Do you wear Hi-Viz stuff?

daviesee

bails87 wrote:

I'm only kidding

All taken in good spirit!

pangolin

shm_uk wrote:

I have cycled on the roads for 30 years.
I have commuted on busy roads for 16 years.

I very rarely wear any of that kinky Hi-Viz stuff.

Therefore why have I not been killed to death, horifically injured or run over at all?

I am assuming it's because the "Hi-Viz" thing must be massively overrated or something.

Yeah!! In other news I know a smoker who is old and has smoked all his life. That must be safe too!

I don't wear much hi-viz stuff either, but don't try to convince others not to based on your preference.

meanredspider

Twice last week (in pi55ing rain) I've been surprised how hard a couple of other cyclists have been to see (wearing grey/dark green) even 20 yards away on my bike. Throw into the mix other traffic, refections, distractions etc etc and I think you'd be taking more chances than necessary not wearing something bright.

shm_uk

pangolin wrote:

shm_uk wrote:

I have cycled on the roads for 30 years.
I have commuted on busy roads for 16 years.

I very rarely wear any of that kinky Hi-Viz stuff.

Therefore why have I not been killed to death, horifically injured or run over at all?

I am assuming it's because the "Hi-Viz" thing must be massively overrated or something.

Yeah!! In other news I know a smoker who is old and has smoked all his life. That must be safe too!

I don't wear much hi-viz stuff either, but don't try to convince others not to based on your preference.

I wasn't trying to convince anyone to agree with my opinion.

I mean, that would be like the govt forcing people to wear a helmet or some such cobblers.

jimmypippa

DonDaddyD wrote:

ndru wrote:

DonDaddyD wrote:

Also when driving I do notice those wearing hi viz more so even during the day. That isn't to say that I can't see a cyclist, when driving, who isn't wearing hi-viz. I can, even at night - London. But the viz is more noticable.

So High Visibility jackets are more visible - is that what you're trying to say

I don't wear hiviz - feels wrong. But then again I hardly ever cycle on busy roads and I have good lights and never go very fast.

None of which is a substitute for hi-viz. In day time your lights mean squat but hi-viz will still be visible.

But lol, I do see the irony in my post...

And this

meanredspider wrote:

Twice last week (in pi55ing rain) I've been surprised how hard a couple of other cyclists have been to see (wearing grey/dark green) even 20 yards away on my bike. Throw into the mix other traffic, refections, distractions etc etc and I think you'd be taking more chances than necessary not wearing something bright.

Little use at night compared to reflectives and lights, but still better than dark clothing. However in twilight or even daylight, it is far more noticeable.

I have what looks to be a slightly older version of this £8.99 Karrimor cycling T.

Dayglo orange, with reflective piping.

iPete

9.99 bright yellow Planet-X Jerseys on offer, picking some up after reading this thread!

http://www.planet-x-bikes.co.uk/i/q/CLP ... ail#basket

MonkeyMonster

I wear some relective parts on my clothes and bike. Single bright yellow gore jacket that rarely wear due to overheating issues.

Need to put some bits of that black yet reflective tape on the steed - keep forgetting!

tailwindhome

Wrath Rob wrote:

Assuming you conform to the rules of the road, i.e. lights on the bike when its dark, the rest is all about risk and risk reduction. By making yourself more visible (lights, hi-viz clothing etc) you're hopefully reducing the risk of drivers not spotting you. You can't eliminate that risk completely as some drivers do the "look but not see" thing, which leads to SMIDSY.

If you're happy to accept a higher degree of risk then get a black bike, black clothes, black helmet, a black balaclava and maybe some black lights (and I don't mean the UV kind).

Personally during winter, i.e. when its cold and dark on the ride, I wear a hi-viz jacket. Now that its warmer and lighter I'm wearing light coloured jerseys. My bike has reflective tape all over it, a 2W front light, a 2nd front light and a 1/2W rear light.

