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1

made for a velodrome without lights?

Posted by cochise. | February 1, 2008 3:18 PM
2

Probably because not many people bike in absolute darkness?

Posted by Dougsf | February 1, 2008 3:18 PM
3

#1 - I don't think it's gear is fixed, just a single speed. While not my personal preference, a single gear can be extremely versatile.

Leaving your bike in the sun all day, then expecting it to glow brighter than the streetlights, however, seems impracticable. Reflective paint would have made more sense.

Posted by Dougsf | February 1, 2008 3:24 PM
4

It's not a fixie - @3 is right. That's a freewheel back there. A fixie with disc brakes would be beyond retarded.

Wheel reflectors are as effective. Incandescence isn't as bright as reflectors and wheel reflectors move, making them even more visible.

I don't get folding bikes. Are they really more convenient for anyone other than boaters (the original market for them)?

Posted by kinaidos | February 1, 2008 3:34 PM
5

My goodness, car drivers often don't see other huge cars. Now they'll be hitting glow in the dark bikes!

Posted by Sargon Bighorn | February 1, 2008 3:39 PM
6

Folding bikes are also convenient for folks who live in small apartments without a separate bike storage area. Also, you can take a folding bike on the bus, so they can be handy for combination commutes. I have a single speed (w/freewheel) folding bike with a kevlar belt drive instead of a chain, so it's easy to fold without getting grease all over the place. I often take it when I fly to other cities, as it's a great city-exploring bike. Also, it's a great way to meet people. Whenever I ride it, I have people running after me asking me what the hell it is, and wanting to get into conversations with me. I suppose I should rent it out to my single friends, or at least my single friends who are interested in snaring bike geeks.

Posted by Emily G | February 1, 2008 3:43 PM
7

I'm with you #4 on the folding bike thing, I don't get them. What they lack as a bike (efficiency, speed, etc.) isn't really made of for in convenience. It's the difference in shape between carrying around a matchbox or a credit card... kinda a wash if you ask me. And you can't take a folded bike anywhere the regular bikes are prohibited.

Besides boats, maybe efficiency apartments for short trips to the store? no, actually, walking with groceries probably makes more sense.

Posted by Dougsf | February 1, 2008 3:49 PM
8

#6 - interesting. No folding bikes onboard MUNI here in SF. Not sure if that's official policy, but it's what I've seen enforced. Bikes of all types are allowed on BART, if that's useful for anyone to know.

Posted by Dougsf | February 1, 2008 3:52 PM
9

I hate their website.

High-concept trash.

Posted by NapoleonXIV | February 1, 2008 4:04 PM
10

I have a Dahon folding bike (there is an excellent specialty store in Fremont: Folding Bikes West http://www.electricvehiclesnw.com/fbw). They're not for everybody. For me there are three big pluses. I can keep it indoors without it blocking a door (my full-size stays locked outside under a tarp). I can take it on an airplane when traveling without having to pay special fees. And, lastly, I can take it ON BOARD a bus crossing SR-520 on a nice summer day, when the 3-bike (now 2-bike ... ) racks fill up quickly.

Posted by nbc | February 1, 2008 4:12 PM
11

For people who don't want to invest in a new bike you can buy reflective or glow-in-the-dark spray paint.


The reflective paint is clear and can be sprayed over an existing color.
http://www.invplus.com/aerosol/catalog_krylon_reflect.htm

Glow in the dark is a sort of greenish glow-in-the-dark color like the Puma.
http://www.globalindustrial.com/gcs/product/productsPerPicGroups.web?picGroupKey=92015&options.parentCategoryKey=4799&index=35&catSearchParams.categoryKey=4795&REQ_SUB_CAT=Aerosol+Paint&gclid=COWJjLWcpJECFRdPagodODTheA#gridAnchor

Reasonably priced at around $4-8.00 at any hardware store.

Posted by yucca flower | February 1, 2008 4:16 PM
12

Most bike fatalities are because they didn't see you from the front or from behind. Mostly head-on left turners or when you are turning left. The frame might be more visible from the side, but that only makes you more noticeable a half second before you are run over while running red light.

Posted by elenchos | February 1, 2008 4:17 PM
13

I think they let them (folding bikes) on the subway in London. Or at least that's the impression I get from reading Moritz Volz's blog.

Posted by Abby | February 1, 2008 4:17 PM
14

I own a full-size Dahon folding bike. (Most Dahons don't have full sized wheels.) It was perfect for me during the time when I was a combination commuter and now it's good for the times when I choose to go on destination cycling trips - it fits in the trunk of my small car or on a plane nicely. Of course they are not for everyone, nor are they generally serious top of the line bikes. Duh.

Thanks for bringing up the painting option, yucca flower. I didn't know clear reflective paint existed.

Posted by greendyke | February 1, 2008 4:27 PM
15

Nobody thought of it before because it's a dumb idea. It's just a gimmick. If it really made sense, the bike wouldn't need separate lights, which, you'll notice, it has. Like someone else wrote, you need to be visible from the front and back -- not so much from the side.

Posted by twee | February 1, 2008 4:29 PM
16

That's why I don't leave the house without my glow-in-the-dark pantyhose. I'd send you a photo, but some things are best left to the imagination.

Posted by Fifty-Two-Eighty | February 1, 2008 4:40 PM
17

A can of glow-in-the-dark spray paint costs less than $10.

Posted by Big Adventure Steve | February 1, 2008 4:53 PM
18

Elenchos @12 -- not to question your statistics, but both times I've been hit by cars on a bike it was by someone who zipped around and into me while turning RIGHT, into my path as I was continuing on straight. But yeah, this paint wouldn't help too much there either. (Plus they were both in broad daylight).

Get a freaking light, people. A REAL light, not a goddamn flasher. Niterider.com.

Posted by Fnarf | February 1, 2008 5:02 PM
19

12 & 18:

Actually, you're both right. Most fatalities are left-turning incidents. Right-turning cars cause more accidents, but they're not usually fatal. Overtaking accidents are rare but have a relatively high fatality rate.

Posted by Cascadian | February 1, 2008 5:26 PM
20

Oh, who really cares about the safety aspect, good lights and a reflective tape striped jacket are best for safety; but it's just cool. Like the glow in the dark pigs (or was it cats?).

Posted by SpookyCat | February 1, 2008 5:52 PM
21

Cascadian, I was killed in both of my crashes. But I am immortal.

Posted by Fnarf | February 1, 2008 6:13 PM
22

you're immortal, fnarf? do you have inside you blood of kings? have you no rival? can no man be your rival? are you a prince of the universe?

Posted by scary tyler moore | February 1, 2008 7:03 PM
23

oops. i meant, can no man be your equal?

Posted by scary tyler moore | February 1, 2008 7:03 PM

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