Commuting - Fluorescent green safety vest?

I have an orange safety vest with reflective strips specifically made for cycling with a long tail. I would like to get on in the fluorescent safety green that seems to be replacing orange. Mine was from Nashbar, but they don't even have the orange ones anymore. Anyone seen any?
Thanks,
Raymond

Just picked this one up at Performance. It sounds like the one you have.

http://www.performancebike.com/shop/profile.cfm?sku=10689

I bought the cloth reflective tape so I can add it to anything I want, from my LBS. it's not cheap, but it's cheaper than "bike" clothes. that is, if you are not stuck on special jerseys.

hmmm...how could green be easier to see than that hunter orange?

Blue-green is the colour our eyes are most sensitive to (roughly 520-530 nm).
Orange stands out more against a green/grey backdrop, but it doesn't attract the eye as much. (Orange would be better out to sea, where the safety clothing needs to contrast against a dark blue-green. Life vests are typically bright orange.)

Also, when the light level is low, our eyes' peak sensitivity moves towards longer wavelengths, but still only yellow-green, so you want the colour to be fairly close to that peak as well.

This is why safety equipment generally has the greenish colour we see today.
Emergency services vehicles are increasingly painted, partly or fully, in that colour.

I found this vest, (http://www.met-vest.com/) which is hi-viz yellow/green. It is probably too hot for summer, but might work for cooler temps. I wish I could try one out to see how it fits (without ordering), it looks a little loose, but it gets an "A" for color and reflectivity.

OhiOH, yeah, that's exactly the one I have. There is nothing wrong with it at all. I have just been noticing how much more visible the green seems to be, not the reflective, just the color. Either one works for my morning commute in the dark since you can't see the fabric anyway. I also wear the vest when it is cloudy and rainy. I think the green is more visible.

VR, I used to think the same thing, but apparently it is more visible. All safety stuff that used to be orange is being changed to the fluorescent lime green, even traffic signs. It's just anecdotal, but I know the green catches my eye more quickly than orange.
Regards,
Raymond

OhiOH, yeah, that's exactly the one I have. There is nothing wrong with it at all. I have just been noticing how much more visible the green seems to be, not the reflective, just the color. Either one works for my morning commute in the dark since you can't see the fabric anyway. I also wear the vest when it is cloudy and rainy. I think the green is more visible.

Jessica, where did you get the reflective cloth tape? Is it 3M?

VR, I used to think the same thing, but apparently it is more visible. All safety stuff that used to be orange is being changed to the fluorescent lime green, even traffic signs. It's just anecdotal, but I know the green catches my eye more quickly than orange.

On this subject, I had to drive to work this morning (I hate when that happens!). Driving along a stretch I usually ride I came upon a cyclist. He had on a vest with reflective stripes yet I did not see him at all until my lights actually illuminated HIM, not the reflective material, when I was only about 50 meters or less behind him. It wasn't until after I passed him that I realized that 1) he did have the vest and 2) it didn't reflect at all despite the reflective stripes. At that point I checked my rearview and could see that the stripes were reflecting the super bright LED green traffic light we were both approaching. I would love to have one of THOSE lights in white. They must have well over 100 super bright LEDs, and the light is actually blinding. Might need a bigger battery.

I have found many fluorescent lime vests but none the long-tail cycling-specific type. Wish Nathan would reproduce that vest in lime.
Regards,
Raymond

hmmm...how could green be easier to see than that hunter orange?

My brother's a firefighter/paramedic. He said the switch to green trucks (because of higher visibility than red) has somewhat reversed because the crazy light & sound packs that are now required render the color of the truck a bit of a moot point. He also said that they'd discovered that a certain shade of violently hot pink is even more visible than green, but to date he has not seen any hot pink fire trucks :-)

So I'm going to have to grab the lead in the Giro d'Italia to get a maglia rosa for visibility? :D

I found my lime green vest by doing a search on both google &
E-bay for "Safety Vest". NONE of these vest are for cyclist
so they don't bear high prices. All are the kind that road
workers wear (and sweat in) so they come in cool mesh for
summer use.

Some cyclist laugh at the idea of wearing a safety vest but
I can tell you cars go waaaaaaaay out around you when you
wear one!!!!

I found my lime green vest by doing a search on both google &
E-bay for "Safety Vest". NONE of these vest are for cyclist
so they don't bear high prices. All are the kind that road


It's amazing what can be found on the Bay and consequently adapted for cycling use. My challenge was the fact that since I'm slinging a pack, a reflective vest isn't as effective for trailing visibility.

Solution: Fido (http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=66766&item=4330079570&rd=1) to the rescue. Wrapped this around the pack, add a couple blinkies and I'm the pimp.