In winter and summer I further minimise my risk by cycling defensively. I'm comfortable that I've minimised the risk I'm exposed to, to an acceptable level. Ultimately its a personal thing, some other people on here, judging by the comments, are happy to carry a higher level of risk than I do. I wouldn't be comfortable with that, but that's their decision.

*stands up and applauds*


What a great post.

Initialised

Pufftmw wrote:

As a rule, no but some of my gear has reflective piping, logos etc.

Same, in the winter I went as far as sticking a Hi-Vis in some webbing on my back pack but rarely actually wore it. It feels like flying a noob flag.

I do crash alot but it's never been due to not being seen by a motorist.

Agent57

I used to wear bright yellow jackets, but now I wear a red Altura Nightvision jacket. The reflective detailing works well at night, and I don't look stupidly yellow in daylight. If the weather's mild, I wear normal T-shirts or cycling jerseys. Most aren't particularly bright - one's black with a white ribcage design, one's a blue&white Bikepure one, another's a Sky top, and my brightest one is a repro Del Tongo/Colnago from Prendas.

I have a theory that once too many people are wearing "hi viz", drivers will stop noticing it anyway, as it won't be unusual enough to stand out.

jonny_trousers

TailWindHome wrote:

Wrath Rob wrote:

Assuming you conform to the rules of the road, i.e. lights on the bike when its dark, the rest is all about risk and risk reduction. By making yourself more visible (lights, hi-viz clothing etc) you're hopefully reducing the risk of drivers not spotting you. You can't eliminate that risk completely as some drivers do the "look but not see" thing, which leads to SMIDSY. 

If you're happy to accept a higher degree of risk then get a black bike, black clothes, black helmet, a black balaclava and maybe some black lights (and I don't mean the UV kind).

Personally during winter, i.e. when its cold and dark on the ride, I wear a hi-viz jacket. Now that its warmer and lighter I'm wearing light coloured jerseys. My bike has reflective tape all over it, a 2W front light, a 2nd front light and a 1/2W rear light. 

In winter and summer I further minimise my risk by cycling defensively. I'm comfortable that I've minimised the risk I'm exposed to, to an acceptable level. Ultimately its a personal thing, some other people on here, judging by the comments, are happy to carry a higher level of risk than I do. I wouldn't be comfortable with that, but that's their decision.

*stands up and applauds*


What a great post.

Agreed, excellent post.  Please offer your thoughts here more often Wrath Rob.

Personally I am always looking at those around me and am changing my outlook accordingly. I bought those little cateye wheel lights because I saw someone with them and was impressed. Little did I know that they have a useful battery life of about a week and they break far too easily, but meh. I have also come to the conclusion that helmet lights are an excellent idea as you have the power to aim your light directly at those who may not have seen you, that fluorescence is better than high-viz in the dark, that those cheap fluorescent ankle bands do draw attention as they move up and down with each pedal stroke, and that although I used to slag off those Knog rear lights for being too small and for trendies only, they are pretty damn bright and I never fail to see them.

jonny_trousers

Agent57 wrote:

I have a theory that once too many people are wearing "hi viz", drivers will stop noticing it anyway, as it won't be unusual enough to stand out.

I reckon in a few hundred thousand years you might be onto something.

ThatBikeGuy

I have reflective patches on most of my cycling clothes i usually just use that(unless the weather is particularly bad). during the day i see hi-viz as less of a priority anyway and night riding i have plenty of bright lights on the bike so if a driver doesn't see me they truly don't belong on the road.

My own opinion however and each to their own at the end of the day, if you feel you are safer or more visible wearing hi-viz then fair enough.

Crawler2

I used to ride a Honda scooter. If the engine was running the lights were on, to make you more visible. I take the same attitude on the bike - I always have lights on, even though my commute now takes place in daylight. It sort of compensates for my lack of hi-vis clothing.

