chicharron

the reflective vest are funny.

jfowler85

if it's high noon than no. if it's high noon in high traffic than yes.

marshall's and other discount retailers usually carry expensive, brand-name tops that either catch or reflect light very well, for a fraction of retail price.

CornyBum

I just wanted to makes sure of something about reflective vests: orange is better for daytime, and lime is better for nighttime, right? I think I've read about two-tone reflective vests that have both such colors. I'm planning on buying a vest that incorporates both colors.

10 Wheels

Lime shows up at a greater distance......

cyclezealot

I have one should it be pitch black outside.. Normally, with all the reflective straps and lights I carry about my arms and legs and the flashing lite on the rear of my helmet, I don't think it's necessary. Can't hurt how ever.

LeeG

90% of the time I wear a yellow mesh back vest. As my eyes are getting crappy I realized that there are people driving cars with eyes like mine. When I've seen guys in road racing garb go by at dusk they're nearly invisible 200yds out.

ghettocruiser

Opinion: Neither colour shows up at night. Reflective tape and lights.

I think ANSI lime is still the best for overcast daylight.

SSP

Absolutely - that color practically glows under those conditions, and is eye-catching from hundred of meters away.

Digital_Cowboy

I wear one at night or when it's severely overcast. As well as a "matching" reflective and illuminated ankle strap.

This is the vest/ankle band that I wear:




Front



Back

As you can see it has LED's built into it. However the switch on the battery enclosure has a short in it and needs to be replaced, but it still works as a vest.

Luddite

I have one, I wear it at night (when I remember to) mine is completely mesh, orange with huge yellow reflective bits.

mikewille

Mine is the same as this, but has red l.e.d.s that run off 2 AA's.
Kinda hurts the eyes to look at them from less than 10 feet.
I bought it Acme Truck Brake & Supply in Elk Grove Village, Illinois,
they have a huge retail display area for every accessory imaginable for big trucks.
Mirrors of all sizes and tools and every kind of marker light and reflective safety stickers.

Commodus

I don't think it's necessary with all the blinky lights I have. If they don't see those, they just aren't paying attention and a bright vest isn't going to help that.

Digital_Cowboy

At 20, one could say the same thing about you. ;-)

benda18

First off, my morning commute starts at 5am so 12 months a year it's dark.

I used to wear one religiously. obviously it doesn't hurt to wear one every day, but i don't anymore. i now only wear one on any rainy, foggy, frosty, or snowy day - anytime where windshield visibility might be low.

chephy

Unless you're colourblind, as a non-negligible proportion of population is. That's one reason I think bright yellow is best for hi-vis: most colourblind people have trouble with red and green, but do fine with blue and yellow. I think it's better to be very eye-catching from 150 metres to 100% of people looking at you, than to really stand out for 90% of people from 300 metres, yet blend into the background for the remaining 10%.

I certainly don't wear a vest: it is a cumbersome extra piece of equipment that serves no other function than increasing visibility. If I cared about this stuff enough, I'd rather find a really bright shirt or jacket, that would both fulfil the visibility requirement and perform other functions of a garment (protection from elements, covering one's "indecency" etc.)

In general, most of the time I don't make an extra effort to wear especially bright colours when riding. I realize there are advantages to doing so, but I don't think it makes enough difference to bother dedicating a lot of special attention to it - at least in my riding environment. I do make sure to have lights at night and other low-vis conditions, and think it's sufficient. Yes, wearing a vest is safer, but in general I consider riding an ordinary and safe enough thing to do in everyday clothing. I do not think of it as an enterprise fraught with danger for which you must take every conceivable safety precaution. After all, pedestrians would also be safer wearing reflective vests (as well as helmets, knee pads, elbow pads, and wrist guards). But do you pile a ton of protective gear on top of you when you're stepping out to go for a walk? Doubt it.

Old Town

I don't ride at night, but if I did I'd wear light reflecting material. As for daytime, I don't think bright colors make all that much difference. If a driver cannot see a person with normal clothing on a bike that is in front of them, then color scheme is not going to matter much. I think most bicycle safety gear is a well-meant waste of money. Helmets, glowing clothes, flags-on-a-stick, etc, etc. All useful to appease the minds of those who think they need them and little else. But for riding in the daytime? I don't think so. Night riding is a whole different animal. I'm not a panic when it comes to "safety" issues regarding bikes, but I would not ride at night for anything. Too dangerous by my account. We all have our level of risk tolerance. Mine ends at sunset. You can be angry at me for not ever wearing a helmet and I'll understand. I can't understand anyone riding a bike along side the road in the dark no matter how many lights they have on it and even if their clothes are on fire at the time.

Old Town

chephy

Just out of curiousity, what convinced you that night riding was so dangerous. Is it some factual evidence or a few anecdotal cases or just "gut feeling"?

(I personally often feel safer at night. During the day, drivers are looking for cars, and I am not a car. At night, drivers are looking for lights, and I do have lights.)

