High viz or cool?

Leisure Lakes out here in Cheltenham is stocking then as of last week. I imagine their branches in London will do too.

My bike has a magic rear tyre BTW. It glows because of all the mental fixie skidz innit etc...

id rather look like a twat than get smashed up and be scarred for life or dead

i've seen quite a few cyclists out at night with those little frog lights on as their lights which are just pointless - and no high viz, wearing dark clothing and i couldn't really see them..........nevermind if i had full-beam headlights to light the road ahead of me.......
if we're talking fast car coming around a corner then i'm pretty sure high-viz is going to spark a quicker reaction out of them than say, a little red light the size of a pin blinking mid-air behind...oh wait...thats a cyclist....shit...

so yeah. i'd go for loservest over roadkill any day.

Got no hi-viz. Two Dinottes (ultra bright, front and rear, set to steady) and two CatEyes on my bag (medium/low brightness, front and rear, set to blink). Reckoned that would do it. I like to dress in the manner of a ninja beatnik rabbi at all times (that'll be dark, then). Plus I have a black bike, black bag, black helmet etc. Basically, if I can't get it in black it should fuck off immediately.

But I'm not interested in getting my noggin crumpled so I think I could do with a few hi-viz bands, Claqs™ which are easily removed etc. I'm quite intrigued by Retroflective vinyl too.

Basically I'm too proud to adopt the bright yellow waistjacket because I'm a superficial wanker but I wish I wasn't. If my helmet, 2 sets of lights and eternal vigilance can't steer me right, then it's probably shit luck which can't be helped.

Conclusion: doesn't hurt none.

My bike has a magic rear tyre BTW. It glows because of all the mental fixie skidz innit etc...

Those refective strips on tyres should be standard on all commuting/winter tyres. They really get you noticed (from certain angles). Just bought a new pair of studded tyres, and they did'nt have them. Seems bloody stupid to me.

http://www.thecoolhunter.net/Gadgets/SWEETSKINZ---Reflective-bike-tires/
this firm 'Sweetskinz' makes refelectives, the silver is spread right through the different patterns, which are fairly original. I buy them mainly for kids prizes as they mostly run B.M.X,s, although they do make a 700x35 in the 'Rattleback' snake design, good for my 29er' which gets a flogging in winter. dont know how they are doing on the national picture though, can give distributor info if needed.

Friend of a friend (who is also a cyclist) was driving and hit and killed a cyclist a year ago who was riding wearing dark clothing with no lights at night. He really didn't see him as he appeared from the side in front of him into the path of his car.

He now has major panic attacks and can't sleep very well any more. It's left him really screwed up.

People tend to think of themselves and their safety on a bike when thinking about visibility, but you need to consider that there are people out there that really don't want to run into you when you're riding invisible at night and don't want a life of psychological hell that follows either.

http://www.thecoolhunter.net/Gadgets/SWEETSKINZ---Reflective-bike-tires/
this firm 'Sweetskinz' makes refelectives, the silver is spread right through the different patterns, which are fairly original. I buy them mainly for kids prizes as they mostly run B.M.X,s, although they do make a 700x35 in the 'Rattleback' snake design, good for my 29er' which gets a flogging in winter. dont know how they are doing on the national picture though, can give distributor info if needed.

Neat idea!

I'm just a tad bitter because I bought some Conti nordi spikes, which now come with a reflective strip as standard (not many studded tyres do*). When they arrived yesterday, I saw that I had been sent the old version, sans strip(they were 40% off RRP to be fair).

(*only Schwalbe and a couple Contis do)

I would send them back if you havent used them yet...........
spike tyres! oh yeah Nordic land requirements I forgot, nice one.
Sweetskinz do the job quite well because the silver stuff is impregnated, seems good when they get dirty too unlike after a few wet rides with normal pads those silver strips get obscured by filth. not much utility for fixie skidders though, unless people start fixing up bmxs...........

He really didn't see him as he appeared from the side in front of him into the path of his car.

LIghts may not of helped here. reflective tyres, clothes helmet band, etc, may have (IMHO).

People tend to think of themselves and their safety on a bike when thinking about visibility, but you need to consider that there are people out there that really don't want to run into you when you're riding invisible at night and don't want a life of psychological hell that follows either.

