Road Cycling - High Visability Jerseys

I'm looking for high visability short and long sleve jerseys. I ride (road bike) a lot in the early morning hours around sun up and am considering something with "Illuminite" or something like it that is reflective but also very high visability during the day.

Any thoughts, experiences and recommendations?

I guess I could have spelled visibility correctly!

Jim,

I wear illuminite shorts and vest every morning on my commute to work. In the afternoon I wear normal shorts and leave the vest off. I have been very pleased and have received comments about how bright the illuminite stuff is. You can get the vest in yellow which should help cars see you after the sun comes up.

Zack

Visisblity might be the best thing you have going for you for safety. When NHTSA studied motorcycle safety they found that there was a significant difference between the accident rate of faired bikes and unfaired bikes. Apparently faired bikes are much more visible. Illuminite may not get the visibility that a fairing does, but every little bit helps.

Originally posted by FOG
Visisblity might be the best thing you have going for you for safety. When NHTSA studied motorcycle safety they found that there was a significant difference between the accident rate of faired bikes and unfaired bikes. Apparently faired bikes are much more visible. Illuminite may not get the visibility that a fairing does, but every little bit helps.

Fog;

At least once a day I must admit my ignorance. Can you tell me what the term faired means?:)

Don't feel bad I was thinking the same thing roberttank.

A faired bike has a fairing, which is a big aerodynamic thing, typically with a windshield. An unfaired bike would show its engine and frame. go to Honda's website. The Gold wing has a fairing, the nighthawk doesn't

these have fairings:

http://www.hondamotorcycles.com/motorcycles/Touring_Sport_Touring/model.asp?ModelName=Gold+Wing&ModelYear=2003&ModelId=GL18003

http://www.hondamotorcycles.com/motorcycles/sport/model.asp?ModelName=CBR600F4i&ModelYear=2003&ModelId=CBR600F43

These don't:

http://www.hondamotorcycles.com/motorcycles/sport/model.asp?ModelName=919&ModelYear=2003&ModelId=CB900F3

http://www.hondamotorcycles.com/motorcycles/cruiser_standard/model.asp?ModelName=Nighthawk+750&ModelYear=2003&ModelId=CB7503

I wonder if the fairing visibility association has a totally different source. Like maybe, a mental connection between fairings and motorcycle policemen. The mind is a funny thing and two wheeled vehicles just don't always register on many drivers, especially those with slower processors.

Maybe folks notice fairings like they notice Crown Victorias parked along the side of the road?

Think of a fairing as an aerodynamic "snout" that streamlines the air flow over the bike, recumbent, motorcycle, etc.

As to visibility, I am a big believer, but I do not let it dictate my "style". I like to wear a number of different colorful jerseys, but not all would be considered hi-vis. Instead I have a Nathan reflective cycling vest that I got from Nashbar. It has a reflective stripe across the front and low down on the longer rear tail so it shows even when I am bent over. I wear it every morning on my pre-dawn commute and in the afternoon on overcast or rainy days. I also have reflectors and blinkies on my commuters. I have an Illumite reflective wind vest, but I have to tell you I am not particularly impressed with its visibility. It seems more like a ghostly glow than the intense reflectivity of truly reflective material.
FWIW,
Raymond

:D :D :D

http://www.lightningbikes.com/sf40lineup.jpg

a good bright yellow jersey works great and what cyclist doesnt like the yellow jersey

Your best attention attractor is going to be a moving high efficiency reflector such as on your wheels, feet or pedals. In my experience these attract attention much better than vests. Most cycling shoes have some reflector material but it is not in the same class as illuminite and should be buffed up a good bit. If I were riding at nite much I would have 2-3 reflectors on each wheel and on my feet visible from rear, side and front. The LED blinky lights tend not to be bright enough beyond 75-100yds.
Lights that are bright enough and moving would be better but hard to find, and hard to mount on wheels. Really bright LED lites are pending but expensive and most will be oriented to fixed mounts. Steve

memphisjim,

While all this discussion of Fairings is fairly fascinating
I'm not sure it answers your question.
Performance Bike has a complete section of
reflective wear
CLICK HERE (http://www.performancebike.com/shop/subcategory.cfm?Cat_ID=5&Sub_ID=1350)
also check Nashbar for more.
I have a Pear Izumi jacket in Screaming Yellow that
also has some reflective piping to stand out in low light
situations.

