what to use as a flag mast?

[Blade]

Mrs.Blade, upon seeing my project recumbent built up, said, 'you're going to die'.

She 'suggests' that a mast and flag would make the bike more visible and therefore safer

What do those of you who have flags on your recumbents use for masts?

My initial, cheap and quick idea, is either a piece of bamboo stick or an old piece of 15mm copper piping. Both of which I already have.

[rower40]

I went to Bikefix in That London and bought, erm, a flag mast.  £3.50 ISTR.

Riding back to the station, I cradled the flag mast in the crook of my arm like a medieval jouster (onna Brommie) and was able to extend my presence on the road in a forward direction by some 5 feet.

The Velotechnik Grasshopper that it is now used on is so German that the rear rack even has a little welded tube into which the flag mast fits perfectly.

[Wendy]

My flag mast is made of LOGIC

[chris]

Decathlon do lengths of carbon/glass tubing.

[clarion]

So do most model shops.

[Auntie Helen]

I bought a couple of flags off ebay some time ago for about £15 each. The join in the middle tends to snap so we've heath-robinsoned some bits of pipe.

Someone did say that a kite shop would probably have flagpole bits. Mine is getting quite worn where it rubs against the mount on the Trice.

[redshift]

The flagpole on Speedy is made from a solid fibreglass rod, about 6mm diameter, so kite supplies would do for that.

I'd always been in two minds about flags.  Generally speaking, recumbents have much more of an 'ooh' factor than upright bikes, so people tend to 'see' them more anyway - i.e. they actually look, and they take some notice. 

However, for riding in the morning commute, or for those days I finish at a time that takes me home in heavy traffic, I've found a certain added 'bigness' generated by a streamer.  Not a flag mind.  The original yellow flag had no such effect, but the 1m red/orange/yellow streamer I made up seems to grab people's attention.

Of course, for high days and events, Speedy is mostly wearing a proper Skull'n'crossbones. 

[recumbentpanda]

Millets: Spare tent rods: Pack of six with metal joints, elastic cord and threading tool. The rods have a kind of diamond glassfibre string pattern and seem very strong. Kite rod is quite brittle in my experience and too easily snapped by overhead obstructions.

I use two rods, held to a seat-stay with hair-elastics (ever noticed this free supply of miniature bungies? -any bit of pavement where females stand and chat usually has half a dozen lying about!)

As the two poles are held together with the internal elastic cord, when I want to reduce drag, I just unhitch the top one and fold it down, holding it in place with another hair-tie loop. As well as a reflective flag, top foot of the pole has reflective tape wound around -looks like a light-sabre at night!

Only one slight worry -I have a morbid imagination and sometimes worry some malicious motor-passenger might lean out and grab the flag -elastic stretches, rips flagpole out of person's hand, flagpole then whangs back and hits me in the face -I am working on incorporating a failsafe section in the elastic so that they get to keep the flag, but the elastic whangs back on them . . . told you I was morbid.

Regards

The Recumbent Panda

[arvid]

[andygates]

Shiny

I use kite spine, which is available from any kite shop.  My holders are a bit of 6mm tube (B&Q) cut, crimped at the bottom and million ziptied on.  Poles can be carbon or glass; use solid not hollow, as hollow crushes too easily.  The 6mm pole fits perfectly.

[Cunobelin]

The glass fibre rods are fine, but IME the carbon fibre (with a central bore) splinter after a few days.

[Quint]

  Excellent, looks like a Sand Yacht, I have a standard ICE pole with a (black and white) Breton Flag grafted on, the mere movement catches peoples eye although I have forgotten it on occasions and people still seem to see me, handy for the car behind the car behind you (if you get me  )

[recumbentpanda]

I find most noticeable advantage of a flag is when approaching junctions on heavily parked-up roads. Oncoming drivers seem to notice the flag and slow down more, and seem less surpassed to meet me when we finally make eye-contact.

doesn't seem to discourage close overtakes though . . . 

[Quint]

We have the opposite, even on the narrow country roads near where we live people on overtaking go amazingly wide, near overtakes are gratifyingly rare, there again I do ride with my nearside front wheel outside of any yellow lines thus making myself more in peoples eye sight line

[robD]

Amazon do one that's quite cheap - comes with an England flag on the end of it so it might be even cheaper now.

England World Cup Flag on 5 foot pole for mounting on Bikes, Trailers and Tagalongs etc: Amazon.co.uk: Sports & Leisure

[Quint]

Tis sad, did you see the English fans dressed in Crusaders gear (Mediterranean Tour) and the others in RAF stuff (European Tour (second round))