is this a good idea for us cyclist?

captainplanet7

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

nweststeyn

I think this is a bad idea.

Hope that helps

Anonymous

Not unless you cycle round at night with a bag on your back............... and even then would say not.

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?

Grill

I love products that cater to the lowest common denominator...

captainplanet7

Hi nweststeyn, cheers for the reply, why do think it’s not a good idea, as I was tempted to buy but I was unsure and even though the video has had a view views no one has commented on it.
I think it’s an ok product to have for extra safety not to replace hand signals though.

captainplanet7

Not sure you know Carbonator judging by the video and information on the website it’s just at the back and I believe it’s controlled wirelessly by the orange box thing on the handle bar.
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

damocles10

I like it as a concept...the exclamation mark could be ' caution I am stopping '

nweststeyn

Why I think it's a bad idea:

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.

gethinceri

It's a joke, right?

Buckie2k5

if you run a red light a giant c*ck is displayed.

Anonymous

They are in the U.S. arnt they? No prob 'running' a red light turning right there, even in a car.

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:

herzog

A few 4th Cats could do with something like this...

diy

Bad idea - so easy not to cancel it.

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.

markhewitt1978

"I'm just driving along the road in my car"
"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"

--
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.

Pituophis

I think it's a great idea in theory.
As with most others though, I think its just another way to confuse motorists to our detriment.

drlodge

Those cyclists are going very slowly and are quite upright, most road cyclist are doing 15-20mph and have much flatter backs so the sign wouldn't be easily seen.

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.

wannabecyclist

Early April Fools?

ai_1

I hate it!

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.

bigpikle

how do you know when it stops working and you're about to pull out unexpectedly in front of a car following you....

TakeTurns

Ask the commuters, they'll be all over it

BillyImp

There's been loads of people trying to develop THE bike indicator product that everyone has and that's the only way it's ever going to work, it needs to be standardised else it's pointless....

slowbike

BillyImp wrote:

There's been loads of people trying to develop THE bike indicator product that everyone has and that's the only way it's ever going to work, it needs to be standardised else it's pointless....

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 ...

markhewitt1978

I've seen these before but they are a bit silly to say the least! http://www.winkku.co.uk/

ai_1

markhewitt1978 wrote:

I've seen these before but they are a bit silly to say the least! http://www.winkku.co.uk/

They're better than the backpack version at the start of this thread but still not ideal. At least they're not likely to confuse anyone but they're awfully bulky and wouldn't work on a road bike. I'm not convinced of the need for big rear view mirrors - or maybe I just don't want to be because I don't want them on my bike!
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.

markhewitt1978

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Bike-Bicycle- ... 1112821057 presumably there are other examples.

slowbike

Ai_1 wrote:

markhewitt1978 wrote:

I've seen these before but they are a bit silly to say the least! http://www.winkku.co.uk/

They're better than the backpack version at the start of this thread but still not ideal. At least they're not likely to confuse anyone but they're awfully bulky and wouldn't work on a road bike. I'm not convinced of the need for big rear view mirrors - or maybe I just don't want to be because I don't want them on my bike!
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.

Oh - they do fit to a road bike - so you can't use that as an excuse!

ai_1

Slowbike wrote:

Oh - they do fit to a road bike - so you can't use that as an excuse!

The mounts shown are for bar ends. You could probably put them on the end of road bars but looks to me like they'll be very low and close for using the mirrors. Also I can't see how the buttons will be easily accessible on a road bike.
maybe I'm missing something. For a road bike I'd want the indicator buttons somewhere on the hoods, the tops or both.

slowbike

Ai_1 wrote:

Slowbike wrote:

Oh - they do fit to a road bike - so you can't use that as an excuse!

The mounts shown are for bar ends. You could probably put them on the end of road bars but looks to me like they'll be very low and close for using the mirrors. Also I can't see how the buttons will be easily accessible on a road bike.
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!

rickeverett

Sticking your arm out in the direction you whish to turn is more effective then a crappy green flashing indicator.

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.

ai_1

rickeverett wrote:

Sticking your arm out in the direction you whish to turn is more effective then a crappy green flashing indicator.

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.

I think a huge number of people are simply not competent to use roads. That applies to all users: pedestrians, cyclists and motorists. They don't seem to comprehend risk or have the ability to understand anyone's else perspective. It's not just a lack of courtesy, they pointlessly risk their own lives regularly without seeming to notice. Roads are inherently dangerous and too many people are not good at thinking. Bad combo!

darkhairedlord

probably find they are not legal for use on the road in the UK.
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 arse 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.