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Dark or Bright Colors?

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View Poll Results: What’s your color preference and why?
Fluorescent yellow/green only
15
14.85%
Black and grays
17
16.83%
Orange, Red, Greens, bright colors
63
62.38%
None of your bees wax
6
5.94%
Voters: 101. You may not vote on this poll

Dark or Bright Colors?

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Old 10-14-20 | 10:30 AM
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black or royal blue. RB if I want to be seen by everyone, including those with colorblind issues.
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Old 10-14-20 | 11:05 AM
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Originally Posted by Troul
black or royal blue. RB if I want to be seen by everyone, including those with colorblind issues.
i was thinking more of a mirror suit or silver or gold lamee
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Old 10-14-20 | 05:54 PM
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They are now saying bright colors broken up by dark are more visible.
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Old 10-14-20 | 06:23 PM
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Originally Posted by Bmach
They are now saying bright colors broken up by dark are more visible.
like the old Mapei Kit?

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Old 10-14-20 | 06:34 PM
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I try to look as ridiculous as possible. Gotta keep up the MAMIL traditions, you know. Polka-dots, shaved arms and legs, fluro-pink helmet... hell, I'm middle-aged!

When I was younger, I'd have been self-conscious. But now... screw it. I don't care what other people think.
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Old 10-14-20 | 07:56 PM
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I wear tank tops. I find it aerates my trunk and armpits very well. I don't see that many bikers wearing this. Is there a reason?
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Old 10-14-20 | 08:22 PM
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I wear a light greenish breathable shirt and dark trunks, but I just ordered a bright yellow cycling jersey. Coming from 20 years of motorcycling I have worn high vis for years and while I have read studies that say it really doesn't do a lot of good to get drivers to see you, I figure if it's that one diver that was going to hit me, it's done it's job. I also never assume that the car sees me, on a bike or motorcycle. Ride as if you're invisible because to most drivers you are.
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Old 10-14-20 | 09:50 PM
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I don't own hi-viz yellow clothing. Its tacky as hell and I dont find it helpful on cyclists when I am driving.

All the jerseys I buy are simple looking and mostly solid colors. Rapha and Voler being recent ones. The Rapha is olive green and the Voler is a houndstooth pattern blue.
I simply dont think a driver will see me or not see me based on a jersey color during day rides as I am not a small object.

I do have an orange Garneau vest that is thin and I really like for the shoulder seasons. Its not tacky in color but is noticable, so maybe having that will keep the hi-viz crazies from attacking.

Recently changed from a gray helmet to a white one. I guess thats possibly more visible?


A simple blinky light will make me more noticable from a few blocks away than any awful HiC yellow colored jersey.
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Old 10-14-20 | 10:55 PM
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Many years ago bought a Performance tank top with 3 back pockets. It’s great on really hot days and really shows off my farmers/bikers tan arms next to my pure white upper arms and shoulders.
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Old 10-15-20 | 12:09 AM
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Originally Posted by Bmach
They are now saying bright colors broken up by dark are more visible.

They also say nude is illegal in select areas...




Whose this "they" ?
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Old 10-15-20 | 12:11 AM
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Being really annoying in general just doesn't seem loud enough to be noticed... Hafta be very odd & rude to really set it off... So just don't waive & you'll be noticed a lot more.
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Old 10-15-20 | 09:21 AM
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Originally Posted by Troul
They also say nude is illegal in select areas...




Whose this "they" ?
Biking nude in Seattle’s Summer Solstice parade is actually encouraged. Body paint optional. Dozens of males and females peddling their stuff.
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Old 10-15-20 | 10:07 AM
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Originally Posted by rsbob
i was thinking more of a mirror suit or silver or gold lamee
Yeah, but can you play the piano like Liberace?
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Old 10-15-20 | 10:23 AM
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I live in a heavily Republican area, and I have noticed that drivers give me wider berth when I am wearing my tri-color red/white/blue jersey. Apparently, they don't realize that it is a French National Team replica jersey.
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Old 10-15-20 | 11:05 AM
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Originally Posted by rsbob
Biking nude in Seattle’s Summer Solstice parade is actually encouraged. Body paint optional. Dozens of males and females peddling their stuff.
if that were to take place here now, it'd be all females. Weather is not that great here & if the cold didn't shrivel the grapes to raisins, the wind would blow the milkduds away.
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Old 10-15-20 | 08:10 PM
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I thought this poll is about the bike frame color LOL

