Velo Dog

just for background, I've been a cyclist since college in the '70s and live on a very popular training route from Reno, Nev. On a nice weekend day, 50 to 75
bikes might pass my house. I know they'll be there, I'm sympathetic and I watch for them every time I pull out of my driveway.
We've had a mild winter, and now that it's staying light until 6 o'clock or so, there are riders out after work. I'm surprised about once a week by people looming out of the dusk, almost invisible in their oh-so-fashionable black. Two riders have been knocked down this month that I know of. I happened to see one of the crashes, and if the case goes to court, I'm going to testify for the driver. He didn't do anything wrong, and I'm sort of coming around to the notion that if you have no more sense than to wear black when riding at night, the gene pool is better off without you.

JanMM

I take it these are cyclists who are wearing dark clothes and also not using lights?

bluegoatwoods

You're right.

Wearing black out there at night is about as dumb as anything can be.

A year or so ago I was riding at night. I was moving at a decent clip. Suddenly, just a handfull of feet ahead of me was two sets of legs walking. It was two people, of course. But I couldn't see them above the waist. They were wearing black, or at least, dark sweatshirts with hoods. The only reason I saw the legs was that they were wearing faded blue jeans. I only saw those at the last moment.

It was amongst the most surreal sights I've ever seen. I hollered "Whoa!" as I yanked on both brakes. They just about jumped out of their skins. As I swung wide around them I could see what looked like confused annoyance on their faces. No doubt they were taken by surprise as well. I said, "Sorry, man. I nearly came right up on you." I don't think they made any reply, I would've heard it. But I hope they wondered about the wisdom of wearing black on the streets at night.

When I walk the dog at night I wear a reflective vest. The difference is noticeable. The cars are more polite. I can see it in their "body language". A few have even stopped and thanked me for making myself so clear and obvious.

One other note about my two walking legs; though I have good headlights on my bike, a car has a good deal more light available. A driver would have seen those guys before I did. But it still would have made sense for those guys to be seen earlier.

cruisintx

That pretty much sums it up.

RonH

I "see" these people all the time.
I've also questioned the logic of wearing black on hot sunny summer days. Seems like it would get awfully hot.

John_V 

I see it here all the time. The road I live off of is a favorite place for cyclist to ride because it's a country road and has a bike lane on each side of the road that extends through two counties. The majority of this road has no lighting on it and I will see riders that are coming back from a long ride in the bike lane, dark riding apparel and no lights - front or rear. I guess it's too Fred-like to have lights on a road bike. Normally, I don't keep the light mounts on the road bike, but they are in my cycling bag and I do mount the lights and wear reflective items or clothing if I am going to be out past dusk. It just makes sense!

Dudelsack 

Me too. Me too.

It's also fashionable to strip all the reflectors off your bike because the pros don't ride with them.

I have a front reflector, rear reflector, wheel reflectors, front Nightrider Mininewt, rear Bontrager blinky, and two side blinkies, and I have yet to ride in the dark! If someone hits me, it won't be because I blend in to the background.

jmccain

I like wearing black. Doesn't show grease or dirt.

Slimming, too.

Of course I know better than to wear it at night/dusk/dawn.

Monoborracho

Here's a thread I had from several years ago. Several people flamed me for it. So be it. The lady still jogs around town in the middle of the street, but now wears one small blinky light on her waist.

Sometimes you have to filter the gene pool

https://www.bikeforums.net/showthread...tor?highlight=

Floyd

It would seem like putting 2 & 2 together and realizing that black and night would make one 'invisible' but maybe some people can not add, or dont use logic. I do wear black but at night NO...I don't ride that much at night anyway so not that big of a deal for me.

Bikey Mikey

I wear highly visible jersies and shorts. The winter time is when my lower body is all black wearing tights or bib tights over my shorts, but the jersies, short, long, and winter softshell jacket are all highly visible. I also have kept the reflectors on the wheels and use a blinking headlight and tail light even during the day. My helmet is even white.

dbg

I wear bright yellow jackets and T-shirts almost all the time now. It annoys my wife, amuses the kids, but it is purely a reaction to experiences I've had commuting on a bicycle. Those super bright canary yellow (Pearl Izumi, or other) jackets are amazing at dusk. I've had people comment on whether it is "battery operated" because of how BRIGHT the color is at dusk. I just want to stay healthy and alive.

