French Reflective Scarves

Ah, the French and their scarves, always wonderful, always novel.

A friend of mine sent a link to Rayon Jaune (in French), a new company north of Lyon, near the Swiss border, which offers these wonderful reflective scarves. As seen above, the idea is that there is a "normal" side one wears in town, and a reflective side that's meant for while one is on a bike.

The leaf print shown above is my favorite.

This dot option is my second-favorite, that's pretty wonderful.

However, I'm not sure either of them compare to these dragon vests, which may be my favorite safety-gear yet. Is it wrong to want a grown-up sized dragon safety vest? Yes, I'm a nerd.

Reflections: Preparing for Darkness

Here is a test photo of my nighttime reflectiveness, as imperfectly demonstrated by a camera flash (rather than a car's headlights). It's easy to see that the wide strips of 3M Scotchlite on my Carradice bag and coat are much more effective than the smaller reflections created by my gloves and the sidewalls of my tires (though those certainly help in correctly identifying my bicycle as such). When riding long distance I add reflective ankle bands, but I usually forget when riding a couple of blocks in town.

Far more effective than reflectiveness is my own light source and you can clearly see that with my unbelievably bright Planet Bike Superflash. They say it can light up a small town. Seriously, this tail light is so bright my husband doesn't like to ride directly behind me. There are two other tail lights in this photo but you're unlikely to notice them. I have the main light and the helmet light blinking (when I'm riding in town) and leave the light on my fender on steadily, just for a change (and because it uses batteries less quickly than the brighter lights).

The clocks fall back this weekend, let's all be ready for the darkness!

High Fashion Safety Vest

This submission from my dear friend E reminds me a bit of Karl Lagerfeld's safety campaign from 2008, though this lady is in Iceland, not France.

Isn't she fun? I love the reflective sash accent on her high-visibility top, but the bustier treatment and halter neckline are just perfect. Yes it's overtly safety gear but it's so much fun that I have to love it.

"We all have to respect each other"

I think Nicole Freedman's statement regarding the two recent cycling accidents pretty much sums it up. We just all have to respect each other.

Please, stay safe and courteous. What sad days in Boston.

My day started off so well

I was wearing my new velvet skirt and feeling good. The sun was shining, the birds singing. It's that beautiful crisp golden autumn light that can only be found in New England. I saw Sexy Brompton ride by in his Barbour, waved at my Blog Friend E, and generally felt that all was right in my little world.

I was sitting outside on my breakfast date with my husband, watching the cyclists go by for all of you when I saw it: my first dooring. It looked like the bike just slipped out from under her, she fell forward and braced with her hands which might have been very good since she wasn't wearing a helmet. The scariest part was that there was a city bus right behind her which barely managed to miss her as she was sprawled out on the road. She could have been any one of us. She was riding a KHS Green ladies' frame and wearing really cute black flowered flats, which fell off in the accident. The other thing which went flying was her iPod. I can't say whether she was wearing it while riding, and whether being off in her own world might have contributed to the accident. I'll never know.

We went running over to help. I flagged down an ambulance that happened to be passing by and my husband got the bike out of the road and gave it a once over. Another cyclist was diverting traffic. The car driver was very sorry and occupied herself with the injured cyclist. We left knowing that the cyclist would be all right, but we would all be shaken up all day.

In discussing the accident it's unclear how it could have been avoided. The road was too large and busy for all these cyclists to take the lane all the time. I would not feel comfortable (or safe) behaving that way in that place. The sidewalk is very much needed by the large pedestrian population. There's a hospital nearby and many people out walking are very frail. I would not have them dodging bikes on the sidewalk. I really don't have an answer for today's accident.

Please, all of you: be careful out there.

Cycling with Kiddos

While we are nowhere near that yet, I'm starting to put some thought into what will be required to continue cycling once little people enter our lives.

One of my most cherished memories is skiing at Tahoe when I was about 5 years old. My dad made a piece of pie with his skis, and held me as I made a piece of pie with mine. We went so fast, the wind rushed through my hair, and I was still warm. The thrill of an adventure, protected by the strong bulk of my father's body, was a highlight of my early childhood.

So you'll understand why I just adore this dad and daughter, out on their adventure. He'd just pointed something out to her, I'd love to have had that kind of time each morning with my dad.


The law in MA prohibits babies under the age of one on single person bikes. So what to do for that first year?

The bike trailer is an ever-popular option. However this photo, taken at the same place on the same morning as the dad above, illustrates my concerns about a trailer:


The child is just so far behind, so hard to see/hear, and those trucks out there so big! I think this may work better in suburban environments than in the big city.

A girlfriend who is pregnant has told me she's going to get a cargo bike. This makes a lot of sense, if you have somewhere to park it. How do Europeans park these things? On the street? What about theft and rain? Bakfiets and Madsen Cargo Bikes seem to be the most popular. I think that Bakfiets might be better for infants, and the Madsen better for children, but I'd welcome additional data. Where is the second-hand market for these bikes? I've never seen them for sale.

