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.

What an odd poll. I wanted to answer “dark or muted colors like navy, maroon etc” and that’s not an option. I’m not a huge fan of all black and even less of a fan of gray.

I've been seeing a lot of x-mas trees running around.... Turns out that those are just joggers with multi colored led's plastered on there "vest" area.

I wear darker color street clothes when I ride, and I never worry about the color of my clothes for visibility. I don't own any jerseys.

My bicycles are very brightly colored because they're covered in reflective and/or photoluminescent tape. My helmet has SOLAS striping and front & rear lights. My bicycles have redundant headlights and taillights.

When I was in my 20s I would wear running singlets and I didn't think nothing of visibility. But now in my 50s I make sure to wear mostly red, one yellow, one orange active wear shirts with black cycling shorts and a blinking light on my post. Unfortunately I haven't gotten any wiser or smarter and here's the story to prove it. (I'm glad this isn't a A&S thread).
I live in Texas and it wasn't that hot one summer day and decided I'd wear a black active wear shirt and Not be cool but look it. After I made the turn around it got really hot and started to question the black shirt decision. Anyways, there was a tree on the opposite side of the country road (against traffic) and I headed to the shade it was throwing on the road to make a bike adjustment. I should've got in the grass but I didn't want to risk a flat plus there's not a lot of traffic where I ride. But here came a pickup truck heading right towards me. I figured it was someone trying to scare me BUT it kept coming towards me like he didn't see me, but instead of getting in the grass I decided I'd stand my ground and started waving my hands to alert him. Finally right before I was gonna jump into the grass he veered away from me. (Hold on guys I get dumber) as he went by I Spit On His Pickup Truck. Now, his brake lights come on he shoves his pick-up in reverse and starts heading right towards me. (Hold on guys I get even dumber). I decide in my rage from almost purposely getting run over that I wasn't moving and he was gonna have to really run me over. But like before, he veered at the last second...then stops right beside me. Then he starts yelling at me about spitting on his pick up and I yell back because he tried to run me over and he yells " I didn't see you and why would I intentionally run you over". I YELL back cause some people don't like cyclist. He was kinda taken back and told me I shouldn't wear black cause he couldn't see me in the shade. Then he burned rubber.
There are a few takeaway lessons here. Number One, Don't spit on pickup trucks in Texas. 2. Wait a few years before you tell this story and tell it here first. 3. What a dumb sss I was and hopefully won't put myself in that situation again...but if I know me.
Ok feel Free to add your What An Idiot comments directed towards me, I deserve it and This Is cycling discussion thread.
Finally now I can tell this story to others.
BTW, I haven't worn a black shirt on the Road since that incident s few years ago. And FWIW, i read a little article in cycling magazine years ago that the color that alert drivers the most Was Not orange, yellow or red but was....Pink. Who knew? Well I did, but I still wore black that day.
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I have all different colors, including black. Which color is more visible depends on exigent conditions so it doesn't really matter as much as we tend to believe.

Bright colors, the reason lawyers!!!!!!!!!!! If a car hits you, the drivers lawyer will try to find any way he can to make you partly at fault. Bright colors are part of the big three to keep lawyers at bay. Wear bright colors, wear a helmet, and have a flag on your bike, especially if on a trike like I ride. You could even at a forth thing have lights. If you dont do at least some of those things, the drivers lawyer will claim you are partly at fault. Wear bright colors to protect yourself.

No preference, given I purchase the cheapest jerseys I can find.

In general, I like the color yellow. French’s mustard yellow. My favorite t shirts and jackets are yellow. There’s this racing thing, though, where there’s a meaning behind wearing a yellow jersey and maybe that is why I can’t find yellow jerseys?

Surly made an amazing funky slightly-orange yellow wool jacket that was amazingly amazing. Like an idiot I only bought one. I should’ve bought fifteen or twenty. I currently have a dark blue one and like it a lot. I’m going to have to buy at least five of the white ones.

