Cycling clothes for visibility... or not?

13

Comments

  • thistle_
    thistle_ Posts: 7,145
    SloppySchleckonds wrote:
    Statistically, the person least likely to be knocked off their bicycle is a policeman in uniform.
    Not sure if there's any more recent research but isn't it actually someone with long blond hair and no helmet, Especially if it's a bearded bloke?
    www.bikebiz.com/.amp/business/want-to-b ... -not-a-lid
  • cougie
    cougie Posts: 22,512
    I'm pretty sure that statistic about policemen is made up.
  • sloppyschleckonds
    sloppyschleckonds Posts: 8,019
    Remember, the human eye will detect movement before colour
    I'm sorry you don't believe in miracles
  • craigus89
    craigus89 Posts: 887
    SloppySchleckonds wrote:
    Remember, the human eye will detect movement before colour

    Don't go bringing your logic bullsh1t into this.

    This clothing thing is turning into its own helmet debate.

    "I was close passed today, good job I was wearing my fluro socks, gloves and jersey, safe to say they saved my life."
  • slowbike
    slowbike Posts: 8,498
    I'm doing some work on our consumer website today - including recording session activity. What is interesting is where users don't follow the path you expect - one stand-out one was today - where a user entered a (valid) discount code into a textfield - then clicked away without clicking the "Apply" button - the BIG "Apply" button that is right next to the box - plain view and not cluttered - they did this, not once - but TWICE in the same session (which has led to a change in how the discount field code works) - which suggests that people will only see what they want to see - or that is unexpected to be seen - you can hide in plain sight.

    Unfortunately, too many drivers see cyclists just as an obstacle to be got around - they don't pay attention to us - so we need to be "Different" in order for their conscious to flag us up for additional attention - which suggests that "what everyone else is wearing" isn't the right thing to wear - if there's a lot of you around anyway - it also suggests that there is no one right answer - because, once you've been seen a few times, you'll become "just another cyclist".

    If you want to be noticed and not just seen - wear something different - and that could be "all black" - even if that means you get the wrath of the driver moaning that you're wearing camouflage (obviously you'd still need to be seen to start with) - because at least you've been noticed and not just seen.
  • secretsqizz
    secretsqizz Posts: 424
    Don some dodgy pro conti Italian team kit and confuse the driver by the myriad of sponsors names thus emblazoned.
    My pen won't write on the screen
  • kingrollo
    kingrollo Posts: 3,198
    Hi Vis yellow jacket, two lights on front, one on rear , flashing light on my arm. Bloke drove into me last winter claiming 'he didn't see me coming along'

    That said the whole black ninja thing is a step too far for me - Red or the club Orange for me. Nearly always have front and rear flashers even in daylight. Theres much you can't control - but I like to think I have taken every reasonably step to be visible.
  • JeemyW
    JeemyW Posts: 61
    I guess if ur in black and festooned in lights the lights just have more contrast??

    Also if we await the advent of bike-mounted laser turrets then we can zap premature overtakers.
  • cycleclinic
    cycleclinic Posts: 6,865
    The things is good lights mean bright colours are not needed. When it properly cold I wear a bright jacket for warmth. I cant say traffic treats me with any more respect than when I wear black. How visible you are does not seem to correlate in my experience with how much room your given.
    http://www.thecycleclinic.co.uk -wheel building and other stuff.
  • First.Aspect
    First.Aspect Posts: 14,624
    thecycleclinic wrote:
    The things is good lights mean bright colours are not needed. When it properly cold I wear a bright jacket for warmth. I cant say traffic treats me with any more respect than when I wear black. How visible you are does not seem to correlate in my experience with how much room your given.
    How much room you are given depends on how ignorant, impatient or aggressive a driver is. Whether or not someone ploughs through you depends on whether or not they have seen you.

    On the thread more generally - It stands to reason that brighter colours are easier to see. The natural world tells us this- you don't get black flowers, or dark olive mating plumage, and nor do stealth hunters come in yellow.