Once they are big enough, there are infinite options with an extracycle, tandem, or Trail-a-bike. There's even a jumpseat for my husband's Brompton! (which would be good for the storage issue)

But what to do for that first year?

DIY Spoke Reflector

I saw this gentleman, C, going out on Saturday night. I was taken with his style and particularly his DIY, extremely practical, spoke reflector, which he graciously allowed me to photograph. On the right city bike I think this would look very natural, the urban simplicity thus chic. It really depends on the bike, I can't see this with my bike...

Initially I thought this would be a good use of any old archival CDs, but then I realized that it might not get scratched quickly enough and someone could make off with data. So I think I would follow C's lead and only use CDs found in the street. Hopefully there won't be any major secrets on those!

C invited me, and all of you, to the Cambridge Bicycle Committee meetings, the second Wednesday of the month.

Finally, several encounters over the weekend have led me to the following observation, what do you think?

Seen on the street

I followed this woman down Broadway yesterday. See those "X"s on her fender? Of course you did, you can't miss them. Isn't that brilliant? What an easy way to gain visibility without having to remember anything or do anything special (once you've taped your fenders with reflective tape).

It could be done nicely with these vine stickers too, at least for night. I think the vines would look best as a stripe down the center, perhaps on a green bike, while these flat Xs look a little corset-like and are perfect on this black bike.

Signalling your turn

How do you signal a turn?

There are two schools of thought on this. One is the canonical form with a right turn signaled by the left arm extended and the forearm pointing up. The more modern method of signaling has the cyclist pointing in the direction she intends to go.

The benefit of the second system is immediately apparent - it is unambiguous to both cars around and the cyclist who has to remember what signal to make when.

I just came to realize that the signals were developed for old fashioned cars (Model Ts and the like) which weren't as reliable as our cars. If your lights broke in an old car you'd have to use the old-fashioned right turn signal, as the modern one could not be seen.

Now that I understand the reason for the system it all makes more sense, I'm more comfortable in the world, and I'll continue to use the modern hand signals.

Graphic from the Frankenmuth Police Department.

Product Review: Schwalbe Marathon Tires

Tires with reflective sidewalls are legally required in the Netherlands. I can see why, and cars can too. What a simple way to be passively visible - no lights to remember, no batteries to burn out. The idea is just so simple.

The Schwalbes are simple too. They're well made and easy to put on your rims. I'm not sure I even really needed my tire iron. I haven't flatted yet but they're still pretty new so let's just knock on wood. I think they're attractive and add a slightly old-fashioned sporty look to my bike, like a safety version of the old V-necked tennis sweater.

Let's see some tail lights

Anyone who rides at night needs BOTH reflectors AND lights.

This tail light from Amazon comes well recommended for the price and has nice vintage style. I'd like to see if I could mount it on my fender, to add to the blinkie I have on my helmet. We will just have to work out how to secure the lens which apparently has a tendency to fall off.

For a more futuristic look, this other light from Amazon has an interesting look. I could see it on a bike with a more modernistic aesthetic. It almost looks Star Trek to me, and I like that about it. It is also nice in that it appears to mount with hardware. I suspect you leave it on the bike and that makes it hard to steal. Anything that makes your commute simpler is always a good choice.

The most interesting tail light at REI is this lollypop-styled light. They claim you can mount it anywhere. I like the customer's suggestions to add these to your bags. It seems like a light and easy way to get more visibility.

Swift with the night

I'm not one for cycling in black at night, but she is beautiful and also safe.

Well done.

Photo by salchichasconarrose

Reflective Belts

Riding late at night you're going to want lights and reflective gear. The girl above (photo by JeremyHughes) is an inspiration to me as to how to wear a reflective belt and not look completely like a crossing guard. I have a coat very similar to hers which I bought specifically for my commute. Looking into belts I see I can get them in white or aqua, which I might prefer over the safety yellow. I think the aqua might be just the thing! Available from ZF Reflectives for $14.00, I'd adjust mine permanently and sew it in place, so that I could remove a lot of that clunky hardware.

I actually rather like these colors, I think even this yellow would look cute with the right ensemble, and the red! the green! There are lots of options here...

Chic Safety - Interesting reflective stickers

Safety gear often looks clunky. These vine stickers are the best I've seen for safety without the dork factor.

At $4.95 from Team Estrogen I think they're worth trying out. I think they could look good on a helmet, a bag, or possibly the bike as shown, particularly on the top tube of a mountain bike where the handlebars often hit and chip the paint. There the sticker would serve double-duty protecting both the frame and you!

Ultimately these are probably better than the clunky safety gear - drivers see variation better than blobs; patterns, lines, and dots all help. Plus they're more attractive than the reflective duct tape look!