Reflective Tape for Cyclists - Be Seen, Be Safe

The first and most obvious place to start adding reflective tape is to your bicycle itself. I've seen people who choose to cover every available inch of their frame with reflective tape which is certainly effective, but maybe a little extreme, even for me.

I normally choose to tape up as most of the seat post as possible. Its wasted space, it usually doesn't sport an attractive exterior, unless its carbon, and its the perfect place to add some reflectivity without ruining the look of your bike if that is a concern. Then I'll add some to the top of the rear forks and a little to the rear forks themselves. That takes care of rear visibility.

For front visibility, I stick a strip of tape over the front of the frame (ugly I know) and wrap a couple of strips around the handlebars, even just a few centimeters on the right and left of the headset is better than nothing at all.

Don't forget to tape up some moving parts. Nothing gets a drivers attention more than a flickering intermittent reflection. If there is space add some tape to your cranks, front and back. A little on your forks front and back doesn't hurt either. Just for fun tape up some parts of your wheels here and there too. Don't worry about being regular or symmetrical as the seeming randomness of the reflections will grab a drivers attention more than regular rotational reflections.

When you're done with your bike tape up some spots on your helmet and even the backs of your shoes if you can. Do you have a frame mounted pump? Run a strip around that as well. If you ever find yourself in need of assistance you can flag a driver down by waving your taped up pump in the air.

After you've covered every available surface of your bike with reflective tape, where can you turn? To your clothing of course. We all have a jacket we use for cycling whose use is more functional than fashionable, so why not iron on some reflective tape to ensure that there is no way you can be overlooked on the road.

In addition to reflective tape on strategic areas of my bicycle I also use a reflective vest, the Nathan Tri-Color Cross training vest (below). I received this vest after I had recovered from a broken collar bone in a cycling accident and was having trouble getting back my road confidence.

But as I wear a backpack and am concerned with getting hit from behind,not head on, I sling the vest over my backpack and fasten it with safety pins. While this vest doesn't have as much reflective material as others on the market, it certainly is reflective so much so that in the shadow of my desk in a well lit office in broad daylight it still catches your eye.

Despite having a small reflective area, reflective gloves are an extremely useful item. When signaling turns by hand, point the reflective surface into a cars headlights to ensure they're aware of your intention to turn or stop. In addition to this if you need assistance, waving your reflective gloves as a car approaches is a great way to flag down a motorist.

Don't restrict reflective arm/leg bands to just your arms and legs, they can be hung from or sewn to your backpack or clothing, or used when strapping things to your frame.

Over many years of bike ownership I've accumulated an inordinate number of reflectors, blinky lights and and reflective bands. My backpack has two mesh pockets on the back into which I stuff reflectors, reflective armbands and blinky lights. If you're going to carry this stuff around, why not carry it on the outside where it can be seen.