    Any argument that black is easier to see is just nonsense. Any argument to the effect that "stuff still happens when I wear bright colours so they don't make any difference" is also completely idiotic and right up there with "my elephant deterrent clearly works". All this is about people wanting to look good while cycling and working back from the colours they want to wear.
  • jgsi
    jgsi Posts: 5,062
    Why does what other people wear seem to wind people up so much?
    I regularly nearly plough into ninja peds on the stretches of cyclepath I use coming back from work , but I dont get off and shout at them for wearing mostly black.
    It isnt nonsense, it isnt idiotic, it isnt fancy fashion.. it is what it is, unless you want a bellend EU law to come in before it's too late.

    ED IT that. apparently you see sod all hiviz over the 'water'.
  • craigus89
    craigus89 Posts: 887
    JGSI wrote:
    Why does what other people wear seem to wind people up so much?
    I regularly nearly plough into ninja peds on the stretches of cyclepath I use coming back from work , but I dont get off and shout at them for wearing mostly black.
    It isnt nonsense, it isnt idiotic, it isnt fancy fashion.. it is what it is, unless you want a bellend EU law to come in before it's too late.

    ED IT that. apparently you see sod all hiviz over the 'water'.

    Because most people seem to be incredibly confident that they are right and anyone that disagrees is wrong (this seems to be mostly those who favour the hi-vis look) other people tend to read that and take offence.
  • First.Aspect
    First.Aspect Posts: 14,624
    JGSI wrote:
    Why does what other people wear seem to wind people up so much?
    I regularly nearly plough into ninja peds on the stretches of cyclepath I use coming back from work , but I dont get off and shout at them for wearing mostly black.
    It isnt nonsense, it isnt idiotic, it isnt fancy fashion.. it is what it is, unless you want a bellend EU law to come in before it's too late.

    ED IT that. apparently you see sod all hiviz over the 'water'.
    :shock:
  • pblakeney
    pblakeney Posts: 25,746
    First Aspect wrote:
    The natural world tells us this- you don't get black flowers, or dark olive mating plumage, and nor do stealth hunters come in yellow.
    Lion? Lynx? Puma?
    The above may be fact, or fiction, I may be serious, I may be jesting.
    I am not sure. You have no chance.
    Veronese68 wrote:
    PB is the most sensible person on here.
  • First.Aspect
    First.Aspect Posts: 14,624
    PBlakeney wrote:
    First Aspect wrote:
    The natural world tells us this- you don't get black flowers, or dark olive mating plumage, and nor do stealth hunters come in yellow.
    Lion? Lynx? Puma?
    Are you colour blind?
  • cougie
    cougie Posts: 22,512
    Not sure exactly what colour I'd call a lion but it does blend into its environment. A bit like grey cycling kit and tarmac.
  • pblakeney
    pblakeney Posts: 25,746
    First Aspect wrote:
    PBlakeney wrote:
    First Aspect wrote:
    The natural world tells us this- you don't get black flowers, or dark olive mating plumage, and nor do stealth hunters come in yellow.
    Lion? Lynx? Puma?
    Are you colour blind?
    Closer to yellow than blue, red or green.
    Point is, their clour is to blend. Dress to contrast. That may be black, it may be yellow, it may be blue.
    The above may be fact, or fiction, I may be serious, I may be jesting.
    I am not sure. You have no chance.
    Veronese68 wrote:
    PB is the most sensible person on here.
  • pblakeney
    pblakeney Posts: 25,746
    PBlakeney wrote:
    First Aspect wrote:
    PBlakeney wrote:
    First Aspect wrote:
    The natural world tells us this- you don't get black flowers, or dark olive mating plumage, and nor do stealth hunters come in yellow.
    Lion? Lynx? Puma?
    Are you colour blind?
    Closer to yellow than blue, red or green. Point is, their colour is to blend. Dress to contrast. That may be black, it may be yellow, it may be blue.
    The above may be fact, or fiction, I may be serious, I may be jesting.
    I am not sure. You have no chance.
    Veronese68 wrote:
    PB is the most sensible person on here.
  • First.Aspect
    First.Aspect Posts: 14,624
    PBlakeney wrote:
    First Aspect wrote:
    PBlakeney wrote:
    First Aspect wrote:
    The natural world tells us this- you don't get black flowers, or dark olive mating plumage, and nor do stealth hunters come in yellow.
    Lion? Lynx? Puma?
    Are you colour blind?
    Closer to yellow than blue, red or green.
    Point is, their clour is to blend. Dress to contrast. That may be black, it may be yellow, it may be blue.
    How many backgrounds in the urban environment are yellow? How many are red?

