# Another weird bicycle indicator system.



## PpPete (9 Jan 2013)

I've been always thought indicators on bikes were a waste of time, but this idea perhaps has some merit if it's bright enough and cheap enough?


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## ianrauk (9 Jan 2013)

A few observations
Until something like this becomes mainstream, car drivers will not know it's an indicator and would be expecting an arm signal.
Car drivers would not be looking at the road surface rather then at the cyclist. 
In towns and cities I would imagine that street lights would lessen the effect of the light on the road.


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## black'n'yellow (9 Jan 2013)

great for nightclubs though....


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## Peteaud (9 Jan 2013)

Mrs Aud thinks they are cool bangles for arms


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## biggs682 (9 Jan 2013)

Peteaud said:


> Mrs Aud thinks they are cool bangles for arms


 
thats what i thought they were too or arm bands


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## Davidc (9 Jan 2013)

ianrauk is right.

Any cycle indicator needs to be seen on the arm of the cyclist, where drivers expect it.


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## numbnuts (9 Jan 2013)

Most if not all drivers would think what's the hells that....bang .....Oh yeah a cyclist


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## Robson3022 (9 Jan 2013)

Why not just a basic light that works like an indicator using the right colours a bit like motor bike ones only a bit smaller?


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## Robson3022 (9 Jan 2013)

Or am I missing something?


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## ianrauk (9 Jan 2013)

Robson3022 said:


> Or am I missing something?


 

No you are not missing something.

The bike indicator light thing has been invented and re-invented many a time.
But it just doesn't work.


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## Robson3022 (9 Jan 2013)

Yes thats the sort of thing I was thinking. This seems a bit over complicated to me although possibly a nice bit of tech. Nothing wrong and any more clear than an arm up for me to be honest but why do we think the indicators don't work?


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## ianrauk (9 Jan 2013)

Robson3022 said:


> Yes thats the sort of thing I was thinking. This seems a bit over complicated to me although possibly a nice bit of tech. Nothing wrong and any more clear than an arm up for me to be honest but w*hy do we think the indicators don't work?*


 
Car drivers do not expect them on a bicycle. They expect an arm indication.
The lights are too close together to distinguish right from left and vice versa.
Many cyclists now run flashing rear lights which would add to the confusion.


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## Pale Rider (9 Jan 2013)

Agree with Ian.

The various types of indicators cause confusion and can be dangerous because there is no standard.

I wear a luminous band on each wrist in the hope my outstretched arm will be seen more easily.


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## byegad (9 Jan 2013)

Oh dear!

Looks like we are due 'invention' of the chainless bicycle and solid tyres any time soon.


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## MrJamie (9 Jan 2013)

I agree with Ian too  Drivers won't know instinctively what it is or what it means which fundementally renders it useless, worse than useless if people use it without arm signals.

I'm not really convinced by it anyway though, surely it would need more clearance away from legs to shine such a wide angle pattern. Then at junctions where street lighting is often pretty decent, it'd need to be very bright to stand out at all and being floor lighting it'll be obscured by the bike itself, other traffic and will be a narrow angle to see from a distance. Also probably means more wires on the bike.


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## Pale Rider (9 Jan 2013)

byegad said:


> Oh dear!
> 
> Looks like we are due 'invention' of the chainless bicycle and solid tyres any time soon.


 
Chainless bicycle?

A Gates Carbon Drive is what's needed:

http://www.carbondrivesystems.com/

Solid tyres?

These aren't solid, but there's no (pressurised) air in them:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencet...in-bike-tyres-puncture-proof-help-faster.html


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## byegad (9 Jan 2013)

Yup.


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## PpPete (9 Jan 2013)

ianrauk said:


> Car drivers do not expect them on a bicycle. They expect an arm indication.


Some cyclists bicycle users are not confident about holding an arm off the handlebars for a significant length of time


ianrauk said:


> The lights are too close together to distinguish right from left and vice versa.


At least the design in the OP overcomes some of that objection


ianrauk said:


> Many cyclists now run flashing rear lights which would add to the confusion.


One would hope that the chevrons would light up in sequence so that it is obvious to the dimmest motorist that the bike is going to thataway.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not advocating use of these, wouldn't be seen dead using them myself - just don't think we should condemn innovative thinking out of hand because previous designs like the Winkku are distinctly crap sub-optimal.


