is this a good idea for us cyclist?
captainplanet7
Posts: 7
I’m back to the world of cycling just go back into after many years of not doing it and was looking for new gear to wear and came across this
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1hzRA4qMH5I
Can any other cyclist say if they think if this is a good idea or not as I’m confused, lol
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1hzRA4qMH5I
Can any other cyclist say if they think if this is a good idea or not as I’m confused, lol
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Posts
Hope that helps
What's the exclamation mark for? .............. Wind?
Some drivers would think it was an indication for them to pass you lol
Odd that they never look around........ or actually turn left (into traffic) or pull out left.
Is there one on the front or do you still need to use your arm?
Wouldn't an arrow or outward moving lights on the front and back of an arm warmer (that automatically came on when arm raised) be more useful?
Would you actually use it every time like you probably do in a car?
Would you turn it off?
Would it be on at the right time if it turned itself off?
Would it not just be a big pain in the ar5e?
I think it’s an ok product to have for extra safety not to replace hand signals though.
And that’s a good point actually not quite sure what exclamation mark is for, I can only assume stop. Which to be honest is a bit confusing.
And lol love the questions at the end and to be fair I don’t think I would use every time, unless it was my only bag. I think you have convinced me not to buy. Lol
Breeds a false sense of security. Cyclists need to be aware of their environment and just signalling to turn using this backpack device is not enough. Whilst sensible people might use this AND check their surroundings AND use hand & arm signals, it will provide an opportunity for less experienced riders to believe they are safe because they have pushed their 'turn right' button.
There should be no issues with looking, clearly signalling intent, and riding confidently.
Mind you, I come from Scotland and therefore have no experience of cycling in places like London where I guess life is a bit different.
Would a red light 'runner' be a c0ck because they are breaking the (current) law or putting themselves in danger?
I generally obey red lights by the way.
Sometimes even when there are no cars/pedestrians around that would be affected and I feel a bit of a c0ck for doing so.
It keeps any car drivers behind me from moaning............. until they moan about me being in their way when the lights turn green :roll:
Might be a better idea if it was automatic, perhaps based on a motion sensor or something. I like the idea of a light that could act as a brake light. Easier though if the sensor went on the calipers or levers, even easier if the light had a mercury switch built in and stuck an extra flasher on if you changed speed.
IMO keep it simple - lots of flashy things and some high viz.
What you've got to ask yourself is:
- how will the user adapt their riding/observation to rely on the extra "information" given and what risks might that introduce
- how will road users interpret the signals and what is the risk of wrong behavior, judgement or interpretation.
- how much better is it than a simple I'm here light.
Stretching & Workout Vids
"Oh there's a cyclist, I'll overtake them (far too closely ofc)
"I see they have a green arrow pointing right, that means please pass me on the right"
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The problem is that it's non-standard, if there were just orange flashing lights on either side of the backpack, no driver would be under any confusion as to their meaning.
As with most others though, I think its just another way to confuse motorists to our detriment.
I agree withthe above comments that the direction indications will cause confusion since there is no standard set out in the highway code. I would much rather people indicate in the usual way and be aware of their surroundings. Better to have some kind of luminous stripe along each arm so you can see when a cyclist puts their arm out to indicate - my club jacket has good reflective stripes which will do the same job in the dark i.e. reflect a car's headlights.
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As others have said, it's non-standard and drivers won't know what they're looking at. I'd expect this system to cause more accidents than it prevents. It's idiotic since it would be simpler and infinitely more useful to just display standard signals with very similar hardware. However as others also said, the fact it's mounted on a backpack and required an upright position to be orientated correctly it would still have limitations. Also it's only visible from behind so limited use of no use to inform traffic in front or to the sides at junctions.
I ahd been thinking recently about the viability of a simple rear light bar that would attach to the seatpost and provide both a main red back light and amber indicators (i.e. the existing standard for road traffic but not currently used on bikes). I really can't see any reason bikes couldn't and shouldn't start using standard indicators and lights. Modern LEDs and batteries make this perfectly practical and eliminate the necessity for hand signals. Hand signals work fine approaching a junction but it's often unsafe to have one hand off the bars during a manoeuver - for example I often don't signal when leaving a roundabout since it's just not safe if I'm turning at speed.
A simple light cluster could be attached to the seatpost consisting of a horizontal bar with red light at the centre and amber signal lights at each tip. It would need to be wide enough to make it obvious from a distance which way you were turning (a separation of about 250mm would suffice I think). Front indicators could easily be mounted on the handlebar or headtube. On a road bike it would be even better to integrate front indicator lights into the groupset. The indicator controls would also ideally be integrated into the groupset if this became a standard but initially it could easily be a separate left and right button.
Exactly - the indicators need to be the same as you see on other road vehicles otherwise ppl will just get confused.
I can see a small benefit in having lit indicators as well as brake indicators - but it's so small it's not really worth bothering about.
Ideally the turn indicators would be replicated on the front.
I can't see that putting indicators on would change the behaviour of riders looking to see if it's clear - atm those that don't either don't indicate anyway or just stick an arm out and pull out - very similar to motorised traffic ...
I also don't like the fact that the rear running lights and indicators are in your peripheral vision and would be very distracting at night and would ruin your night vision.
maybe I'm missing something. For a road bike I'd want the indicator buttons somewhere on the hoods, the tops or both.
I didn't say they'd be any good - just that they would fit ... not sure why you'd fit them but hey!
Moving your head around to look behind etc is also wise no?
Correct me if i'm wrong, but that's what you are required to do.
The amount of cyclist I see who don't even bother signalling is staggering.
They also confuse the driver behind, if the arrow is pointing right does this mean the cyclist is turning right or is telling the driver to go to the right (to overtake).
If I ran someone over with this on I'd sue their censored off, the manufacture, and the shop they bought it from.
If you want to indicate a change in direction look behind then stick your arm out and look behind again. Anything else and you will receive the Darwin award.