Saturday, September 13, 2008

Can You See Me Now?



Or, Fun With Reflector Tape

I got of this "conpsicuity tape" from my local O'Reilly Auto Parts store so that I could add a reflective strip to my rear fender.

Having quite a bit of it left over, I decided to trick out my helmet a little. I tried not to go overboard, but I wanted to add a fair amount of reflective material to the back and sides of my helmet using the red and white in a manner that would be eye catching and somewhat representative of my direction of travel. For example, red on the front and sides might confuse motorists.

Using scissors and a hobby knife, I trimmed pieces of the strip to match the shapes around my vents in the back and sides of my helmet. I tried to put white on the sides and red in the back.

I think the result is satisfactory in that the helmet doesn't look too goofy during the day, but really throws back the light at night. Now what remains to be seen is how well the strong glue on the tape will hold to the Styrofoam on the helmet.

2 comments:

brady said...

I saw that reflective tape when I parked my bike next to yours the other day. Smart idea. I might have to make a run to the hardware store as well for my commuter.

Also, I meant to tell you nice job on the homemade light mount for the rack. I may install one of those too.

Dude, you're pretty creative!

Scott Redd said...

Thanks. As always with DIY projects like the light mount, after finishing it, I can think of a couple of other ways to do it. It really all depends on what parts and materials you have lying about.

I still have some of the conspicuity tape left over. I'd be happy to give some to whomever can use it for fenders, helmets, etc. Just let me know and I can bring some in.