Hi viz vests

secretsam

So the nights are closing in...

Need to get some visibility, tend to be a bit dark clothes-wise so want a hi viz vest as money and commute don't justify a nice Altura jacket like all the cool kids wear :roll:

Big question: is a dedicated bike hi-viz vest (£25) better than a cheap one from local hardware shop (£5) - eg fit, breathing, etc.

Ta

iainment

Yes

woodford2barbican

No

iainment

Really

whyamihere

My nice Altura jacket only cost me a bit under £30. This must be because I'm a true cool kid.

Link here

neillcp

Go to your local Army Surplus store - they have all the Hi-Viz you could want for a fraction of the price you'll pay in a bike shop.

Shadowduck

I wear one from Ikea (when I'm not wearing my super-cool Altura jacket), cost about 2 or 3 quid and it does the job just fine. The cycle-specific ones presumably have some advantages but I'm not convinced it's enough to justify the price difference.

redddraggon

I got a high vis vest from lidl for about £3. It's big enough for me to wear it over my rucksack and my 44inch chest, which should be good for the winter.

BentMikey

I don't wear hiviz at all, I reckon that I get fewer close passes when I'm wearing dark clothing. I might well wear hiviz if I had a fast A-road on my commute, but I don't.

Shadowduck

BentMikey wrote:

*snip* ... I reckon that I get fewer close passes when I'm wearing dark clothing ... *snip*

Not quite sure I follow that one. Not saying you're wrong, just don't understand it.

I haven't found that hi-viz affects the number of close passes - road positioning is the only thing I've found that does that - but it's not close passes I'm worried about. It's quick-glance, vroom, crump, sorry mate I didn't see you that I'm worried about.

I don't drive (much) any more but I've been close to pulling out on unlit, darkly-clothed cyclists in the past and only seen them at the last split second. Anything that makes us stand out from the background - especially around twilight - is a good thing.

Hopefully I haven't just sparked off a big argument...

BentMikey

"The best way not to be noticed is to wear urban camouflage - hi viz clothing, lots of lights and reflectors and a helmet." Dr. Tony Raven.

cntl

>>darkly-clothed cyclists in the past and only seen them at the last split second

All too common: Dark clothing. No lights. No helmet.

Shadowduck

BentMikey wrote:

"The best way not to be noticed is to wear urban camouflage - hi viz clothing, lots of lights and reflectors and a helmet." Dr. Tony Raven.

I would have thought urban camouflage consisted of a sodding great car!

Maybe I'm being slow, but I fail to understand the theory that doing all the things designed to make you stand out would make you blend in. Since I'm not generally riding against a fluorescent yellow backdrop, I don't think my 'urban camouflage' will have quite the effect Dr Raven suggests!

belgiangoth

Buy the cheapest high-vis vest with reflective stripe. £25 would be better spent on lights than reflectives.

BentMikey

People are always telling me how hard I must be for cars to see on my recumbent, or how I should have a flag to make me easier to see. It's one of the lowest of 'bents, is painted black, and I don't wear bright clothing. Funny how drivers see me more often on the 'bent than on the upright.

I do have some decent lights, but I've tried to make them as much like car or scooter lights as possible, so I don't look like a bike.

Shadowduck

BentMikey wrote:

I do have some decent lights, but I've tried to make them as much like car or scooter lights as possible, so I don't look like a bike.

Now that I can see the idea of.

marchant

When I'm riding in the dark (often as I work shifts), I wear a hi-viz bomber jacket I bought from JJB sports. Comfy, waterproof, plenty of pockets and it appears to get me an unusual amount of courtesy on the road. I think it makes me look like a policeman

Cyclegent

I think the theory is that hi-viz material has become ubiquitous - practically anyone official who works outdoors wears this stuff - so perhaps we have become inured to it.

I think the way you cycle - road positioning and anticipating the moves of other road users - has far more effect on visibility than what you wear.

mazcp

I wear my P-O-L-I-T-E hi-viz...buys me plenty of room.

BentMikey

Do you wear black trousers with it?

mazcp

BentMikey wrote:

Do you wear black trousers with it?

Aren't all trousers black in the dark?! No - I wear baggies generally...and no, I don't have a blue flashing LED. My helmet IS made by MET, though.

mbukfan

The cheap hi vis bands are great for cutting up and putting hi vis bands across yuor backpack. Too often I've seen cyclists with a hi vis on and a backpack covering it up with a light hangin off it where you can't really see it.

