This should really get some folk going - !
Prompted by a member's letter to the latest issue of the CTC magazine which asks about the wisdom of the recent popularity of black as the colour of choice for cycling tops. I had actually asked an Altura rep who was in my LCS why this is and he said it was in ' response ' to customers wanting cycle wear that didn't make them look like a cyclist off the bike ( but then why just black and not say, purple, burgundy red, navy blue, mid green etc. - ? ). In the response to the reader's letter, it stated that there has never been any real research to illustrate the benefits or drawbacks of wearing bright colour cycle clothing. However, it said that research does suggest that retroflective material, especially if it's moving, i.e., anklebands does help catch driver's attention. Now, strips of retroflective material is often seen on black cycle tops, but two issues here; one it doesn't really move much and secondly, if the conditions are ones of poor light / overcast which doesn't justify vehicles having their lights on, then said material isn't much use.
On my daily commute in both urban and rural settings, which include going along past tree lined city roads, high hedgerows and also open fields, most of the cyclists I see wear bright yellow or orange tops ( and bash hats are almost universal - ! ) and are thus visible for some distance ahead. Even the occasional joggers I see tend to wear bright yellow. Red doesn't stand out well along the high hedgerow sections and dark colours, be it black, grey or navy blue blends in too well with the surroundings during daylight hours - see above observation.
The qualification to this discussion is that colour perception is a very personal thing and some will see certain colours as being brighter / duller than others, especially among men who have a higher chance of being colourblind, something that is very rare among women.
Prompted by a member's letter to the latest issue of the CTC magazine which asks about the wisdom of the recent popularity of black as the colour of choice for cycling tops. I had actually asked an Altura rep who was in my LCS why this is and he said it was in ' response ' to customers wanting cycle wear that didn't make them look like a cyclist off the bike ( but then why just black and not say, purple, burgundy red, navy blue, mid green etc. - ? ). In the response to the reader's letter, it stated that there has never been any real research to illustrate the benefits or drawbacks of wearing bright colour cycle clothing. However, it said that research does suggest that retroflective material, especially if it's moving, i.e., anklebands does help catch driver's attention. Now, strips of retroflective material is often seen on black cycle tops, but two issues here; one it doesn't really move much and secondly, if the conditions are ones of poor light / overcast which doesn't justify vehicles having their lights on, then said material isn't much use.
On my daily commute in both urban and rural settings, which include going along past tree lined city roads, high hedgerows and also open fields, most of the cyclists I see wear bright yellow or orange tops ( and bash hats are almost universal - ! ) and are thus visible for some distance ahead. Even the occasional joggers I see tend to wear bright yellow. Red doesn't stand out well along the high hedgerow sections and dark colours, be it black, grey or navy blue blends in too well with the surroundings during daylight hours - see above observation.
The qualification to this discussion is that colour perception is a very personal thing and some will see certain colours as being brighter / duller than others, especially among men who have a higher chance of being colourblind, something that is very rare among women.