I tend to favor red bikes, but have a yellow one, too. I recently picked up a new frameset that’s black, purple, and white which will likely be covered in salt & sand for a third of the year.

That said, as a driver with acute adhd, especially after work when my pill has worn off, I can relate probably too well with drunk/stoned drivers. These are my findings, regardless of light from the sky or lack thereof:

-Cyclists without lights dressed in dark colors (whether DUI or S-Works Venge riders) effervesce into the road approximately 0.25 seconds before I pass them
-Cyclists without lights wearing non-dark, non-dayglo clothes (bmxers in 80s-o-riffic striped t’s & polos or aspiring writers in khakis and sweaters) appear about 0.5 seconds before I pass them
-Cyclists without lights dressed in dayglo appear about a second before I pass them
-Cyclists with blinky lights and non-dayglo clothing appear about a half football field away momentarily (not a pun, but enjoy it as such if you like) but then get written off as a reflection/glare and disappear until reappearing 0.25 seconds before I pass them.
-blinky + dayglo appears, disappears, then still only reappear about a second before I pass them.
-cyclists with blind-yo-mama bright steady lights command constant attention from at least a football field away, regardless of clothing.

Judging lights’ brightness in a store or your driveway makes as much sense as doing the same with tires and their rolling resistance and/or durability.

I will try to remember that today when it hits 91 this afternoon here in the central valley of California.

Please Go Bright.
https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...44af97dfe9.jpg

Thanks for this unique perspective on visibility. I suspect that it does not differ much from the distracted driver, which these days are most of them.

For the basic clothing, I tend to prefer darker colors (black, gray, "earth" tones).

For the outer safety stuff, it's a high-vis vest and/or jacket ... in the typical DayGlo/Safety Yellow or Green. Plus appropriate reflection and lighting, all around.

Indeed: better to be seen, than not. Last thing I want to do is to blend in visually.

I try and wear bright colors, but as it’s gotten cooler, I have more dark colors. Most important is being visible. The trail I usually ride is very sharped and in the early morning or late afternoon riders backlit by the sun become invisible if darkly clothed and barely visible even with bright clothing. This is where lights, front and rear, make the biggest difference.

Anything bright and billboardy for me. Something that will hopefully catch the eyes of the full-time texters that are behind the wheel.

White is my favorite color for being seen in situations like this, which is almost every ride. It's common easy to find color of clothing, doesn't clash too much with any other color, highly visible, cool, simple, does its job well. What's not to like? It gets dirty easily, but other than that, perfect. :thumb:

It doesn't hurt either to have a nice brisk cadence either, for absolute maximum visibility. Every little thing you can do will help.

Bright colors for visibility for the last 30 years. And it has benefited me and others quite a few times.

I know when I'm leaving the house to ride and my wife and kids say, "Oh please...you're actually leaving the house in that jersey...that's embarrassing!!!", I've made the right choice.

I like primary colors - yellow, red, and blue. They tend to stand out more against the road and the greenery along the road. Dark green/black, not so much. I've started riding with a rear blinkie, too; to keep me more visible when I ride into deep shade and any color is hard to see.

All you need to do is go drive your car places where you and other cyclists ride. And you will see how, even in daylight, let alone at night, that bright colors like yellow show up vastly better. To have a black cyciing jacket or jersey to me seems flat out foolish. You will not be as visible. Period.
And there SO many distracted, thoughtless idiots driving cars.
Same is true of helmets....you need one that's bright, yellow, white, orange, etc...
Maybe it's just me: but I want to be seen.

You show up way better in the day wearing bright colors, never mind about night. Just drive around country roads where there are cyclists, and you will see.

https://www.bicycling.com/bikes-gear...-safer-riding/

It all seems obvious to me. It's foolish to wear black (or dark green, etc) when cycling. I

Not true.
Lights don't show up well in daylight, but bright yellow clothing does.