Reflective Tips (Part 2)

[Bicycle]

Gaz, I just popped back to the original thread and your comment was as follows:

"DO NOT GET A JACKET WITH REFLECTIVES, it's a waist of money. you are better off putting reflective material on your legs, feet and bike.

The reflective material needs light to be shined on it for it to be effective, thus making anything above the waist pointless as car lights have a limited height."

The upper case is yours. I added the bold typeface to distinguish it from my words. I'm not sure one can use the 'out of context' defence on that.

I'd already noted on the first thread that one advantage of reflectives on the calf is that the movement identifies the wearer as a cyclist, but to say that jackets with reflective surfaces are a waste of money seems odd. In these matters, proof and statistics may be beside the point.

I'm a motorist and cyclist with a few decades of experience in both disciplines. I frequently drive past cyclists after dark on lit roads, unlit roads, in towns, cities and the countryside.

When driving, I notice reflective jackets from some distance away. I would never advise someone not to buy one. They are not a waste of money. They do enhance visibility.

 

[gaz]

Gaz, I just popped back to the original thread and your comment was as follows:

"DO NOT GET A JACKET WITH REFLECTIVES, it's a waist of money. you are better off putting reflective material on your legs, feet and bike.

The reflective material needs light to be shined on it for it to be effective, thus making anything above the waist pointless as car lights have a limited height."

The upper case is yours. I added the bold typeface to distinguish it from my words. I'm not sure one can use the 'out of context' defence on that.

I'd already noted on the first thread that one advantage of reflectives on the calf is that the movement identifies the wearer as a cyclist, but to say that jackets with reflective surfaces are a waste of money seems odd. In these matters, proof and statistics may be beside the point.

I'm a motorist and cyclist with a few decades of experience in both disciplines. I frequently drive past cyclists after dark on lit roads, unlit roads, in towns, cities and the countryside.

When driving, I notice reflective jackets from some distance away. I would never advise someone not to buy one. They are not a waste of money. They do enhance visibility.

Well it was out of context, as you quote shows, I go onto say more which is relevant to the point.
In any case I didn't truely mean what I said it bold. I'm just challenging to the common perception that hi-viz jackets are a must when cycling, when they really aren't. Not only do I believe their performance to not be as good as some suggest, but they are often made of material which is not best worn when doing exercise.
I my self use jackets with reflective trim on the upper body, but as I said, you are better off putting it lower down and I choose mine for exercise performance and usability rather than reflectivness.

This is an intresting read: Cyclist visibility at night : perceptions of
visibility do not necessarily match reality

Although I wish they did the experiment with just reflectives on the lower half of the body.
We could say that hi-viz jackets only add 35% to your visibility where as lower body reflectors add 40% to your visibility over hi-viz jackets. But i'm just playing with words and stats to get that result

 

[Little yellow Brompton]

Anyone else think CC should have a set of guidelines for night time camera settings, so the pictures we take of lighting are actually fair comparisons against each other?

No, Sorry HELL NO!

 

[HovR]

No, Sorry HELL NO!

I'm not quite sure how you could object so strongly to something as simple as "If you want your night photos to be a fair comparison to others on here, use ISO [...], Aperture [...] and Shutter Speed [...]." It's not like we'd be saying "Use these settings or be banned!"

But hey, each to their own.

 

[Little yellow Brompton]

I'm not quite sure how you could object so strongly to something as simple as "If you want your night photos to be a fair comparison to others on here, use ISO [...], Aperture [...] and Shutter Speed [...]." It's not like we'd be saying "Use these settings or be banned!"

But hey, each to their own.

It's boring!

 

[baldycyclist]

where

I agree 100%. I wear an Endura Flyte high viz jacket. In addition, all my bikes are reflected up. O.K, some people think using/wearing hi viz makes you look a tad silly, but I want every advantage I can get on the roads. Besides, on most bikes you can get diamond grade tape that matches closely. The red reflective tape on my bacchetta for example is not noticeable in daylight.

do you get your diamond tape from - might try some?

 

[Scilly Suffolk]

Errrrmm..... No !

Common sense and common use, both do it for me.

At the risk of adding fuel to the flames, the same argument could be applied to helmets, but the research is at best inconclusive. Even the guy who sticks take-away menus through my door wears a hi-viz so "everyone else does" is not a convincing argument.

Having worked on motorways I can tell you that it is not the body of the garment which attracts attention, but the bands around the wrists and ankles, where there is the most movement. If you were to consider objectively what it is that initially catches your eye, it is the movement of the reflective strips catching the light and not the "standard" hi-viz body.

Therefore a garment designed and constructed primarily for exercise and with strategically placed reflective strips is a better choice for cyclists. I also agree with Gaz that reflectives on the legs are more effective because there is more movement.

I wouldn't go so far as to call something like the Nightvision a waste of money, but it is not a panacea.

 

[gaz]

I wouldn't go so far as to call something like the Nightvision a waste of money, but it is not a panacea.

My choice of words wasn't great :P

 

[GrumpyGregry]

but it is not a panacea.

Good post JtW.

There is no panacea.

If they aren't looking they won't see you no matter how you are dressed, or how many, or how intense, your lights are. If they are they will.

 

[GrumpyGregry]

My choice of words wasn't great :P

Actually a Nightvision is a waste of money because the zips are shite!

 

[BlackPanther]

where
do you get your diamond tape from - might try some?

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/HI-VIZ-IN...CommercialVehicleParts_SM&hash=item5ae4b19f8c

 

[Davidc]

No panacea for anything, but I have bits of reflective material stuck on the bikes, wear reflective clothes including reflective bands on the legs (sash not jacket in warm weather) and I use bright lights. In daytime hi-viz and bright lights.

Don't care if it looks OTT, I drive as well and driving the sooner I spot a cyclist the better I can accommodate them.

Greg is however right. Those who drive around looking at their phone while texting, doze off, look without seeing, and other forms of not looking or not seeing, aren't going to notice any of it, you have to rely on your own awareness and defensive riding.

 

[baldycyclist]

thanks blackP

 

[Bicycle]

I just drove with my younger son over the Malvern Hills.

A lone cyclist (it was bitter and the gritter was out) was struggling over the hills in pitch darkness.

The reflective strips down either side of his hi-vis gilet stood out like silver light sabres in a dark cinema.

The only illumination worth a damn was from my headlights.

Reflective strips do catch headlights, dipped and main. From a good distance.

The absence of a rear light and a black rucksack covering much of the strips were the errors this cyclist made. Silly Billy... But the reflective strips were good.

 

[gaz]

I just drove with my younger son over the Malvern Hills.

A lone cyclist (it was bitter and the gritter was out) was struggling over the hills in pitch darkness.

The reflective strips down either side of his hi-vis gilet stood out like silver light sabres in a dark cinema.

The only illumination worth a damn was from my headlights.

Reflective strips do catch headlights, dipped and main. From a good distance.

The absence of a rear light and a black rucksack covering much of the strips were the errors this cyclist made. Silly Billy... But the reflective strips were good.

Photos with aperture, exposure and ISO or BS!!!!

I get the feeling that G-Zero used flash to get his results..