Just a tip for bicyclists if you find yourself in a Target store soon...

Lately I have been commuting wearing a light windbreaker over a long-sleeved polyester compression-type shirt in the morning. For the warmer afternoons, I leave off the windbreaker (stash it in the pannier) and just wear the shirt.

A few days ago I was riding home wearing a red longsleeve shirt. My wife happened to pass me driving her car and said that the lights on my bike were bright and effective, but the shirt was not as visible in the late afternoon shadows.

I was in Target looking for other stuff and happened to spot the brightest orange shirt I have ever seen. It was a C9 "running shirt" in "Fireball Orange". The design looked perfect for bicycling, though - it is longer in the back than the front and has lighter material on the arms and back than the front. They only had sizes up to XL, which initially disappointed me, but I tried one on anyways and was glad I did. I normally take a 2XL or 3XL shirt, but the XL in this running shirt fits nicely. Why are athletic shirts so crazy from one to another with fit??

Anyhow, I bought one and used it twice this week. I love it, it is absolutely the most arrestingly loud bright neon orange I've ever seen on a garment. It is so loud that a small sliver of it catches my eye in my rearview take-a-look mirror. Everyone who has seen it has commented on how bright it is.

If something like that would interest you, I would certainly recommend finding one in a store and trying it on, since the size was so different from what I was expecting. Here is a link, although the internet picture does not do it justice - this thing is nuclear hot orange:

http://www.target.com/p/c9-by-champi...&term=fireball orange men running


I know there are a lot of other options for high-vis gear, but wanted to post this one since it was an unexpected good find in "running" gear. It is perfect for daytime and afternoon shadows; for darkness, I would still go with white as the best choice for visibility.