Being Visible - Flags

[Deborajen]

The other day I was driving to work and saw a man riding on the sidewalk by the road. In this particular area, it's easy for pedestrians and cyclists to blend into the background but this particular guy was riding a bike with a pair of panniers. Each pannier had a small American flag, maybe to 6 to 8 inches long, on a pole sticking up maybe a couple feet. You wouldn't believe how much those stood out. You could see him from quite a ways back.

Not a bad idea!

[Biciclista]

hmm. Bears thinking about. Even just one flag. We used to have little ones on our tandem, one Italian and one American but they didn't stick up very high.

[TsPoet]

In the bent world, flags are more common. there are some cool companies that make really neet (not too nerdy?) flags. This company has a great rep and some cool options.
http://www.purpleskyflags.com/

[hebe]

I've seen them here, on recumbents and especially on bikes towing trailers. They do seem to improve visibility.

[bmccasland]

Seems like I had one on my bike back when I was in high school - a blaze orange flag on a fiberglass whip pole about 5 feet high. This would have been back in the mid 70's. I lived on a military base at the time, and my Dad was "Chief of Safety," so I don't remember if it was a general nationwide bike safety thing, or something that the military "highly recommended" for residents of the bases. But I did ride my bike everywhere, except to school.

[OakLeaf]

I keep threatening to mount a flag crossways on my seatpost, with a flagpole three feet long to the left. :cool:

[Geonz]

I keep threatening to mount a flag crossways on my seatpost, with a flagpole three feet long to the left. :cool:

http://www.flashback.ca/flashflags.html

You can go a foot and a half -- and my experience is that cars give me a lot more room and often don't even go around on overpasses. They're well designed -- bendable so they don't break if you park too close to something, an dhave a little plastic hook so you can tuck the little guy out of the way. I bought three, and within a week had sold two out of the back of my Xtracycle (and the "Universal clamp" is what you want for an Xtracycle).

[OakLeaf]

Well. Hm.

How is the wind drag? Is it very noticeable?

[Trek420]

Ordered some from this company recently; great service, fast shipping, all sorts of flags and .... made in the US of A:

http://www.madeinusaflags.com/index.html