See & Be Seen

Biking in an urban environment such as Los Angeles has many challenges. The one that makes me most nervous is not being seen by motorists. The most obvious solution is to have really bright bike lights front and back. But what about cars approaching from the side? As important as it is to have adequate lighting to see where you're going, it's also critical to be as visible as possible from all directions. Front and rear lights will only provide limited visibility to cars traveling perpendicular, ie at intersections. Intersections are the most dangerous places on the road, so this is where visibility is arguably most critical.



I had the opportunity to try out a novel new product called Reflecta-Tyre that makes your wheels into glowing circles of light. They're made by a company in Australia called Be Seen Reflective. From their website:

Reflecta-Tyre is designed to stick onto the actual bike tyre,so as not to interfere with brakes.this comes in 1 size that is designed to fit on all size wheels/bikes.
Reflecta-Tyre comes with 32pieces per pkt(16pieces per tyre,8 per side).Reflecta-Tyre usually needs replacing 12 - 18months, depending on riding conditions,frequency of bike use

These highly reflective little stickers pack a powerful punch! The faintest amount of illumination sets them blazing in the night. Mount them on your tires and they create Tron-Like circles of light when you ride at night, making you extremely visible to cross traffic. I'm stoked to have them on my bike and I hope I'll never know just how safe they're keeping me!

Learn more at BeSeenReflective.com