Back End Andy Thanks

Rear Light/Reflector Configuration I Prefer. I'm HOPING that the Combo of the Steady Light/Reflector and the Reflector Helps
My Motorists Judge When to CHANGE LANES in Order to Pass. So Far, I've Not Been Disappointed, but Nobody's Collected Statistics

Sometimes, when the commute has been even less eventful than normal, ideas come from other places on the Internet. In this case, today's post comes from a statement of Andy Cline of the "must read" Carbon Trace blog. Mostly, politics aside, Andy is pretty sensible about bikes, but his post here suggested a little info on "the back end" might be in order.

Legal, But I Like MORE

Most states, as in the case of Texas, have a lighting statute along the lines of:

Sec. 551.104. SAFETY EQUIPMENT.  ...

(b) A person may not operate a bicycle at nighttime unless the bicycle is equipped with:

(1) a lamp on the front of the bicycle that emits a white light visible from a distance of at least 500 feet in front of the bicycle; and

(2)  on  the rear of the bicycle:

(A) a red reflector that is:

(i) of a type approved by the department; and

(ii) visible when directly in front of lawful upper beams of motor vehicle headlamps from all distances from 50 to 300 feet to the rear of the bicycle; or

(B) a lamp that emits a red light visible from a distance of 500 feet to the rear of the bicycle.

If you are new to the world of cycling, you may not know that few bicycles sold new meet these legal requirements. Ironically, the FEDERAL GOVERNMENT HAS REQUIREMENTS THAT GO BEYOND THESE, BUT AT THE SAME TIME FAIL. But that is another post. The real question is what, in the way of lighting and reflectors and reflective stuff is needed on the back end? Well, I'm sorry, but I cannot tell you that. However, you may find some of the following useful in formulating that answer for yourself.

No Rear Rack? No Problem!
CPSC Reflector/Light
and Blinky Light

Reflectors and lights have very different properties. Reflectors require no batteries or electricity, but depend on light to work. Lights work as long as they have electricity. This is the root of why headlights are required but only reflectors in the rear. After all, if everyone had only reflectors in front, nobody would see oncoming traffic, but with lights in front, everyone's rear reflectors would still work.

In fact, in John Forester's book, with the most recent edition published before "blinky" rear lights became common (hint, hint), suggested that rear lights were unnecessary and that cyclists should stick to rear reflectors. What's more, he recommends AMBER reflectors because they reflect more light than the statutory RED ones. Well, maybe. But his advice isn't strictly legal in most states. GO HERE FOR MORE FROM JOHN FORESTER ON THIS.

I do more. Reading what little research on the matter exists, I concluded that the strategy I would follow consists of the following:

• A rear reflector that conforms to the SAE standard
• A steady rear light
• A blinking rear light

First, the reflector. You cannot buy an SAE reflector at a bike shop. Instead, if anything, they sell an inferior CPSC reflector. Why do I claim this? Well, it is pretty simple. The CPSC reflects from directions cars are unlikely to come at a bike, like the rear quarter, in addition to some reflectance from behind. The SAE reflector works FAR better to reflect back to real world overtaking traffic. Why any reflector at all? Well, electricity can fail and you won't know it - unlike if a headlight goes out.

Second, the steady light. AND, the blinking light. The very same CPSC that fosters an inferior rear reflector did some tests. They found that a steady light is easier for an overtaking motorist to judge distance than a blinking light. On the other hand, a blinking light is identified further away. Interestingly, they did NOT show big AMBER reflectors to work any better than RED ones. That, despite double the reflecting power. I've actually purchased amber reflectors, but the data cause me to lack some motivation to "amberize" my reflector gear.

And so you have it. I carry a reflector, a steady rear light, and a blinking rear light. If a light goes out, I will typically put the remaining one into blink mode. Just to get carried away, one of the lights on my main commute bike also meets the CPSC standard.

Remember, if you think I'm getting carried away, that most of my nighttime clothing seems to trend towards "basic black." I'd rather go with the available ACTUAL RESEARCH, which is pretty minimal. And I have verified many times that overtaking motorists DO see me early. That is true even when I'm wearing my black cycling jacket, with my black cycling gloves, and I'm signaling a lane change. With no "high vis" other than what might be around my ankles to keep my pants from fouling the chain, I'm led to believe that my lights attract the motoring eye and then they readily see whatever else is happening. Would you conclude otherwise?

Lights and reflectors are cheap and work whatever you might be wearing. Ponder that...

Lights and Reflectors Without Flash. Note:
Top Reflector is Modern SAE Standard
Middle Light/Reflector is CPSC Standard
Bottom Reflector is SAE Standard from 40 Years Ago
Fuzzy Focus Doesn't Affect Reflection!

