If you ride your bike at night you already know how important it is to have a good headlight so you can see where you are going and a taillight be keep cars from running over you. However, many cycling accidents happen when a car runs into a cyclist from the side—usually because they couldn’t see the bike even though it was directly in front of them. BikeWrappers are the best way I’ve found to protect yourself from a side-impact collision while on a bike (in fact, they work from all directions).
BikeWrappers Reflective System For Bicycles
BikeWrappers are a set of highly reflective bands of spandex and Lycra that wrap around the top tube, down tube and seat tube of your bike and they make your bike nearly impossible to miss at night. When the headlights from a car hit the reflective BikeWrappers your bike will be visible at least 1/4 of a mile away. In addition, these reflective bands are reversible and you can choose from over 30 different styles for the non-reflective side. You can choose from many bright colors or interesting patterns, such as leopard print, camouflage, plaid, stripes, etc. I chose a bright yellow color for the reverse side of my BikeWrappers and use it for rides in daylight when it is raining. By the way, riding in the rain will make you BikeWrappers look pretty bad after a few hours—fortunately, they are machine washable.
BikeWrappers attach to your bike in under a minute using the Velcro fasteners that are sewn into the material. They will easily fit on just about any size adult bike. Since these wrappers are so easy to put on or take off you really one need one set of BikeWrappers regardless of how many bikes you own. However, since they are so inexpensive you might want to buy several sets just to dress up your bike.
BikeWrappers Are Reversible
When I ordered my set of BikeWrappers last year I assumed I was going to have to cut a hole in the down tube wrapper since the bike I wanted to use it on has three water bottle cages. However, when my order arrived I was pleasantly surprised to see that BikeWrapers were designed to accommodate the extra bottle cage (see photo above).
The only downside to using BikeWrappers is that if you ride through a busy neighborhood at night you are probably going to have people ask you to stop so they can see what you have on your bike (yep, it happens nearly every time I use them). People always want to know “what type of battery does it use?” They are amazed when I tell them it doesn’t use any batteries—it is just highly reflective.
BikeWrappers retail for $45 for a three-piece set and they are available directly from the BikeWrappers Website. There are very few cycling products that I recommend as highly as I do BikeWrappers. The photos above do not do justice to how bright the reflective material is. If you ride your bike at night you need to get a set of these wrappers before your next ride! This product comes with a “100% Money Back Satisfaction Guarantee!” (see company Website for details).
awallnation
August 17, 2012 at 8:25 AM
Reblogged this on The Suburban Hipster and commented:
Aweesome!
The Tri Road (HeatherH)
August 17, 2012 at 8:26 AM
I’ve never seen anything like it. Thanks for the review. I’ll have to pop on over to their site and see if they ship to Australia…
All Seasons Cyclist
August 17, 2012 at 9:01 AM
You are in luck! I just checked their site and they deliver to Australia, Canada, Denmark, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, New Zealand, Spain, UK, the US (and US Minor Outlying Islands).
The Tri Road (HeatherH)
August 17, 2012 at 9:17 AM
That’s great. I just tweeted them to ask, I couldn’t see it on their site. Thank you.
Jule
August 17, 2012 at 9:39 AM
Those are great! Thanks for sharing this.
Jule
August 17, 2012 at 9:41 AM
Reblogged this on Julie From the Tree Fort and commented:
So glad this was shared by this blogger. These look great.
Jule
August 17, 2012 at 9:45 AM
Reblogged this on Love For Fit Life and commented:
Great share by this blogger. Due to the high temps here, much of my riding happens at dusk or just after.
All Seasons Cyclist
August 17, 2012 at 4:24 PM
I started riding at night several years ago when we were experiencing a heat wave (kind of rare for the Chicago area). Not only is it cooler at night, but in this area of the country the wind usually dies down after dark, which makes for a lot more enjoyable ride (they don’t call Chicago “the Windy City” for nothing).
Shonnie
August 17, 2012 at 1:22 PM
Those are totally cool gonna get some of them.
All Seasons Cyclist
August 17, 2012 at 4:22 PM
You will not regret it! Even if you never ride at night you can use the other side to “dress up” your bike a bit — or give it a new attitude.
Shonnie
August 25, 2012 at 6:24 PM
I ride at night all the time. My favorite time to ride. Too hot here in the deep south for me to ride long in the daylight until winter.
Chuck Huss
August 17, 2012 at 5:44 PM
Another great idea. Will need them when winter comes and I am riding home in the dark.
All Seasons Cyclist
August 17, 2012 at 5:47 PM
They could easily save your life. I’ve used them for over a year and really like them.
tracye1
August 18, 2012 at 3:41 PM
GREAT idea! Am Bookmarking this for my husband when the time changes in the fall! Thanks!
All Seasons Cyclist
August 18, 2012 at 9:21 PM
I am sure he will like them — and you will feel a lot better knowing that he is more visible on the road.
kelli
August 19, 2012 at 8:33 PM
These are like a PT Belt ( a military reflective belt generally mocked by military members but super useful when jogging on a dark base) for your bike. Will definitely look into a set so I don’t get run over by tourists when I bike to work this fall.
All Seasons Cyclist
August 19, 2012 at 8:39 PM
These do look and act like a PT Belt, but they don’t weigh as much (and you won’t be in the company of 100 other people wearing the same thing).
The Landy
August 21, 2012 at 5:57 PM
It looks like a very sensible addition to the bike kit! Thanks…
All Seasons Cyclist
August 21, 2012 at 5:59 PM
Sensible and inexpensive — what a great combination!
Kenny
August 23, 2012 at 4:02 PM
Killer blog! Now that I’ve found it, my bank account is going to suffer (because I want all the gear you’re puttin out there), but great stuff.
All Seasons Cyclist
August 23, 2012 at 4:55 PM
Kenny, thanks for the comment! Life is too short to ride with bad cycling gear (I don’t drink, smoke or gamble — so my wife actually thinks the money I spend on cycling gear is money well spent).
fotological
August 25, 2012 at 8:30 AM
oh gorgeous!
evillerider
August 26, 2012 at 10:35 AM
These are sweet! I’m going to have to make myself something like this!
All Seasons Cyclist
August 26, 2012 at 2:45 PM
I am sure you can make something that will work — not sure if you can make it as easy to use (unless you are REALLY goof with an industrial sewing machine).
Sanctified Brother
September 3, 2012 at 9:14 AM
That’s an interesting product! I live in NYC and there’s been a bicycle explosion here. Bike lanes are everywhere, however that doesn’t stop accidents. I haven’t seen anyone using these yet and I think it would save many lives if used. Many drivers use high beams here unnecessarily so it should really illuminate the cyclists at night.
All Seasons Cyclist
September 3, 2012 at 10:10 PM
Traffic in Chicago is bad enough,I can’t imagine how bad it must be in NYC! Ride safely!
Sanctified Brother
September 3, 2012 at 11:11 PM
NYC is a mad house! I’m not riding yet, looking to get on the road sometime next year. Thanks for the admonition!
Soozie Bea
December 3, 2012 at 8:52 PM
Reblogged this on Alt Route Clothing and commented:
A temporary way to make your bike disco disco, without wrecking the paint and pretty work!
kruzmeister
April 15, 2013 at 3:28 AM
Wow these look sensational and have just made their way to my wishlist. Thanks so much for the post, I live in the country and although there is not a lot of traffic in the early mornings, there is the occasional truck that passes on the main highway, so these will be excellent! Thank you again, I love your blog! – Simone