Reflective clothing? - Summer and winter over clothes?

[Heltor Chasca]

Stolen Goat and Lusso do some good reflective stuff. My winter SG jersey has a ‘mesh’ of highly reflective material woven into the rear pockets and my Lusso tights have ultra reflective panels on the calves. In both cases they are not damaged by washing. I do many hours of night riding along Somerset country lanes at this time of year. My overshoes have reflective strips too meaning there is a bit of dynamic light reflection too.

 

[Richard A Thackeray]

That looks good! Albeit out of stock atm. Is it breathable?

Sadly not...……….
But fairly well vented under arms/across the back (if you run with the zips slightly undone)

Here you go
Poundworld fined £63,000 for selling non-reflective high vis jackets
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/...non-reflective-high-vis-jackets-a6746111.html
Tests conducted by trading standards on one of the jackets revealed its reflectivitiy was no more than 2.4 per cent of what it should have been.

Thankyou, I wasn't imagining it then, or trying a 'scare story'

Tbh I'll be cycling between Headingley and Ilkley mainly! However I'd be going against traffic so that's something

I hope you mean, as traffic's heading into Leeds, you're going to Ilkley?
Not riding on the wrong side of the road

 

[anonymous]

I hope you mean, as traffic's heading into Leeds, you're going to Ilkley?
Not riding on the wrong side of the road

Haha 😂 yeah. Definitely not travelling on the wrong side of the road. It's just a lot quieter when you come from a city, and travel out to a small town

 

[DSK]

I just get stuff from mountain warehouse and DEKO Sports. So long as its what you are after.

I have a fair bit of DEKO's Cycling products and they are not only good value for money but functional too. No need to overspend on hyped brands. I bought a Bell cycle helmet for about £40 and that's got reflective stuff on it as standard.

I drive 1,000 miles a week and around London, I appreciate riders with reflective kit when dark. This compensates for poorly designed LEDs but, allows your headlights to pick them out. I would just say, don't wear dark colours when its dark, outside of that, garments with a bit of reflective design within them are more than sufficient and you do not need the whole of the garment to be reflective. Obviously I will assume you will also have suitable lights front/rear.

 

[Richard A Thackeray]

I drive 1,000 miles a week and around London, I appreciate riders with reflective kit when dark. This compensates for poorly designed LEDs but, allows your headlights to pick them out. I would just say, don't wear dark colours when its dark, outside of that, garments with a bit of reflective design within them are more than sufficient and you do not need the whole of the garment to be reflective. Obviously I will assume you will also have suitable lights front/rear.

I was driving home, from work on Sunday (first time I'd driven there, this month)
On the main hill, on the way home ('Birkwood Hill') there was a teenaged kid coming down on a BMX
I'd seen him, as like most of you, I'm attuned to the shape of a bike/rider - even if unlit

He was in jeans, black/dark hoodie (at least not over the head!)
No lights, & this was at about 16:30
The only 'glow' to him, was the mobile phone reflecting from his face

Then, the utter scrote had the temerity to flash the 'Agincourt sign' to a motorist who overtook him, whilst using horn
Of course, it wouldn't be the little cherubs fault if he did get spread all over the road, would it

 

[DSK]

Interesting point.

Most older cyclists tend to do the reflective clothing, lights thing. But, the above post made me think, from general observations, its the BMX/mountain bike 'yoofs' that tend to just cycle around in a manner which makes them hard to see. These are also the sort of folks that do sudden things such as hop on/off road, dangerous swerve around without any care for themselves or others. I would expect parents of teenagers to buy/invest in some of lighting at the least for the bikes but, then again, when batteries run out, everyone seems to hate paying for batteries.

I've mentioned before, just as I set off for work at around 6am, on the next street I usually pass an adult cyclist, who wears dark, non reflective clothing and has no lights on his mountain bike. He always cycles the wrong way on a tight unlit street and has on more than several occasions, swerved onto the right side of the road just infront of me. There's no excuse for adults to do such things. He's come very close to colliding with cars going in the opposite direction, where the drivers either don't see him until the last minute and when he's crosses the road without warning. The only reason I'd not had an incident with him genuinely is that I never have misty windows and at that time, I just let the car roll along at near enough idle speed at which it easily does 20-40mph, rather than driving like most motorists, who are half asleep, foot down, misty windows and waving a blind eye to the possible 'what if' and displaying 0 levels of anticipation.

 

[vickster]

Interesting point.

Most older cyclists tend to do the reflective clothing, lights thing. But, the above post made me think, from general observations, its the BMX/mountain bike 'yoofs' that tend to just cycle around in a manner which makes them hard to see. These are also the sort of folks that do sudden things such as hop on/off road, dangerous swerve around without any care for themselves or others. I would expect parents of teenagers to buy/invest in some of lighting at the least for the bikes but, then again, when batteries run out, everyone seems to hate paying for batteries.

Cloak of invincibility innit...aka stupidity (apparently due to the male teenage brain not being fully developed ... if it ever is )

 

[icowden]

For what it's worth, I think my favourite / most useful bit of reflective kit is my gloves. If there is one thing you want to be clear to the motorist behind, it's when you are planning to turn right. I think of them as my "yes I am &^%&^%ing well turning right, so chill out and WAIT" gloves.

I worry less about my front, and make sure that my back is reflective (usually by means of my rucksack) and my lights are working. Helmets can be usefully reflective too as they stick up above parked cars on winding streets. Saw a lovely red with white stripes design heading toward me the other day - it really drew my attention as a driver.

