Commuting - Can you bikers help - a night-time runner with visilbility gear?!

Hi all - I'm an avid mountain biker and post regularly on the mtn boards, and used to on the commuter boards before I switched more to a run-commute home. I know it's kind of strange for me to ask some hardware questions for running here on the biker board, but you all have proven to me that you bikers REALLY REALLY know your gear. I mean, ask a runner the difference between an HID, LED, and taillight, and you'll get "Huh?"

Just wanted your ideas for how to make myself (as a runner) most visible at dusk-darkness in a moderately lit 6 mile run home. Sodium lamps most of the way, and I don't need to generate enough lighting to see the pavement. I do, however want the cars to see me well.

Right now, I'm running with:
- Tikka LED Headtorch on blink
- NIKE blue arm blinker
- 3 inch Serfas red rear blinker on my Camelbak
- Fluorescent yellow vest
- Reflective gloves, hat

I generally feel more visible the darker it gets, but I still get a bit anxious at corners, when lots of car headlights drown out my blinkers - it happened today, and I had to stop in the middle of the road while a car barreled on through my walk light at an intersection; probably didn't see my blinkers until too late. (Amazingly, at dark intersections where my blinkies are in full view, I notice that cars wait at least 20-30 feet back for me to pass - as if I'm a safety-CRAZED runner; I get more space than during the day!!) Any suggestions for lightweight ways to improve 360 degree visibility? (Cost is not as much as an issue for me...within reason, of course!)

I also think I'm getting the "Christmas" tree effect of too many blinking things - it looks kind of funny in a store window to see the white headlamp, blue Nike light, and red lights blinking at once. At the same time, it sure gets MY attention, so hopefully it works for the cars! Do you guys think it's safer to have one blinker only and the others steady on?


Thanks for the tips - ride on!

How about a pair of these reflective legbands on your ankles, would they bug your ankles?

http://images.rei.com/media/543017Prd.jpg

http://www.rei.com/online/store/ProductDisplay?storeId=8000&catalogId=40000008000&productId=1520&parent_category_rn=40004282&vcat=REI_SEARCH

They'd be omnidirectional, they move with your feet to catch peoples' eye, and they're down low where low-beam headlights will hit them strongly. And they don't weigh much.

REI also carries some that have LED's in them, providing active lighting that'll be visible when the headlights aren't aiming at you: http://www.rei.com/online/store/ProductDisplay?storeId=8000&catalogId=40000008000&productId=7458584&parent_category_rn=40004282&vcat=REI_SEARCH A drawback: they don't wrap all the way around your ankle, so they're maybe a 270° solution. Plus they may bug your ankles with that buckle.

http://images.rei.com/media/667916Prd.jpg

Beyond that, here's another suggestion: a bright white outer layer to wear under your vest, like this jersey in the white color: http://www.nashbar.com/profile.cfm?category=137&subcategory=1206&brand=&sku=15778&storetype=&estoreid=&pagename=Shop%20by%20Subcat:%20Long%20Sleeve%20Jerseys Sometimes I see runners with reflective vests, but dark-colored clothes, so it delays my identification of what they actually are.

http://www.nashbar.com/nashbar_photos/medium/NA-LSBEJ-WHITE-ANGLE.gif

And you could iron on some iron-on 3M reflective tape if you wanted: http://www.identi-tape.com/iron-on.html

Go from blink to steady. Flashing lights draw attention because they simulate motion. You are already making lots of motion on your own. People not only need to see you, but also dope what they are seeing in relation to their intended path of travel.

I think I saw some "all-reflective" jackets on sale somewhere before - they look like regular jackets until the car lamps hit them. Those might be good for 360 degree visibility. Anyone seen them?

I think I saw some "all-reflective" jackets on sale somewhere before - they look like regular jackets until the car lamps hit them. Those might be good for 360 degree visibility. Anyone seen them?

IlliumiNITE (or whatever the spelling) from Performance?

................................

