flag hieght

DIscuss anything relating to non-standard cycles and their equipment.
User avatar
canoesailor
Posts: 52
Joined: 24 Mar 2016, 8:17pm
Location: Leicester

Re: flag hieght

Post by canoesailor »

NUKe wrote:After being pressured by friends and the wife I have given in and bought a reflective flag for the Grasshopper. I have got to say I don't think it is a big issue, most of my commute is unlit rural roads And I have good lights , but on the other hand adding a little more reflective material wont harm. I bought the Flag from Raindrop kites
http://www.raindropkites.co.uk/banners/floandflo.html
and the pole from East Coast Fibre glass.

My question is what height to mount it at. I have a 2m pole but I don't want a flag at 7 foot, apart from it being unwieldy, I have to park in bike sheds etc. I thought about 5ft to 6ft from the ground would be about right any suggestions.



First make sure of the height of the bike sheds and cut your pole to go under them. Then they have to be in the eye line of drivers. with the type of flag you are going for I would say set the bottom at mid screen of the average car, that will put the top of the flag in the eye line of buss and most lorry drivers.

Remember you need it to be where drivers will see it without looking, you know most of them wont look so a flapping flag needs to be in that eye line.

The flag is for safety purposes not artistic display.
User avatar
pjclinch
Posts: 5470
Joined: 29 Oct 2007, 2:32pm
Location: Dundee, Scotland
Contact:

Re: flag hieght

Post by pjclinch »

canoesailor wrote:Remember you need it to be where drivers will see it without looking,


No such thing. If they're not looking, they won't see it.

A chap I was chatting to at a cycle trainers' course once was rear-ended waiting to move on to a roundabout. He was okay, since he was driving a fire engine at the time...

canoesailor wrote:The flag is for safety purposes not artistic display.


If you're going to have one you might as well like it.

Frankly, I'm not convinced. I lent the Panzerfiets to a friend for a wee while once, and when it came back it had a flag. Other friends had insisted he was invisible without it, and since seat height on a Streetmachine is about the same as a typical car seat (or a roadie with nose to the bars not really looking where they're going) this is clearly repeating "received wisdom" rather than engaging one's brain. On one occasion I had a conversation with a driver as we sat beside one another, stationary, and it went to the effect of:
"You must feel very vulnerable down there"
"Down where?"
"That bike is so low!"
"My eyes are at the same level as yours"
"But you're so low!" (etc.)

Suffice to say the flag came off. Despite not having one, and not wearing hi-viz either, I'm not in the habit of people failing to see me. I used to wear hi-viz for every trip, and since stopping over a decade ago I haven't noticed any difference on any bikes as to how I'm noticed or treated (aside from the odd sanctimonious types telling me I'm invisible and should be wearing hi-viz, that is; I suppose they managed to track me by smell or something).
The only occasions I recall not being seen are when I've watched the person in question not looking, and had my bike suddenly turned in to the Queen Mary they still wouldn't have seen me, what with eyes being directional (and even when looking in the right direction, they can easily miss stuff).

Aside from the faff of the things when manhandling the bikes and a Streetmachine already quite heavy enough as it is, I do have something of a bonnet-bee about well-meaning people "dangerising" what I'm doing in the absence of good evidence. It's hard enough persuading people to give 'bents a go as it is, even without implying that they're unusually dangerous.

Pete.

Pete.
Often seen riding a bike around Dundee...
User avatar
Cunobelin
Posts: 10801
Joined: 6 Feb 2007, 7:22pm

Re: flag hieght

Post by Cunobelin »

It is back to the SUVargument

I had an acquaintance who reckoned that riding a low trike was "suicidal" as you cannot always see it in traffic. This equates to being VERY Dangerous

Yet the average popular car such as the i10, Aygo, C1 etc cannot be seen past an SUV, van of truck

The same visibility issue with cars is not however a problem in their eyes
User avatar
Cunobelin
Posts: 10801
Joined: 6 Feb 2007, 7:22pm

Re: flag hieght

Post by Cunobelin »

Best visibility aid I ever found was the Air Zound

It is amazing how a driver's ability to see improves with a quick blast of this device
User avatar
Tigerbiten
Posts: 2503
Joined: 29 Jun 2009, 6:49am

Re: flag hieght

Post by Tigerbiten »

Most sports cars have a driver's eye height that higher than mine when I'm on my bent rike.
But I've finally seen one which is lower.

A Caterham.

They must feel awfully vulnerable being invisible due to being that low ......... :lol:
User avatar
Cunobelin
Posts: 10801
Joined: 6 Feb 2007, 7:22pm

Re: flag hieght

Post by Cunobelin »

Tigerbiten wrote:Most sports cars have a driver's eye height that higher than mine when I'm on my bent rike.
But I've finally seen one which is lower.

A Caterham.

They must feel awfully vulnerable being invisible due to being that low ......... :lol:


I have always fancied a Caterham.......

Simply because it is the first "memorable" car I wanted

Image
User avatar
RickH
Posts: 5832
Joined: 5 Mar 2012, 6:39pm
Location: Horwich, Lancs.

Re: flag hieght

Post by RickH »

I've got a flag on my Carry Freedom City trailer, mainly due to a slight concerned that, when in slow or stationary traffic, a vehicle behind may forget my extra length as the trailer is very low.

I made the pole out of sections of tent pole with thin bungie cord holding the sections together, so it can be folded away & straps down with velcro to a suitable spot for storage, sneaking it onto trains, etc. The pole is currently permanently attached unless I unknot the end of the bungie.

Image
Former member of the Cult of the Polystyrene Head Carbuncle.
Post Reply