My KS18XL Trials, Tribulations, and Failures

[RockyTop]

  As a person that does a lot of night driving . I have always been amazed at how much quicker  reflectors catch my eyes than a flash light pointed straight at me. The reflectors tend to catch the light and reflect it back at all angles while the flash light is cancelled out by the cars headlights. 

[houseofjob]

Just now, Unventor said:

Ooh that is that F-something 😉

I really like that backpack of your.

, thanks!

I have no clue why there isn't more multi-function category clothing being made completely out of this stuff, similar to the Proviz Cycling gear!

I'm currently contemplating making a DIY fitted Worker cap/hat out of this black 3M reflective fabric because I cannot find one to buy 

 

 

[Jon Stern]

6 hours ago, meepmeepmayer said:

How about a small infrared laser scanning the terrain ahead, estimating the slope?

Or some kind of low-res photosensor checking the light's shape on the ground and adjusting.

Or some machine learning algorithm following the power/speed/current/etc numbers and guessing at the slope.

Or just a light on your helmet. Might work, but it's too easy

I've been wondering about a structured light system myself. A projected grid of dots can be used to map the ground, like the Microsoft Kinect 1 did.

Such a system could also detect potholes and bumps, although what the correct response should be (auto brake?), I’m not sure.

[Jon Stern]

3 hours ago, meepmeepmayer said:

Do they not have cars and motor scooters in China at which they can have a look to see what lights are supposed to be?

Electric motor scooters are incredibly popular in China, and almost no one rides with their lights on at night.

My understanding is they say they can see well enough by the street lights. They're completely oblivious to the fact that the lights are as much for being seen by cars as they are to see by!

[meepmeepmayer]

10 minutes ago, Jon Stern said:

I've been wondering about a structured light system myself. A projected grid of dots can be used to map the ground, like the Microsoft Kinect 1 did.

Such a system could also detect potholes and bumps, although what the correct response should be (auto brake?), I’m not sure.

Good idea with the dots (or any other shape). Measure the distortion and you get a rough idea how the plane of riding is tilted. It could be very rudimentary, it doesn't have to do much, after all.

Pothole detector makes less sense, though, you'd need a much much much more sensitive and far ahead looking system. Also, what is it supposed to do when it sees (or rather, some quality GW or KS algorithm thinks it sees) a pothole? It can't brake/tiltback or it would drive every rider crazy. Maybe shine some marking red lasers at it! Would look cool, a wheel scanning/buzzing/zapping all the potholes while driving by

--

In theory, a good enough acceleration sensor should be all that is needed. The wheel would know what direction it is moving, inertial navigation style, and if that direction has a steady upward or downward component, simply adjust the lights. Basically it would always point the lights where it is going if you extrapolate the current path. Could also be used for curve lights like cars have (shine to the side if you turn the steering wheel).

[meepmeepmayer]

40 minutes ago, RockyTop said:

As a person that does a lot of night driving . I have always been amazed at how much quicker  reflectors catch my eyes than a flash light pointed straight at me. The reflectors tend to catch the light and reflect it back at all angles while the flash light is cancelled out by the cars headlights. 

A light makes it hard for your eyes to find its position or movement. Like for a deer in the headlight. Meanwhile, a big area, highly visible, moving 3-dimensional shape - that's what your eyes are built to pick up and assess.

I learned of these all reflective jackets last year, and they are great. Hard to not be seen.

[Afeez Kay]

1 hour ago, Unventor said:

Ooh that is that F-something 😉

I really like that backpack of your.

Fahie 

[Marcglider]

21 minutes ago, meepmeepmayer said:

A light makes it hard for your eyes to find its position or movement. Like for a deer in the headlight. Meanwhile, a big area, highly visible, moving 3-dimensional shape - that's what your eyes are built to pick up and assess.

I learned of these all reflective jackets last year, and they are great. Hard to not be seen.

I agree with the reflective wear, I almost bought one of those jackets on Aliexpress, they are only like $20... that being said, I am more concerned with my seeing small holes and objects in the road. Marty had is "incident" in broad daylight with bad repercussions, those kind of hazards are more of an issue at night... unless you slow down to about 5 mph which is not my nature, having enough light and focused in the direction you are going in is as important if not more than being seen... just my opinion

[Unventor]

1 hour ago, houseofjob said:

Really? Even my Herschel Limited all-3M-reflective backpack? 

 

Darn you @houseofjob 😉😎

You inspired me to spend more money now...just like @Marty Backe did when I got my first EUC.

Bought new gloves earlier today. About 35€/40$ or 399sek. They are thin but good windbreakers and smartphone friendly.