 

[confusedcyclist]

Then, the utter scrote had the temerity to flash the 'Agincourt sign' to a motorist who overtook him, whilst using horn
Of course, it wouldn't be the little cherubs fault if he did get spread all over the road, would it

Does hardly anyone these days stop to think how absurd it is that we demand that all others conform to the whims of motorists and ride with lights, reflectors and reflective gear at night? No, our car oriented culture won't change overnight, and yes it's wholly pragmatic to use lights in our present environment, but does no else lament the fact that some feel the need to festoon themselves in ineffective safety gear and then get irate when others don't?

Instead of moaning that youngsters are not making enough concessions so that motorists can get about at an inhuman pace in 2 tonne steel cages, why can't we turn our attention to the sad fact that our streets are no longer safe places for play, and are not safe or practical to traverse for those without the means or age to access motorcars. Rather than demand that kids are illuminated at night, why are we not demanding safer infrastructure? Yes, parents should supply their kids with lighting, and ensure they know their responsibility to be lit up at night given our present circumstances, but we need to start to acknowledge that our roads are not safe places because of how we fail to share our roads with the vulnerable.

*I have been known to use profanity against drivers who have startled/intimidated me by blasting horns, it's dangerous and intimidating to cyclists and can result in a loss of concentration, loss of balance and ultimately collision. As you should know as a likely license carrying motorist, it's specified in the highway code that you do not use your horn unless you are warning others of immediate danger. It's not for venting frustration with other road users for failure to adhere to the highway code. A careful and considerate driver is taught to expect that others are imperfect and will not always do what you might expect, this also means travelling without illumination. In this circumstance, the motorist was clearly engaging in bullying of a youngster, who ultimately might risk about as much harm to the motorist as an unlit pedestrian crossing the road (virtually zero). I think a little profanity can be forgiven, don't you?

 

[Richard A Thackeray]

Cloak of invincibility innit...aka stupidity (apparently due to the male teenage brain not being fully developed ... if it ever is )

True
Yes, I was once teenaged, but can't remember riding about without lights



@confusedcyclist

Just a response, not arguing about it

I'll presume that his (possibly) human rights(?) allow him to travel in a manner that he chooses
But...
Riding 'otherwise, than in accordance', as the phrase goes (no legally required light/reflectors)
He was (basically) invisible -as stated, I'm attuned to the shape (but I've been in with drivers, who aren't, till I've said "there's a bike")
It's a busy-ish road at that time, as there can be a lot of shift workers leaving the industrial estate further down, surrounding jct 31/M62
He'd have not been seen, until too late(?) if an uphill vehicle decided to overtake another

If there was any incident/knock-down/RTC, there could be repercussions, if he tried to claim from the motorists insurance
He'd probably not get a penny, due to the lighting issue (not legal for road use) & could even have an attempt to recoups some costs from him, by the insurers




Does hardly anyone these days stop to think how absurd it is that we demand that all others conform to the whims of motorists and ride with lights, reflectors and reflective gear at night
No, because I want to be seen/get home safely
Also, in my case, it'd be far too embarrassing arriving at work, in an Ambo, & being treated by Paramedics/Nurses/Doctors/Radiographers, that I know (& probably know the Police Officer, who'd come to interview me)

 

[confusedcyclist]

Again, of course be pragmatic, otherwise we would never get anywhere on a bicycle and would all be forced into less accessible, fun, unhealthy and more costly alternatives. Until we have safe infrastructure that cyclists can ride on, there's risk involved in being out on a bike at night, especially without lights. But when addressing how harm is caused, it's usually not the cyclists knocking into the motorists that's the problem, but the motorist wanting to travel at speed in low light conditions, and the cyclists having nowhere else to be but in the path of careless drivers. If our motorist was instead travelling at walking pace, there was never any danger and even our all black and unlit rider would be visible to all. It's the expectation and entitlement of drivers who believe it is their right as a human to travel at speed that puts our youngsters and peers on bikes in harms way in the absence of safe alternative routes. Of course, it's not a right but a privilege, and it's supposed to come with training on how to interact with others on the roads and instill a respect for others and their fallibility.

 

[Richard A Thackeray]

I saw one, it was in 2018 (as I didn't run at all in '19)
Same road, similar time

He was in grey/black.... hoodie up
String of vehicles behind him, as he was weaving - maybe a yard & 1/2, side-to-side

First car had gone wide to overtake, wheels almost in opposing gutter, & got past

Second was a lady driver, who lined up to do the same
As she did, he went for the opposing kerb
There was a screech of rubber & an almost immediate scream, as she thought she'd hit him

He just rode unconcernedly to the kerb/pavement I was running up
I stopped him & went 'Postal' at him

Even from the kerb we could hear the (still!) screams
I basically dragged him back to apologise to her

Hopefully, he learnt a lesson that night

 

[confusedcyclist]

On topic:
View: https://twitter.com/anotherJon/status/1210632557118869509

 

[roley poley]

The boardman 2in1 jacket zips apart into gilet and sleeves joined over the shoulders and can be shared by two people .The sleeves joined over the shoulder part is the best as I carry it in the bag for night rides and slip it OVER my florescent yellow top not sweaty as the gilet can be, arms retro-reflective air flow on the body and packs small. Do they still make them ?

 

[Richard A Thackeray]

@roley poley

I have one, see my earlier comments in this thread