Is the Proviz 360 the one to get? It look fantastic. Just got knocked off my bike yesterday by a car, have learnt I really need to make myself more visible on the road (:

The proviz one is incredibly reflective. I have got the gilet version for running.
The other one to look at which isn’t quite as bright but is still good is the sugoi zap range. The advantage that has is that you can get bright colours which will help during the day. The proviz is just a grey colour until lit up

Why do you think you weren’t previously visible?

I have the Proviz – the amount of extra respect and space it generates is phenomenal. But… it is very warm / not very breathable (vented rather than breathable). I have the pit zips open all the time and the front open part way. It’s okay on my commute (max 1 hour), but I wouldn’t want to wear it for hours on end.

For dark commutes, I wouldn’t be without mine now.

yup, lots of people wearing those now on my Cycle Superhighway 7 commute. They are very effective in the dark, i.e. they reflect car headlights/my commuting lights very well.

In the daytime they are just a silver coloured jacket.

Wow, thanks guys. It sounds fantastic! I’ll give the sugoi a look but I actually love that the Proviz looks relatively normal during the day (:

And Bez, regarding visiblity I was wearing dark grey baselayers at night on an incredibly busy but dark roundabout, I wouldn’t have been able to see me either. The thing that caused me to get hit was my light cut out just when I was on the roundabout, and by the time I realised it was too late and the car didn’t see me. I went to A&E and they said I’ve most likely broken a rib too :S I’ve contacted B&M the lights manufacturer, hopefully they’ll help resolve it. Was scary as hell though, still in shock. The worst bit of it all was how upset the lady who hit me was, she was in tears ):

Hmmm, that’s something I’m not keen on – I swap to something fluorescent during the day. I believe there is a reversible Proviz now – reflective on one side and fluoro on the other.

Anyone have the DHB flashlight windproof?

Want something a bit more breathable

Or is there a reflective softshell out there for a decent price?

Surely when you were hit, you were either illuminated by the car’s headlights (people on bicycles do still tend to be visible at that point, even if they’re wearing grey) or you weren’t (in which case a reflective jacket wouldn’t have been any use).

PS obviously I’m slightly reluctant to be an irritating tit, but it’s not the car that didn’t see you 😉

Unlit cyclist in dark clothing without any reflective gear soon becomes invisible in the face of the oncoming headlights of other cars.

Reflective gear and good lights is pretty much essential rather than assuming you’re safe. Occasionally considered stopping and suggesting that to the commuter on the country lanes near me, who I’ve only just seen thanks to the tiny patch of Scotchlite on the back of his shoes.

Unlit cyclist in dark clothing without any reflective gear soon becomes invisible in the face of the oncoming headlights of other cars.

But, again: what scenario involves someone being (a) on a roundabout, (b) backlit by headlights and (c) directly in the headlamp beams of the driver who is about to hit them? I don’t think there is one.

(I apologise for taking things off on an irritating tangent, and I’m not arguing that reflective gear is useless, but I’m always curious as to these sorts of thought processes…)

But, again: what scenario involves someone being (a) on a roundabout, (b) backlit by headlights and (c) directly in the headlamp beams of the driver who is about to hit them? I don’t think there is one.

(I apologise for taking things off on an irritating tangent, and I’m not arguing that reflective gear is useless, but I’m always curious as to these sorts of thought processes…)

Always interesting to work out for our own safety. My own driving is mostly on poorly lit country lanes where the light levels can vary, cyclists really do become completely invisible unless they are well lit up. They’re not back lit by oncoming lights either, most car headlights are too bright for that and just make the bits of the road that are unlit even darker. It’s worse with those stupid Xenon lamps.

OP did say it was a busy and dark roundabout, difficult one to judge without interviewing the driver 🙂 I just know from driving and riding on dark and busy roads that I’d always go for plenty of reflective just to be sure. I even use the reflective spoke wraps, they look daft but your wheels show up really well.

Obviously hindsight is wonderful thing, but probably worth a backup light front and back for such occasions too.

Altura Night Vision fwiw

Several threads on Provision recently, lots of concerns on breathability

Altura Night Vision fwiw

Thats me. I’m getting a Flouro Peleton jacket for daytime & evening use without having to reverse it or worry about sweating a lot.

Sugoi Zap looks good for MTB & commute but I wanted a softshell for winter training hence the above.

