Black or high vis yellow? Your vote counts

[Bigtallfatbloke]

I have a cheap but effective high vis vest I can wear over the jacket in the daytime if I feel the need...I reckon that gives me the best of both worlds....high night and daytime vis and a cool looking jacket for wearing off the bike on tour.

 

[piedwagtail91]

black for me. i've got three rear lights( one of them the cateye ld1100) and two front as well as a few rear reflectives.if they don't see them then theres no hope anyway.

 

[monnet]

I wouldn't go for either. A nice red or blue with some reflective bits, or this

http://www.foska.com/acatalog/bones_jacket.html

 

[starseven]

Its your duty to look as cool as possible in the hope of encouraging others to cycle and its pretty difficult to look cool in hi viz.

Black can be quite distinct as it is a solid strong colour(is it a colour?).

But beware, a month ago or so, after several soakings I was wearing the only thing I had left dry, it was a dark green waterproof combined with a grey helmet on a grey rainy day was asking for trouble. An old merc pull straight into a roundabout I was going around, taking me out.

The driver was very apologetic, he said he just didn’t see me , I couldn’t even get angry with him because in the rain I really was like a camouflage cyclist.

I have nice bright blue job normally cool and seen.

 

[giant man]

I don't understand why you would buy a black one for night time riding even with the flourescency. I would always buy the yellow version cos I want to be seen in the dark!

Christ it's not a fashion show is it. No it's about saving your life!

 

[HJ]

I don't understand why you would buy a black one for night time riding even with the flourescency. I would always buy the yellow version cos I want to be seen in the dark!

Christ it's not a fashion show is it. No it's about saving your life!

A true drivers answer. Obviously you don't cycle much at night, the colour of your jacket makes no different, at night it is the number and brightness of your lights that counts.

 

[Tynan]

so bright and reflective clothing makes no difference? good lord

lights, especially flashing ones attract the eye as I recall, then there has to be something for the eye to fix on, an outline/shape or a steady light

seem to recall flashing lights being advised only as an aid to steady lights

the argument against hi viz is the same as that against helmets

why do all those motorbikers wear hiviz?

 

[HJ]

so bright and reflective clothing makes no difference? good lord

lights, especially flashing ones attract the eye as I recall, then there has to be something for the eye to fix on, an outline/shape or a steady light

seem to recall flashing lights being advised only as an aid to steady lights

the argument against hi viz is the same as that against helmets

why do all those motorbikers wear hiviz?

Most of the motorbikers I have seen wear black leathers without any reflective material, they also fit bright lights to their bikes which are used in daylight and well as night.

From my own experience in 27 years of cycling, having a good set of light does more to attract attention than wearing a yellow jacket, unless you are walking.

 

[Tynan]

they're wearing more and more hi viz over the last few years from my observations, for all their desperate desire to look cool, it's certainly part of modern motorbike training

it's not an either or thing, you're are allowed to have hi viz AND lights, people on this thread make silly arguments for not having to wear anything bright

if you know that lights and reflectors alone are all you'll need, great

if you think that hi viz might make a difference in some or all circumstances/scenarios then at least have the decency to admit it

 

[Peyote]

it's not an either or thing, you're are allowed to have hi viz AND lights, people on this thread make silly arguments for not having to wear anything bright

if you know that lights and reflectors alone are all you'll need, great

if you think that hi viz might make a difference in some or all circumstances/scenarios then at least have the decency to admit it

Oooh, get you!

I think the point is Tynan, that there are many measure that cyclists can exploit to make themselves safer/more visible, but it is a case of personal choice as to where that line is drawn.

I suspect that Hi-Viz may make the difference in a minimal number of situations I find myself in, I also suspect that full DH MTB body armour would make a difference in a similar number of situations (though obviously not the same ones!). I'm not going to wear either because I feel there are far more important (and effective) measures I can take, like using lights, reflectives but above all decent positioning and cyclecraft.

 

[HLaB]

For winter I have a Endura Biker jacket in Black, I usually wear a reflective vest on top for more visibility. Off the bike I can fold up the vest, stick it a pocket and look normal, well as normal as I get.

 

[alecstilleyedye]

so bright and reflective clothing makes no difference? good lord

lights, especially flashing ones attract the eye as I recall, then there has to be something for the eye to fix on, an outline/shape or a steady light

seem to recall flashing lights being advised only as an aid to steady lights

the argument against hi viz is the same as that against helmets

why do all those motorbikers wear hiviz?

they're all bin men on their way to/from work

 

[aberdeenian]

Red.

It's faster.

Obviously.

 

[HJ]

so bright and reflective clothing makes no difference? good lord

lights, especially flashing ones attract the eye as I recall, then there has to be something for the eye to fix on, an outline/shape or a steady light

seem to recall flashing lights being advised only as an aid to steady lights

the argument against hi viz is the same as that against helmets

why do all those motorbikers wear hiviz?

You seem to be confused by the difference in the colour of the clothing and Hi-viz material. At night in particular the colour of the jacket makes no real difference, as by the time a motorist is close enough to see it, it is to late. The thing that make the difference at night is the use of Hi-viz material in the design of the clothing. The jacket which this thread was discussing is Altura night vision come in either yellow or black, the same amount of Hi-viz material is used in both jackets. At night they both offer the same level of visibility at a distance in a cars headlights.

In day light, from my own recent experience, it make no difference if I am wearing a yellow jacket or a black tee shirt, drivers treat me just the same, but they do, generally give me a bit more room if I have lights on. This is probably due to the novelty value. The same was true when yellow cycling jackets first became fashionable, but now most drivers just ignore them.

 

[Bigtallfatbloke]

fwiw I have the black one arriving in the post tomorrow. BUT i will also be carrying a hi vis vest to wear over th ejacket in the day time if it is grey dark etc...That way I have the best of both worlds....a high vis yellow jacket in th epub look horrible....and this is for touring so i need a wearable jacket off the bike as well. If it were purely for riding then I may well have gone with yellow. At night I have the reflectiveness of the jacket so the hi vis vest is not needed then.