The SAME ARRANGEMENT - IN THE DARK, With Camera Flash
No Rear Electric Lights were Lit, so WHAT YOU SEE is What Would Show in Headlights

Unsafe Police Order

Colleyville Police Patrol on a Nicer Day

In my last post, I related how I was ordered off the road and onto the sidewalk by a Colleyville Police Officer. The road was Hall Johnson. Hall Johnson is a four lane road with a 30mph speed limit, no shoulder, lanes about 12 feet in width, and great visibility. The incident occurred about three blocks east of Highway 26, a few minutes after 6PM. Eastbound traffic was fairly light, and it was raining. Soon, it'd turn into a lightning storm, but I'm getting ahead of myself. It was just one of those days when you get caught by the weather, and the weather keeps coming at you until there's nothing left to do but get the rest of the way home. Hall Johnson is somewhat unusual because it tends to be slightly downhill eastbound and, with a tail wind as today, I was able to average about 25mph on it, with a peak speed of an indicated 29mph. Normally, I don't travel that fast.

Lately, I've had a lot of cause to consider what I might do if I were pulled over by the police while riding safely and legally. Not having my legal and video tape team in place and ready to roll, and not particularly having any crusade or point I felt needed to be made today, I chose "Option A."

Option A consists of what I feel should most often be the cyclist's course of action in most encounters with the police, assuming the cyclist isn't actually doing anything wrong. I imagine some would advocate a different course of action. Here's what I did, including what I did WRONG.

• The "contact" began when the officer, in the left lane, ordered me over his loudspeaker to "get on the sidewalk." Initially, I didn't comprehend what he was asking, (I suspect such an encounter is almost always a surprise so it takes a bit to register fully), but that was soon corrected.
• I replied that it was unsafe to ride on the sidewalk. The officer repeated his order.
• At that point, I pulled over (I admit I forgot to signal a stop and rightward movement in the ordering around). I stopped, dismounted the bike, and got on the sidewalk. I did not say anything further to the officer.
• The officer was NOT inclined to stop in the RH lane to give me a lecture or get out of his car in the rain which was getting worse by the moment.
• I stood on the sidewalk and the officer departed. While it would have been difficult to get his badge number, I confess that getting his car ID completely slipped my mind until he was gone. Me bad.
• Determined that I was NOT going to ride my bike on the sidewalk, I began to walk toward home. Had the rain lightened enough to risk getting out the cell phone, I might have called for a ride home the rest of the way.
• After about a minute, lightning began to strike close enough that I started counting the seconds between the lightning flash and the thunder.
• At that point, I decided that walking home was no longer a good idea, and I rode like the wind - down Hall Johnson - arriving home without further incident, and without getting struck by lightning. Had I been struck by lightning and killed, I would have been VERY irritated with the officer. Had I complied with his order and been struck and killed in a right cross, I likewise would have been VERY irritated.
• Anyway, having gotten out of the incident without either being cited or performing unsafe acts, I called the non-emergency police number. Unexpectedly, this shed some light on Reed Bates 911 calls. MY call was transferred to 911 where I, as had several of the Reed callers, noted this was NOT an emergency. Unlike them, I noted I had been transferred to them via the nonemergency phone operator despite clearly indicating it was NOT an emergency. Unlike the Bates callers, I called when I got home.
• As it turns out, the 911 dispatchers were pretty busy and they said someone would call me back. I think they often get busy when it rains in the late afternoon.
• About 8:30, Officer Terrell of the Colleyville PD called, and I explained the situation, how sidewalk riding is extremely dangerous, and how I just wanted things explained to the patrol officers so that I was not going to have to worry about being detained while riding safely and legally. I did not want to file a formal complaint, but only wanted to be able to ride safely. Officer Terrell was polite, and tried to explain that the officer probably felt I was in danger due to the rain and he'd done similar, though he wasn't saying it was right. I explained that I had two rear lights lit at the time, and a reflector. I did not mention that only two cars passed me the rest of the way along Hall Johnson and there was no drama in either case (they weren't really going much faster than I). It seemed pointless, because Officer Terrell indicated he would pass along my concerns to the patrol officers. It was pretty clear during the conversation that I was upset, but I was also polite. I tried to make it clear I have no wish to become a law enforcement target, nor to achieve any end other than to be allowed to ride without being directed to do unsafe stuff. I did not attempt to go into my cycling background or education at all, nor that I could provide references to the applicable statutes and at least some of the accident studies.

WHAT I DID WRONG
It's pretty clear about the biggest thing I did wrong - I did not get any way to ID the police officer, nor did I get the name of the 911 dispatcher. I DID get Officer Terrell's name so at least I was 1 for 3. Amazingly, after the fact, I can't even honestly recollect if the officer ever flipped on his lights or not. In the event, since I did not want to lodge a formal complaint against the officer, perhaps it was better that I was unable to provide his name. Who knows? In any event, it proves the value of surprise. In this case, I certainly WAS surprised.

WHAT WENT RIGHT?
Things I think I did right. I did NOT agree to operate in an unsafe manner and I did NOT operate in an unsafe manner. (IMO, a twelve foot lane is not safe to "share," and especially not in wet conditions. Besides the danger of a right cross on the sidewalk, I have fallen on similar corner ramps in the past because they tend to be slick. A fall crossing a street could easily have ended very badly, especially if I tumbled into Hall Johnson as a car was passing.) I did NOT argue with the officer or, once I protested he was asking me to do something unsafe, say anything at all. For all I knew, initially, there might have been some danger ahead of which I was unaware (it turned out there was no danger at all other than the weather). Importantly, I did not attempt to argue cycling law with an officer in a law enforcement situation. I DID follow up. To Colleyville's credit, unlike Fort Worth, the police DID return my call.