The challenge with those Proviz jackets is they’re very bland in the daylight. They need to be brighter. They’re excellent at night though

OP did say it was a busy and dark roundabout, difficult one to judge without interviewing the driver. I just know from driving and riding on dark and busy roads that I’d always go for plenty of reflective just to be sure. I even use the reflective spoke wraps, they look daft but your wheels show up really well.

Sure. Reflectives have their uses; I use them myself. But I’m not saying the OP shouldn’t get reflectives, I’m just trying to understand the thought process that results in a desire for reflectives as a response to a situation where I can’t see how reflectives would have helped. (I know we don’t know the details, but roundabouts function in a certain way and traffic around them flows in a specific manner.) Not really criticising, just academically curious. There is a market that thrives on people’s fear and their faith in efficacy.

I just know from driving and riding on dark and busy roads that I’d always go for plenty of reflective just to be sure.

agreed – too many stealth roadies about.

OP – I always go with 2 lights; a USE Exposure light and a cheaper spare usually used as a flashing light.
Having had a light fail miles from home I’ve always had a failover option since.

Have you thought about a good smattering of reflective tape on your bike? I’ve not gone totally mad with it but a few good patches on the front facing fork blades, bars and head tube light up pretty well head on. Also reflective spoke things or tyre side walls. Those jackets look ace though, just put off by the breath-ability and fit. Stuff on the bike is always handy, as you’ll never forget it or take it off!

The Sportful Reflex range is good for the price and you can get them in different colours. Not massively breathable mind, so I’d go with the gillet/vest rather than jacket.

+1 on the Proviz. The way the engine note drops as the driver thinks, what the hell is that, is quite reassuring. Anything that gets drivers thinking is a good idea. Doubt can be useful… I use mine on evening rides round the lanes, as I don’t commute. They are a bit boil in the bag, but worth it. The way they reflect light from any angle is amazing.

I’ve not seen the proviz on the road but offroad it’s astonishing- the dude wearing it was visible (or, his floating headless torso was) where everything else was blackness, it was like a really bad special effect. Whole different level to a class 2 jacket.

If Proviz made some overshoes I’d get some, they’d be awesomes

I currently have 2 pairs (dhb and sealskinz) and the little reflective stripe on the back is very effective

Always interesting to work out for our own safety. My own driving is mostly on poorly lit country lanes where the light levels can vary, cyclists really do become completely invisible unless they are well lit up. They’re not back lit by oncoming lights either, most car headlights are too bright for that and just make the bits of the road that are unlit even darker. It’s worse with those stupid Xenon lamps.

Technically however, on an unlit country road you should only be driving at a speed such that your stopping distance is less than the range of your headlights. Animals, fallen trees, potholes, fly tipping, pedestrians etc. are all just as hard to see as an unlit cyclist. I am aware that no driver does this, and so lights and reflectives are sensible, but that’s a bit like legalising guns and telling everyone to buy bulletproof vests if they don’t want to get shot.

I use the Mavic vision jacket.
It can get a bit warm on the arms as they aren’t vented.

If Proviz made some overshoes I’d get some, they’d be awesomes

Knock yourself out:

http://www.provizsports.com/en_gb/catalog/product/view/_ignore_category/1/id/1163/s/proviz-pixelite-shoe-covers/

Sure. Reflectives have their uses; I use them myself. But I’m not saying the OP shouldn’t get reflectives, I’m just trying to understand the thought process that results in a desire for reflectives as a response to a situation where I can’t see how reflectives would have helped. (I know we don’t know the details, but roundabouts function in a certain way and traffic around them flows in a specific manner.) Not really criticising, just academically curious.

I get what you mean now, interesting article too.

I can only go from my experience that reflectives work, I also know how difficult it is to see dark objects in the midst of other bright light sources.

Increasing your visibility is easily done and it doesn’t have to cost much. You’ll always get the odd knob who who probably shouldn’t have a driving licence but at least you can help the more sensible drivers see you and minimise the risk.

I use this Nike running gilet, like the proviz but currently cheaper! Fairly warm but breathable.
Also have Scotchlite refective tape down my mudguards and on the rims (disc brakes) for side visibility – mine is black in daylight, but shows up silver. You can get the tape in a wide range of colours.

Someone posted up a video of the effect of differing reflective set ups and none at all on here a month or so back.

