• Required reading for all forum users!!!

    Welcome!
    Register to access the full functionality of the GSResources forum. Until you register and activate your account you will not have full forum access, nor will you be able to post or reply to messages.

    A note to new registrants...
    All new forum registrations must be activated via email before you have full access to the forum.

    A Special Note about Email accounts!
    DO NOT SIGN UP USING hotmail, outlook, gmx, sbcglobal, att, bellsouth or email.com. They delete our forum signup emails.

    A note to old forum members...
    I receive numerous requests from people who can no longer log in because their accounts were deleted. As mentioned in the forum FAQ, user accounts are deleted if you haven't logged in for the past 6 months. If you can't log in, then create a new forum account. If you don't get an error message, then check your email account for an activation message. If you get a message stating that the email address is already in use, then your account still exists so follow the instructions in the forum FAQ for resetting your password.

    Have you forgotten your password or have a new email address? Then read the forum FAQ for details on how to reset it.

    Any email requests for "can't log in anymore" problems or "lost my password" problems will be deleted. Read the forum FAQ and follow the instructions there - that's what we have one for...

  • Returning Visitors

    If you are a returning visitor who never received your confirmation email, then odds are your email provider is blockinig emails from our server. The only thing that can be done to get around this is you will have to try creating another forum account using an email address from another domain.

    If you are a returning visitor to the forum and can't log in using your old forum name and password but used to be able to then chances are your account is deleted. Purges of the databases are done regularly. You will have to create a new forum account and you should be all set.

Improve night visability from the side for $20US

  • Thread starter Thread starter Dark Jedi
  • Start date Start date
D

Dark Jedi

Guest
I was fiddling with something for my son's bicycle, when I decided to try it on the Suzi.

Flashing valve cover caps. His were some $4.99 Wal-Mart things. I popped them on the bike and had a neighbor ride it by so I could see it.

Wow! The side visability is humoungus! The entire wheel is a flashing ring as the bike goes by. Very noticeable.

So I ordered the nice metal cased ones from J.C.Whitney for $20 and mounted them.

http://www.jcwhitney.com/webapp/wcs...=5482&catalogId=10101&langId=-1&storeId=10101
 
Interesting.

I do have one thought though.

If they are flashing, could they not also be a distraction to a driver, and possably make them, momentarilly forget to do something such as brake?

Just a thought as I have noticed these new busses that have that white strobe on top, have (at least to me) distracted me from paying attention to what I should be (the road in front of me) to figure out what the flashing was.

However I have seen cars with these on, and well, always just discounted them as a gimmick to get these people who are into custom cars to spend their money on.

Maybe it will help, maybe it won't. Just my .02 worth.

Amos
 
Batteries are going to get expensive for them too. The size and weight of them will also throw tire balance off. Rubber stems may even bend from centrifugal force.
 
The size and weight of them will also throw tire balance off.
Click to expand...
Bingo. How is looks is a personal preference. I don't care for them personally, but the tires will be out of balance. If you just ride around the block it shouldn't be a problem.
 
I think it will be a big distraction. They put these on the hooters of girls at topless bars and the guys can do nothing but stare while they spill their beer. You don't want to come out someday and find guys standing around fondling your cam covers. But it could work out if they started stuffing bills into your seat strap ??? hmmm

Good or bad idea, hard to decide :-k





:lol:
 
Hoomgar said:
I think it will be a big distraction. They put these on the hooters of girls at topless bars and the guys can do nothing but stare while they spill their beer. You don't want to come out someday and find guys standing around fondling your cam covers. But it could work out if they started stuffing bills into your seat strap ??? hmmm

Good or bad idea, hard to decide :-k





:lol:
Click to expand...

:lol:
 
Hoomgar said:
I think it will be a big distraction. They put these on the hooters of girls at topless bars and the guys can do nothing but stare while they spill their beer. You don't want to come out someday and find guys standing around fondling your cam covers. But it could work out if they started stuffing bills into your seat strap ??? hmmm

Good or bad idea, hard to decide :-k





:lol:
Click to expand...
:lol:

But cam covers?
 
heres the real question: how do the police feel about this mod? They are illegal on cars where I live, but I have no idea bout bikes. :?:
 
Not that I have any personal preference, but assuming that centrifigul force is a non-issue (metal stems), why not just rebalance the wheel with them on? It's no big deal to make or buy a wheel balancer that will do an effective job ... or just have someone else do it.

My vote is for safety and visibility over whatever the law says -- assuming of course you actually like them on your ride.

Steve 8)
 
Hmm. I haven't had any balance problems with them yet.

the batteries are watch batteries, and mine have been going for about 4 months now without dimming. (They are flashing LED's, very low power draw)

Metal stem, so no centrifugal (NitPick: Actually inertial, there is no such thing as 'centrifugal force..) problems for me.

I'd rather BE the distraction to a driver with the attention span of a ferret, than in front of them when they are distracted by something else.
 
The flashing valve stem caps remind me of another wheel treatment that was popular a few years ago - does anyone else remember the reflective wheel stripes they used to sell? They came in a variety of colors and glowed like neon when car lights hit them. I remember they used to advertise in CYCLE WORLD some time ago. Of course now I can't find ads for them in any of the old bike mags I own so maybe they weren't that popular after all? They do make reflective paints and striping tapes so I bet you could duplicate this treatment today. Plus it seems like paint or decals would be less likely to throw off your wheel balance....

Jim
 
Jumping Jiggawatts!!! Are you kidding me Jim!?
That's about an ounce of extra weight per wheel!!!
Catastrophe!

J/K

:lol: :lol:
Dm of mD
 
I'm SURE they would be illegal here! The Government is so anal about "excessive lighting" it's silly. :roll:
 
How about something a bit more "low-maintenance"? Scotchlite tape could be attached in a radial fashion to a few discrete places on the rim/mag. That stuff lights up like a christmas tree when any amount of light hits it.

Search for it on the web. I hit a place where you can get a 1" x 27'" strip for $5.00. http://www.nytro.com/run-reflective.html

LEDs have several beneficial uses, but why all the hassle?

-jon
 
Dunno. I guess I didn't see replacing a valve cap as a hassle. Most of the things I do to the bike are quite a bit more complicated.
 
I see your point - not too much of a hassle. I just thought I would mention an alternative. :D

-Jon
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top