helmet and helmet mirrors, lights too..the best...

[keithhazel]

..i am reeling in shock, the most sensible person on here, the man who knows evey nook and cranny of your bike even if he has never seen it,the man who's memory is probably powered by a nono motor, "doesnt wear a helmet" !!!!!!! no names will be mentions, just wait a minute while i "flick" this bit of dust from my glasses.....thats better..now questions...



LIGHTS

when i get my quando i want lights...not just any lights, i want great lights, had my fill of cheap ones that nead re buying every year, if this bike is gonna last 5 years at least then so will the lights, not too keen on rechargeable lights as they "go" without warning...i was thinking they might be some re chargeable lights, hopefully ones with power indicators on too....i will hav panniers on most of time so may be able to attach to them but sometimes not...might be a case of getting lights and adapting something....not interested in just 1 , want at least 2 maybe 3 for the back and of course for front i want something good, not just a flicking firefly one, something that illuminates my way , lets others know im a real object on the road yet not so powerful i cause accidents as they think im a car but my 15mph cause road rage.......




MIRRORS

i want mirrors, whats best...the ones that are helmet mirrors, do they glue onto helmet or are there pre cut holes in helmet to slot into....whats the best and biggest i think.....do you have one on both sides of helmet...dont laugh befor today i had never heard of them.....or just one side and which is best....

i have my advice for handle bar mirrors, but do you use both helmet and handle bar ???.....


HELMET

i have one but £15 job, after all no good getting cheap one, i can get another helmet but cant get another head...whats the best without being so stupid on price, i will pay for quality, life saving stuff but i wont pay for "designer name" or "gadjets"...helmet mirrors with tom tom incorperated are ok though...lol...

less then a week to go so hurry hurry, tell me now so i can go buy, unless i get off net which is so much easier even if i like to see normally.....
thanks in appreciation and if you havent put your two pennies worth on my other thread about why you have an electric bike please do...after all if there are 10000 members i expect 10000 replies, got to give Flecc and Aldby something to while away their time...

 

[coops]

Lights: I still use just the standard ones with my Torq (2007 model), though I've got some very cheap & compact (though not with bike-specific fittings) 13 LED lights which can take 3 rechargeable AAAs and are possibly brighter than my Torq headlight. I also use a similarly cheap 3 red LED light set to flash in a rear rack pack pocket, to add to the standard rear light for extra visibility. Well-used reflectives are just as important as lights for being seen this time of year .

Mirror: Cateye BM500 R/hand mirror, details in your other thread.

Helmet: Still unsure of the benefits/risks of wearing one, but just to say I bought a quite good Giro helmet, then found what seems an equally good one for less than quarter the price of the Giro, in my local Netto (it was barely half the cost of your £15 one!) which I've worn exclusively since .

So you don't have to spend lots of money on these things: more thought & awareness, less fuss & cost - a bit like primary safety, I suppose?

Stuart.

 

[keithhazel]

Reelight --no battery ever lights

these kind of look interesting, the drawback if they work good even though is when you come to a full stop say at a junctions or traffic lights...



£25.19


The Reelight SL100 for Hub gears is designed for Bicycles with single gears and or folding Bicycles. These will not fit Bicycles with Derailleur gears, you will need the Reelight SL100 for Standard gears model.

Reelight SL100 Flash cycle lights flash whenever your bike is in motion.

Reelight does not use batteries - but produces its own green energy using magnets attached to your bicycle spokes - pure induction power. Good for the planet and for your pocket. Never buy batteries for your light again and never have your batteries fail halfway through a ride.

Reelight is permanently mounted to your bike - so you always have your lights with you. No more getting caught out after dark and having to leave you bike behind due to lack of lights and no more fumbling to remove your lights every time you park it to do your shopping. For even greater peace of mind, team Reelight lights with Pinhead security skewers.

