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TECH NEWS
Flectr aerodynamic wheel reflector seeks Kickstarter funding
New bicycles are typically sold with wheel reflectors, but they’re usually the first thing to be removed when setting the bike up, especially on sleek road bikes. One company, now seeking Kickstarter funding, has designed wheel reflectors that are “aerodynamic, weightless and indestructible” and could be a nice alternative to the chunky wheel reflectors normally fitted to bicycle wheels.
It's called Flectr, and the Kickstarter campaign is going well. It has sailed past its €4,500 goal with, at the time of writing, €15,736 of funding. It has 25 days to go so it could bag even more crowdfunding yet. Pledge €20 (plus €7 UK shipping costs) and you can get one set of six spoke reflectors, with delivery estimated for July 2016.
What is Flectr?
It’s a small reflector that attaches to the spokes of the wheels and is designed, obviously to provide extra visibility when riding at night, but without ruining the clean lines of the bike. Its big USP is how small, light and aerodynamic it is, especially compared to the chunky reflectors that are usually fitted to new bikes.
The Flectr team set out to design a wheel reflector that is sleek and stylish, fits any spokes and doesn’t fall off easily or break. The result is a reflector that is very light, just 0.7g per reflector, and paper-thin. It fits round and flat spokes and measures 20x50mm.
It has been a year in development, with CAD testing and sourcing of the right materials and testing the durability of the product. It doesn’t impact the dynamic balance of the wheel and has been tested at flow velocities of 100mph.
It’s easy to install. Just remove the foil carrier and place the reflector on the spoke and press both panels together. No tools required. You can fit as many reflectors to each wheel as you like, depending on how many you want to purchase. road.c
The company is planning to release a version with a magnet embedded into the reflector, ideal if you use cycle computers and want to kill two birds with one stone. It’ll weigh just 0.8g, and is certainly a more elegant, and lighter, solution than a regular magnet attached to the spokes.
The importance of reflective products is well known. Research shows that it’s reflective products, not hi-visibility clothing, that really helps cyclists stand out when riding in the dark or low light conditions.
Is Flectr the sort of product you would be interested in fitted to your bicycle for the daily commute, or even for evening training rides?
Check out the Kickstarter campaign here.
David worked on the road.cc tech team from 2012-2020. Previously he was editor of Bikemagic.com and before that staff writer at RCUK. He's a seasoned cyclist of all disciplines, from road to mountain biking, touring to cyclo-cross, he only wishes he had time to ride them all. He's mildly competitive, though he'll never admit it, and is a frequent road racer but is too lazy to do really well. He currently resides in the Cotswolds, and you can now find him over on his own YouTube channel David Arthur - Just Ride Bikes.
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20 comments
Velocity Dyad reflective rims and Schwalble Marathon tyres with reflective stripe... works for me
20160326_055434.jpg
1m, white, £1.99.
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/131788514417
I know that fools and their money are easily parted but someone's taking the mickey here, surely?
How about these £1.99 on ebay
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/3M-Scotchlite-Spoke-Reflectors-Reflective-Bike...
I've used those (or similar to those) before and they work nicely but they seem to attract dirt and become quite grubby after a while. I reckon that putting a flush sticker onto the rim would have better aerodynamics, but that's mainly a guess.
The more I think about this, the less I like it. I think I'll stick with my current system of putting small segments of the curved reflective tape onto my rims. There's enough space to position the tape to not interfere with rim brakes and I guess the aerodynamics will be better than attaching them to the spokes (as if aerodynamics much that much difference to my riding). Hell of a lot cheaper too.
I think they look to be a brilliant solution (and have put my money where my mouth is on Kickstarter). Yes, I imagine I could produce a similar effect with some reflective tape at half the cost. But it wouldn't be as good and the saving of money isn't (for me) worth the additional time involved in producing my own. And I don't understand the concerns about drag/aerodynamics - am I alone in not time trialling/racing after dark?
Seven euros for shipping for something that weighs 6g is a piss take.
I just ordered Conti GP4000S with reflector stripes - no need for somenthing like this I suppose?
Yep, did the same. The bizarre thing is, at the time I bought them I got a better price on the reflex than standard. The majority of retailers don't even stock it. Assume it's some form of bike snobbery.
Mad. I'd much rather have the reflex version of any tyre. Having said that, there is something particularly eye-catching about wheel reflecters that aren't a complete ring.
If one has disc brakes, reflective tape on the rim is a far better solution than this. You can even get black retroreflective tape, which hides nicely on black rims if you're worried about that. (Slightly less bright at night though)
I suspect that the reflectors in the article could cause significant drag, and don't think waiting for wind tunnel testing is daft, arrogant or "up oneself" at all. Ask Cancellara whether flag shaped objects can cause significant drag!
These might (or might not) oscillate in the air stream and cause a lot of noise and drag. Waiting for testing is quite resonable.
I had to look around a bit as I was specifically looking for the reflective type on 28mm. Found stock and good price at rose bikes. (were I still had my 10 EUR birthday gift card).
Once you go with ignoring the Rules and snobs you ride more confortable and safer also
Yuck. They look like a free novelty you get in a packet of Frosties.
Probably fine... until the dirt, brake dust etc means they lose their reflective quality and go grey.
That's what I have fitted on mine & the kids' bikes, 8 per wheel. Robust & effective, still doing the job after 3 years of riding to work & school.
They can get a bit grubby eventually (though not as bad as tyres) and clean up easily with a quick scrub.
3m reflective tape on the rims, about £2.50 for 1 metre.
Yep, or a strip wrapped around the spokes for those with narrow section rims.
1m x 50mm 3M Scotchlite reflective tape ~£9 on Amazon
Cut into 4cm wide strips.
Trim to your favourite aero shape if you're bothered
Fold around spoke so it adheres to itself
Job done
25 spokes for £9.
Like that. Too much though. Two sets of six for a tenner and I'm in
Nice idea, but they look crazy expensive for what is basically just a bit of self-adhesive reflective plastic. I think I'll make my own as I've got some curved self-adhesive reflective tape that I've put on my rims. (You can get plenty of that for a couple of quid from ebay).
Absolutely no chance of me putting those on a fast bike until I've seen them wind tunnel tested and proven not to cause any drag,
Happy to stick them on a clunky tourer though. Isn't there a reflective spray you can coat spokes with?
Unless you are being sarcastic, I hope you are a pro because you sound so up yourself and arrogant. It's cyclists like you that probably look down on other cyclists that doesn't look the part. I say probably so I do hope that I am wrong and just stupid to stereotype like that.
Mad insecurities there. And not enough self-awareness to hide it.
Drag aside, don't forget the extra 5.6g that the reflectors would add to the weight of the bike.