[Closed] Very high viz clothing for the road

I'm going to buy some of this equine stuff!

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Personally, I’m not sold on proviz type jackets - they are fine when the light hits them, but don’t seem to be much good in daylight/general gloom...

Agreed, some reflective bits are a good idea, but a grey jacket on UK roads?

Hiviz/reflective ankle straps are my preferred option if I want to be more visible.

Polaris rbs stuff heavily reduced on their own shop online

Personally, I’m not sold on proviz type jackets - they are fine when the light hits them, but don’t seem to be much good in daylight/general gloom...

You're right they are really only any good when you've got some from of artificial illumination so car headlights for instance. The problem is there is nothing that works as well during the day as it does at night and vice versa. Hi Viz might be good in daylight but is useless at night reflective useless in daylight but tremendous at night. If you're likely to be riding in mixed conditions and want to cover all bases then you need a combination of the two.

I like the idea of shining a light onto your own reflective kit. I wondered about this last week when my flashing joystick lit up a builders jacket from about 50m away and basically the whole builder flashed. I’m now wondering about a small battery led on top of my read rack flashing white onto my back?

I drove up behind a guy wearing these POC overshoes the other day. I saw him for miles:

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I’m now wondering about a small battery led on top of my read rack flashing white onto my back?

That won't work I'm afraid. Retro reflective stuff works so well because light is predominantly bounced back at the source, regardless of angle. So light shone up at your back from your rack would not make much of a difference from the perspective of other road users (unless you'd very recently run them over!).

I wear Endura Lumilite II jacket which comes in a women's version and in pink. Not had too many problems with breathability I think high viz with reflective is the way to go. As above grey proviz is no good a grey morning.

I see so many roadies (or rather I don't) in black outfits. I find them invisible on country lanes. On more than one occasion I've come too close on country lanes just because I cannot see them. I'd like to think being a cyclist I do look for them.

I watched a video on GripGrab yesterday. They reckon that hi-viz reduces the risk by 50%. Reflective strips on the back of shoes work very well in my experience - really eye catching.

Yeah, I think motion makes a massive difference. Reflective bits on the back of shoes or ankles/calves are great in the dark. In daytime I reckon hi viz on ankles is also good.

I also put the reflective spoke thingies on to help at junctions and roundabouts.

Some of the best things I bought were spoke straw reflectors from eBay for our paper round bike. The movement of wheels with two colours. Clearly only from side view...

To the suggestions above I’d add the Garmin rear radar. Works very well especially on country lanes. Gives me plenty of notice that something is coming up behind, giving me time to think about my positioning for visibility (e.g. take a very primary position to make sure i’m seen, as being seen is more about being where the driver is looking rather than what you are wearing) then when the car is closer I can position myself in such a way as to give the driver as many cues as possible as to how and when to overtake. I really notice the lack of extra info it gives if I ride without it. And it’s a pretty decent light with a flash pattern that varies as cars get closer.

... which is only £100 at Halfords at the moment. Can get another 10% off too, with Cycling UK or BC. I'm quite tempted.

I've been putting ankle bands on, they make you obvious as a cyclist

In reality, not being seen is not being seen. You get a SMIDSY on 1 plus tonne cars

I've also taken to wearing arm bands recently too

gauss1777 - Member
Perhaps a jacket with POLICE across the back?

I’ve seen it suggested that hivis doesn’t work anymore - there is so much around we are immune to it. Pink may be better. Black and white battenberg has been suggested to be better as its maximum contrast, not an organic thing and we are looking for that sort of “data” from road markings etc.

Pedal reflectors definitely help at night so I can see those overshoes being good. But none will make a symbol appear on the drivers phone if they are looking there instead.

Not a big fan of hi viz, uniforms are dehumanising and all the incidents I have experienced have been malicious not through inattention. Also I’m just not keen on the green/yellow look tbh.

However I do like to have bright overshoes or knee warmers or socks. Something about the movement makes them eye catching I think.

Sorry to hear this. It's so scary and frustrating. I have a pink Altura Night Vision jacket which has plenty of reflective bits, so good in dull, drizzly weather as well as dark. It is not massively breathable so I only used it in wet weather. I agree having something reflective on your legs is best as the movement catches the eye. The older Altura Night Vision tights were great for this, with reflector strips down the calfs. Those combined with reflective tape on the pannier rack, reflective spokes, bright and reflective overshoes and multiple lights make you visible day and night. But as said only if drivers are actually watching the road.

Pedla do a reflective gilet that is really very reflective. You can also get some rapha shoes and overshoes that are similarly reflective albeit the reflective stuff is a bit fragile so they're not going to work for MTB.

... which is only £100 at Halfords at the moment. Can get another 10% off too, with Cycling UK or BC. I'm quite tempted.

