ReflectoSafety!

This will, hopefully, reduce your chances of getting whacked by a car while biking. Super cheap!

Step 1: Buy Reflective Dots

Wow, mcmaster carr is awesome. Check this out:

6042T1 REFLECTIVE MARKING DOT, 1" DOT SIZE, 64 DOTS PER SHEET, 6.19
6042T11 REFLECTIVE MARKING DOT, 1-7/8" DOT SIZE, 16 DOTS PER SHEET, WHITE 6.19

Buy a sheet of the 1" dots. That's good enough. It should be $10 after shipping

Comments

[vaguegirl]

just bought my dots good idea and u are right mcmaster carr is awesome!

[robk570]

how do I order these dots??

[dbarajas2231]

Probably a little late for Robk570, but for anyone else interested I found these Mcmaster Carr Dots on their website. Here is a link: http://www.mcmaster.com/#reflective-tape/=iz2fbw

[dbarajas2231]

Price Update:

The 1" Dots are now $7.07, but the McMaster Carr website won't allow you to see your shipping costs, even after you complete your order! To get a quote on shipping costs you need to call their customer service number at [phone] and ask.

Shipping one 1" sheet to Minnesota was $4.00, which is a total cost of $11.07 + Tax (if applicable). It looks like a great product, but i'm going to look around to see if I can find it somewhere local.

[berserk]

If you have a chance to buy reflective tape locally, take along a flashlight. I found there can be huge differences in how much light gets reflected between different kinds of tape. If you use conspicuity tape, try to keep the white to the front of the bike and the red to the back - that's how your reflectors are supposed to be coloured, so there will be no confusion which way you are going. Especially if you are stopped. Although... then you are going nowhere... until you start going again anyway. :-)

[corndogman12]

and if fjording a stream or navigable waterway, put red on the left forward side and green on the right forward side

[curlyfry562]

Great idea, just ordered mine. Thanks for posting

[littlegandhi1199]

great idea! I would never think of this thank you

[jswilson64]

Stickers on helmets used to be a big no-no. The adhesive in the sticker can weaken the hardshell of some helmets. That is one item you DO NOT want to void the warranty on! Check with your helmet maker for stickerability - looking cool is great, but not at the expense of being dead.

[ladyada]

oops. well. i retire my helmets pretty often. do you have any references for this? thanks

[dUc0N]

So maybe put a layer of auto clearcoat on said helmet to prevent the adhesive chemicals from bothering the helmet shell directly?

Great instructable by the way... as a USAF guy, I can't help but be reminded of military fondness of reflective belts (powerpoint).

[dUc0N]

Whoops... I noticed (after I posted) that I left some ambiguity there. For those who don't know, the USAF (and its sister services) use reflective belts as a safety tool so people on foot don't get run over by ignoramuses in traffic. Some higher-ranking individuals, however, get quite a bit too attached to them in the name of safety, and they're frequently required gear during twilight, in areas with no vehicle traffic, during combat exercises, and even in the middle of some war zones(!!).

[mangycur]

GREAT INSTRUCTABLE HERE ARE SOME GREAT ITEMS I WERE WHILE RIDING!! RIDE SAFE! VERY BRIGHT VEST www.autosportcatalog.com/index.cfm/fa/p/pid/4235/sc/2737 GLOVES AND ILLUMINITE PANTS www.night-gear.com/Reflective-Gear/Mens-Activewear/Gloves.htm HAVE ANY MORE LINKS PLEASE MESSAGE ME THANK YOU!!

[Mark Rehorst]

An alternative method is to use conspicuity tape. This is the stuff that trucks are required to use on trailers. Very efficient, and red and white alternating bands are reall attention grabbers. You can buy it in small quantities on ebay, but get more than you think you need, because once you start putting it on things, you can't stop!

[scole999]

We carry that material at www.colebrothers.com . You can get a big roll or a small roll or 18" sections.

Steve<br><br>Reflective Tape Store

[scole999]

Reflective Tape
Vinyl Stripes
You can get a roll of reflective tape at www.reflectivestore.com or www.vinylstripes.com . Cut it any length you need. You'll show up very well at night.

[Brennn10]

My bike has a leukoplakia!

[tho x. bui]

Hey! I did this 15 years ago, when I was regularly commuting by bike. Here's a picture of my commuter: http://home.earthlink.net/~blahx3/thoxbui/id14.html.

I used a sharpened steel tube and punch out the holes from a strip of reflective 3M tape.

[Gigglesworth]

I also recommend reflectors on the insides of your rims. These are very visble from many angles. The motion of the reflectorss does something to the eye-- it's like the eye is drawn to these rapidly moving, glowing things. There's one guy here in Berkeley who painted reflective stripes on the insides of his rims. When he moves, the stripes flash and it is almost impossible to ignore the bike, from any angle--- even the sides.

[Jesus10555]

but then the driver of a car, might lock in on them, as a deer locks in on headlights

[mikeybhang]

Or get scraps at a signmaker's for less money in various colours.

[pazu]

But it isn't THAT innovative, is it?

[Prometheus]

Also to keep them from peeling, try a length of book-tape around the tube (go at least one lap around the tube) and that will solve that problem altogether

[Prometheus]

Try putting them on the inside area of your rims. This way you can bee seen a lot easier because there is more motion involved. If you use a staggered pattern on the wheels or just a few to one side, it will improve your visibility even more because the broken pattern will break through the normal mode of ignoring other repetitive patterns, like the road reflectors and draw attention to yourself better, especially from the fonrt/rear. You can also buy reflective tape similar to the same kind used by road crews from bike shiops, home improvement stores, or even automotive stores like napa, checker/shucks/kragen, etc...Make some calls and see who might carry it.

[montesol]

I bought some blue ones too. They don't reflect as much, and the blue ones also don't conform as well to your bike tube as the white ones do. The edges of my blue dots are already coming up, but the white ones are still sticking nicely. Can't tell if they are thicker, or just less flexible.

[electrotyler]

What do you think about sticking some reflective dots on the inside of the rim, between the spokes, so that cars coming from either side of 12:00 and 6:00 can be dazzled by it?

[Oobbuuky]

Just don't get them on the sides where your brakes grip the rims.

[futurewave]

i'd like to buy the red ones so they blend with the colors on my bike (red and black), but would the red ones be less bright? Anyone tried any of the other colors?

[montesol]

gotta love mcmaster-carr.... I am in Chicago not far from their Naperville warehouse. I ordered the dots last night... I mean late last night Sunday, around midnight and they arrived today Monday!

[Cupajo]

You could also try sign and banner shops for reflective adhesive vinyl (designed for CAD cutters, the same stuff used on intertate signs). As I recall, it was available in 6 or 8 different colors.

[xenobiologista]

3m also makes a silvery reflective tape. I bought some at a bike shop and put it on my helmet. That red and white recumbent looks awesome. btw, Ladyada, I love your SpokePOV project...am planning to buy a kit once I've overhauled my old road bike.