Reelight is always on - they work whenever your bike is in motion, flashing eveery time the magnet moves past the light, ensuring you added safety in traffic - both day and night. Studies in Denmark have shown a 30% reduction in accidents when cyclists use flashing lights whenever they ride.


have just seen the nexts ones on page, exactly the same apart from they remain flashing for 2 minutes when you come to a standstill..and cost £4 more....

 

[flecc]

Here's a complete thread about the Reelights Keith:

Reelights
.

 

[MaryinScotland]

I use a helmet mirror and find it very useful. It sticks on, sort of above the temple on the helmet, then it's on a pivoting arm. It can be folded in against the helmet when I'm not riding, so it doesn't catch on things. Usually need to tweak it a bit when I start riding, to get the position.

I can't remember the maker's name - got it from a bike shop for around £10. There's a base that sticks on, then the mirror arm attaches to the base with a couple of poppers. If you try to twist the arm to a place it doesn't want to go, then the poppers detatch so the arm doesn't break. I found this a slight nuisance, so I added a strip of duct tape across one of the poppers. This means it doesn't come off quite so often, and if it does it's held in position, so it's a one-hand job to clip it back.

One slight drawback is that the part of the helmet where it mounts is tapering towards the front, so the mirror base follows that line, meaning the arm gets tilted forward a bit. I think getting the best angle for the mirror would be easier if the mirror base was perfectly parallel to the line of the bike. If I ever re-position my mirror, I'll first glue a thin wedge on the helmet, thick end forward, then put the base on top of that.

Mary

 

[keithhazel]

mirror helmets seem a bit of a fidley thing by what ive read, adjusting each time to allow for knocks ect....im really keen to get one of them helmets with inbuilt mirrors now..for them that dont wear a helmet i suppose they have a big blob of bluetac stuck on their forehead to mount the stem from the morror in..

 

[NoToneS]

im with whoever doesn't wear a helmet, coolmax head cover and woolly hat, if ever the law states we must wear one then a folding one like this would be what i buy, depending on price

Jeff Woolf's Incredible Folding Bike Helmets Could Revolutionize Cycling Safety | Inhabitat - Sustainable Design Innovation, Eco Architecture, Green Building

 

[eHomer]

I always fit a mirror to my bikes, usually a 3" diameter alloy handlebar end mirror.

I usually get them via ebay, at about £5 each. They're a nice compromise between weight and durability compared to the average plastic cycle offering, which tends to last about 1 year before snapping off or going loose.


My greatest find though, was a Reevu bicycle helmet with built in rear view mirror. I picked it up on ebay about 7 years ago, just before they seemed to disappear from sale. The company now appears to just sell the motorcycle version.

Reviews - Reevu Helmet - World's First and Only Rear Vision Helmet - Togoparts.com

It's very lightweight, the same as a normal cycle helmet, with a built in periscope through the brow and over the top.

Just like a car's interior rear view mirror, you can subconsciously keep an eye on what's happening behind you without losing forward peripheral vision. It really comes into it's own on recumbents, where twisting round is much more difficult.

 

[ghouluk]

I love the way this forum resurrects threads from years ago i wonder how 31st jan 2008 got to the top of someone's post list..

to carry on the thread there was a aussie company at the nec selling wrist mounted mirrors that looked quite interesting (in fact it was a mounting system for iphones and other bits and bobs as well iirc)

RearViz

didn't buy one, too much money and figured it would be annoying, but it had much the same at a glance info idea as the through helmet ones.

 

[easycommuter]

I bought SL120's about 6 weeks ago. They are very good as a backup set of lights and are just fit and forget.
The only problem was having to fit the rear light to the pavement side of the bike, rather than road side. This was due to their rear bracket not allowing the light to clear the derailleur gears. (The same problem mentioned in the final entry of the Reelight thread, hyperlinked earlier in this thread)

I understand that Reelight now do a UK rear bracket. I ordered mine from the Reelight website (Denmark) and did specifically request a UK bracket. They didn't send it originally and are now in the process of sending it separately. For ref, Reelight told me that the Raleigh Bicycles | Bikes, Cycling Accessories & Clothing website has them in the UK.