Advocacy & Safety - rain jacket colour

Hi everyone,

With the weather turning cold and damp in Canberra now, I'm in the market for a new rain jacket. I've narrowed it down to a couple of Netti models, both of which come in bright blue or that really hideous awful fluoro green.

I don't do a lot of riding on the road when it's dark or when the weather is really bad. A jacket for me is more for when I go for a road ride and get caught in a rain shower, and as a wind break when commuting on bike paths when it's really really cold.

But what I want to know is: Is the green really effective as a safety device in traffic, or is the blue just as good?

I notice that when the green gets a few years old it looks really terrible and isn't bright any more. I also suspect that motorists are so used to seeing the green that it's just part of the scenery anyway. So should I go hideous green or lush blue? Obviously I do care about how I look; but I'd rather be a dag than dead.

cheers,
Ants

How does the blue contrast with the colour of the road surface?

Hmmm, good point. I guess the blue doesn't contrast as well as the green, especially in bad weather when it's actually needed.

So that looks like a vote for the daggy green option. ;)

You could get the blue one and then get an inexpensive "ugly yellow" reflective vest. These vests are made out of mesh with reflective stripes so they don't weigh much.

This would allow you to use the jacket for more than biking.

Dan

What is the area like? Trees and green stuff? To follow up on Chris' point about road surface.

Joe

Originally posted by Ants
I've narrowed it down to a couple of Netti models, both of which come in bright blue or that really hideous awful fluoro green.
I'm not trying to be contrary ;) but I lust after a really hideously bright green jacket.

:thumbup:

Any NEON color! I'll wear my Pearl Izumi piss-yellow windshell on days when it's far too warm because of it's visibility.

I had a bright orange wind breaker that works as a rain jacket as well that I lost earlier this year.I really liked that color and it was fairly inexpensive, very observable in rain and at night etc.This years model of the same jacket is a dull blue that I can't get excited about and thus given the Fl. heat recently I have just put off the replacement decision for a while still hoping to find an orange jacket preferably like the one I had.

Good concept from Dan - I think I'll go the blue jacket because I can wear it off the bike without looking like a dork and I'll get a cheap fluoro mesh thing as well. Thanks all for your advice - cheers!

Ants, I've just noticed your location in your profile. You might think about checking out some of the designs at http://www.groundeffect.co.nz

They normally ship pretty quickly to our little corner of the world, they come very highly regarded.

BAH...humbug. I figure I may as well be curious yellow, so I bought a Columbia rain jacket at a local camping outlet.

I have a green one that is left over from my world tour, and the green color is more effective in barren areas, such as flat countryside with no trees, or high mountain areas about the treeline.

Whatever you do, don't waste time and money on gore-tex or similar waterproof/breatheable baloney!

roughstuff

Originally posted by Roughstuff

Whatever you do, don't waste time and money on gore-tex or similar waterproof/breatheable baloney!

roughstuff

I don't understand your comment about Goretex. I have never had a problem with it in terms of the degree of waterproofness it offers. I live in Vancouver, BC so we get a significant amount of heavy downpours for about
4-5 months of the year. I have tried several other types of jackets for cycling but my Gortex clothing has been well worth the money.

What kind of experience with Gortex do you have that would cause you to make the above comment ?

Justen

Originally posted by oscaregg
Any NEON color! I'll wear my Pearl Izumi piss-yellow windshell on days when it's far too warm because of it's visibility.

Mine gets ALOT of use, as well. Since it is reasonably water-repellant, it is not too bad as a raincoat.

Originally posted by Justen
I don't understand your comment about Goretex. I have never had a problem with it in terms of the degree of waterproofness it offers.... What kind of experience with Gortex do you have that would cause you to make the above comment ?

Justen

I don't really question its waterproofness...its the breathability issue I

I am aware that Gore-tex HAS improved from its early days. But i still refuse to have anything to do with it. Gore-tex's key assumption is that sweating/condensation is primarily a problem of lack of breathability, and thats just plain false. You could be cycling buck-butt naked and your body will be producing sweat so fast it can't evaporate away. I agree that gore-tex is marginally better than a completely, sealed, waterproof garment. But given the improvements that have been made with vents and variable zippers/snaps/velcros around the wrists, arms, trunk, and back, I find my waterproof Columbia breathes just fine. In fact you find many similar vents and zippers on gore-tex garments, living proof that their users find such features essential.