I am still working out my visibility but I beleive it is crucial. I remain worried of all the stealth runners I almost clobber on my way in who have NO lighting at all. I can't afford a HID and Im trying to make sure I dont hit potholes, animals, etc, so I am very happy when a runner has some light.

IlliumiNITE (or whatever the spelling) from Performance?

A friend of mine bought one of those, a vest from Performance. We experimented with it in different lighting conditions.
It's not very reflective, She would have sent it back except it was a nice vest that she wanted. It's better than not having it but it's not like the reflective tape or anything else I have seen.

Thanks for the heads up on IllumNite - I want something BRIGHT. Perhaps reflective tape on the Camelbak might be a good bet!

It sounds like you're already doing a great job of being visible.
I don't have too many more suggestions, but I'll relay a couple of ideas I've seen people use around here.

1) on a woman jogging, she had a little 'turtle' (http://www.mec.ca/Products/product_detail.jsp?PRODUCT%3C%3Eprd_id=845524442588127&FOLDER%3C%3Efolder_id=2534374302692895&bmUID=1159458523335) blinkie on the pom pom of her toque.
It was on steady, but with the bouncing of her stride you could REALLY tell it was a jogger.

2) on a rollerblader last night, a red blinkie (on steady) on each wristguard. Since the arms are swaying outwards during rollerblading, this is really conspicuous and you can easily identify the rollerblader.

A friend of mine bought one of those, a vest from Performance. We experimented with it in different lighting conditions.
It's not very reflective, She would have sent it back except it was a nice vest that she wanted. It's better than not having it but it's not like the reflective tape or anything else I have seen.

+1

Illuminite looks good in the catalogs, but out on the street it's not much better than wearing something white.

Not to change the topic, but why is it that running shoes typically have reflective strips on the heel? Since you're supposed to run facing traffic, shouldn't the reflective stuff be on the tongue or the toe?

On the advice of someone here, I got Alert Shirts. Cheap and effective. I noticed a difference on my night rides. http://www.alertshirt.com

(I have no other interest in the company than that of a customer)

On the advice of someone here, I got Alert Shirts. Cheap and effective. I noticed a difference on my night rides. http://www.alertshirts.com

(I have no other interest in the company than that of a customer)

Bum link...the correct form is:

http://www.alertshirt.com/

It's true that you're supposed to run into traffic when you're on foot, but I can tell you that you'll find yourself nearly 50% of the time running with traffic. Often it's because there's a sidewalk on the right side and none on the opposing side, or you simply like the terrain on one side of the street better than the other.

Regardless, I like my reflectives on ALL parts of my shoes. Unfortunately, I do run in the mountains sometimes, and the dirt quickly covers up the reflectives. I definitely need to keep a "mountain" pair and a "road" pair for safety reasons.

The Tikka headlamp I'm using is bright as heck in terms of car visibility - you can see it outblink the car lights when pointed straight at a street sign at night. However, it's got a really narrow cone, so I don't find it really effective as a visual lighting system until it's completely dark out, with no streetlights. (It works GREAT then!)

For the total geekiness approach :D you could have an omni-directional xenon strobe on your hat, and completely cover your clothing with Bright Silver reflective cloth tape from 3M. I have seen the tape thing done by a religious cult on Mt. Shasta and it was blindingly impressive. :eek:

+1 on the alert shirt. I ordered a couple of the 'OSHA safety certified whatever' lime green ones. Oh man, need some shades to look at those things. I don't wear my reflective vest anymore when I wear those. They also have vests, gloves and hats.

If you wear leg warmers (not even sure if you can running?) Check these out:
http://backbaybicycles.com/itemdetails.cfm?catalogId=39&id=2606
They have "reflective accents for safety at night". I've never seen them, so I can't vouch for them.

Unfortunately, those dusk/dawn times are literally killers. I stopped commuting during these times, waiting for more light in the morning and full darkness at night. It can even be hard to even see car headlights if the sun is directly behind the car and the oncoming driver is basically looking straight into the sun. So, if you have to run at that time, try to go be in places where you aren't between the oncoming traffic and the sun. (you probably know all this, so I'm just spouting...)