Riding over road reflectors?

[tgrrdr]

Not the little bit dota, but some of the reflectors feel like I'm hitting big potholes.

The reflectors are only like 3/4" tall and have sloped sides. It's very hard for me to believe they'd damage your tires. The non-reflective dots are going away on freeways as lane lines - they're no longer standard and as roads are repaved they will not be replaced. On some local freeways they were mostly removed a couple years ago when they installed new, wider lane lines.

 

[dravnx]

Last time I was on there I noticed they'd repaved a few sections.

But not many!

Trinity is not so bad. Coleman Valley, Bay Hill, Geysers, Pine Flat, Sonoma Mountain are all worse. All are in my regular rotation.

 

[N4teTheGreat]

Yep, plenty of stuff out there that is far, far worse than reflective markers.

Similar experience, I was hustling along 580 one morning and not scanning ahead through traffic as well as I could have. Next thing I know I see someones glasspack rolling across my lane, within inches of my front tire. I'm sure that would have unceremoniously introduced me to the pavement had the tire contacted it.

Trinity is not so bad. Coleman Valley, Bay Hill, Geysers, Pine Flat, Sonoma Mountain are all worse. All are in my regular rotation.

I love those roads, add Marshall Petaluma Rd to the mix, always makes me laugh inside my helmet at least once each time I ride it.

 

[Enchanter]

Road reflectors, bots-dots, cat-eyes, can be problematic when you need the traction for braking or cornering (especially when wet). Avoid them day to day, everyday, every ride, and you won’t really have to ‘think’ about avoiding them when it is wet, splitting lanes, or cornering. It will be your habit to do so.

IIRC, there is a thread on BARF where someone crashed when they ran over one while braking hard to avoid a car when they were lane-splitting. Over 30 years ago I ran wide when cornering, hit one and lowsided. I also know of a rider that crashed when he hit a hard part of the motorcycle on at least one of them (a whole lot of lean angle).

Recap: Create the habit of avoiding them in normal conditions, and you’ll be more likely to avoid them in extreme situations.

 

[tzrider]

^^^ BTW, my earlier suggestion to deliberately ride over a few isn't meant to encourage you to seek them out in normal riding. It's a desensitization tactic. Once you see them as no big deal, you won't fixate on them and Enchanter's good advice above is a lot easier to follow.

 

[ZCrow]

Road reflectors, bots-dots, cat-eyes, can be problematic when you need the traction for braking or cornering (especially when wet). Avoid them day to day, everyday, every ride, and you won’t really have to ‘think’ about avoiding them when it is wet, splitting lanes, or cornering. It will be your habit to do so.

IIRC, there is a thread on BARF where someone crashed when they ran over one while braking hard to avoid a car when they were lane-splitting. Over 30 years ago I ran wide when cornering, hit one and lowsided. I also know of a rider that crashed when he hit a hard part of the motorcycle on at least one of them (a whole lot of lean angle).

Recap: Create the habit of avoiding them in normal conditions, and you’ll be more likely to avoid them in extreme situations.

^^ This all day and night. Otherwise they are just an annoyance. Well that and the extra wide road lines they painted for AI vehicles.

 

[ThinkFast]

Wasn't there a thread awhile back about a BARF guy who crashed and died due to hitting a piece of a broken Botts Dot on a group ride?

Bottom line: you've gotta always be mindful of the road surface. It's not a track, so from one day to the next anything is possible - diesel fuel, wet leaves, car batteries, extension ladders, kiddy pools, animals (alive and moving, or flat, dead and slippery as hell), furniture, mattresses - these are just some of the randomness I've seen myself, hit myself or know others who have hit while riding.

Botts Dots are an annoyance, but not to be trifled with while leaned over.

 

[tzrider]

There’s a big difference between riding over a reflector while upright (OP’s scenario) and cornering over one while leaned to the paint. There doesn’t seem to be any disagreement that the latter is a poor idea.

 

[ThinkFast]

Good point. OP just wanted to know whether the bumps would hurt the tires or shocks. Kinda got off topic with my reply.

 

[Starpower]

Ride over them at 47.5 mph exactly and your girlfriend will have a massive orgasm!