On a clear night the difference in how soon someone with lights could be seen clearly and their speed and direction accurately judged from a sensible amount of Reflectives was quite astonishing.

Bearing in mind that was shot from a stationary car on a clear night I really struggle to rail against using some.

Pleader makes a good point about speed v visibility V stopping distance etc but even IF drivers adhered to it and my guess is 75% don’t that test would still involve for most of the hazards a hard ish deceleration (not suggesting emergency stop but I wouldn’t expect someone to drive so slowly as to be able to coast to a halt for an object that doesn’t belong in the road [not intended to include bikes ] either so long as the stop is safe and controlled). I don’t want someone seeing me that late, which is where a large moderately bright light makes a difference as by this point Reflectives may not yet be doing their job.

Where I think Reflectives have most value is that good lights do not help side visibility much and here cars and vans have a big advantage because they’re made of glass and metal, which reflect light and they have a surface area that is at least 20x larger than someone on a bike. This is presumably why the law stipulates various side and rear reflective items be fitted to bikes a requirement many of us flout at least in part

Back to the op’s question I have one of those bobbly sugoi jackets, normal looking in day, mine is a kind of cherry Red. But “whites up” under artificial light. It has been suggested it looks a bit like domino from the running man but could be the podgy occupant.

I always think the altura jackets light up well.

If I had the money I’d love to try this gear out

Hi Vis Cycling Gear

Cycled home tonight and only realised after about 10 miles that I hadn’t plugged in my rear light. I use the exposure revo dyno connected to the flare. There’s no switch so I have to unplug it at work to turn it off. Not one car hooted or honked and everyone still gave me the same amount of space. I ride down a busy A road too. I can only put it down to the large reflective patches on the end of my Pactimo tights so it just shows how effective reflective patches are when they move up and down. Felt very guilty though when I discovered my mistake.

I’ve got the more water repellent version of that Mavic jacket and it’s very good. Lots of wide reflective tape placed so that it can actually be seen, not just some cheesy thin piping. And bright as a very bright thing during the day – I reckon hi-viz orange is more visible than yellow which can get a bit lost against a background of green trees/grass.

I’ve also got a mavic vision jacket that I wear to commute. Didn’t stop me getting knocked off last Friday. Currently nursing 2 fractured ribs and a sore back having gone over his bonnet! Also had 2 rear lights, a fibreflare on the seat stay and reflective spoke sleeves (which I thought were really good for side on visibility). Of course also had a front light on. Not sure what else to do really to increase visibility?

Someone posted up a video of the effect of differing reflective set ups and none at all on here a month or so back.

This one? :

[video]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YqPfcuw7AxU[/video]

I’ve been using a Hump Flare gilet which is really very visible. A few weeks back a neighbour commented that he saw that long before my lights in the windy lane toward our street.

I particularly like the way the reflective chevrons on the back direct the driver past you (if you’re in the UK & riding on the left). Someone posted a pic of it a while back – I’ll see if I can find it.

I pass a guy wearing one of those Proviz 360 jackets whilst I’m driving home and there is no missing him at all. Visible well before you see his rear light. Unlike most jackets the whole thing looks like it is powered with fluorescent lamps and wearing a back pack makes little difference due to the huge reflective area.

Can’t argue that increasing your visibility is a good thing. Though should be noted that cars are driven into things that are very visible all the time 😕

Nobby that’s it.

should be noted that cars are driven into things that are very visible all the time

Oh so annoyingly and devastatingly true.

Kinda backed up by this article…

Road deaths on the rise in UK, according to latest figures

In total, 194,477 people were killed or injured in reported road incidents, the first increase in overall casualties since 1997. The most common factor contributing to collisions last year was drivers failing to look properly.

Thankfully it isn’t suggesting that the contributing factor was that things being driven into weren’t sufficiently visible!

Almost 5 people each day die on the roads too, quite high I thought 😐

Thanks for the replies all, none of the others are completely made out of the reflective material which is what I really like about the Proviz. They have a newer jacket, the Proviz 360+ but it is so much! I found the 360 for £40 but the reviews say awful things about it which bother me, such as the fit being very unergonomic and the collar being iritating 🙁

Go for the 360+ yeah it is more money but it is worth it

The Nike Flash ones are good. I use them for running, but brace yourself when looking at the prices.