    On the flip side how many are grey or are various brownish shades?

    You may be correct that some built in contrast in ones clothing is helpful, though.
  • pblakeney
    pblakeney Posts: 25,746
    Who only cycles in an urban environment? Sad if they do.
    Can't say I've seen much in the way of brown in urban environments either.
    I'll go check with this little guy to see what he thinks.

    Schrecklicherpfeilgiftfrosch-01.jpg
    The above may be fact, or fiction, I may be serious, I may be jesting.
    I am not sure. You have no chance.
    Veronese68 wrote:
    PB is the most sensible person on here.
  • First.Aspect
    First.Aspect Posts: 14,624
    PBlakeney wrote:
    Who only cycles in an urban environment? Sad if they do.
    Can't say I've seen much in the way of brown in urban environments either.
    I'll go check with this little guy to see what he thinks.

    Schrecklicherpfeilgiftfrosch-01.jpg
    Ah yes the carnivorous mouse eating tree frog from the luminous forests of madagascar.
  • First.Aspect
    First.Aspect Posts: 14,624
    How many yellow or red backgrounds do you find in the countryside. Hang on let me look outside. Looks green and brown mostly. Except the bits in shadow which look dark, or the road which is grey.

    We did have a biblical plague of luminous madagascan tree frogs that one time though, and I nearly got hit by an excited herpatologist. Wish I'd been wearing camo that day I can tell you.
  • pblakeney
    pblakeney Posts: 25,746
    fields_2613735a.jpg
    The above may be fact, or fiction, I may be serious, I may be jesting.
    I am not sure. You have no chance.
    Veronese68 wrote:
    PB is the most sensible person on here.
  • cougie
    cougie Posts: 22,512
    We could have had the obligatory sunflower shot from the tour.
  • pblakeney
    pblakeney Posts: 25,746
    cougie wrote:
    We could have had the obligatory sunflower shot from the tour.
    Indeed, and it would have been pretty but rapeseed is more relevant in this Country.
    Could have used a poppy field too but we are a week late for that to be appropriate.
    The above may be fact, or fiction, I may be serious, I may be jesting.
    I am not sure. You have no chance.
    Veronese68 wrote:
    PB is the most sensible person on here.
  • step83
    step83 Posts: 4,170
    PBlakeney wrote:
    fields_2613735a.jpg

    Chances are someone will still clatter into you then blame hayfever
    Titanium Px Spitfire
    Easty commuter
    Tripster AT
  • nozzac
    nozzac Posts: 408
    My paramo jacket, which I like, is black. So I'm looking to add a bit of hi vis to it without interfering with its breathability. Any suggestions for a vest or similar that won't flap around and catch the wind but isn't a shell material?

    Thx
  • cougie
    cougie Posts: 22,512
    Something like this ?

    Runners have more choice than cyclists for some reason

    https://www.google.co.uk/shopping/produ ... vMQgTYIuQQ
  • nozzac
    nozzac Posts: 408
    cougie wrote:
    Something like this ?

    Runners have more choice than cyclists for some reason

    https://www.google.co.uk/shopping/produ ... vMQgTYIuQQ

    Yeah runners gear might be the thing. Some of the cycling ones I've seen seem to be made for kids or that weird geography teacher who used to cycle to school with hi-vis flags and that little hinged reflector arm etc
  • fenix
    fenix Posts: 5,437
    LOL - that hinged reflector thing ! We need those back - but with something on the end that will leave a nice gouge down the side of any car coming within 3 feet of you..... A medieval Mace maybe ?

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