Well, you could be right, but I still think that I'm taking advantage of "what works in practice" to make me a little bit safer.

And what's wrong with a little bling? What's wrong with dressing up? I just don't like the dark, depressing grunge look 24/7. Does wanting to dress up make me a Class-conscious Capitalist Monster?

I don't know if many of you are aware of this, but we Americans are like the worst dressers in the world. For some reason, we are collectively afraid of wearing anything more dressy than a t-shirt. I don't understand it, and I don't like it. I don't want to look like a slob, in any situtation, and not on my bike, either.