I like red frame colors, if I was buying Ferrari, it would be the traditional red.
On myself, I dress in non bike specialized clothing. Often white or light color shorts with plain (no logos) blue or sometimes red t-shirt, light grey over-jacket, white shoes.
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Old 10-16-20 | 06:57 AM
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Originally Posted by Riveting
Camouflage print might be worse than solid black. I've seen green camo, in the rain.
If you saw it, it wasn't THAT bad.

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Old 10-16-20 | 07:38 AM
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I would punch myself in the face and set a reminder on my calendar to get a life if I ever cared about the colors of my cycling clothes
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Old 10-16-20 | 08:40 AM
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Light/bright colors most of the time. I do have some black that I might wear on the MUP, but not on the road. I do have "running lights" front and back, which will be on if I'm wearing a dark color, regardless of where I'm riding.
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Old 10-16-20 | 08:48 AM
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Originally Posted by rsbob
I know youth are typically slaves to fashion, and changing fashion drives money to the clothing manufacturers
I admit I don't understand fashion, but I try to dress accordingly. Or is that "accordionly?"

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Old 10-16-20 | 08:52 AM
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Originally Posted by Koyote
I live in a heavily Republican area, and I have noticed that drivers give me wider berth when I am wearing my tri-color red/white/blue jersey. Apparently, they don't realize that it is a French National Team replica jersey.
I've always been given plenty of respect on the road when I wear my American flag jersey.
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Old 10-16-20 | 10:43 AM
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Originally Posted by Phil_gretz
I wear jerseys that I enjoy, chosen mostly in tribute the great cyclists of my childhood. So, Peugeot/BP, Mercier/Hutchinson, La Vie Claire, Molteni, and of course, Cinzano. The colors are what they were. I have reflective striping on my outer windbreak layers, if and when I wear them. Not yet, though. I haven't worn a vest yet this Fall. PG
Get ready, Phil, as the cold is coming your way! It's here, now!
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Old 10-16-20 | 10:46 AM
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Red, Yellow, and Orange in the warmer months and I'll add in Green during the dead plant months.
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Old 10-16-20 | 11:07 AM
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By the way, consider that what your eyes can see isn't necessarily the same as what other's eyes can see. Age, vision, sun's position on the horizon, reflections off vehicles and buildings, drivers in vehicles with dark tinted windows, etc. etc.

One time while out riding, I didn't see a fast moving roadie wearing dark clothing while they were approaching under the shade of a tree line, even though they had a white blinky up front. The problem was the blinky just looked like a reflection off of anything else that was down the road. So, the invisibility of the rider/bike made it look like that "reflection" didn't belong to anything moving my way.
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Old 10-16-20 | 11:17 AM
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Originally Posted by FiftySix
By the way, consider that what your eyes can see isn't necessarily the same as what other's eyes can see. Age, vision, sun's position on the horizon, reflections off vehicles and buildings, drivers in vehicles with dark tinted windows, etc. etc.

One time while out riding, I didn't see a fast moving roadie wearing dark clothing while they were approaching under the shade of a tree line, even though they had a white blinky up front. The problem was the blinky just looked like a reflection off of anything else that was down the road. So, the invisibility of the rider/bike made it look like that "reflection" didn't belong to anything moving my way.

Right, no matter how bright or flashy your light may be, there's no getting around the fact that the largest visible surface on the vehicle is your torso. And blinky lights can make it very difficult to gauge speed and direction of travel, so obscuring the vehicle to which they are attached is just not a good idea.

Lights are, of course, only visible from certain angles. Aspects of your torso are visible from all angles.
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