Month: March 2017

Police recommends luminous clothing

Pedestrians and cyclists in safety vest to be more visible in the dark season.

 

Franz-Josef knows how the fashion of the average citizen is changing over the seasons. “With the beginning of the dark season the clothing of the people is dark,” said the chief inspector. The sometimes have fatal consequences: pedestrians and cyclists are more difficult for drivers to recognize the risk of accidents increases. From November to January, more children have accidents in the period of 7 to 8 am on the way to school. Together with his colleague, Police Chief Commissioner Daniela, builder yesterday called customer of the hit on the market the problem into consciousness and gave tips on how everyone can improve its safety through improved visibility.

 

No one, therefore, must necessarily walk around with a waistcoat in the darkness, as the officials made clear. Usually ranged effective accessories, said Baume, pointing in this context reflective folding bands that you attach a handle to the arm and can just as easily put. “This is something you can get for little money in discount stores, hardware stores or bike shops”, informed the official. Also reflective vest is available in many stores.

 

How dangerous dark things in autumn and winter can be made, the police in discussions or by folder with an example: motorists who are traveling with Tempo 50, see a dark-dressed passer-by who crosses the road, only about 25 meters, the stopping distance would be in this case, but 28 meters long. The pedestrian would be recognized by the car – at a rate of still about 21 kilometers per hour. A person with reflective clothing contrast visible from about 125 meters away.

 

The information available has been well received by the citizens, builders reported. Some had also made himself acquainted with other topics – such as protection against burglars and regulatory matters.

Be an illuminant with in reflective vest

“At the driver more space than the frame or on the running wheels is” noted on Friday a reader to post “Everything Is Illuminated” and referred to the high visibility vests, available at the hardware store. He is absolutely right. In autumn and winter there are the cyclists in their own hands, to illuminate her silhouette in the dark in any form. This protects them and allows motorists often only to recognize them at all early.

 

Children get to school enrollment by the school or the German Traffic yellow vests or V-shaped luminous collar, they can coat the morning in the dark season. Your charisma is immense. And adults who are sporty machine often resort to neon-reflective vests. Depending on what date you drive, but the safety vest is not necessarily the garment of choice.

 

This is now but no longer a problem. The fashion industry has noticed that more and more people with the wheel are traveling, and has responded. Since two or three years, is slowly improving, but continuously quote for daily commuters. There are beautiful bike fashions that are functional clothing, but not out as such. The Jean producer has manufactured for the first time in 1895 Bike Pants. The trick is: The jackets and pants are not only breathable, but also equipped with reflectors, which can fold out when driving the back or that appear when you roll up the trouser leg. Commuters who cover long distances, the reflectors are not sufficient often. You access to sport jackets with reflectors on the arms and back. Some manufacturers equip their cycling jackets even with small LED light strip, such as here. Wolfgang Lingered has developed with the Institute for Reliability and Micro-integration high-tech jacket.

 

In the tissue red and white LEDs are integrated in the shoulder and back area. The lights are linked to the movements of the cyclist. They are controlled by means of a microelectronic system, sensors and control elements as well as switches and battery integrated into the jacket. The circuit board is flexible and resistant according to Institute to moisture. You could even be washed in the washing machine, they say. In last year Wolfgang Lingered received for Sporty Superheroes the Red Dot Design Award. Lingered wants to sell the reflective jacket via a crowd funding campaign early next year, by mid-year there will be the jacket also in stores.

 

Significantly cheaper and also very practical are reflective arm and leg warmers. They Evarts simply coat sleeve or pant leg. Which are much smaller driver bands – the modern form of trouser clip? They are made of Boot supervening, truck tarpaulin, or giant cinema posters that hung at international film festivals on facades. They are wider than the classic trouser belts and have a Velcro which holds really well. For better visibility, a relatively large reflective stripe delivers. And who needs a bag, can now rely on models that reflect also. A model has been here on the blog presented.

5 tips for biking in winter with safety

Anyone traveling on snow and ice with the wheel, which come to meet the producers: More and more winter tires are sold for bicycles. Experts clarify whether this purchase is worthwhile and what is there to consider when snow still rides. Winter riding is cold and dangerous, driver always wear safety vest and warm clothing to keep safe.

 

  1. Maintenance

Cold, moisture and road salt to make the bicycle art to provide – and the model is still so robust. The bike expert Ulf Hoffmann from the Sifting Ware test recommends in the book “The Bicycle Book”, the Bowden cables to lubricate well with thin oil or Teflon grease so that brake circuit and not be stiff. Greased includes screws and levers as well as the bicycle lock, so they do not freeze up in frosty temperatures. Little help there, however, if the chain slips. This can happen quite quickly in slush when ice is between the cracks. Therefore, the General German Bicycle Club recommends that before each trip to check brakes and light, the wheel more often to clean – especially the chain, which must then be oiled again afterwards.

 

  1. Winter tires

An obligation for snow tires for bicycles, there is not, it means the ADFC. But more and more cyclists equip volunteer to: “The proportion of winter tires for cyclists has increased,” said the spokesman of the manufacturer Continental, Klaus Engelhard. Most of the commercial models have a special lug pattern that grips well in the snow, with ice and snow, but offers little friction. For driving on packed snow and ice advises retailers to tires with spikes – with small pins made of metal or carbide.

 

  1. Traffic Regulations

The risk of falling in winter trips by bike is particularly high. But damages to fallen cyclists only be expected if the municipality has neglected its winter service, cited the legal expert of the ADFC, Roland chicken, from a judgment. Bike paths need only be cleared or sprinkled if they are considered important traffic. Or it is a dangerous section of road, slow experience has shown that the cyclist, dodge or change its direction of travel. For road mouths of law expert warns chicken Caution: Do not fall automatically into this category. A judgment of the Federal Administrative Court states also: If a bike path not scattered or free of ice and snow, the road, however, already, the cyclists must also street dodge.

 

  1. Clothing

The optimal outerwear for cyclists who are traveling even at freezing temperatures, should be loud ADFC “be thin and breathable, windproof and water-repellent”. Ulf Hoffmann, the onion principle advises: “. If possible, draw several layers one above the other,” He keeps fleece clothing for the best solution. In addition, there are shorts that will protect against the legs and shins by water- and windproof material from cooling down.

 

Be seen mainly: When choosing the clothes the rule applies. “Therefore necessarily reflective clothing or a reflective vest attract” advises Hoffmann. “The gloves should be provided with reflectors.” So in the dark hands are better perceived before turning. Thus, the head stays warm and dry, advises Hoffmann on the helmet or seal open face with tape.

 

  1. Light

At present, the sun rises shortly after 8am on and about 17 pm under. People who drive to commute to work by bicycle; it therefore should do well lit. The Hoffmann Foundation holds a hub dynamo for the first choice: No loading, no battery change.

Dynamo headlamps are commonly referred to as reliability, low maintenance, and as always ready for use. Even if the cyclist must stop at a traffic light, the lamp remains lit thanks light function. The Sifting Ware test recommends paying attention to additional functions: To offer some lamps, a special daytime running lights or a USB port, can be supplied with power via the while driving Smartphone or Navies.

 

The advantage of the battery and battery headlamps is that they offer strong light in the state permanently evenly. However, the batteries must be recharged periodically – either via a USB port or power plug. Nevertheless Hoffmann recommended using battery-powered LED lights with reflective material next to the Dynamo: “They provide an extra margin of safety.”