UKH

As with all of us who cycle regular, we have near misses and very near missis ! Im planning a weeks touring and as my latest near ones seem to be drivers being sssooooo close to when they overtake, its made me think about getting one of these signs that ive seen on some bikes (Foreigners over here touring I think) that suggest to drivers that they give me a wide berth. Ive generally not taken notice of the signs ive seen but they probably stick out a foot/300mm beyond the width of the bike, and are red/white. (and possibly collapsable !)

Ive tried mr google but cant see what im after. Does anyone know where I can obtain such a thing please ? (Or even know what im talking about ?)

Thanks all

Something like this? https://www.decathlon.co.uk/bike-safety-reflector-flag-id_8176064.html

or this.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Oxford-Fold-Out-Safety-Reflector/dp/B004H1QYG2/ref...

Perfect guys. Thanks very much, and well spotted !

My mum always used one of these fold out reflector things but I'm not sure how effective they would be considering I've been knocked off my bike while riding with 2 very bright both front and rear and a luminous green reflective jacket.

I'd think that fitting one of these would probably change drivers attitudes more

https://p1.liveauctioneers.com/368/68629/35215606_1_x.jpg?auto=webp&for...

But the weight penalty is a bit more significant.

Whilst on the subject of bike safety, has anyone any suggestions as to which bike mirror to purchase (if any). Dropped handlebars by the way !

Or are they generally crap ?

DIY version is a bamboo cane fixed to your rack, with an old CD fixed to the other end.

I have tried fitting mirrors on my commute bike and just found that they are largely pointless.

It takes several seconds to look down far enough to see it, focus on it and assess what it's showing - mostly your own thigh - and that's a long time not looking in front of you.

I've always found the best thing is to ride with a flashing rear light at all times. Drivers tend to see you a bit earlier which gives them more time to allow for overtaking. There'll always be tw*ts that overtake too close but often I think it's just lack of awareness or on quick roads they dont have long after first seeing you.

Bit light duty I reckon.

Bike trailer equipped with this?

http://www.mcjazz.f2s.com/images/War/GunTurret.gif

I've been tempted to DIY one out of an old tent pole, with all the metal sprayed black so near to zero visibility and with the nub at the top sharpened into a spike to scratch the fecker's paintwork

ya'll better make sure your extra wide pokey thingy's don't overhang the footpath and catch a pedestrian 

There is a famous study that has shown that the most effective method to achieve road room is a long blonde wig.  I kid you not!

I'd never get up the hill to the house with that on the back, I feel it enough when I've got my laptop in the bag.

That’s been updated now: the person who did the original study (I forget the name, I believe he is a uni professor that looks at cycle safety) that found this repeated it more recently with more study arms: depressingly only 2 things altered the distance drivers gave cyclists, a police vest, and a “polite” vest mocked up to look like a fake police vest. The police vest was given more room, the polite one was given less, presumably because the drivers saw the actual word in time, got pissed off, and thought they’d “teach them a lesson”

Depessing that only the threat of personal sanction seems to make drivers in the UK give cyclists adequate room.

Over the years I've tried various mirrors on my drops.

Problem with most of them is that they vibrate on rough, and not so rough, roads, so not much use.

A few years ago I bought a B&M Star 80, with a short stubby stem which fits the end of the bars. No movement, no vibration and gives a good field of vision.
The model is shown on the B&M website as Cycle Star 80 version 903/2.
http://en.bumm.de/produkte/mehr/fahrrad-rueckspiegel/cycle-star-80.html

If it ever breaks, I'll def get another one.

Be aware that when I googled Star 80, most of them are shown with a long thin arm, so a different version. I think these would be more prone to vibration.

Fitted to the rear rack of course.