RainmanP

I have an orange safety vest with reflective strips specifically made for cycling with a long tail. I would like to get on in the fluorescent safety green that seems to be replacing orange. Mine was from Nashbar, but they don't even have the orange ones anymore. Anyone seen any?
Thanks,
Raymond

OhiOH

Just picked this one up at Performance. It sounds like the one you have.

https://www.performancebike.com/shop/....cfm?sku=10689

Jessica

I bought the cloth reflective tape so I can add it to anything I want, from my LBS. it's not cheap, but it's cheaper than "bike" clothes. that is, if you are not stuck on special jerseys.

vrkelley

hmmm...how could green be easier to see than that hunter orange?

CdCf

Blue-green is the colour our eyes are most sensitive to (roughly 520-530 nm).
Orange stands out more against a green/grey backdrop, but it doesn't attract the eye as much. (Orange would be better out to sea, where the safety clothing needs to contrast against a dark blue-green. Life vests are typically bright orange.)

Also, when the light level is low, our eyes' peak sensitivity moves towards longer wavelengths, but still only yellow-green, so you want the colour to be fairly close to that peak as well.

This is why safety equipment generally has the greenish colour we see today.
Emergency services vehicles are increasingly painted, partly or fully, in that colour.

Patch29

I found this vest, which is hi-viz yellow/green. It is probably too hot for summer, but might work for cooler temps. I wish I could try one out to see how it fits (without ordering), it looks a little loose, but it gets an "A" for color and reflectivity.

RainmanP

OhiOH, yeah, that's exactly the one I have. There is nothing wrong with it at all. I have just been noticing how much more visible the green seems to be, not the reflective, just the color. Either one works for my morning commute in the dark since you can't see the fabric anyway. I also wear the vest when it is cloudy and rainy. I think the green is more visible.

VR, I used to think the same thing, but apparently it is more visible. All safety stuff that used to be orange is being changed to the fluorescent lime green, even traffic signs. It's just anecdotal, but I know the green catches my eye more quickly than orange.
Regards,
Raymond

RainmanP

OhiOH, yeah, that's exactly the one I have. There is nothing wrong with it at all. I have just been noticing how much more visible the green seems to be, not the reflective, just the color. Either one works for my morning commute in the dark since you can't see the fabric anyway. I also wear the vest when it is cloudy and rainy. I think the green is more visible.

Jessica, where did you get the reflective cloth tape? Is it 3M?

VR, I used to think the same thing, but apparently it is more visible. All safety stuff that used to be orange is being changed to the fluorescent lime green, even traffic signs. It's just anecdotal, but I know the green catches my eye more quickly than orange.

On this subject, I had to drive to work this morning (I hate when that happens!). Driving along a stretch I usually ride I came upon a cyclist. He had on a vest with reflective stripes yet I did not see him at all until my lights actually illuminated HIM, not the reflective material, when I was only about 50 meters or less behind him. It wasn't until after I passed him that I realized that 1) he did have the vest and 2) it didn't reflect at all despite the reflective stripes. At that point I checked my rearview and could see that the stripes were reflecting the super bright LED green traffic light we were both approaching. I would love to have one of THOSE lights in white. They must have well over 100 super bright LEDs, and the light is actually blinding. Might need a bigger battery.

I have found many fluorescent lime vests but none the long-tail cycling-specific type. Wish Nathan would reproduce that vest in lime.
Regards,
Raymond

John Ridley

My brother's a firefighter/paramedic. He said the switch to green trucks (because of higher visibility than red) has somewhat reversed because the crazy light & sound packs that are now required render the color of the truck a bit of a moot point. He also said that they'd discovered that a certain shade of violently hot pink is even more visible than green, but to date he has not seen any hot pink fire trucks :-)

RainmanP

So I'm going to have to grab the lead in the Giro d'Italia to get a maglia rosa for visibility?

Nightshade

I found my lime green vest by doing a search on both google &
E-bay for "Safety Vest". NONE of these vest are for cyclist
so they don't bear high prices. All are the kind that road
workers wear (and sweat in) so they come in cool mesh for
summer use.

Some cyclist laugh at the idea of wearing a safety vest but
I can tell you cars go waaaaaaaay out around you when you
wear one!!!!

dobber

It's amazing what can be found on the Bay and consequently adapted for cycling use. My challenge was the fact that since I'm slinging a pack, a reflective vest isn't as effective for trailing visibility.

Solution: Fido to the rescue. Wrapped this around the pack, add a couple blinkies and I'm the pimp.

CdCf

I'll start wearing one soon.
I have one, but I have to get over how weird it looks first...

Kabloink

I noticed the difference too. I never ride without it now.


Harbor Freight carries construction style safety vests.

I have the orange mesh vest that cost $5.99.
https://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/cta...temnumber=3604

They have a greenish yellow vest, but it is not mesh. The current cost is $3.99.
https://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/cta...temnumber=3613

vrkelley

Ha ha! Motorist probably are thinking a pooch will jump out of that pack if they get too close!

vrkelley

Let's just say I'm a wary of marketing ploys.

1st year of commuting, don't remember
2nd year of commuting, best color was yellow
3rd year of commuting, best color was orange
4th year (this year), best color is now green --->Obviously one of these colors is the best.

More than likely the best outfit should address:

* Color for day to differentiate between people standing and working in one spot and those who are moving (like runners or cyclists)
* Color for dust, fog and rain
* Color for night

Jessica

I got the tape at my LBS, actually, but I think they ordered it from someplace called Iron Horse or something.
I wear a hiway worker vest when biking on roads, and have collected some bright orange or green shirts for bike trail day trips. My spouse likes her hunting vest, dayglo orange and lots of pockets. I am going to add some of my reflective cloth tape to it.
I carry lights even when I go out in the day, but i depend on bright, reflective clothing more than my blinkies.

Jessica

oh, I meant to mention, also, I wear a white helmet, because I have noticed that white is more helpful when driving and trying to see pedestrians or casual bikers in the dusk.

I figure, white for dusk, bright for daylight and blinkies for night will make me the most noticed, and hopefully safer.

CdCf

The best colour is the green we see today.

When I lived in Ireland, where the police wear green fluorescent jackets or vests, I really became aware of how good they are. My eyes would notice something "bright" far away, and even though I couldn't even make out a person, the green still stood out.
Here's a typical garda officer:

And a few more:

Corsaire

This is the one I'm using for $ 3.99, can't beat that.

Corsaire

https://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/cta...temnumber=3613

Nightshade

Hmmmm.....let me see.....do I enjoy pain or do I worry about
looking geeky?? Decisions, Decisions..........

Corsaire

That vest would be most likely for sunset/dark commute after work, and at that point I could care less about looking geeky (ahhhhh! this "gotta look cool" thing....). That vest could be the difference between arriving home safely or laying down on bed in some hospital (if...you were that lucky), somewhere...now that wouldn't be so cool, would it ?

Corsaire

RainmanP

Exactly, Corsaire! In the dark no one can tell who you are, but they DO see you, and that is the point of the exercise.

BTW, I just found this vest, available in lime or orange, which is almost identical to the Nathan's and is available in lime. I will let you know what I think when I get it.

https://www.crateworks.com/products....wcat&clickid=3

Violineb

Being seen riding in one of those geeky vests is the last thing on my list of priorities. However all the way at the top of my list is to protect my violin and myself while Iīm commuting. Somehow I see a collision between these two priorities. Isnīt it enough to put reflective tape all over the back of my violin case? Green reflective tape

Raiyn

I had one of these

I wish I had kept it.