Fireball Orange C9 shirts at Target
 

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.

Thanks for posting. I have a few shirts in that bright orange color and one in a lime/hi viz yellow. I try to wear those as much as I can while riding.

Thanks for the heads up.

The yellow one looks good on the Target website as well. How does it compare to the orange one?

I was at a Target today to look for something else, but I looked over the clothing in the men's department. Their 'active wear' section has a bunch of different styles in some very noticeable colors. I tried on a lined softshell jacket and was amazed at the cut- it didn't ride up my backside as I hunched over to simulate my riding position.

Thanks for the tip!

I actually just bought a light shell hooded jacket from target last weekend and have used it a few times this week in the cold weather. Surprisingly it is really warm and worth the $40 I spent on it, only con is that it takes a while to dry so I usually turn the jacket inside out to help it dry faster.

They didn't have any of the hi-viz yellow of these "running shirts" at our Target (and it looks like the website is currently sold out, too). They had a neon yellow/green in a heavier material, and it had dark gray under the arms and on the sides. I tried one on and didn't like the material.

The yellow is a good visible color, too. Probably better in total darkness than the orange. The orange really lights up in even partial light, though.

I've been using the Target C9 Running shirts all season. They Rock. They wick like crazy. The drop tail is awesome. The orange and lime green colors stand out in a big way. They're pretty cheap too.

Walmart has/had shirts similar to C9, and hi-viz apparel in hunting season. Also, bf.net users have been buying these for years:

http://www.alertshirt.com/higvisshirfo.html

http://www.alertshirt.com/poloslmtanco.html

It's long sleeve as well. I have some long sleeve jerseys already, but these will be good for my wife who can't find cycling specific clothes to fit her yet. I might run out to Target at lunch.Thanks.

I've used a few Target C9 shirts for years, and they still rock. Highly recommended.

I haven't had much luck with the C9 short sleeve shirts, they flap in the breeze like crazy. I have an older version of this orange long sleeve fleece runners jacket. It works well down into the 50's with a base layer and is tight enough that it doesn't flap in the breeze. I used some iron-on reflective tape from ebay to make it more visible after dark.

http://www.target.com/p/c9-by-champi...lot=large_2_29

I just wear a construction worker vest from Home Depot. http://www.homedepot.com/h_d1/N-5yc1...1#.UHxRV29kx14

Very visible in the dawn/dusk, and big enough to wear over a jacket. (I normally wear a medium).

I have a couple of C9 shirts that fit and work great. Starter from Walmart are also good. I can't see spending $35+ for bike specific shirts.

Thanks for the tip. I went out and bought the orange short sleeved one and the longer "jacket" type one, both fit great and are quite bright.

I'll be out again to buy the yellow ones later in the month too. =3

I picked up a couple for my wife, one red and one white. Also found a couple of short sleeve orange ones on the clearance rack for $4 and $5. So I wore my rip-your-eyes-out-of-the-sockets orange Canari jersey this evening and we went out for a ride looking like a pair of traffic cones.

Nice. My favorite color, even.

Picked up an Under Armor running hat in that color from Dick's Sporting Goods. Normally priced $29.99, it'd been marked down twice, eventually to $11.20. It rang up at $7.49, so even more of a bonus.

As I learned, and we all instinctively know, there is no STANDARD for sizing. Each manufacturer puts whatever label they want on whatever size.

Why?

If you're in a store and have 2 shirts side by side that fit the same way, but one is a 2XL and one is an XL, which are you more likely to buy? EVERYONE wants to be a size smaller. So, as a manufacturer, why not label all my clothes one size smaller than it 'actually' is? You get to claim you are an XL and I get your cash--everybody goes away happy.

I've noticed that too. I have a 30" waist yet I need to buy 28 waist pants at a lot of stores or they'll just fall off. I used to wear Medium shirts and now I need to get a Small at most stores or I'll be swimming in it.

At least the popularity of the hipster movement has brought about "slim fit" shirts and pants. Regular fit makes me look like I'm playing dress-up with Daddy's clothing. All to make bigger people feel better about themselves.