I Can Empathize With his Emotion

More on Lights You Might Not Know

One bracket fits most Planet Bike tail lights

Yesterday, I related here how my Planet Bike Superflash started turning itself off. Tonight, I performed minor surgery on it and bent the switch bracket a smidge to make it harder to turn on (and also off). We'll see if that cures the irritant. I won't mind a light being a tad harder to turn on if it doesn't turn OFF by itself. In the light's defense, I now have nearly a year's use from it with three sets of batteries, so it's not a total waste of the $15 I paid for it. AND, there's another consideration to this light, and to some Cateye lights as well, that is worth considering. So, campers, if a PB or Cateye is on YOUR Christmas list, and you're unsure if that was wise, read on.

Simply put - when considering a low cost light, also consider the bracket. Planet Bike includes not only a seat post bracket with its tail lights, but also a seat stay bracket. This gives you a lot more choices of where to mount the things. What's more, most of their current lights all use the SAME bracket. This means you can swap lights amongst the various bikes you have and use different lights. This sounds like a pretty minor item, but it means I can carry a spare light of a different model and it'll fit the bracket I have installed. It also meant that when I thought I had a Superflash problem, I was able to get the model available at the LBS and it just snapped in place, allowing me to be on my way in no more time than it took to put the batteries in. If I want, I can put brackets on multiple bikes and in multiple places and have easy light mounting regardless of whether I have a trunk installed or whatever. Planet Bike treats its front lights the same way - one bracket fits multiple light models. You buy a few spare brackets and you can have two lights on each and every bike you ride without going broke buying lights. If a light goes bad, a replacement will give you yet another bracket option.

 One bracket fits most Cateye headlights

Cateye headlights (the Cateye tail light brackets seem much less standardized) are much the same way. While I'm not overly keen on how stable the Cateye headlight bracket is, it'll take any light from the little blinky one up to the 530 model. In response to a comment I made on "Lovely Bicycle," here, that suggested I get a new bracket, I was able to discount that advice because I have THREE Cateye brackets on two different bicycles, and I've considered buying a couple more so I can run two headlights on any of the frequently ridden bikes with a simple snap & go. I find moving brackets around to be fiddly and the plastic loses a bit with repeated tightening and loosening. Without extra brackets, I'd not be routinely running with two headlights on each bike. During the day, an empty bracket weighs very little.

So, my HL-EL530 that jiggles in the mount would NOT be helped by a new mount (it needs a shim), and I'll keep buying Planet Bike tail lights, even if my Superflash surgery proves unsuccessful. The more brackets I've got, the more I get easy lighting options. Lights that go on a bike easy get used. Something to keep in mind!

PS: Nobody noticed, but in the previous light post, the Planet Bike Superflash is mounted upside down! The PB rear light brackets work equally well in either direction. When mounted on my Tricross seatstay, the light could not be installed OTHER than upside down. Now, with it mounted on the rack stay, I have it mounted rightside up again.

Two Back Lights

Nowadays I run Buddy with two rear lights and a red reflector. I've purchased a better amber reflector, but haven't put it on yet. This morning, I was reminded of the second reason WHY I run with two rear lights (my MAIN reason is so that I show both a steady and a blinking light), and of why I often carry another in my cycling jacket.

Simply put, inexpensive rear lights are not the most reliable things put onto this earth. Over at BikeSkirt, here, they wrote an open letter to Planet Bike about unreliable lights. Yes, I commented. Among other things, I suggested that my Planet Bike Superflash was reliable. I stand corrected.

Over the last couple of weeks, the PB Superflash has developed an irritating and potentially dangerous habit of turning itself off. A while back, I bought another PB rear light (not a Superflash) that I now carry in my cycling jacket. This morning, I took the time to periodically stop to see what the persnickity PBSF was up to. Well, it went from "flash" mode, to "steady," and then to "off." Apparently, the mode/off switch has become very sensitive to fairly minor bumps. After I confirmed this behavior, it traded places with the other PB light and one of its batteries became a donor for my radio when ITS battery pooped out further into the ride.

I know that a number of readers of this blog use Superflash lights. Mine is no longer trustworthy. The Cateye at the TOP of the picture, on the other hand, is still working very well. In any event, it is fully reflective, so it has useful properties even if it should happen to die without me noticing it.

One last point on this. Nowadays, I have the PB light mounted on the rack stay. The light is obscured from my easy view by the trunk. The old configuration in the photo was much easier to check. Taillights are innocuous - they work better and longer (usually) than headlights, but you may not be able to easily tell IF they are working. At least if a headlight goes out you know it RIGHT AWAY.

PS: You might wonder what's the difficulty with sticking on an amber reflector? Like a lot of things, they require a certain amount of engineering to work on a bike safely and cleanly. I'll figure out how to put the reflector on as soon as I'm done re-engineering my Planet Bike fenders. Solutions have been found for both fenders. Completely tool free and no zip ties required.