Originally Posted by
zoltani
You are right, it's nerdy and a hassle, for me it is a practicality issue. If i am going to meet some friends for dinner or drinks I am not going to show up in my full reflective suit, go to the bathroom, change my clothes, and join them. I'm also not going to sit there blinding other patrons of the establishment.
At some point I think we need to let people make their own decisions and not wring our hands over what message they might be getting from other cyclists.
Most people know how to dress themselves. If it's going to rain, some might wear a rain coat or bring an umbrella, other's won't. People choose their own cars and no one much cares. Yet for some reason in this forum, some of us feel the need to say what sort of bike people should buy and what clothes they should or should not wear while riding it.
Originally Posted by
zoltani
This idea really turns a lot of people away from cycling in general. People will not do it if it seems like a hassle. I realize i am in the "commuting" forum, but surely some of you ride your bike everywhere?
I really don't feel like looking up statistics on bike accidents involving cyclists wearing hi-viz vs. not, but I'll bet you there are other issues going on, such as not obeying traffic laws, that come into play way more often then just the visibility factor.
If I'm going somewhere after work, that may influence what I choose to wear on a particular day. Usually it means that I will wear my cycling shorts to work, but leave my work clothes on for the journey to wherever happy hour is. I may or may not change for the ride home depending on the distance.
In cooler weather I have a jacket that I wear which has reflective stripes. I have no problem wearing it to a bar or to a restaurant unless it's a formal place. If someone thinks I'm nerdy so be it. What I don't do is walk around telling other cyclists that they should all dress like I do.
My advice is very simple. YOU decide what is worth the hassle and what isn't. That will vary from person to person and trip to trip.
The dude with the motorcycle helmet and rain thingy is an outlier. There are plenty of other examples in the cycling community for people to emulate. Some with cycling gear, some without.