Originally Posted by
I-Like-To-Bike
And relatively few cyclists today deem all that glowing paraphernalia and recording equipment necessary for a simple bike ride anywhere, especially in daylight. Don't fool yourself and think the posts on A&S and some of the other BF lists represent anything but fringe cyclists' preferences.
Define "a simple bike" ride.
Sure I don't do all that for a neighborhood ride or a run to the grocery store, but if I go out on high speed, high volume roads, I have been using various forms of "glowing paraphernalia" since the early '80s. At first it was nothing more than orange T shirts... now in the age of cell phones and texting, I have lights, vest, bright clothing, and mirror... and I daily see bike commuters doing the same things. Two bright blinking lights facing rearward are pretty standard around here on the high speed arterial roads.
No, the large number of cyclists I happened to see yesterday didn't have all that, but they were riding in groups and were riding in bike paths and in bike lanes on lower speed roads. So it comes down to cycling experience, and location, and time of day.