Hi viz vests

Cyclegent

One of the things I was told in motorcycle training was that a Sam Browne is better than a hi-viz vest - the theory being you are more visible if you are wearing a combination of dark and light clothing. If you are all in hi-viz/reflective stuff you become less visible if there is a strong light behind you. Not sure how true this is though.

cupofteacp

What about the theory that if you look at something you hit it?

i.e. keep you eye on the ball, or on a bike look at the gap not the things either side.

Would being overly bright draw the motorists to you like some sick moth?

Don’t know but I don’t use Hi viz jackets just clothing with reflective tape and a number of lights

Stuww

Haven't read the whole thread so sorry if this has been mentioned...

Tesco's have hi vis waistcoats for £1 at the moment, there in those bargain bins that they have at the end of eisles.

Cheers

Stu

phil_ss1

I'm started wearing Hi-Viz now the mornings (for me) are getting duller but I've often wondered.....

If I'm not wearing any hi-viz/reflectives/lights then will I be safer? - Thoughts go along the lines of that the motorists would see me at the last moment and swerve away from me as a natural instinct therefore making me safer?

I do like the "moth to a flame" concept of drawing drivers in!

It's a bit like that kerb that keeps getting closer and closer or the debris we see in the distance that acts as a homing beacon. We see it but still manage to run over it!!

Phil 8)

btw : Who mentioned the "p" word early this week - me! and guess what - had a "p" this morning :roll:

jumbolugs

Buy a cheap workman's hi-viz vest and then sew on extra scotchlite tape as necessary - you can buy it by the metre, I think I got mine from www.beseenonabike.com

secretsam

phil_ss1 wrote:

btw : Who mentioned the "p" word early this week - me! and guess what - had a "p" this morning :roll:

you cursed me as well by putting it on my thread, see my other thread...thanks... :evil:

snooks

Dunno about hi vis and cars

But I almost stepped out in front of a bike last night, no lights, no hi-vs, nutin'! Only saw him cos a car came round the corner and lit him from behind. (duff street lighting)

"Pillock" I thought, "what sort of nutter would cycle in the dark without making any effort to be seen" I thought.....got a bit further down the road and came to the conclusion that maybe he wasn't a pillock, may be, a cheeky thief had nicked his lights. Then I thought that it's another reason for getting some high vis stuff - just in case

Odds are, he prolly stayed late at work and got caught out by the night drawing in...who knows? All I know is that if the car hadn't come round the corner when it did, we'd both be cursing each other from the gutter

Cyclegent

Yes I've heard the 'moth to a flame' theory as well - though generally with regards to cyclists done up like Christmas trees, which could cause rubbernecking.

As for cycling without lights, the fact they might have been nicked is no excuse...why did he leave his lights where they could be nicked anyway, aren't they all detachable nowadays...

A - W

It was probably the bike that was nicked, the lights were with the rightful owner in his bag.

BentMikey

Talking about target fixation, have you seen the size of the hydraulic crash bumpers on motorway lights vehicles, you know the ones that display a change lane arrows? They must get a lot of people crashing into the back of them.

Totalnewbie

The only original bits I've got left from my nicked bike are the lights, I'm religious about removing them! I had to faff about finding new brackets though.

I have a pink hi-viz tabard that I wear when light is bad/dark, it has reflective strips. It's really for a horserider apparently, got it from ebay. It's a bit different to all the orange and yellow fluro out there, have only ever seen one other girl with one. But I don't bother with it when light is good, I do feel like an eejit in it and I think people can see me fine during the day due to positioning.

Shadowduck

Totalnewbie wrote:

The only original bits I've got left from my nicked bike are the lights, I'm religious about removing them!

I use ultra-cheap LED lights so I don't have to! I like to have two lights at each end (one flashing and one steady - plus I'm still covered if one dies) and I can't really afford to spend £100 or so on four *insert preferred lighting brand here* units.

Fortunately I seldom go anywhere unlit - at least not after dark - so the tenner-a-pair multi-LED jobs from Halfords are more than good enough, and in the unlikely event they ever get nicked they'll be peanuts to replace.