Bargain. I can see a lot of people thinking what's the point with them but I'm pretty sure if you were to try one for a couple of weeks you'd not want to be without it.

I got hit from behind (luckily not nearly as bad as yours gray!) on a big wide straight road last year and it shook my confidence a bit and made me a lot more concerned about what was going on behind me. And while the rear radar wouldn't have prevented that incident it does give me a lot more confidence from awareness and ability to better manage what's going on.

As others have said already, if a driver's not looking it doesn't matter if you're lit up like Picadilly Circus.

If you're going to go for Hi-Viz why not just add bits of clothing to what you're already wearing rather than throwing everything away.

Simplest is [url= https://www.amazon.co.uk/Fantaseal%C2%AE-Reflective-Visibility-Wristband-Sweatband/dp/B01FQND9IK/ref=sr_1_21?ie=UTF8&qid=1516008892&sr=8-21&keywords=reflective+ankle+straps ]ankle bands[/url] - I know as a driver that the movement identifies an object as a cyclist from a long way away. If you're riding in normal clothes keeps your trousers out of the chain.

A [url= https://www.amazon.co.uk/Endura-Laser-Cycling-Hi-Viz-Yellow/dp/B01AK9APN2 ]Gilet[/url] is a practical bit of clothing i end up wearing much of the year

[url= https://www.amazon.co.uk/Visibility-Reflective-360%C2%B0Reflective-Adjustable-Lightweight/dp/B06WXX8DJR/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1516008868&sr=8-6&keywords=hi+viz++belt ]This[/url] is a cheap, comfortable way of adding some hi-viz to a non cycling jacket that's easy to shove in a pocket.

Of course -all that is answering a completely different q to 'good lookign kit to wear on road'. I just go for 'not head to toe in black' so that I show up against a variety of backgrounds - it's easy to show hiviz becoming camoflaged against a forest background.

Glad your girlfriend is OK. I am reading this thread with interest after recently being knocked off resulting in a stay in ICU. I am coming to the end of an enforced 3 months off (due to injuries) and beginning to think about riding again. I have no idea how I'll feel about this, hopefully the first few rides will go ok. I may invest in some hi Vis as most of my kit from that day needs replacing!

I have one of the Altura mesh lycra gillets from the night vision range.
Goes on top of whatever else I’m wearing and is as close to no effect on breathability as you’ll get.

Polaris website sale for the RBS stuff does look good too. Very cheap but good stuff.

Having been out it truly horribly wet, dark weather this morning and seen several cyclist one of whom was wearing a ProViz jacket, I'm really convinced of its benefits in the dark. As well as being much more obvious than lights in a sea of other lights, it makes you look like a person, not an object.

As for the OP's daylight incident... what lights out of interest?

Was there any sort of explanation for the error, e.g. following a car in front too closely that hid your gf, low sun, under tree shade on a bright day, etc?

Never underestimate the idiocy or the blindness of drivers. Our neighbour is, according to Mrs Gti who has travelleed in her car, a frighteningly incompetent driver. One bright sunny day the Police were in our street dressed all in flouro stopping speeding drivers and short-cutters. She drove 100 yards up the street and was flagged down and given a warning for exceeding the 20 mph limit. She is married to a PC as well so you'd think she would be a bit more circumspect!

I think a lot of drivers actually need glasses and are too vain or stupid to realise it. Many others are also too stupid to understand the heating and ventilation in their cars or the need to clean off the plasticiser film that accumulates on the inside of the windows and makes driving into the sun dangerous.

(Re: Garmin Varia radar thingy)

... which is only £100 at Halfords at the moment. Can get another 10% off too, with Cycling UK or BC. I'm quite tempted.

Bargain. I can see a lot of people thinking what's the point with them but I'm pretty sure if you were to try one for a couple of weeks you'd not want to be without it.

I've just ordered one. I actually had a 10% discount code, so the order price was £90. I might well be able to get another 10% off that when I go in to collect and pay!

I actually don't know whether it would have prevented my accident - I don't remember it. It's not impossible that I would have tucked in a bit extra if I had known that there was a car approaching, given the narrowish road / sun in front situation. For £80-90 it's worth a go though.

I drove up behind a guy wearing these POC overshoes the other day. I saw him for miles:

+1 for overshoes, shoes or ankle/lower leg-based hi-vis stuff being the most eye-catching - lots more movement than a jacket!

Hope your other half isn't too discouraged, though I can understand getting the fear. Keep us posted on the case's progress.

I actually don't know whether it would have prevented my accident - I don't remember it. It's not impossible that I would have tucked in a bit extra if I had known that there was a car approaching, given the narrowish road / sun in front situation. For £80-90 it's worth a go though.