C5 GWS Windstopper glove 18

And now I added a backpack for about 75-80 €.

https://www.provizsports.com/en-gb/reflect360-cycling-backpack.html

Hehe @Marty Backe I am going to out-gear you..in green goblin theme 😁😎🤢 sorry for slightly side- tracking your review thread.

Ahh I see you updated your reflective info post @houseofjob I almost ordered the med outdoor jacket too at deal price listed for 157$.

Edited December 28, 2018 by Unventor

[Unventor]

4 minutes ago, Marcglider said:

I agree with the reflective wear, I almost bought one of those jackets on Aliexpress, they are only like $20... that being said, I am more concerned with my seeing small holes and objects in the road. Marty had is "incident" in broad daylight with bad repercussions, those kind of hazards are more of an issue at night... unless you slow down to about 5 mph which is not my nature, having enough light and focused in the direction you are going in is as important if not more than being seen... just my opinion

I just got a backpack as you can see. They have jackets too and other items. See the link I posted just after the one quoted here. They seem to have quality items, not cheap scrap.

[Marty Backe]

25 minutes ago, Unventor said:

Darn you @houseofjob 😉😎

You inspired me to spend more money now...just like @Marty Backe did when I got my first EUC.

Bought new gloves earlier today. About 35€/40$ or 399sek. They are thin but good windbreakers and smartphone friendly.

C5 GWS Windstopper glove 18

 

And now I added a backpack for about 75-80 €.

https://www.provizsports.com/en-gb/reflect360-cycling-backpack.html

Hehe @Marty Backe I am going to out-gear you..in green goblin theme 😁😎🤢 sorry for slightly side- tracking your review thread.

Regardless of how anybody looks, I think it's a great thing for people to be gearing up more. The focus of my photographs will be highlighting protective gear, and maybe that'll have an overall positive effect.

We will all fall, badly, eventually. It's best to minimize any subsequent injuries.

Edited December 28, 2018 by Marty Backe

[LanghamP]

2 hours ago, houseofjob said:

Really? Even my Herschel Limited all-3M-reflective backpack? 

 

I need that backpack.

Unfortunately that backpack also wouldn't work where the automobile headlight is the sole source of illumination although it looks absolutely fantastic in the city.

You can confirm that backpack would not work by simply having a car drive behind you in a dark area and then seeing if the driver can see you.

[houseofjob]

21 minutes ago, LanghamP said:

I need that backpack.

 

21 minutes ago, LanghamP said:

Unfortunately that backpack also wouldn't work where the automobile headlight is the sole source of illumination although it looks absolutely fantastic in the city.

You can confirm that backpack would not work by simply having a car drive behind you in a dark area and then seeing if the driver can see you.

Challenge accepted!

True to a degree, but as soon as car lights hit the 3M reflective material head-on, it's really hard to miss.... and thankfully, this country requires motorists to have headlights on at night, not to mention cars with DRL.

 

Edited December 28, 2018 by houseofjob

[RoadRunner]

I think thats pretty cool. People infront of you can see you before you pass them.

Just need one wit a unicycle. 

And for the back

[LanghamP]

1 hour ago, houseofjob said:

 

Challenge accepted!

True to a degree, but as soon as car lights hit the 3M reflective material head-on, it's really hard to miss.... and thankfully, this country requires motorists to have headlights on at night, not to mention cars with DRL.

 

What if the light is aimed at the waist or below? Would car headlights still light it up?

The reason I ask is the backpack is quite large and might be light up even when not directly illuminated. I would guess the backpack would be highly visible in an urban area.

[houseofjob]

3 minutes ago, LanghamP said:

What if the light is aimed at the waist or below? Would car headlights still light it up?

The reason I ask is the backpack is quite large and might be light up even when not directly illuminated. I would guess the backpack would be highly visible in an urban area.

Clearly, the solution is an all-reflective material onesy!

 

 

[LanghamP]

6 minutes ago, houseofjob said:

Clearly, the solution is an all-reflective material onesy!

 

 

This study seems to show wearing something like your backpack reduces drivers ramming you between 47 to 60 %.

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0925753517313528

However, as the authors correctly pointed out (scroll about halfway down), the safety effectiveness is much less than what they state due to several factors they document, and indeed there's other studies out there that see no difference in accident rates. 

Mind you, this is with the Danes that are used to seeing bicycles; for us Americans who are not used to seeing bicycles, who are drunk or tired, we may drive into bicyclists when we see them due to the natural tendency of predators to align their bodies with the direction their stereo eyes fixate. We steer where we look.

It'd help if cars were painted in neon green and yellow and distractions such as radios weren't allowed inside them.

