BIKEPGH MESSAGE BOARD ARCHIVE

An interesting idea.

Sometimes I feel like people pass me because they assume bike=slow. I was coming down Middle Road toward Etna the other day and probably averaging 30 mph. This woman kept pulling up close behind me and finally got around on right hand bend. She then had to slam on the brakes going into the next left hand bend because of her speed. And where was she in such a rush to reach? The Eat n' Park parking lot at the bottom of the hill. We reached it essentially at the same time.

But she didn't honk, didn't yell at me, didn't gesture at me or anything. I just think she felt like a bicyle meant she was being slowed down and she never even looked to see how fast we were going.

Of course, no one would ever register why those numbers on your back were changing....

Yeah, neat idea. I don't like the way these things always show people riding around after dark with absolutely no illumination besides the item they're shilling. I assume they do it because if there was a proper light on that bike, you wouldn't be able to see the numbers at all -- they'd be overwhelmed by the taillight. Which gives the lie to the "illumination" selling point, and implies that the thing is invisible in daylight.

Course, you should be able to make one of these with an array of superbright LEDs. Expensive though.

Hmmm, how long would it take for a driver to figure out what the number(s) represent? Would they have to see it change in order to "get it?" When the driver did figure it out, would they be tempted to verify the accuracy of the number by looking at their own speedometer -- perhaps repeatedly? I think I would. And as a cyclist, I don't think I'd want to be the reason that the driver immediately behind me is distracted. Especially at night.