I might add that a second assumption of the Gore-bies is that sweat and water are the same thing. If so, trying wringing a sweaty shirt into an 8 ounce glass and taste the difference. Sweat--especially the all encompassing slime you get in hot weather, and the sticky clammy stuff you get in cold climates, has alot of other oils and minerals in it which quickly coat the inside surface of your garment and make it almost as impermeable as a waterproof one. The last thing I need on a cycling tour is some fuss budget fabric thats too sentimental to double as a drop cloth, and needs to be washed to boot!

So is gore-tex worth it? Well hey..i know so many people who swear by it, i just might try it someday, if the price ever comes down to earth.

roughstuff

I think they should have PAISLEY raingear. :)

roughstuff

Fluorescent / Retroreflective Flak Jackets

Roadworkers use "flak jackets" - vests of special tested colours to stay at maximum visibility for the human eye - fluorescent orange and fluorescent lime green. These colours tested best for visibility for health and safety in employment compliance. The human eye response to blue colours is lower. I can email the Australia-New Zealand standards numbers for the colours if anyone is interested.

Flak Jackets have retroreflective tapes which send back a headlight beam at night. You can't beat that for free visibility, and no batteries required.

Yes its probably dork city but turns your whole back into "look at me" - and don't put an extra fold in my spine.

In New Zealand we are now getting a lot of cyclists using them. The concept is taking off. They come in big sizes and a summer weight one goes over your jacket, and folds up small and light into your jacket pocket when you hop off. They dry fast and are all you need to wear in the heat.

I use a backpack to carry my shirt and tie to work so I have made a cover out of a flak jacket which clips onto the pack. Works like magic; cars swing really wide around when I am using it.

(I tried to make the pack cover commercially but couldn't build any interest except 2 guys who were only interested in totally soaking my cash.)

I also have a warm winter coat of the same stuff, and the sleeves add extra square footage of reflectivity.

Anyway these are the best out if you want to be seen and don't want a truck to put an extra fold in your spine.

Any NEON color! I'll wear my Pearl Izumi piss-yellow windshell on days when it's far too warm because of it's visibility.

PI has a really bright yellow, light material short sleeve jersey. It's the "Focus" jersey. The one I bought at the outlet store doesn't have as much black as the one on their website.

A friend of mine has a fluorescent lime green wind breaker from Trek. I was really impressed when we were riding at sundown, and the jacket was positively glowing. It actually seemed to be generating its own light some how. After seeing that, I was wishing I had gotten a lime green jacket rather than the red one that I was wearing.

fluorescent dyes do sort of "generate their own light" - they take the incoming light and use it to create outgoing light - losing some energy in the process. So how does that end up creating a bright reflection? Because you get light from two sources-the light reflected in the normal way plus the light created by the fluorescence process which is feeding on light of a higher wavelength (light that would normally be "wasted").

For example, a fluorescent yellow jacket is dyed with two colors: yellow and a substance that fluoresces yellow. The yellow reflects yellow light and the fluorescent stuff makes yellow light out of light that is shorter in wavelength than yellow.

In any case, In traffic I definitely vote for the brightest stuff you can stand to wear.

the brighter the better. Flourescent yellow-green is apparently the most visible color in fog. Who cares how you look? At least they'll see you.

I agree with the others, studies usually show a flourescent lime green type as the most noticable. Flourescent orange is really bright too.

I keep my lights and reflectors confined to my bike and bike gear (bag and helmet) and wear a regular jacket. I know y'all hate to hear it, but most often my jacket is black (although I do have a blue goretex jacket that I wear on the wettest days), and I've never had any problems with visibility issues in the city. I'm not about to change my habits anytime soon, as I strongly dislike wearing dorky looking bike gear of any kind, and will continue to happily ride in my street clothes.

I've never had problems with visibility either but I'm probably the most well lit guy in all of a million or so bikers in NYC, save for Ringo, that dude has 2 HID's on his dome.
But in rain, when car windshields are messed up, no matter how many lights you have, it's still a point source. A bright jacket, especially during the day, is a HUGE mass of contrasting light. It helps a lot.