Old Town

chephy: As a driver of autos (sometimes) I have always had trouble picking up bikes (at night) against road sidings that also have reflectors; like long lengths of fencing and such. Any light coming at me from other cars also makes judging distance on my periferal (sp?) tough. A car coming at me as I drive at night almost washes out my side vision for a moment. If a bike is over there it's a bad deal. I feel for the bike and wish cars were not around at all. And maybe I just don't see that well.

Another thing about night riding is you are operating at a time of increased drunks getting out of bars after "one" cocktail after work. Later in the night and it's the party crowd. I'm not against drinking, but living in Key West as I do, it's a daily blurb in the paper about the DWI who hit this or that cyclist, ped, or fat man in a dress on Duvall Street.

If you like night riding, I'm with you. I run at night on the sidewalks and enjoy the experience. So I dig why you like to bike. I just think it (cycling) is not as nimble a mode of transport as being on foot after dark. And you have to be in the street, not on the sidewalk. (Dodging drunks is an Olympic event in my neck of the woods.)

Old Town

smasha

orange ANSI-2 construction vest. day or night, rain or shine. even if i'm wearing it over top of a hi-vis cycle jacket. at night, one of the first things a driver will see is two vertical stripes and two horizontal stripes, in a pattern that the brain INSTANTLY recognizes as "that's a person". the pattern is also INSTANTLY recognizable in the day. just about all of the cycle specific clothing does NOT have 2 inch wide reflective stripes, does not have as much reflective surface area and uses patterns that are indistinguishable from piles of junk, if they're seen at all.

recently i had an incident where... well... let's just say that there was contact between my foot and a small SUV that was passing me. it's nice be able to write an incident report worded like:that was during the day, otherwise i would have had more lights. i also use reflective sidewall tires, but didn't feel the need to mention that in the report. if someone wants to assert that their SUV has more right to the road than your bike, there's only so much you can do (KICK 'IM!) but i'd hate to be killed by someone who gives a statement that they never saw me. the more conspicuous i can make myself, the more likely i'll be seen; if anything bad happens between me and a car, the driver will have a harder time defending them self.

i generally have no objection to laws that require accessories on the bicycle (bells, lights, etc) but i'm generally opposed to legally mandating accessories required for the rider (eg; helmets). that said, i have no problem if the courts go easier on drivers that have incidents involving ninja riders, and put a smack-down on drivers that have incidents with riders who are covered in blinky lights and reflective clothing. if someone crashes their car into a ninja rider, the "i never saw them" defense becomes arguably legitimate.

some would say that riding in a city provides enough ambient light, but that also creates more confusion for a driver. in a sea of lights and movement, an ANSI-2 vest stands out. day or night.

inattentional blindness is well documented and it's my belief and experience that an ANSI 2 or 3 vest is the single best accessory to solve that problem when riding in traffic.

Jim-in-Kirkland

You bet - wear a mesh vest in summer - canvas vest in winter. ANSI 3 Vest is always on except when wearing the rain cape. Picked from Western Saftey in the industrial area of Seattle.

sumguy

I use reflective gear, 1 headlight and 2 rear blinkies. I feel safer riding at night. My commute was on 45mph 5 lane roads. Traffic is MUCH lighter than day time. In the daytime, a lead car may move to pass safely but 2-3 cars behind him may not have a clue you are there. The lights and reflective material provide much higher background contrast at night. In the daytime, lights are more easily washed out.
Haven't commuted since I bought a new car and have been having back pain. Take a side street home because of loose gravel and construction on the 45mph road. Routinely see 2 runners (going with traffic) on the side street, no sidewalk. But just barely because their shoes have a couple reflective strips. They are maybe 10-20 yards ahead before I notice the LITTLE up and down movement. Sometimes stopped at fast food or store and people would ask if I was that guy on the bike they could see flashing blocks away. Some people were more aware of the vest and reflective striping and others the blinkies.

chephy

I see, you ride in a very different environment. I ride primarily in the city where the streets are lit anyway. That said, when I went touring, I did not feel traffic on the country roads posed a danger for me either, since there was so little on it. Also, surely a bright tail light would have solve some of these problems, or at least reduce the risk. But I don't mean to attack your point of view; you're entitled to your own judgments of your environment, obviously. Thanks for sharing your viewpoint.

cybersynaptics

I don't own a reflective vest but I do wear fluorescent T-shirts in orange, yellow or green most of the time or at least some bright colors and stay away from colors that blend in like browns and grays. I get criticized for my wardrobe sometimes by people that don't realize I ride but it keeps me fairly safe and I kinda like bright cheerful colors anyway. I had some girl who was going to a rave try and buy my shirt off me one afternoon as I was leaving the grocery store, I hooked her up with my source instead.

jtwilson

To me, the reflective vest is overkill as a stand-alone garment and screams:

"I'm scared to death that I might be killed any second, and I honestly probably don't belong on this dangerous thouroughfare which aside from my selfishly exceptional presence, ought to be for cars only."

I am not opposed to the principle of eye-catching colors and staying visible, but please, leave those hideous vests to those mandated to wear them.

smasha

funny... that's the impression i get when i see someone riding 6 inches from a line of parked cars, or the curb. regardless of how they and their bike are accessorized.