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Flectr launch Flectr Vortex, the world's first crank reflector
There are already a myriad of options out there if you want yourself and your bike to be lit up like a Christmas tree; and now Flectr have added another option to the list with the launch of Flectr Vortex, the world's first crank reflector.
Review: Flectr Zero aero wheel reflectors
8 of the best front and rear daytime cycling lights
Flectr already sell rim, helmet and wheel reflectors (the latter was reviewed by Shaun Audane last summer) and the Vortex crank strips have just launched via a crowdfunding campaign on Kickstarter. Weighing just 2.2g for a set, they simply wrap around your cranks with a strong adhesive. Flectr say they offer an advantage over pedal reflectors that only work in two directions, because they offer 360° of visibility. The brightness is courtesy of a high-grade cube corner prismatic retro-reflector, and the custom adhesive can also be removed without any residues left on your cranks.
To reserve a pair requires a €12 Kickstarter backing. €19 gets you two sets, and for €65 you can get a 'community pack' of ten sets. Flectr have already raised almost double their £3,090 goal, and the estimated delivery for orders is June.
Interestingly, the law officially states that cyclists in the UK must have four pedal reflectors when riding in the dark (read up on the latest legal requirements at Cycling UK here); so Flectr Vortex practically makes up for the lack of them when riding in clipless pedals. We're unsure if they would be legally accepted as a replacement for pedal reflectors, but we've reached out to Cycling UK and Flectr for clarification.
*Updates*
Flectr told us: "We do not recommend Flectr Vortex as a replacement for existing pedal reflectors, but rather to all those cyclists who - due to the design of clipless pedals - do not have reflectors on the pedals." They also said that compared to DIY versions, their reflective materials "cannot be bought publicly, because common reflective tapes do not meet the necessary requirements for reflectance in combination with the necessary formability and a really reliable adhesive".
On the question of pedal reflector replacement, Cycling UK said: "The short response is “no”. Highway Code Rule 60 is clear that for bikes manufactured after 01/10/85 they must have amber pedal reflectors to be road legal. As crank reflectors, being neither amber nor on the pedals, while they do seem a sensible solution to the problem posed by clipless pedals and judging by the video should help cyclists using them be seen, they would not be legal in the eyes of the law."
Jack has been writing about cycling and multisport for over a decade, arriving at road.cc via 220 Triathlon Magazine in 2017. He worked across all areas of the website including tech, news and video, and also contributed to eBikeTips before being named Editor of road.cc in 2021 (much to his surprise). Jack has been hooked on cycling since his student days, and currently has a Trek 1.2 for winter riding, a beloved Bickerton folding bike for getting around town and an extra beloved custom Ridley Helium SLX for fantasising about going fast in his stable. Jack has never won a bike race, but does have a master's degree in print journalism and two Guinness World Records for pogo sticking (it's a long story).
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21 comments
refector laws should be removed given that the HC rule about driving at a speed you can stop well within the distance you can see to be clear should be an absolute ingrained in law and be rammed down the throats of motorists. The whole concept of visibility and how it supposedly aids the vulnerable needs looking at because it's totally bogus and does nothing but mitigate piss poor driving and shifting blame.
As for the claim, I thought we'd regressed back a month or so, laughable nonsense.
I've got white and red reflective tape they use on HGVs in places on my bike. It's a swine to get off the wagons in work though but I've got enough off so far and evaded capture on CCTV.
and here's one I made earlier...
ribble_sportive_with_reflective_tape_5.jpg
I use 3M reflective tape in my seatpost and pedals. It is a good idea to place as much as your aesthetics can tolerate. I would like some more but then I would hate my bike.
This product is not that exquisite in our 4digitpriced derailleur cogs
"Weighing just 2.2g for a set"
They actually weighed these stickers! Laughable.
I know that Road.cc likes to reuse (I almost said 'recycle'
) old articles, but this one is only 33 days old......
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Scotchlite-Reflective-Stickers-Rectangles-refle...
That is all.
<gaellic shrug>But I don't live in France </gaellic shrug>
...and with that attitude, you never will.
come on, seriously?!
How is this better than retro-reflective tape like https://www.amazon.co.uk/Oralite-Reflexite-Microprismatic-Retroreflectiv... ?
Which still won't legally be a BS6102/2 marked pedal refector, but is at least yellow, closer to the amber which legal pedal reflectors are required to be. Obviously if the tape looking less conspicuous in daylight is more important, silver tape is available too.
So is reflective black - https://gizmodo.com/5113146/retroreflective-bright-bike-looks-black-glow...
(Most of the listings for black tape I can find only say "reflective", not "retro-reflective", but the spec sheet for Scotchlite 680 does say "retro-reflective".)
The pedal reflector rules are an interesting one.
I run combination pedals (one platform side, one SPD side) on both my hybrid and road bike. The M324s on the hybrid are big enough, and have fittings for, reflectors and I have fitted them ... although they are a little flimsy so I only have two of the four left fully connected. On the road bike, I have a set of BTwin 100s, which have no way to fit reflectors.
My shoes have large reflective patches on the heel, but strictly speaking the road bike is illegal as are most bikes using clipless pedals.
Seems to me that a clarification in the legal position would be good.
What these pedal reflectors the article speaks of?
Come off it. Hardly the first nor innovative.
I've had 3MScotchlite tape around the cranks on my commuter bike for years and only a couple of quid off of Ebay.
I liberated a traffic cone from a workman's skip. Was almost brand new, but obvs had been run over by one of their wagons. Cut off the reflective sleeve and now have numerous reflective white strips to use. Just need to keep an eye on the fitting as haven't quite identified the best glue yet.
What, you have high-grade cube corner prismatic retro-reflector material?!!!!
OMG just realised it's the same stuff which wipes out half of all life in the Universe in the latest Avengers movie! For just £12, I'm getting me some of that!
Nope, I could only manage the high-grade curved corner prismatic retro-reflector material. My bad
you could be shot for looting.
One man's looting is another man's upcycling.
Oh come on now seriously.
Aaaand tonights special WankyMcWankface Award 2018 for services in reverence to millennial coffee shop seat hogging types goes toooo....
"Flectr Vortex, the world's first crank reflector - The brightness is courtesy of a high-grade cube corner prismatic retro-reflector, and the custom adhesive can also be removed without any residues left on your cranks."
It's a refective sticker.