when did they?????

[beatcad]

when did they(bike manufacturers) start putting reflectors on bikes?
yes i know reflectors were on rear fenders and racks in the 50s, but i'm talkin' about the other ones.
the ones on the pedals, spokes, and later even the stem.
i dont recall seeing them on pedals in the 50's even up to the mid 60's.
of course the answer would be approx. as i'm sure ALL manufacturs didnt decide to do it all at the same time.
(unless there was a nationwide law that they had to like was the law with cars and seatbelts. that was 1963)

a side note question..when did they start putting on those safety stickers that say to always wear a helmet and never ride at night. i know they were'nt on my bikes when i was a kid.
and are those there because they are mandated or just a CYA thing?


even if no one has a correct answer at least we can have a lively discussion.

 

[CCR]

71 is when schwinn started putting reflectors in pedals, i think somewhere around 74 is when the bicycle safety decals started to get applied to everyhting by the bicycle safety leagues to "regulate" the safety stuff and it got heavier from there. just a guess though.

 

[cashman]

Yea, about 1973 - 74 was when all the bikes started having safety reflectors. They had this sticker on the seat tube that said Approved by the Bicycle Manufacturers Industry Association or something to that effect on all most of them.

 

[Rustinkerer]

I've heard that the BMA/6 stickers started in 71, I'd expect reflectors were part of that program. -Adam

 

[Anonymous]

ok then what year did huffy start using reflective head badges???

i guessed prior to 70 but the bike has a BMA sticker on it!?!?!

 

[CCR]

ive ran across a huffy like that one before, i never bothered figuring out the exact year but mine had a plain non-reflective huffy headbadge decal but had reflective darts on the fork, i dont remember if it had a bma sticker on it though, the paint was sunbaked pretty bad. it was a middleweight bike so i just assumed it was a 60's bike.

ive also heard stories from more than 1 person saying the police departments used to put on bicycle rodeos but you had to put reflective decals on your bike in order to participate. i know ive ran across lots of reflective taped up bikes earlier than the 70s but who knows when it was put on. like getting a 50s model bike with an 70's bicycle tag on it :lol:

 

[Anonymous]

thanks CCR.
i have looked high and low and couldn't find any thing on it. no model name, date or even any pics of
the same kind of bike to reference what it is.

but the BMA sticker gives me hope on finding a model name and date.

 

[kingsting]

The "helmet/use lights when you ride at night" stickers are the result of a lawsuit filed against Derby (sp?) cycles back around 1993. If I remember correctly, a young man was hit by a Jeep while riding home from work after midnight. He claimed that he didn't know that he was in danger by riding his Nishiki at night in dark clothing with no lights and somehow was awarded a large sum of cash and the bicycle manufacturer was at fault. :x

The stickers started showing up around 1994.

I found this after a short Google search:

The facts of this accident were undisputed by investigating Police Officers and reputable Professional Engineers. A cyclist, Collin Johnson, was returning from work at 1:30 A.M. He was dressed in dark clothing and riding without a helmet or headlight. He was descending a hill at speeds in excess of 41 mph on the double yellow line. His bicycle struck the rear end of a jeep that turned in front of him. The jeep’s driver fled the accident scene. The cyclist was then hit by a second vehicle and dragged 135 feet. The second motor vehicle also left the scene of the accident. The cyclist survived hi injuries, but was terribly disfigured by the accident.

At the trial, John Forester opined that the reason the accident occurred was because the bike industry failed to provide the cyclist, Johnson, with a headlight. Forester’s garbled testimony is provided here to illustrate the damage that a totally unqualified individual can do in a courtroom. The Jury, after seeing Johnson’s injuries, awarded 8.3 million dollars to the Plaintiff. The Cycling Company, Derby, bore the brunt of the award, which was later reduced.

The entire commentary can be found here:
http://www.johnforester.com/Consult/GreenJM/green_comm.htm