I'm interested to hear about your favourite cycling vest designs.
As a cycling instructor who started wearing a vest when I began teaching in about 2002, I've gone through a few. The first one I wore was the best of a bad bunch, but none too cool. I've found the one I'm wearing now to give the lowest geek-o-meter reading: http://www.columbiasafety.com/customer/product.php?productid=276&cat=29&page=1
At the university where I work in transportation (http://transportation.uvic.ca), our bicycle users committee subsidizes the sale of cycling safety accessories including vests. This is the one we're currently making available: http://tinyurl.com/a7m2u
We sell a fair number of them, but there *must* be some better designs out there than these. Despite their effectiveness at reducing our speedbump quotient, lots of people won't wear them because, well--you know.
If you think trying to get university students to wear a vest is tough, you should see the looks on the elementary school students I teach when the topic's brought up.
Would love to find some design that, if not fashionable, isn't really, really *un*fashionable.
Any suggestions?
Allan
genec
02-07-06, 06:47 PM
Pearl Izumi gear is about as stylish as it comes, but the bottom line is that bright lime green pretty much says "geek," and that is going to be hard to overcome.
You can put reflective orange materials inside the "triangle". This will especially look good on well-built men(fortunately, a few cyclists are fat, or even if they are, they are on thier way to getting fit :) ).
ken cummings
02-07-06, 07:36 PM
The 'official' safety vest doees not look like something anyone would normally wear. For lower schools with uniforms the reflective material could be in flame patterns for boys and flowers and Koalas for girls. A preferred attention grabbing color might do. Lime yellow and orange are not the only Hi-Viz colors (or is it colours in the Commonwealth?). Perhaps the companies that sell school uniforms would have some ideas. A lot more market research is in order. For legally adults at University offer them a choice of coats, jackets, vests, shirts . . . If they choose not to use them and die, well they are adults and that is their (dumb) choice. I wear a safety vest if I am going on a major highway or it is too hot to wear a T-shirt or cycling jersey. At night my head and tail lights are almost blindingly powerful and a vest is just Golden Syrup on top of the custard.
I worked in the mines in the Transvaal in the 1970s and my spouse and I were the only white adults who biked in the entire town of ~5000 whites and 30000 "Bantu".
chicbicyclist
02-07-06, 07:43 PM
High fashion for cycling "uniform" is a niche that have not been explored much, I don't think. If only I had the capital.....
Bekologist
02-07-06, 07:46 PM
all safety vests have the 'geek' factor,
but some of the construction safety worker vests are pretty industrial cool. I don't know if these would work into the original posters subsidy program but a lot of them are inexpensive at wholesale.
They just need some "in your face" patches. Encourage the kids to personalize their own.
I'm using a traffic safety DOT class II vest in lime yellow with superfleccos for night, and a 10 mile cloth blaze orange surveyor's vest during daylight.
saftey vests will remain DOT class DORK unless bikes catch back on in the mainstream. I like Ken Cummings idea about the nontraditional fleccos in the shape of flames, etc...
Joe Dog
02-07-06, 07:48 PM
I agree with genec - the Pearl stuff is as cool as it gets for safety clothing. I have a lime green vest that I wear all the time and a nice Descente jacket (also lime green) that I wear in colder weather. Yes - both are shocking day-glo green, but they have a little style and panache nevertheless.
genec
02-07-06, 07:53 PM
I like Ken Cummings idea about the nontraditional fleccos in the shape of flames, etc...
I do too... but I achieved my nirvana with some Primal Wear jerseys that are primarily orange and other bright colors. I figured anything that made drivers go "huh... what's that..." gets their attention and works. So in effect I have used Ken's idea. But Ken takes it one step further... good on him.
I do want a high vis jacket though, for spring and fall when the sun is in just the wrong spot and it is cooler out.
o-dog
02-07-06, 09:38 PM
I do want a high vis jacket though, for spring and fall when the sun is in just the wrong spot and it is cooler out.
I just got a Novara Express bike jacket (http://www.rei.com/online/store/ProductDisplay?storeId=8000&catalogId=40000008000&productId=47916320&parent_category_rn=4500843&vcat=REI_SEARCH) that serves this purpose very well... I also wear it at night and in cold weather (on top of a sweater of course). I've found it to be a very good all-purpose jacket.
I also wear a Pearl Izumi reflective vest... it's very functional and about as cool-looking as reflective vests get.