Low sun is a nasty one. If I'm riding with the varia at least I get plenty of notice that there's a car coming (a long time before I'd otherwise be aware) and can look up and make a judgement as to whether the driver is likely to see me and whether to move to a strong primary position or really tuck into the curb, in bad low sun conditions I have often taken to the curb. With the varia you can easily tell how close the car is too and how fast they are approaching so you can use a combination of both primary and then taking to the gutter as they close in.

Nothing will help with visibility if a driver doesn't look. Be wary of builder Bob type hi viz as folk think you are plodding along rather than shifting quite quickly.

I had my spine broken despite daylight, bright red kit and 3 lights on, one of which was in pulse mode. Driver didn't look

The last few times on the road I have worn an Altura hi vis jacket. But still get the same number of idiots close passing etc.

I actually don't think hi vis makes much difference.

However, if I have my go pro on my helmet and look around at cars approaching from behind I think it makes a difference and drivers are aware their on camera!

Maybe buying a cheap action cam and having it on your helmet will make more difference.

I always try to make myself as visable as possible.

Tonight I saw, within the space of 20 mins, 5 people riding bikes and not one of them had any lights at all. Unbelievable.

I picked up the Garmin Varia radar today from Halfords. I had a 10% code that they sent me (I guess after I bought something there last week), so used that online, and then they happily took another 10% off at the till for my CTC card, so it was £81. I'll test it some time next week I guess, once this man flu shifts!

Tonight I saw, within the space of 20 mins, 5 people riding bikes and not one of them had any lights at all. Unbelievable.

And yet you still saw them!

There's a thread doing the rounds on social media linking to this blog:
https://bangingonaboutbikes.wordpress.com/2018/01/18/on-why-be-safe-be-seen-is-nonsense/ about being visible not being the same as people not looking.

Every single time I see a comment such as yours about cyclists dressed all in black or cyclists without lights or cyclists riding on the pavement it occurs to me that the one surefire way of being seen is to wear all black, have no lights and ride along the pavement - every ****er within half a mile will see you and point it out!

Ride legally with lights & hi viz and you'll get "sorry mate I didn't see you..."

Garmin Varia radar is now only £75 in Halfords, even before any discount.

<span style="color: #444444; font-size: 16px;">her DI2 equipment is a mess</span>

sad to say this is going to make the biggest difference. Until commuters on bikes start costing insurance companies real money things won't change. If there's a £10k bill every time a cyclist gets hit things will change within two years.

While I hate dash cams in cars, on a bike I think evidence can be a good thing in this situation. It's a pita though and more to set up and maintain.

I bought one of these after being knocked off. It's brilliant as you can point it at people it lights the interior of the car up enough to get a drivers attention off the a phone back to the road.

I'd really think about a helmet light it can be seen over other cars, fences, obstacles etc

I stopped riding on the road for years, mainly due to a few incidents with other road users (cars), including the classic, *"You don't pay road tax"!

I'm back on the road now and I've already held someone to account using GoPro footage. However prevention is obviously better than cure/prosecution.

Joystick on bars and Joystick on Helmet, plus Exposure Enduro on Bars. All set to flashing. I find that the high output and the fact they're never in synch seems to alert people (wake them up) to my presence. I think the helmet light works really well when you look behind to get people's attention too. The reflection coming back from road signs (even in the daytime) should be enough to give away my presence even if my rear light doesn't.

I have two lights at the rear. A Leyzyne Zecto, set to max power flash and a Cat Eye set on constant, just incase some idiot tries to pull me up on the flashing light / constant light argument.

I'm also wearing an Endura Windchill II jacket, which is comfy, practical, bright and reflective.

Also having ridden motorbikes for many years, I think defensive riding and eye contact is really useful.

Stay safe you crazy kids!

*NB, just for the record, I pay a shedload of road taxes I have 3 vehicles, two of which are used for work and unfortunately are in the highest tax band...

I tend to wear as much high vis as possible on the road, and even use my lights if there is a cloud in the sky. Just invested in some bright morvelo socks too - so there is more "moving" lumo parts.

Didn't stop a lady crashing into the side of me last year, distracted by her children (her admission) at a T junction that she'd pulled out of without looking.

I still tense up a year later! Offroad is much safer. At least you take your own risks!

I've been using a headlight for a few years now.

Previously was the Lezyne Macro Duo (which I now put on the folding helmet I have on my Brompton). Now a joystick with a micro red eye plugged i the back

That gives me two front lights, bars on solid, head on pulse. And three rear lights, flashing fibre flare (nice and big), solid light on my rack pack, and little solid light up high from my red eye

Based on riding in London, three things are amazing

1 - people not looking (driving/walking/cycling it's amazing how people don't look. I'm pointing a flashing light towards them as they are about to cross or pull out and they're looking the other way)

2 - some people don't care, they see you and still don't care

3 - so many cyclists with crap lights or none at all. It's completely bonkers