[Lutalo]

On 12/26/2018 at 11:12 PM, Marty Backe said:

 

I'd step the heck out of the path if I saw Robocop coming my way 👍

[RockyTop]

As the Aussie  NonStopNeal  says "We need more psychopaths."    I think he means cycle paths.

[Marty Backe]

10 minutes ago, RockyTop said:

As the Aussie  NonStopNeal  says "We need more psychopaths."    I think he means cycle paths.

[travsformation]

9 hours ago, Lutalo said:

I'd step the heck out of the path if I saw Robocop coming my way 👍

I was thinking more in the lines of one of the Horsemen ("riders", in this case) of the Apocalypse 

[Unventor]

14 hours ago, RockyTop said:

  As a person that does a lot of night driving . I have always been amazed at how much quicker  reflectors catch my eyes than a flash light pointed straight at me. The reflectors tend to catch the light and reflect it back at all angles while the flash light is cancelled out by the cars headlights. 

I can add that for reflectors to reach max effect, they need to be on moving parts or able to move.

This way they keep catching the brains attention as we are designed by nature to block out static targets from our vision and prioritize moving objects or animals.

Now the backpack I ordered yesterday is unlikely to move a lot, but by being 360 degree reflective it will almost have the same effect. 

But in general glowes, wrists, shoes, caps are the best body parts to have reflectors on. It is easy to no takes this into account as wearet, since you can't see the effect as easy as other people in traffic see you.

As of respect of @Marty Backe review thread I created a reflective gear wearable in a new thread in safety gear section. As this seems a good debate topic.

Againg I like to thank @Marty Backe to inspire to this due to his new Euc-hero-man superhero outfit and him raising the bright light headlamp in the review.

And of course @houseofjob for add fuel to my search words og google 😉😎

Check out the topic here:

 

Edited December 29, 2018 by Unventor

[Unventor]

On 12/27/2018 at 5:12 AM, Marty Backe said:

 

Hehe just a thought, you need to get one of them new Gotway new mintos wheels, in limited Marty-black.

Then set the disco lights to all red shifting from bright to unlit. Then playing Nightrider theme out on speakers 😎😁 with you kit-display on you forearm. And GPS turn by turn readout set to max volume.

I promised you will get an reaction that is PRICELESS. 😆

Edited December 29, 2018 by Unventor

[travsformation]

On 12/27/2018 at 10:18 AM, Marty Backe said:

Bright Light!

I had an opportunity to use the headlamp in total darkness tonight. I'm very impressed. I think this may be the best light of any current EUC. [...] Extremely bright with a great distribution pattern

@Marty Backe & @Seba Would you say it's good enough for night rides in complete darkness, without the need for an extra light (bike light or head lamp)? I'm talking about the rider's visibility of the road in front of him, not about being seen. How far does it reach? Would you feel comfortable riding at your normal day-time cruising speed, in complete darkness, with only the XL's stock light, in terms of seeing far enough ahead of you to see a pothole and, relative to speed, have enough time to react? (With my V8's stock light, I'd say the safe complete darkness cruising speed about 15 km/h max.)   

Or would you recommend an extra (bicycle) light for night riding?

Edited December 29, 2018 by travsformation

[Seba]

55 minutes ago, travsformation said:

@Marty Backe & @Seba Would you say it's good enough for night rides in complete darkness, without the need for an extra light (bike light or head lamp)? I'm talking about the rider's visibility of the road in front of him, not about being seen. How far does it reach? Would you feel comfortable riding at your normal day-time cruising speed, in complete darkness, with only the XL's stock light, in terms of seeing far enough ahead of you to see a pothole and, relative to speed, have enough time to react? (With my V8's stock light, I'd say the safe complete darkness cruising speed about 15 km/h max.)   

Or would you recommend an extra (bicycle) light for night riding?

KS-18L/XL light may be the only light to ride in total darkness. However, every EUC headlight has some limitations as we discussed it earlier (an I've discussed it in details on my blog: https://najednymkole.pl/en/headlight-in-unicycle/). This is why I always carry a small flashlight that I can use to augment EUC light or just use it alone, switching EUC headlight off. I can assure you that for now there is no EUC with a headlamp that can be used alone. L/XL is one of the best I've seen. As @Marty Backe wrote light beam is very bright and well shaped.

I remember this late autumn that I've been riding a bikepath and was going uphill. My unicycle headlight put just a big spot about a meter or two ahead of me, but anything more distant was completely dark. And suddenly I saw wild boar about three meters ahead. Big, fat, wild boar in the city! I shouted "Go the f*ck away!" and when he saw me he ran away, but my heart was beating like a hammer. After this adventure I bought a hand flashlight.