I'll start wearing one soon.
I have one, but I have to get over how weird it looks first... :)

Some cyclist laugh at the idea of wearing a safety vest but
I can tell you cars go waaaaaaaay out around you when you
wear one!!!!

I noticed the difference too. I never ride without it now.


Harbor Freight carries construction style safety vests.

I have the orange mesh vest that cost $5.99.
http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/Displayitem.taf?itemnumber=3604

They have a greenish yellow vest, but it is not mesh. The current cost is $3.99.
http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/Displayitem.taf?itemnumber=3613

It's amazing what can be found on the Bay and consequently adapted for cycling use. My challenge was the fact that since I'm slinging a pack, a reflective vest isn't as effective for trailing visibility.

Solution: Fido (http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=66766&item=4330079570&rd=1) to the rescue. Wrapped this around the pack, add a couple blinkies and I'm the pimp.

Ha ha! Motorist probably are thinking a pooch will jump out of that pack if they get too close!

VR, I used to think the same thing, but apparently it is more visible. All safety stuff that used to be orange is being changed to the fluorescent lime green, even traffic signs. It's just anecdotal, but I know the green catches my eye more quickly than orange.


Let's just say I'm a wary of marketing ploys.

1st year of commuting, don't remember
2nd year of commuting, best color was yellow
3rd year of commuting, best color was orange
4th year (this year), best color is now green --->Obviously one of these colors is the best.

More than likely the best outfit should address:

* Color for day to differentiate between people standing and working in one spot and those who are moving (like runners or cyclists)
* Color for dust, fog and rain
* Color for night

I got the tape at my LBS, actually, but I think they ordered it from someplace called Iron Horse or something.
I wear a hiway worker vest when biking on roads, and have collected some bright orange or green shirts for bike trail day trips. My spouse likes her hunting vest, dayglo orange and lots of pockets. I am going to add some of my reflective cloth tape to it.
I carry lights even when I go out in the day, but i depend on bright, reflective clothing more than my blinkies.

oh, I meant to mention, also, I wear a white helmet, because I have noticed that white is more helpful when driving and trying to see pedestrians or casual bikers in the dusk.

I figure, white for dusk, bright for daylight and blinkies for night will make me the most noticed, and hopefully safer.

The best colour is the green we see today.

When I lived in Ireland, where the police wear green fluorescent jackets or vests, I really became aware of how good they are. My eyes would notice something "bright" far away, and even though I couldn't even make out a person, the green still stood out.
Here's a typical garda officer:
http://flag.blackened.net/revolt/pics/2002/rtsMAY02/copandstreamersquay.jpg
And a few more:
http://www.indymedia.ie/attachments/dec2003/indymedia_uvs031206076.jpg

This is the one I'm using for $ 3.99, can't beat that.

Corsaire

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/Displayitem.taf?itemnumber=3613

I'll start wearing one soon.
I have one, but I have to get over how weird it looks first... :)

Hmmmm.....let me see.....do I enjoy pain or do I worry about
looking geeky?? Decisions, Decisions..........

Hmmmm.....let me see.....do I enjoy pain or do I worry about
looking geeky?? Decisions, Decisions..........

That vest would be most likely for sunset/dark commute after work, and at that point I could care less about looking geeky (ahhhhh! this "gotta look cool" thing....). That vest could be the difference between arriving home safely or laying down on bed in some hospital (if...you were that lucky), somewhere...now that wouldn't be so cool, would it ?

Corsaire ;)

Exactly, Corsaire! In the dark no one can tell who you are, but they DO see you, and that is the point of the exercise.

BTW, I just found this vest, available in lime or orange, which is almost identical to the Nathan's and is available in lime. I will let you know what I think when I get it.

https://www.crateworks.com/products.html?action=showcat&clickid=3

Being seen riding in one of those geeky vests is the last thing on my list of priorities. However all the way at the top of my list is to protect my violin and myself while I´m commuting. Somehow I see a collision between these two priorities. Isn´t it enough to put reflective tape all over the back of my violin case? Green reflective tape ;)

I had one of these
https://www.crateworks.com/images/store/PRO214.JPG
I wish I had kept it.

Better not call this cop a geek to his face!:

http://www.seebak.com/images/bike1.gif

I have this similar motorcycle vest:

http://www.seebak.com/images/700_1.gif
http://www.seebak.com/images/700_2.gif

Advantages:
Loads of reflectivity at night (more than any other vest I've seen), super adjustable to fit over jackets, slightly less geeky (vs. the construction worker/bike vest look).

Disadvantage:
No fluorescent material, but the reflective stripes are reasonably bright in the daytime.

http://www.seebak.com/

Hmmmm.....let me see.....do I enjoy pain or do I worry about
looking geeky?? Decisions, Decisions..........

