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Idle curiosity following the commuter jacket thread. I just wondered what your go to commute/night time road riding attire was from the perspective of visibility?
I tend to go with lots of lights (3 front, 4 back, variety of flashing and non-flashing), reflectors on my spokes, reflective strips on my bike and more reflective stuff on my clothes. But, bar 1 gillet that is a bit sweaty so doesn't get worn much, none of my clothes are traditional hi-viz, my rain jacket is black, other stuff is standard reds and whites mostly. I did ask my wife how visible I was from the perspective of a non-cycling driver and her response was along the lines of "very" and "Christmas Tree"
Am I alone in this approach? hell, am I asking for trouble not being in bright yellow/orange clothes?
I tend to rely on lights too.
My main commuting jacket is a red Endura Stealth with reflective strips but it's certainly not hi-viz.
Shoes, helmet and gloves all have reflective strips on them and I've stuck some of that black Scotchlite reflective tape onto the rims.
I use lights for pretty much all my riding now, any time of day or night. all year round.
If it's properly dark then reflectives are much, much more important than hi-viz. If you are riding under orange streetlights, hi-viz loses it's impact anyway.
Fluro gloves and over socks make you visible, and quiet clearly show you're a cyclist. Apart from that and depending on weather a yellow gilet and two lights on the front & back.
I tend to rely on lights too.
+1
When commuting in London I tended towards a red soft shell as a nod to visibility, but out in the sticks I often wear either a grey or black one, admittedly with some slight reflective trim and a couple of strobing lights.
Hi Viz doesn't work in the dark. Works best in normal daylight. For nighttime commuting a couple of decent lights is whats needed, followed by some reflective trim. Kind of depends a little on whether your commute is under street lighting or not, but even then the days I drive I notice bike lights way before anything reflective, which is obvious when you think about it.
Same here, some of my stuff has the odd hi vis stripe on it, but largely just normal cycling or sporty attire
My helmet currently has lights and LOTS of reflective strips, plus the read light has a red reflector on it
Bike has lots of reflective tape on it (front, back, side, mudguards, cranks), reflective spokes, rear pedal reflectors, front and back light plus back ups for each. When its really dark (i.e. depths of winter) I often wear the reflective strap things on my legs with built on leds set to flash
I've also ordered some bar end lights from China for more side visibility
Cycled in today, leg straps are in my drawer, might where them on the way home actually
I rely on lights generally and any reflective bits on shows, shorts, jacket. My winter jacket is orange and red but has a black back, but I usually carry a rucksack in winter anyway.
Lights on bike
lights on helmet
lights on bag
At least three lights on the back (that's 8 LEDs), two lights on the front. Sometimes one of the Topeak helmet LED lights.
Club kit without any reflective bits, or black.
Shoes have some reflective patches.
Pannier has a reflective triangle
Bike has rear reflector
I also like the Respro neoprene scotchbrite ankle bands for ultimate "Cyclist ahead" visibility. They are very good, but I haven't dug them out yet.