Mavic Aksium REFLECTORS

TerryU said:

And, I imagine every state has a law which requires reflectors on the wheels. If anyone knows where to get the appropriate reflectors, please let us know.

Many states say that bicycles must be sold with wheel reflectors (and sprocket guards and front and rear reflectors) but you don't have to keep them on your bike once you leave the store.

TerryU said:

I looked around for the cheapest Mavic wheel set and have had the Aksium for about a month. With the flat spokes, front and rear, the ride seems harsher than the old CPX model with round spokes. Anyway, I'm looking for reflectors for the wheels. Montana state law says front needs clear or amber and rear needs amber or red reflectors. Since there are different sets of spokes, less in front; more in rear, I have been told that only clear reflectors are available but finding them is near impossible.

As a matter of fact, I didn't see any picture of the Aksium while I was on the internet looking around which had the word "race" in them. Was I surprised!

And, I imagine every state has a law which requires reflectors on the wheels.
If anyone knows where to get the appropriate reflectors, please let us know.

In my state, you only need reflectors if you ride at night. You might check on that.

gfspencer said:

Many states say that bicycles must be sold with wheel reflectors (and sprocket guards and front and rear reflectors) but you don't have to keep them on your bike once you leave the store.

True, but who knows today whether or not circumstances would require you to bike in the dark in Montana? Montana law also says you have to have a clear reflector in the front; red in the rear; a light front and back visible for 500'. And who has ever turned their headlight on and paced 500' to see if it complies with generally accepted state laws.

I'm coming from the mouth of the Columbia River and I have no idea what kind of cops patrol in Montana or what the fines are.

TerryU said:

True, but who knows today whether or not circumstances would require you to bike in the dark in Montana? Montana law also says you have to have a clear reflector in the front; red in the rear; a light front and back visible for 500'. And who has ever turned their headlight on and paced 500' to see if it complies with generally accepted state laws.

I'm coming from the mouth of the Columbia River and I have no idea what kind of cops patrol in Montana or what the fines are.

Back to your original question (my response above is not helpful, sorry). I might be mistaken, but the spoke reflectors that come with the bikes I've purchased, I THINK, would work on the flat Aksium spokes (I also have Aksium wheels). Have you tried them?

Something I thought of as I was tinkering with my bikes last night: I do know that the spoke magnet for my bike computers works with the flat spokes. If you're in a pinch, you could buy extra spoke magnets (cheap) for your front and rear wheels and epoxy a reflector onto that. I would think that a good, strong epoxy, properly applied, clamped, etc, would hold a light plastic reflector onto a wheel. If you're in doubt, you could use two spoke magnets for each reflector. The question would then be - would they interfere with your computer magnet pickup that you have strapped to the fork? Maybe not if they're on the opposite side of the wheel.

Some other ideas:

Do they make road tires with reflective side walls? I recently bought some street-use MTB size tires with reflective side walls.

Could you glue some thin reflective material to several places on the tire side wall (not the rim, the tire)? 3M makes a variety of colors of reflective tapes for industrial vehicle use and I have no doubt you could figure out a way to stick or glue hem to the sidewalls without upsetting the balance of function of the wheel. The stuff I'm thinking of is very thin tape type material and once stuck, is very tenacious if not permanent. A few smallish pieces distributed evenly around the wheel would give you the square inches and visibility you need, especially when the wheel is turning and the pieces would blend into a round reflective appearance. Check out a "safety supply" type store for this stuff or yahoo "reflective tape".

Yes, the flat spoke does allow one to attach the magnet with more assurance than on a round spoke. However, the crux of the problem is that the French are marketing wheels without readily available reflectors which is probably against the law unless these wheels are supposed to be used only on a velodrome track. Thanks for the ideas but I want somebody at Mavic to reply and tell me where I can get the appropriate reflectors. Their website has no information. Or one of Mavics' dealers can advise us where the reflectors are.

TerryU said:

Yes, the flat spoke does allow one to attach the magnet with more assurance than on a round spoke. However, the crux of the problem is that the French are marketing wheels without readily available reflectors which is probably against the law unless these wheels are supposed to be used only on a velodrome track. Thanks for the ideas but I want somebody at Mavic to reply and tell me where I can get the appropriate reflectors. Their website has no information. Or one of Mavics' dealers can advise us where the reflectors are.

Oh, heck. That clears everything up: it's a French problem, eh? Of course. It must be, right?

Christ.

Maybe people that can't figure out how to put reflectors on their bikes shouldn't be allowed to ride bikes. It's not freaking rocket science, and if you'd read carefully, you'd have seen that others have already posted answers/solutions that would work better than stupid reflectors. In fact, in the back of bike magazines (gee, there's a thought.....)there's often an ad for some folks that sell that reflective tape that goes on rims....and that is much more visible than your sweet reflectors. What's more, since the tape will be laid over the rim cross section, it'll end up having an overall larger acceptance angle than the el cheapo, worthless reflectors that come stock on good ol' God-blessed, marketed legally for the righteous ol' USofA [censored] wheels.