Marty

I like the Primal jerseys- they are not flourescent or anything, but they tend to draw attention to me all the same, so it gets the same effect. You can get those jerseys through performance.com.

Originally posted by FOG
Visisblity might be the best thing you have going for you for safety. When NHTSA studied motorcycle safety they found that there was a significant difference between the accident rate of faired bikes and unfaired bikes. Apparently faired bikes are much more visible. Illuminite may not get the visibility that a fairing does, but every little bit helps.

The most accident prone group of motorcycles are unfaired bikes with engine sizes of 1000 cc's or larger. This is especially true for men aged 35-45 who haven't taken the Motorcycle Safety Foundation training course. I always figured the accident rate was caused by old guys going through a midlife crisis who thought they could handle all the power, but the fairing-visibility deal sounds like it plays a major role as well

I'm new to biking, but on my motorcycle I have retroreflective tape on my helmet, my jacket and along the sides of my bike. I'm thinking illumite is the same stuff. Basically works the same as a road sign or a reflector on the ground.

If you're concerned about appearence, they make the tape in different colors :cool:. My friend has black tape that lights up white at night.

[QUOTE]Originally posted by theshinu

I'm new to biking, but on my motorcycle I have retroreflective tape on my helmet, my jacket and along the sides of my bike.

Hey Dude,

I'm just curious...which do you feel safer on, your bicycle or motorcycle? Does traffic react to you differently on each vehicle?

Steve

Originally posted by Merckxrider
[QUOTE]Originally posted by theshinu

I'm new to biking, but on my motorcycle I have retroreflective tape on my helmet, my jacket and along the sides of my bike.

Hey Dude,

I'm just curious...which do you feel safer on, your bicycle or motorcycle? Does traffic react to you differently on each vehicle?

Steve I know you were asking a different poster but I thought I would answer too. I feel safer on my bicycle than on my motorcycle, but this is an illusion. The stats don't seem to bear it out.

What makes a motorcycle feel so dangerous is being out there at very high speeds (as in left lane speeeds for me, not suicide speeds favored by the owners of kamikaze crotch rockets). There are often large trucks nearby for long periods of time, and you have to deal with drivers who either get road rage, or for subcompact car drivers, finally see a vehicle on the road which they can push around. I also have to watch road condition, because even a spill at motorcycle speeds is a serious event. My level of vigilance on a motorcycle is always sky-high, and I don't relax until the motorcycle is locked safely away. In contrast, on a bicycle there are long periods of time during which no motor vehicles are nearby, and I am relaxed, or gasping for breath, but enjoying the scenery. The problem is that, per mile, I am much more likely to get hit by a motor vehicle while riding a bicycle.

Originally posted by FOG
The problem is that, per mile, I am much more likely to get hit by a motor vehicle while riding a bicycle.

Hmm,

The stats I recall having seen wouldn't bear that out. Per mile I thought motorcycling was light years more dangerous than bicycling. Do you have a statistic to back your claim up? (just curious, I really do want to know if its true.)

take care,

Jester

I'm pretty scared when I'm out on both my bike and my motorcycle. However, I'm more scared of motorists when I'm on my bicycle because most cagers tend to think that bicycles belong on sidewalks, not the road. I almost got hit today on my bike on that note...

Motorcycles are a little bit different in that alot of cars don't hassle you too much. They tend to give motorcycles alot more space, at least in my opinion. There is that occasional hot-headed driver that thinks it's safe to tailgate 3 feet behind me.

As to which I feel safer on, I'd say I feel alot safer on my bicycle. I'm not sure why, I think it might have to do with my speed being drastically limited. Also, I find it much easier to manuever on my bicycle.

I wear relatively bright jerseys - yellows, oranges, stars and stripes, etc. I strongly believe that on more than one occasion that such vivid colors have alerted a driver of my presence.

You will want a fairing for your bicycle after you see these pictures

http://www.zzipper.com/RoadMtnTandemFairings.html
:D

This looks FAST!