EKE_38BPM

I rarely wear hi-viz (vests or jacket), but I have stuck reflective stickers on my helmet, I have reflective straws on my wheels, my shoes have reflectives on the heel and when I buy stuff I make a point of looking for stuff with reflective detailing, but I don't think wearing neon coloured stuff is effective. so I don't so wear them.

If a driver can't/doesn't see you in daylight, the colour of your clothing won't make any difference.
If a driver can't/doesn't see you at night, when their lights hit you and the reflectives are doing their thing, the colour of your clothing won't make any diference.

I once got grief at work for not wearing a hi-viz vest to cross the car park in broad daylight. All of the cars were owned by professional drivers and I argued that if they couldn't see me under those ideal conditions they couldn't see well enough to drive so should be sacked. My argument fell on deaf ears. 'elf an' safety gorn maaad, ennit?

Wearing neon colours, reflectives and having bright lights is useless if drivers don't look where they are going.

jonny_trousers

EKE_38BPM wrote:

I rarely wear hi-viz (vests or jacket)Wearing neon colours, reflectives and having bright lights is useless if drivers don't look where they are going.

I don't mean to single you out Eke because many have used this argument, but if what you say is true then we are all doomed. As we all know, there are far too many shitty drivers out there. All we can do is try to stack the odds in our favour (balanced with a need to look cool, of course)..

jonny_trousers

EKE_38BPM wrote:

Wearing neon colours, reflectives and having bright lights is useless if drivers don't look where they are going.

I don't mean to single you out Eke because many have used this argument, but if what you say is true then we are all doomed and we really ought to give up right now. As we all know, there are far too many shitty drivers out there. All we can do is try to stack the odds in our favour (balanced with a need to look cool, of course).

wyadvd

here is another forum which irresponsibly degenerated into a rational academic review to real evidence on the subject (ooooerrr):
http://www.bentrideronline.com/messageb ... 52103.html



has anyone stopped to consider what the implications on the legal situations after accidents if wearing Hi Viz becomes "official" advice? if you get maimed in one of the tiny percentage of accidents that "might" be "caused" by lack of hi-viz, there are many a judge who would award reduced damages due to contributary negligence by the cyclist for not beind dressedd from head to toe in vomit coloured clothes. Never mind that the most likely cause for the accident remains texting on the move.

We should be free to wear what we feel comfortable wearing while we cycle. end of.

PBo

kelsen wrote:

Wear this and I guarantee you'll be seen by every motorist and his dog...

are you sure about that?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2pK0BQ9CUHk&feature=fvsr

EKE_38BPM

PBo wrote:

kelsen wrote:

Wear this and I guarantee you'll be seen by every motorist and his dog...

are you sure about that?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2pK0BQ9CUHk&feature=fvsr

I knew there was something to look for in that video and still missed it.

notsoblue

wyadvd wrote:

We should be free to wear what we feel comfortable wearing while we cycle. end of.

Exactly. Its a commute, not a tour of duty.

iwearshorts

So I wore this Hi Viz t-shirt for the first time ever as I was doing my North London hill circuit...the difference was noticeable, cars were surprisingly more considerate.

Lesson learned for me.

Tomkeely

I splashed out on a Endura http://www.endura.co.uk/Product.aspx?dept_id=122&prod_id=257 high viz jacket this winter and it was breathable but it also felt a bit restrictive.

For my last birthday my girlfriend bought me a hi viz t-shirt from a company called Hello Joe http://www.hellojoe.co.uk - my birthday is in November! Anyway, since the weathers been good I've been slinging it on and its great. I've bought another one and would buy more but they only have 4 options and I dont like orange and cant help feeling that wearing a fluorescent green t-shirt with Free Ride written on it might be fine on the bike but could seem a bit gay taken out of context.

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Tomkeely

Paul E wrote:

I ditched my matt black helmet for a red and white helmet to make me stand out a bit more, but like someone else said some drivers wouldnt see you if you stood in front of them and punched them in the face.

I've read that statistically red cars are the hardest to see on the roads - not sure if the same would apply to helmets!

