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review

Lightweights reflective tape

7
£13.00

VERDICT:

7
10
Useful low key extra side visibility when riding in the dark
Weight: 
10g
Contact: 
www.raleigh.co.uk

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Who remembers that Get yourself seen public information ad from the '70s? I'm not sure I want to 'take a brush to my bike' and paint it with white emulsion but I don't mind adding some tape, especially if it's nigh-on invisible in the daylight, like this black tape from Lightweights.

The Lightweights tape comes in a range of colours, all of which are reflective to various degrees. I've been trying the Stealth tape, which is black in the daylight but surprisingly reflective when you train a car headlight on it. On my Equlibrium frame it's barely noticeable, but adds a good deal of side visibility for car drivers after dark. You need to give your frame a good clean beforehand – an alcohol wipe from the first aid kit is ideal for getting rid of any grease on the paint – but once stuck the tape is very tenacious and pretty hard wearing. One reel is enough to give both sides of your bike a decent dose.

The stealth tape isn't quite as reflective as grey scotchlite but it's a lot better than I thought it would be. The other colours I had to try were a mixed bag, with blue and white also good and red a bit less so in our unscientific tests in the basement with a torch. You can have green, orange and lime too, so you should be able to get something to blend in with your steed.

Verdict

If you ride after dark then this tape gives useful and low-key extra side visibility for your bike.

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road.cc test report

Make and model: Lightweights reflective tape

Size tested: black, silver

Rate the product for quality of construction:
 
8/10
Rate the product for performance:
 
7/10
Rate the product for durability:
 
7/10
Rate the product for value:
 
7/10

Did you enjoy using the product? Yes

Would you consider buying the product? Yes

Would you recommend the product to a friend? Yes

Overall rating: 7/10

About the tester

Age: 37  Height: 190cm  Weight: 96kg

I usually ride: whatever I\\\'m testing...  My best bike is: Genesis Equilibrium with Ultegra 6700

I've been riding for: 10-20 years  I ride: Every day  I would class myself as: Experienced

I regularly do the following types of riding: time trialling, cyclo cross, commuting, sportives, general fitness riding, fixed/singlespeed, mtb, Mountain Bike Bog Snorkelling, track

Dave is a founding father of road.cc, having previously worked on Cycling Plus and What Mountain Bike magazines back in the day. He also writes about e-bikes for our sister publication ebiketips. He's won three mountain bike bog snorkelling World Championships, and races at the back of the third cats.

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