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## ianrauk (9 Jan 2013)

PpPete said:


> One would hope that the chevrons would light up in sequence so that it is obvious to the dimmest motorist that the bike is going to thataway.


 
With this Pete.
Any cyclist that uses them, say turning left for instance, would be near a kerb mostly anyway. So the lights would be distorted by road furniture, parked cars, the kerb etc. You would have to be in primary all the time for them to be noticeable as per the pic in your first post..

I'm not condemning innovation. It's just that it's an invention that is really not needed.


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## Rob3rt (9 Jan 2013)

Why are they wasting their time with this, they should be busy working on force fields!


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## byegad (9 Jan 2013)

I have a design for a bike with a 50"+ front wheel and a tiny rear wheel. Does anyone think it'll catch on?


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## shouldbeinbed (9 Jan 2013)

There was something similar a while back that put a light 'exclusion zone' on the ground around you. That disappear without trace very quickly, this'll go the same way I think.


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## Pale Rider (9 Jan 2013)

shouldbeinbed said:


> There was something similar a while back that put a light 'exclusion zone' on the ground around you. That disappear without trace very quickly, this'll go the same way I think.


 
Would that be the Blaze bike light?

The lass who invented it has got the money to make the first batch:

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/embrooke/blaze-bike-light?ref=live


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## shouldbeinbed (9 Jan 2013)

Pale Rider said:


> Would that be the Blaze bike light?
> 
> The lass who invented it has got the money to make the first batch:
> 
> http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/embrooke/blaze-bike-light?ref=live



No it wasn't that, it projected lines onto the road on either side of you,


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## Davidc (9 Jan 2013)

Pale Rider said:


> Agree with Ian.
> 
> The various types of indicators cause confusion and can be dangerous because there is no standard.
> 
> *I wear a luminous band on each wrist in the hope my outstretched arm will be seen more easily.*


 
So do I, the slap wraps which are reflective and also bright hiviz stuff for in daylight. I've been told (by a cyclist who's seen me while driving) that they're very effective.


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## PpPete (9 Jan 2013)

ianrauk said:


> With this Pete.
> Any cyclist that uses them, say turning left for instance, would be near a kerb mostly anyway. So the lights would be distorted by road furniture, parked cars, the kerb etc. You would have to be in primary all the time for them to be noticeable as per the pic in your first post..


Very true.... but having a device that "encourages" one to ride primary may not be a bad thing.



ianrauk said:


> I'm not condemning innovation. It's just that it's an invention that is really not needed.


Certainly not needed by you, nor by me, nor the majority of competent cyclists who can ride in such a way as to make their intentions clear. But at the risk of repeating myself... not everyone who rides a bike is as confident that they can accurately steer whilst holding one arm out in a clear and unequivocal signal.


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## tyred (10 Jan 2013)

byegad said:


> I have a design for a bike with a 50"+ front wheel and a tiny rear wheel. Does anyone think it'll catch on?


 
Do you do a 27 speed version?


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## byegad (10 Jan 2013)

tyred said:


> Do you do a 27 speed version?


You miss the essential part of the concept.

Climbing big hills? Buy a smaller wheel bike.

Want to go fast? Buy a larger wheel bike!

So we sell lots of bikes to one person.


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## byegad (10 Jan 2013)

That's the principle Mort except this thing could be called a £2,1p or something along those lines.


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## tyred (10 Jan 2013)

byegad said:


> That's the principle Mort except this thing could be called a £2,1p or something along those lines.


 
Why not 50p, 20p?


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## byegad (10 Jan 2013)

Sounds good, if a little lumpy.







I've got it Pennyfarthing! Sounds Ordinary enough to me.


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## Paddygt (10 Jan 2013)

Have to agree that this is something most car drivers would not see for what they were. I bought a back light recently that has a couple of 'Laser' lights that shine down on the road surface so that I have a red line from around the crank to six or seven feet behind me on both sides. They are amazingly bright and create a so called 'Safe Cycle Lane'. Similar to the product above, the packaging shows this on a dark road and it does work. That is until a car with headlights comes up behind you then the red lines just get overpowered by the car lights. So, great if you are riding along dark roads with another cyclist behind you with no lights on.


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