Something like this. They're supposed to be safer? The only folks I ever see wearing them when out riding are like men in their 70's.
Is it a no go?
by computerworlds
Something like this. They're supposed to be safer? The only folks I ever see wearing them when out riding are like men in their 70's.
Is it a no go?
by computerworlds
30 Comments
The only folks you see wearing them should tell you all you need to know!
I’m not in my 70s but I’m a middle-aged man and have been hit by a driver who claimed not to see me. I know this is a fashion sub and this style of jacket isn’t exactly fashionable, but I encourage you to make yourself visible to some extent.
I like them and wear them
Well executed they can be good. That one looks cheap. I have one from pedal mafia and one from rapha. A little more muted yellow and no dumb black nonsense everywhere
You’ll have an answer to your question the first time a car plows into you while you’re wearing a black jersey after dark.
Men in their 70s have decided they are not ready to die. 😒😉😂
I may be in the minority, and I hope I’m not, but I try to be lit up in every possible way and be as safe as possible, since I love road biking. I have drop **bar end mirrors** on both sides of my drop bar, I’ve the **Garmin Varia radar**/light in the rear, I’ve **seat stays lights**, and finally I use the newish **Look Keo Vision pedals** which have rechargeable built in lights on them. More people have asked me where to find/buy them than anything else in recent memory.
While I love the look of Black bikes and Black Bibs/Jerseys, it’s okay on others. I don’t ride a black bike and I won’t ride in black clothes. And I’m far from 70.
I’ve been hit by a drunk driver in a Silverado in my 20s, there was a fatality. Obviously hi viz jacket wouldn’t have helped, but I’ve changed the way I approach risks since. So yeah, all in on hi viz
not a fan, I’d rather get hit than wear that (but I use reflective and a varia- I’m dumb but not that dumb)
I’m a middle 40s guy (okay late 40s) and prefer some hi vis when i bike on the road
If you want to make it to 70, wear it!! 👍
They are ugly but I wear them when I have to interact with drivers, especially during rush hour
I wear one at dusk or dark. It’s also my best long sleeve jacket jersey that I wear throughout most of the winter because it’s dark most of the time anyway.
I’m 37 and rock high vis when I have to interact with cars a lot on a route. I always wear bright colors and on a well-lit bike.
I’ve been a fan of day-glow socks lately to accomplish the same thing as a jersey like this. I also have a few (tight fitting) hi vis jerseys that I wear on gloomy days and solo rides, etc.
I dig em. Kinda wish my local shops would carry a decent selection of them.
They look super dumb. Better would be smaller blocks of hi-viz color, as opposed to an entire neon shirt.
I think if someone’s not paying attention while they are driving, they are gunna hit you. Doesnt matter if you are wearing Christmas lights head to toe.
I think you don’t have to wear neon to be visible. Most of the time, I wear either a mango yellow or a bright red jersey, both of which complement my bike’s color scheme. If you want to be visible, just avoiding all the black, navy, brown or otherwise dark jerseys goes a long way.
I have a few but I also realize some drivers just don’t pay attention. Had one on and came to a four way stop. When it was my turn to go, I started to go through the intersection and the driver of the car to my right appeared to look right at me 10 feet from the car and started to go and then stopped suddenly when they realized I was there.
On another note, I worked on a paving crew at night when I was younger. Had to wear type 3 vests and pant, hi viz yellow with reflective stripes,
per the company safety plan. End of the night we’re doing a little traffic control trying to get all the equipment parked and had a car stopped at the stop sign. We motioned to the driver for a few minutes to go and they weren’t responding. Finally went up to the window and the driver says I couldn’t see you guys. There were four of us 10-15 feet from the car in the intersection but somehow they couldn’t see the hi viz yellow nor the reflective stripes. Made me realize real quick that some drivers shouldn’t be on the road
50F here; love them and I wish more companies made QUALITY jerseys that are bright & obnoxious. I miss Wattie Ink. My jackets are hot pink or neon yellow. 80% of my jerseys have neon colors in them and I just bought a bright pink Rapha jersey. The muted colors look sharp, but they’re dull and blend into the surroundings. Keep offering them, fine, but what I wouldnt’ give for some fun hot pink or 80s neon designs by some of the premium brands.
The way I figure, the more I can do to encourage people to see me, the better. (and yes, I use lights and Varia as well)
A good idea, ugly but effective. So whatever your priorities are.
Fugly. With that said, to each their own.
Definitely a no-go unless it’s a night and even then just wear white…
A rain jacket should probably be high viz because rain is a low viz scenario.
I wear whatever colors I want (I happen to like bright colors). I ride with lights (flashing in the daytime) to be seen.
I rock high vis as a casual cyclist, its especially good for commuting and any road adjacent cycling.
Forum follows function
Hi Viz is not about fashion. It’s about form over function.
FWIW, the easiest and most notable safety upgrade I made to my bike/kit this season is a flashing daytime running front light.
I have all the other stuff like varia, wear white helmet, shoes, socks, etc but the front light has – possibly anecdotally – made me more visible to people.
There was a study showing biomovement was the most recognizable to drivers and high viz socks made more of a difference than a high viz jersey. [study here on pubmed](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32408145/)