I was recently riding to a kids sporting event at the high school after dark. In a non-lighted, tree covered neighborhood I had a very near miss with a cyclist riding towards me. I never actually fully saw him --mostly just experienced the whoosh as he passed in total darkness wearing all black on an all black bike in total darkness. He may not be long for the gene pool, but he may take out someone undeserving of the same fate.

I've seen folks walking their dog on a primarily bicycle-traveled trail after dark --that were lit up like a Christmas tree. I chuckle but admire their awareness. I hope that's the kind of amusement my kids get out of my constantly wearing yellow jackets.

jmccain

Despite liking black, I wear this on cloudy, dim, cool days:

dbg

Maybe urban legend but I've "heard" that, unless you're outfitted with appropriate reflectors, insurance companies will consider it your fault in any "incident."

jdon

Every color is dark at dusk. We are mere shadows. I choose when I ride and wear what I like.

Dan Burkhart 

Of course there are times when cyclists should be wearing black.

Bob Ross

I don't disagree with the gist of the OP.
I agree that people who cycle (or jog, or just wander around in the middle of the road) at night dressed all in black with no lights are idiots.
I agree that if their stupidity gets them killed it's probably Darwinian action at its best.
I never ride at night wearing black; hi-viz yellow or flourescent orange for me, thanks. And with lots of reflective elements.

But...

I also think that when you get behind the wheel of a motor vehicle, you assume the responsibility to be as cautious as necessary to avoid killing anyone, regardless of how stupid they might be. The onus is on the driver to manage their >2,000lb weapon in not just a reasonably safe manner, but an overtly safe manner. If you're driving along and come upon some black-clad ninjas and you don't have enough time to stop and avoid colliding, or don't have enough space to swerve and avoid colliding, then you weren't operating that motor vehicle in a manner commensurate with the road conditions.

As the saying goes, "I didn't see him!" isn't an excuse, it's a confession.

zonatandem

Agree.
But what about daylight?
Wearing super bright orange jerseys on Halloween, at noontime in full sunshine with minimal traffic on a frontage road in rural Arizona . . .
Got hit by a pickup truck while riding our tandem!
Comment from the 70-some year old driver: "I didn't see you!"
No amount of precaution is a guarantee for not getting whacked
by inattentive drivers.

stapfam

Seen this morning In Hailsham High Street. 3 roadies that were travelling fast enough to think that they should slow down. Dismal weather and a bit dark and all 3 were in black. There is a Roundabout at the bottom of the High Street that I always take care at. It is more of a 3 road junction with not too much clarity as to who has right of way. Near accident when a car pulled out in front of them.

The 3 may have had right of way and the car did pull out in front of them- But their position on the road before the junction was not clear- they were travelling a bit fast and they would have been difficult to see.

My view is that they only have one life and they should have taken more care of it. They were lucky.

Monoborracho

If you don't have reflectors or visible lights as REQUIRED by most state laws, then, yeah, probably.

10 Wheels

It doesn't matter what color you wear. Even bright lights don't help.

Have you ever seen the back of a Stopped School Bus?

She didn't.

https://www.omaha.com/article/2012021...in-fatal-crash

Bikey Mikey

Well, you could've had 15 radbot 1000s blinking on the back and 6 magicshine 808es blinking on the front and ton of blinkies on the the spokes and the girl who hit the bus still wouldn't have seen you. I'm sad for her parents, but she made her own coffin. Fortunately, no one else other than the idiot was killed or injured.

Bright colors may not make you visible to some, but I bet they help with others compared to all black. I wear bright, visible colors and use lights in the daytime to reduce risk of injury. I definitely do not believe it eliminates the possibility...but I might as well make the odds more favorable for injury free cycling.

Banded Krait

Bikey Mikey, I'm with you--when I ride on the road, I always wear bright colors and use lights, front and back. Just trying to shift the odds as much in my favor as possible.

seenoweevil

I wear black bibs- even at night, they're all I have. I do however cover them with bright jerseys, a hunter orange hoodie if it's cool, etc., and have blinkies and reflectors on the bikes(ALL my bikes) and on my helmet. I do what I can to keep watch for idiots and double guess them, but (in answer to Bob Ross) sometimes you just can't imagine the depths of some people's stupidity. You can only be so safe without locking yourself in your safe room at home and riding the trainer.
I take more than enough precautions that my family will have a pretty good chance in court if I'm splattered.

NOS88

+1