Hoping to increase driver passing distance at night, I've glued front and rear reflectors to my wing mirrors.

guerney

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Poly-Tic-shun Must be desperate for attention ?
My being dressed head to toe in hi-viz didn't work either! A 15 inch lollipop oscillating vigorously inside the soft and tender personal spaces of drivers does! That and bloody bright 6000LM headlights and 1800LM rear light. I reckon just the lollipop might be enough, but I'm not leaving my lights off to try.
 
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thelarkbox

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just a thought, but could you tac or glue a paintball to an oxford lollypop extremity? it may leave a reminder to keep away next time without the damage my initial thought (claw hammer) would inflict.. ;)
 

guerney

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just a thought, but could you tac or glue a paintball to an oxford lollypop extremity? it may leave a reminder to keep away next time without the damage my initial thought (claw hammer) would inflict.. ;)
Reminds me of forum member "Fingers" @Andy-mat, master locksmith and safecracker - he glued a nail on the end of his pannier rack lollipop to scratch bodywork. Last seen walking his dog, somewhere in Germany. Mob might have got him.

To date, no vehicle has ever collided with my lollipop. Closest ever pass was more than a foot away from the end, plus 39.99999cm away from the end of my handlebar... and that's only because I was invisible around a bend and behind a bank, having exited a roundabout. The driver had already committed to a tight turn, and I suddenly appeared from behind the bricked inclined bank. Fortunately, I always stick to the left of the road. I leave the lollipop to command some of the risky middle.

I think perhaps one of the reasons the handlebar mounted lollipop works so well, is because drivers have a conditioned response to a bicycle and cyclist shape ie. IGNORE. A bright orange lollipop situated up high making the bike look worryingly wide, somewhat dispupts their cyclist-blindness? Perception of themselves expand to include whatever they're driving, and drivers would rather not have something bright orange touch and potentially damage the bodywork of their expanded expensive selves? Dunno. It works. You should all install one one IMHO. Makes road cycling so much more relaxing. You can fold it in for pavement riding.
 
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guerney

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The saddle rail GoPro bracket arrived. Mounting bracket bolts are thinner than I expected, 3.8mm, aluminium. The top part of the bracket fits perfectly, but as you can see, I might have to bend the bottom part of the bracket over by way of gentle persuasion by mallet (when I buy one) to make them grip better, beacuse of the protuding pneumatic part of my Crivit Air Comfort saddle. Or squeeze and bend a bunch of thin aliminium washers (or drilled thin aluminium pieces) around the bottom part of the rails. Wish there was a steel version, rather than whatever aluminium alloy this is. But I reckon this will hold a camera plus GPS tracker rear light fine as is, and/or twin lollipop/long GoPro extension arm mounted indicators, if I ever decide I need to install them.


60754


BTW Lit by this for the photo - useless for soldering because of the 1cm focusing distance, could be handy to minutely check soldering, or to read ludicrously tiny printing on components... but if you wear them upside down, you can angle the LED lights either side to illuminate under dark bike seats and other places to snap pics with your phone.


60753
 
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AndyBike

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I can hear the drivers sitting in traffic as you go past at night

"F**K ME! I've just been passed by a Christmas tree !"
 

guerney

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I can hear the drivers sitting in traffic as you go past at night

"F**K ME! I've just been passed by a Christmas tree !"
Drivers and pedestrians do look confused. My bike (or me) makes groups of women burst into laughter. Sadly there's no video of this, because mics and lens of the GoPro are front facing. Maybe when I bring my old Crosstour Action 4K back into use, facing backwards on this, or the other GoPro mount on the pannier rack...
 
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guerney

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I've used 1mm thick layers of the aluminium sheet I'd used to back the utterly useless, totally ignored and ineffectual waste of money Passpixie onto. Easy to cut with scissors, to drill through while held together in a vice.


60757
 
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guerney

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That's better. Not perfect but it'll do - this mount pressing against the plastic part of the seat's air suspension was bugging me. I don't want it's pneumatics performing any worse than they already do lol. I'll tighten it again in a bit, as the aluminium sheet layers bend to grip the rails.


60758
 
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sjpt

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Sadly there's no video of this, because mics and lens of the GoPro are front facing.
Surely you are up to making a rotating GoPro mount. While you are at it you might mount few extra rotating lights in case anyone fails to see you.
 

guerney

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Surely you are up to making a rotating GoPro mount.
I suppose a laughter tracking 2ft wide red veined eyeball on the pannier rack swivelling around to stare as I pass by, might stop them laughing and giggling. I think I have all the lights I need. Seem sufficient, proven so thus far. Drivers don't jump out in front at intersections, my rear 1800LM is visible around bends on dark country lanes, so are my 6000LM headlights, and they steer clear of my handlebar lollipop. Dark time of the year is a timely time to consider lights and such...

 
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guerney

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How about Range Rovers, do they work on them? :)
Yes. I hated SUVs zooming past fast - large flat sides are turbulence magnets. It doesn't happen anymore! :cool: They're so damned wide, my lollipop's extra 15 inches entirely makes passing unviable for the sane on most roads with two lanes, never mind close. If there are heaps of lorry drivers busily texting and opining on social media, I simply tilt and thrust my oscillating orange lollipop up closer to their eye level. Flashing red 1800LM rear flasher on the pannier rack helps distract them from enjoying "How to be a serial killer and get away with it scot-free" instructional videos on their TVs.
 
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guerney

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More of the usual. Wish sly aussie would get a life?!
Where's the cycle lane?
Stupid question asked by the Aussie commentator - that lorry driver overtook ahead of a bend! Bring back the death penalty before he kills someone.
 
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