For a while I was considering spraying my bike with the reflective coating available in a spray can (available at Home Despot)... then I started to use it for commuting advocacy - circling out road hazards, stops, dangers to the commuter...
Then today a friend of mine sent me a link about reflective tires.
Yes, reflective tires.
Okay, yes the music may be annoying, but you can turn it off through a 'button/link' at the bottom of their site.
Apparently, rather, according to the SweetSkinz website, the tires are made out of a rubber composite that has reflective material embedded within it. Considering how tires are made these days, this is entirely possible - and to take it even further, which they have, the manufacturer can embed graphics into the tread as well. I haven't tried these yet, but I am interested. They do have only one tire in the road version, and it's a think 26 at that. Cushy, no? That may be on the thick side for my liking, but probably best considering the conditions of Los Angeles roadways. The other products are mostly mountain bike and bmx tire sets - each with varying graphics that are successful to some extent. ... Check it out, and if you've got them on your bike, do share about their quality, durometer (ie, how soft/hard of a rubber is it) and most importantly, if they actually work!
10 comments:
Ff my memory is correct, I think that reflective tires are mandatory by law in Holland.
The snakeskin pattern tires look great. I'll have to give them a try.
I rode with these for about a year. The reflective properties is not that great. It;s a material that is on the top layer of the rubber compound and does wear. The photos make the tires look way more reflective than they are in real life. I'd get these for style not safety. A good ol' reflector is still way better or simply refletive tape on your seat stays does a better job.
Hola a todos.
Si quereis disfrutar de vuestra ciudad en bicicleta os proponemos unos nuevos modelos, las bicis chopper, custom y cruiser. Todo un ejercicio de creatividad y comodidad. podeis conocerlas en www.chopperbikes.es
Gracias
I've had the Scorch semi-slicks all winter long. I found the company by accident and thought the tires would be cool to try. The online ordering process went well. They've held up pretty well after 150 miles of single track riding. I live in the desert and the trails become very smooth during the winter. They are heavier than most tires but I haven't had any flats either. They do an OK job of reflecting light. I've heard they look pretty cool by those night riding with me.
In my opinion the tires are different, distinctive and cool looking. I certainly don't plan on racing them due to the weight. I've contacted the company about making a 700c tire but I have yet to hear back from them.
Sounds like you've tried using the Reflect-A-Lite and I'm curious how it worked on clothing, tires, metal, etc. There's a japanese company that makes reflective paints for fabric and metal/plastichttp://www.komatsuprocess.co.jp/en/ but I haven't been able to find out where to buy it in the US.
All bike materials (clothes, bikes, tires, etc.) should have reflective coating, what are we Navy Seals trying to avoid detection?
Velocity has a new, reflective coating for their Deep V rims. They call it ELVS.
I use disc brakes on my commuter, so I think will be a good investment for me.
http://www.velocityusa.com/default.asp?contentID=514
Wow cool designs, I love mountain biking, it is so relaxing and out of the ordinary, I always on the week ends go to a new place.
Really well done for the blog.these are so sweet and pretty!
Falken Tires
I think that the reflective tires are a good option, it seems to be really helpful because they are made out of a rubber composite that has reflective material embedded within it. good idea
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