Dogbait
02-07-06, 11:01 PM
Alert Shirts will print your logo on their ANSI level 2 vests and are not expensive in quantity. I have one of their long sleeve t-shirts in hi-viz yellow and it is very bright.
LOGO SAMPLES (http://www.alertshirt.com/logos.html)
Dogbait
caloso
02-08-06, 10:36 AM
I've got a Nike windvest. It's black but has reflective piping, including a big vertical stripe down the shoulders. Very visible in the headlights and not too geeky.
rule
02-08-06, 01:58 PM
Pearl Izumi Barrier vests.
Allan Dunlop
02-08-06, 09:03 PM
Thanks for all the input, everyone--much appreciated. If anyone else has other ideas to add, please keep 'em coming.
Personally, depending on the weather I either wear:
a) a bright yellow Gore-Tex wind-stop jacket that I got from a bargain bin at the bike shop I dealt with while in France for a bit (about $15 Canadian--best deal ever).
b) one of the bright yellow Mountain Equipment Co-op jackets (kind of a cycling uniform for a lot of us in Canada): http://tinyurl.com/dbccn
c) my cycling vest: http://tinyurl.com/dftod I use these in my cycling courses and the adults really like these. A number of the kids don't mind wearing them. All the kids tolerate them (they have to).
...or all three.
In the schools last year, I asked kids if they'd be interested in designing a vest they'd actually like to wear. They loved that idea, so the next step is for me to find a way to have a design free-for-all with them some time and see what they come up with.
I really like the Pearl Izumi Zephrr Jacket (anyone know if this style has pit zips?).
Allan
John Wilke
02-09-06, 02:53 AM
Pearl Izumi gear is about as stylish as it comes, but the bottom line is that bright lime green pretty much says "geek," and that is going to be hard to overcome.
To get past the geek factor some other interesting images might help... contrasted against the bright green.
But the bottom line is visiblity, which demands something bright... where as "cool" usually is something dark.
Why / how is this "geek" ?
I'll wear blaze orange if I can find it.
jw
blonduathlongrl
02-09-06, 03:48 AM
Why / how is this "geek" ?
I'll wear blaze orange if I can find it.
jw
I dont think it's geeky either, looks sharp to me! and the color has to be bright. I certainly would have a double take when seing someone ride by with that vest. You guys are too tough on yourself, and guess what, tights rock too! lol :)
oilfreeandhappy
02-09-06, 09:32 PM
These advocacy patches can brighten up a jacket or vest.
http://home.comcast.net/~oil_free_and_happy/
Dchiefransom
02-12-06, 08:00 PM
Why / how is this "geek" ?
I'll wear blaze orange if I can find it.
jw
I've been out in the woods hunting for years, and the blaze orange hasn't been nearly as visible as the neon green/yellow stuff I've seen in cycling clothing. That stuff is easily visible at over a half mile, at least to my ancient eyes.
I wear the Peral Izumi vest with the mesh on the back. One advantage some of the industrial vests have is the price. Some are available for $10 or a bit less.
DigitalQuirk
02-13-06, 11:22 AM
My problem with vests, in general, is that once I thow on a backpack, it becomes almost useless. I do use a backpack with a reflective strip across the back. What might work is designing a backpack with highly reflective straps and strips across the back; where a student may not wear a safety vest, a safety backpack may be more accepted as cool, or at least less geek.
atbman
02-13-06, 01:00 PM
My problem with vests, in general, is that once I thow on a backpack, it becomes almost useless. I do use a backpack with a reflective strip across the back. What might work is designing a backpack with highly reflective straps and strips across the back; where a student may not wear a safety vest, a safety backpack may be more accepted as cool, or at least less geek.
There is one firm which produces reflective covers for backpacks - I'm sure someone on this forum will tell us the website.
In lieu of that use one of the vests I've picked up at the roadside over the years and feed the straps thro' the armholes. Instant cover
genec
02-13-06, 04:00 PM
Why / how is this "geek" ?
I'll wear blaze orange if I can find it.
jw
Know any teenagers? Ask them.
Personally I think it is pretty nice. But the target audiance of the OP was not me.
MarkS
02-13-06, 07:26 PM
My problem with vests, in general, is that once I thow on a backpack, it becomes almost useless.Get a large jacket vest from alertshirt and wear it over your backpack.
I've been out in the woods hunting for years, and the blaze orange hasn't been nearly as visible as the neon green/yellow stuff I've seen in cycling clothing.The other thing about orange it that it has become tainted by association with jail-house work crews, or at least in my thinking.