I've ridden bikes painted in hi vis colours complete with yellow panniers and blue lights yet still have people not give me space

Eat My Dust

I'm with Mikey, I ditched the hi-viz last winter and went with all black but with decent lights. I wouldn't have said I had more or less near misses, I did however look much cooler!! :oops:

BentMikey

:oops: :oops:

Well, that's a small part of my motivation too.

secretsam

Hmmmm...jury thoroughly out, then

I'm totally paranoid, my road placing is fine, and am an 'assertive' cyclist i.e. I make sure cars see me and treat me as one of them (!). I can see where BentMikey is coming from...sort of...but doesn't he ride a foldie?

I think I'll get some Hi-Viz as I agree with the comments about cyclists being genuinely hard to see in a split second when driving...plus modern "safe" cars are anything but, all the safety is passive, ie airbags and tough bodies to protect you if you have a crash, not active - stopping you crashing in the first place. As a result, body strength is paramount, resulting in huge pillars and blind spots...perfect for those "didn't see you" moments

Cheapie from local hardware store I think. And maybe a nice Altura jacket from Santa, so I can be one of the hip kids...

A - W

I do everything I can to be seen, I dont wear a hi viz vest as I carry a rucksack so the vest goes over that. The number of times people wear one and then cover the thing up.

I have two lights on the back, one flashing and the other on normally, one on the front.

By fair the biggest thing to make yourself safe is by the correct attitude towards your own safety. I dont really agree with BM over not wearing anything but one thing is common, the fact that we are caring about our own safety.

Edit: Don't forget to treat everyone as if they've not seen you and obviously be able to stop within your safety bubble.

DavidTQ

I dtiched my hi-viz for the daylight commuting, and havent felt that it made any difference, for the night drive I will be wearing something with hi-viz properties rather than a high viz vest over cycling gear. A Long sleeve jersey with a few reflective bits will do for me. Im not concerned about being looking cool

phil_ss1

Hi,

I use a yellow ultura jacket if it's raining when I leave, but last weekend I bought a Hi-Viz gilet from Decathlon, they are £15. b-twin make (Decathlon's new brand)

They are cut for cyclists and come down half way over my bum when stood up, bright yellow with reflectives and black flashes. The back is 75% black mesh so no over heating and the front keeps the wind off the chest when zipped up. Top piece of kit for me.

Get your skates on though as they are stopping doing them soon.

Oh, and order a size way over what you need, I'm 5'8", around 40" chest, basically a "normal" guy and the medium size wouldn't even meet in the middle (much to my wife's amusement!). Ended up with an XL size which is ok and doesn't flap around.

As bunch of spotty 'erberts shouted "you look like a p***k" as I rode passed last night, I retorted with "....yes, but a safe p****k ! ! "

Cars have noticeably seen me and moved over when coming up the rear left hand side of them this week! ! !

Phil

p.s. as for helmets, granted they won't stop your squash being squished by a lory or bus but I rather look like a numpty for 20mins on the bike than parade round work and the shops with a bandage or plasters on my head for two weeks if I take a tumble.

Shadowduck

mbukfan wrote:

I've ridden bikes painted in hi vis colours complete with yellow panniers and blue lights yet still have people not give me space

Hi-viz will only improve your chances of being seen - unfortunately hi-viz technology has yet to reach the point where it can make people drive considerately once they've seen you.

A - W wrote:

I do everything I can to be seen, I dont wear a hi viz vest as I carry a rucksack so the vest goes over that. The number of times people wear one and then cover the thing up.

I wear a rucksack over mine, but there's still a fair bit of yellow / scotchlite sticking out and it's fully visible from the front (which I suspect is where it's most needed - people have less time to see you when you're closing on them). It's not ideal but it'll have to do until I've saved up enough for a rack and pannier.

A - W wrote:

Don't forget to treat everyone as if they've not seen you ...

Or as I was told during my motorcycle training, "Act as if you're invisible - to a lot of these idiots you are".

secretsam

Shadowduck wrote:

"Act as if you're invisible - to a lot of these idiots you are".

yup, and make yourself visible, don't cower in the gutter at junctions, plonk yourself in front of a car..far less risky than being tucked in their blindspot

I think riding ASSERTIVELY (note: this is not Courier style riding like a pr&ck with no brakes) is the way to go

And I'm going to viz up, have just seen a mesh vest for £5 and a proper vest with reflective bits (£6) in the gloriously named S&M Tools on Leather Lane...

snooks

I ordered a new helmet at the weekend (lighter, stonger and funkier so I'm more likely to wear it) and I think I'll be getting some bright blue retro-reflective tape for the back ;-)

Working on the principle that I know how I react when I'm driving and I see some reflective blue glow in the distance (I start to drive like an angel 0;-) it might have the same effect on car drivers approaching me from behind...That's of course if they are looking down the road and not reading the paper!

If it works, great, if not, I'll still ride the way I do normally, as safe as possible.