Clank

I regularly wear hi-viz due to 1) cycling and 2) motorsport commitments. I have a free choice of colour. What I have learned is that not all hi-viz is created equal.

Of the two groups I know of that have actually spent money evaluating the visability of 'hi-viz' clothing (rail and motorsport), both favour the orange colour - the human eye is better at seeing it.

In many daylight conditions the yellow, and especially the green, hi-viz colours simply don't work - in bright or dappled light, or where there is a lot of reflected light, for example.

Possibley explains why some think day-glo colours don't work. They're right, some 'em don't.

solsurf

Clank wrote:

I regularly wear hi-viz due to 1) cycling and 2) motorsport commitments. I have a free choice of colour. What I have learned is that not all hi-viz is created equal.

Of the two groups I know of that have actually spent money evaluating the visability of 'hi-viz' clothing (rail and motorsport), both favour the orange colour - the human eye is better at seeing it.

In many daylight conditions the yellow, and especially the green, hi-viz colours simply don't work - in bright or dappled light, or where there is a lot of reflected light, for example.

Possibley explains why some think day-glo colours don't work. They're right, some 'em don't.

This is especially true in the countryside, where yellow in certain lights gets lost with sun light and green fields. Orange is used by the railways as it can't get mixed up with green. Perhaps red dots should be the order of the day

Kieran_Burns

solsurf wrote:

Clank wrote:

I regularly wear hi-viz due to 1) cycling and 2) motorsport commitments. I have a free choice of colour. What I have learned is that not all hi-viz is created equal.

Of the two groups I know of that have actually spent money evaluating the visability of 'hi-viz' clothing (rail and motorsport), both favour the orange colour - the human eye is better at seeing it.

In many daylight conditions the yellow, and especially the green, hi-viz colours simply don't work - in bright or dappled light, or where there is a lot of reflected light, for example.

Possibley explains why some think day-glo colours don't work. They're right, some 'em don't.

This is especially true in the countryside, where yellow in certain lights gets lost with sun light and green fields. Orange is used by the railways as it can't get mixed up with green. Perhaps red dots should be the order of the day

I agree - if you wear a yellow top in the Spring, drivers may think you're a mobile rape field

meanredspider

To all the guys who take the view "if they can't see you, they shouldn't be on the road" and therefore wear whatever they like, why do you think it is that nature & the military has gone to so much trouble with colour schemes?

I don't wear day-glo much (my Airjack jacket is the Soho day-glo version) but I do choose bright colours - mostly yellow (not much oilseed rape in the Highlands!) - which I don't think compromises me much in terms of choice.

As for red dots - several people have commented on my mate's King of the Mountains TdF shirt and how it catches the eye at a distance.

daviesee

meanredspider wrote:

As for red dots - several people have commented on my mate's King of the Mountains TdF shirt and how it catches the eye at a distance.

Not until I can match Robert Millar

Whilst cycling in a white concrete area in bright sunshine, black may be the best HiViz. Past a yellow rapeseed field - blue. Past a green field - red. Past a coal slag heap- white.

What to wear? What to wear? And I could be in all four situations during one ride. Confusing. Isn't it?
I just wear what I want and haven't come any closer to getting hit in 40 years than I have when in the car with full beam on. As long as you use common sense, it's a lottery.

wizzlebanger

I commute with a bog standard B&Q hi vis gilet over both me and my rucksack. It makes me look like a day-glo turtle. However, I have been pondering it's effectiveness during the summer months.....I shall ponder no longer.

On Sunday I was driving to Southport along the A570 during brilliant sunshine. This appears to be quite a haven for cyclists as it has it's own dedicated cycle lane away from the road.

3-400 yards up the road was a cyclist wearing hi-vis and a cyclist wearing dark clothing riding side by side. I actually commented to my wife that even during the day the cyclist wearing hi-vis was much easier to see. At that distance the other cyclist was more or less just a dark blob / shadow.

by the way 300 yards travelling at 60mph is not very long.