After seeing for myself last night how much good pedal reflectors can stand out, I was wondering if anyone new of any small neat & reasonably cheap spd pedals with decent reflectors on for commuting & off road action.

Is there anything out there like the small platform sized Shimano PD-M520 but with built in reflectors, I knoe some come with clip on, but will they last?

Ta

I use reflective self adhesive tape on the pedals and crank arms

you’d be better off putting the reflector on the heel of your shoe

Thoise reflectors in the spokes work brilliantly for cars approaching from the side, too.

You can get a plastic thing that clips in and has reflectors, I may have some.

Or a single-sided SPD and screw a reflector in.

i used to have those plastic clip in bits that come with cheapy spds they have a reflector and i only need one clippy side.

might get some from your lbs, not sure if they are sold separately or even exist anymore.

i lost one in a crash, so could do with another myself.

cynic-al – Member

You can get a plastic thing that clips in and has reflectors, I may have some.

Are they the ones that clip onto one side of the spd pedal and you have to use the other side to clip on?

If so, its not the solution I am looking for tbh, I was hoping to have something that I still could use both sides of the pedal still?

Some of these will do the job, and you can wear them whatever bike you’re riding.

I was amazed how much more visable you can be with decent reflectors, the rotation of the crank does make the reflectors stand out so much more & it was easier to guage how far away the cyclist was in front too, compared to just a standard or flashing rear light.

Time Z pedals come with screw-on reflectors, which don’t interfere with the clip mechanisms. They’re pretty big and heavy though. On One have them (Z Freeride) on sale at the mo’.

what woody said, strap them round your ankles, get side on reflection too.

Anyone seen those schwalbe reflective sidewalls, wow they are bright even in my puny headtorch, might get a set of them soon.

I’ve seen Shimano caged SPD pedals with reflectors.

Thoise reflectors in the spokes work brilliantly for cars approaching from the side, too.

Except they’re retro-reflective – you have to be in the car’s headlight beam for them to do any good, by which time it’s almost certainly too late to do any good for a car coming from the side.

I use the plastic platforms that come with Shimano spds on my commuter/tourer. They’re handy as they come with reflectors and a flat side for nipping to the shops. I like to make sure I’m seen at night and pedal reflectors are easy to spot

anybodys want a bit of reflective tape email me – I have a few bits left

aracer – is that different to 3M on hi-viz jackets etc? That stands out a mile in headlights.

s – Member
If so, its not the solution I am looking for tbh, I was hoping to have something that I still could use both sides of the pedal still?

I’ve not seen such a thing tho druidh appears to have.

aracer so what do “proper” bike reflectors use? Forgive my ignorance, wiki just says they are retro-reflectors too but it’s a pretty basic page so prob even less reliable than usual wiki stuff.

Anyone seen those schwalbe reflective sidewalls, wow they are bright even in my puny headtorch, might get a set of them soon.

I’m running Conti City Contacts with reflective sidewalls for side on visibility. Not sure if you can still get them tho.

Gorrit!

Shimano SM-PD40. Fits to a Shimano M545/M434 SPD pedal and doesn’t mean losing one clipping-in side.

Not the “small/neat” solution the OP wanted but it’s not worth having a reflector if it’s under the sole of your foot….

is that different to 3M on hi-viz jackets etc? That stands out a mile in headlights.

so what do “proper” bike reflectors use? Forgive my ignorance, wiki just says they are retro-reflectors too but it’s a pretty basic page so prob even less reliable than usual wiki stuff.

You chaps are missing the point. Yes wheel reflectors stand out a mile in headlights. The trouble is that they’re not in headlights at the point they would be useful – by the time you get in front of the car where the reflectors show up, it’s already pulling out on you (or has already pulled out on you). Wheel reflectors are useless at making you more visible when approaching a junction.

Wheel reflectors are useless at making you more visible when approaching a junction.

So’s anything that reflects in headlights then?

Or are you referring to the fact that the lights only catch them when the wheel/cyclist isn’t travelling directly towards them?

you’d be better off putting the reflector on the heel of your shoe

This.

Yes wheel reflectors stand out a mile in headlights. The trouble is that they’re not in headlights at the point they would be useful

I see what you;re saying. But doesn’t that sort of assume that the only light source is from those headlights?

Even if that were the case, it still gives the driver another chance to see you when he might not otherwise.

Respro Scotchlite ankle bands FTW!

GrahamS – Member
But doesn’t that sort of assume that the only light source is from those headlights?

The way that stuff works, it only reflects back to source (or as close as damn it) – it doesn’t scatter the light ( that’s why it’s so bright).

So’s anything that reflects in headlights then?

Yep. You’re relying on stuff other than retro-reflectives in that case – hi-viz jackets at least have some other merits, wheel reflectors are only really any good at being retro-reflective.

Even if that were the case, it still gives the driver another chance to see you when he might not otherwise.

“It’s amazing how well I saw your bike as you rolled over my bonnet”

I find there’s sufficient spill from my front light to at least parially “activate” the reflectiveness of my sidewalls. I get what aracer is saying, but in that kind of scenario, nowt’s gonna help really is it? Helmet lights are good for side roads/junctions I reckon

You chaps are missing the point.

yeah I get that, not a great help but possibly some, after all it’s not just T boning that’s an issue from side roads. The thing with retro-reflectors seems to be they direct light straight back at the source so my head torch gets brilliant results against reflective strip, cars and esp. lorries where the driver is some distance from the headlights RR may not be so good. RR wiki page mentioned spherical reflectors but didn’t go into detail.

Just wondering if official bike reflectors use different technology to the snap bands and reflective tape some of us are using.

D0NK – Member

Just wondering if official bike reflectors use different technology to the snap bands and reflective tape some of us are using.Yep. Look at one and it’s full of little prisms. That will scatter the light more than a retro reflective, but the more it scatters, the less “bright” it is in any one direction…..

cool, so apart from “tiny little prisms” what’s that technology called* and can I get tape/snap bands with it?

*so I can google it

NOt sure you are right druidh – the tiny little prisms act to reflect light straight back at the sources. Its just loads of corner reflectors. I have never seen a reflector for a bike that is not this tech

TJ – You’re right that it doesn’t spread it around much, it just seems to do it more so than the likes of Scotchlite. I’m not sure that any sort of “absorb light from one direction and spread it around” product exists, although it should be possible to do something with mirrors 🙂

D0NK – just buy lots of little mirrors and stick then to your helmet

I’m confused by this, I thought that reflectors, by definition, reflect light directly back towards the source (usually using the prisms in TJ’s post).

And that anything that reflects light in various scattered directions, is, well, not a reflector? (a piece of white paper does that just fine).

Does scotchbrite work in the same way as prism type reflectors above then?

I’m not sure that any sort of “absorb light from one direction and spread it around” product exists, although it should be possible to do something with mirrors

Or just lots of tiny prisms that are not quite geometrically perfect?

Does scotchbrite work in the same way as prism type reflectors above then?

No. Scotchbrite is for cleaning pans with 😀

Scotchlite on the the other hand, is a retro-reflective.

http://solutions.3m.com/wps/portal/3M/en_US/ScotchliteReflectiveMaterial/Scotchlite/Solution/activewear/brand-manufacturers/how-it-works/

Or just lots of tiny prisms that are not quite geometrically perfect?

I guess that would be a way to give a “spread” to the reflected light – realistically, no reflectors are perfect since you only need to be near to the ligh source, not directly behind it to see the relected light.

Maybe different reflector brands use a different range of prism geometery to give different spreads?