(a) Front, rear, and pedal reflectors. There shall be an essentially
colorless front-facing reflector, essentially colorless or amber pedal
reflectors, and a red rear-facing reflector.
(b) Side reflectors. There shall be retroreflective tire sidewalls or,
alternatively, reflectors mounted on the spokes of each wheel, or, for
non-caliper rim brake bicycles, retroreflective wheel rims. The center
of spoke-mounted reflectors shall be within 76 mm (3.0 in.) of the
inside of the rim. Side reflective devices shall be visible on each
side of the wheel.
(c) Front reflector. The reflector or mount shall not contact the
ground plane when the bicycle is resting on that plane in any
orientation. The optical axis of the reflector shall be directed
forward within 5° of the horizontal-vertical alignment of the bicycle
when the wheels are tracking in a straight line, as defined in
§1512.18(m)(2). The reflectors and/or mounts shall incorporate a
distinct, preferred assembly method that shall insure that the
reflector meets the optical requirements of this paragraph (c) when
the reflector is attached to the bicycle. The front reflector shall be
tested in accordance with the reflector mount and alignment test,
§1512.18(m).
(d) Rear reflector. The reflector or mount shall not contact the
ground plane when the bicycle is resting on that plane in any
orientation. The reflector shall be mounted such that it is to the
rear of the seat mast with the top of the reflector at least 76 mm
(3.0 in) below the point on the seat surface that is intersected by
the line of the seat post. The optical axis of the reflector shall be
directed rearward within 5° of the horizontal-vertical alignment of
the bicycle when the wheels are traveling in a straight line, as
defined in §1512.18(m)(2). The reflectors and/or mounts shall
incorporate a distinct, preferred assembly method that shall insure
that the reflector meets the optical requirements of this paragraph
(d) when the reflector is attached to the bicycle. The rear reflector
shall be tested in accordance with the reflector mount and alignment
test, §1512.18(m).
(e) Pedal reflectors. Each pedal shall have reflectors located on the
front and rear surfaces of the pedal. The reflector elements may be
either integral with the construction of the pedal or mechanically
attached, but shall be sufficiently recessed from the edge of the
pedal, or of the reflector housing, to prevent contact of the
reflector element with a flat surface placed in contact with the edge
of the pedal.
(f) Side reflectors. Reflectors affixed to the wheel spokes shall be
mounted either flat on the spokes or within the spoke cage such that
the angle between the optical axis and the normal to the plane of the
wheel shall not exceed the angle of the spokes with the plane of the
wheel. The reflectors shall not interfere with any wheel adjustments.
The side-mounted reflector devices shall be essentially colorless or
amber on the front wheel and essentially colorless or red on the rear
wheel.
(g) Reflector tests. The pedal, front-mount, rear-mount, and
side-mount reflectors shall be tested in accordance with the reflector
test, §1512.18(n), to assure the reflectance values over the angles
given in tables 1 and 2.
(h) Retroreflective tire sidewalls. When retroreflective tire
sidewalls are used in lieu of spoke-mounted reflectors, the reflecting
material shall meet the following requirements:
(1) The retroreflective material shall form a continuous circle on the
sidewall.
(2) The retroreflective material shall adhere to the tire such that
after the tire has been subjected to a temperature of 50° ±3 °C (122°
±5.4 °F) for 30 minutes, the retroreflective material cannot be peeled
or scraped away without removal of tire material.
(3) The retroreflective material shall be as resistant to abrasion as
is the adjacent sidewall material so that when retroreflective
material is removed from the inflated tire by abrasion with a wet,
steel bristle brush, tire material will be removed along with the
retroreflective material.
(4) The retroreflective material shall be tested for performance in
accordance with the retroreflective tire test, §1512.18(o), to assure
the reflectance properties over the angles given in table 3. When a
portion of the retroreflective material is selected (and the remainder
is masked as specified in §1512.18(o)(2)(i)), the selected portion
shall not contact the ground plane when the assembled bicycle is
resting on that plane in any orientation.
(i) Retroreflective rims. When retroreflective rims are used in lieu
of spoke-mounted reflectors or retroreflective tire sidewalls, the
reflecting material shall meet the following requirements:
(1) The retroreflective material shall form a continuous circle on the
rim.
(2) If the retroreflective material is applied to the rim in the form
of a self-adhesive tape, the following requirement must be met: Use a
sharp knife, razor blade, or similar instrument to carefully release
an end of the tape material sufficient to be grasped between the thumb
and finger. Grasp the freed tape end and gradually pull in a direction
90° to the plane of the rim. The tape material must break before
additional separation (peeling) from the rim is observed.
(3) After the retroreflective material is abraded in accordance with
the abrasion test for retroreflective rims at §1512.18(r), the rim
must then be tested for performance in accordance with the
retroreflective tire and rim test at §1512.18(o), to assure the
reflectance properties over the angles given in table 3.
[43 FR 60034, Dec. 22, 1978, as amended at 45 FR 82627, 82628, Dec.
16, 1980]
As Daniel Hicks and Punctual Emoticon note, the CPSC / Federal regulations are for bikes that are for sale. Each individual state has rules that govern bikes that are on the road. These should be separate answers.