I wasn't that serious, you know...

My brother's a firefighter/paramedic. He said the switch to green trucks (because of higher visibility than red) has somewhat reversed because the crazy light & sound packs that are now required render the color of the truck a bit of a moot point. He also said that they'd discovered that a certain shade of violently hot pink is even more visible than green, but to date he has not seen any hot pink fire trucks :-)

My old psych professor told me that while green was easier spotted, red was used because people subconsciously associated that with an emergency vehicle while green didn't have that association. Plus nowadays you can see and hear them before you can make out what color they are.

Pearl Izumi makes a vest in the bright green/yellow color. It can be seen from a very long way off. I believe they have it on the REI website.

Of course nothing beats a HID with a diffuser pointed backwards...

MEC sells one with the green colour by Cactus Creek. http://mec.ca/Products/product_detail.jsp?FOLDER%3C%3Efolder_id=668631&PRODUCT%3C%3Eprd_id=742051&bmUID=1097846546086

However, I think I'll save my $30 CAN and keep wearing the standard 'flagman' one that a friend gave me years ago.

Here is the one I use this time of year. Purchased from an ebay vendor.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v477/N7CZinMT/DSC00006.jpg

These are a cool vests if you're sitting upright or maybe riding a bent. However, if you ride on the drops, I"m not sure how much of these vests the drivers will actually see.

I don't wear a vest, but I really like the Hi-Viz yellow and orange jerseys I got from performance a while back. They are just as bright as a vest, just no reflective material. I have plenty of lighting and reflective stickers for after dark anyway. I am surprised more people don't wear hi-viz jerseys...

I noticed today while putting on my Super Bright Geek Vest that the back is mostly hidden by my messenger bag. A lot of good it's doing underneath there! I suppose a bit of the tail may show but I'm not sure -- it's kind of hard trying to get a good look without going around in circles and getting really dizzy. This is why it's a good idea to also have a quality Butt Blinker in addition to a SBGV.

I noticed today while putting on my Super Bright Geek Vest that the back is mostly hidden by my messenger bag.

When I carry a backpack, I wear my SBGJ (jacket - nice coinage, by the way!) over the bag. I bought an old, grease-stained large men's jacket on ebay (I'm a medium-size female) so it's big enough. Creates a lovely hunchback-of-Notre Dame effect to add to the overall fashion statement. :rolleyes: If I'm wearing dark clothes and it's too hot to wear the jacket, I tie it around my waist sweater-fashion, as I figure it's visible over my lower back/butt when I ride.

One thing I've wondered about and N7CZ's photo seems to confirm for me, is how much more visible reflective tape is than even this screaming-yellow/green. Maybe it's the nature of photos, but I didn't even notice you were wearing a hi-viz yellow jacket at first, while the tape jumps out instantly. I know my jacket looks radioactive on cloudy days and at dusk but I wonder how much it can be seen when it gets darker than that...makes me think about adding more reflective stuff.

One thing I've wondered about and N7CZ's photo seems to confirm for me, is how much more visible reflective tape is than even this screaming-yellow/green. Maybe it's the nature of photos, but I didn't even notice you were wearing a hi-viz yellow jacket at first, while the tape jumps out instantly. I know my jacket looks radioactive on cloudy days and at dusk but I wonder how much it can be seen when it gets darker than that...makes me think about adding more reflective stuff.

I also thought a hi-vis jacket would be enough day or night, but soon found out that the fluorescent "DAY-glow" colors would dull at night. Better to get some Reflexite or Scotchlite tape:

http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=70098

Rainman's offering a great service by selling some for cost.

(PS...good to see other JA's posting.)

...Driving along a stretch I usually ride I came upon a cyclist. He had on a vest with reflective stripes yet I did not see him at all until my lights actually illuminated HIM, not the reflective material, when I was only about 50 meters or less behind him. It wasn't until after I passed him that I realized that 1) he did have the vest and 2) it didn't reflect at all despite the reflective stripes.


Any idea why the reflective failed on the cyclist's vest?

OhiOH, yeah, that's exactly the one I have. There is nothing wrong with it at all. I have just been noticing how much more visible the green seems to be, not the reflective, just the color. Either one works for my morning commute in the dark since you can't see the fabric anyway. I also wear the vest when it is cloudy and rainy. I think the green is more visible.

VR, I used to think the same thing, but apparently it is more visible. All safety stuff that used to be orange is being changed to the fluorescent lime green, even traffic signs. It's just anecdotal, but I know the green catches my eye more quickly than orange.
Regards,
Raymond

My advice, keep looking until you find the hi viz "yellow". I tend to see cyclists before others(imagine that) and I notice that the ones wearing orange don't stand out as much.

Any idea why the reflective failed on the cyclist's vest?

Washing?