd probably do three 60° sections like a radioactivity symbol to really emphasize the rotation, but ultimately it's up to you.
Kudos for the most reflective bike I think I've ever seen though- recently I find myself swerving around kids on black BMXs wearing all black clothes, where the only vaguely visible bit is their pedal reflectors (thankfully mandatory on new bikes in the UK and most people don't bother taking them off).
It's a problem here in the States too. I almost whacked a kid the other night just like that. Except he was texting as he went, along a 45 MPH road, right before a busy unregulated turn. I was very lucky to see him, as I was facing the headlights of oncoming cars. It was shocking as I am an avid cyclist and really keep an eye out for cars.