+1
From experiance I know that when you realise you may hit a cyclist with your car. You become totally focused on avoiding them at all costs. This seems fair enough, untill you remember that you have a baby and a toddler in the back of the car.

I would send them back if you havent used them yet...........

Havent put them on yet. At over 900g per tyre, I'll try and put it off for a bit. Desent studded tyres cost around £50 a tyre were I live. So a pair for £60 is pretty good (customs did'nt get to them either). I'll probably get some funky spoke lighting anyway, as they look so cool (ahem).

Omfg. This is the reason we have bike radar.

Hi viz jacket (bright) flouro type will not mean you are seen better at night.

To be seen at night you need good lights front and rear which are fully charged. The effectiveness of some of the new rear lights is excellent, as I am constantly blinded by nodders lit up like Xmas trees recently.

From experience the reflective ankle bands are superb. They move as they are strapped to your ankles and are highly reflective.

During daylight I've never felt the need to turn to hi viz. It's not a fucking "invincibilty cloak".

Of you ride defensively and assertivelly you ought to remain safe.

There's anecdotal evidence that the increasing usage of "high viz" clothing has meant it's impact has been eroded and it is now no more effective than regular clothing.

As Zed said, good lights and reflective clothing/accessories are far better for being seen at night than a hi viz flouro jacket.

Now fuck off back to Bike Radar!

Hi viz jacket (bright) flouro type will not mean you are seen better at night.

It's not about (K)night riders - it's about murky autumn/winter mornings and afternoons.

Have you ever driven a car, zed? :-)

Course I fucking have. Get some good lights.

Investing in cycle training is a far better than investing in hi viz as it'll teach you how to ride assertively and with confidence. Riding along in a hi viz jacket wreathed in the smug glow of your own self satisfaction, like something out of a Ready Brek commercial, whilst you ride like a twat isn't going to help much.

Is this cool, is this cool? is it? IS IT COOL?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=08Z-FmgbFK0

Course I fucking have. Get some good lights.

Those new fibre flares are awesome strap a dozen of those to you body and job done.

Investing in cycle training is a far better than investing in hi viz as it'll teach you how to ride assertively and with confidence.

Converted Mac 5 is only £200 from without bullets. Better value for money.

As someone who has to use their car during work time, I have to say that during the day I don't notice High Viz anymore than I notice someone in normal clothes, and at night time I don't find it any different, I think the problem being as someone before said its so widely used by builders/cyclists/health and safety peeps etc etc, that your brain barely registers it as something that should stand out from the norm.
Whereas a fucking bright light shining in my eyes irritating the shit out of me is much more noticable, as are some decent reflective bits and bobs.

My 2p?
Get some reflective Scotchlite shit wherever you can, 3M scotchlite black tape is pretty good for a stealthier look during the day time, and you can stick it on your bike.
Get Really Bright lights front and back, both continuous and a decent flashing one FRONT AND BACK, and you will be really visible, but the key to a lot of this is positioning yourself properly in the road as well, if you are riding along next to a load of parked cars at night past a turning on your left where vehicles could pull out, all the flashing lights in the world aren't gonna make you visible to that car about to t-bone you because they think the road is clear.

As Zed said, good lights and reflective clothing/accessories.

Exactly
Lights front + back, with something to get you noticed from the side. Jobs-a-good'n

Now fuck off back to Bike Radar!

You dont really believe they let shite debates like this on BikeRadar do you?

Thanks for a good airing of the subject. Helped by the responses here I have decided to go full BS EN 471 class3/2, which includes retroreflective as well as hi-viz specs incidentally, and get flashing eye burning lights to supplement to regular steady-on Cat-eyes. I already ride quite assertively ("ride high" was what it used to be called) and am aware and defensive.

Ok, I will look like a commuting road sweeper rather than an urban ninja, which is a bit of a shame but hell, road sweeping is a respectable occupation.

Thanks for a good airing of the subject. Helped by the responses here I have decided to go full BS EN 471 class3/2, which includes retroreflective as well as hi-viz specs incidentally, and get flashing eye burning lights to supplement to regular steady-on Cat-eyes. I already ride quite assertively ("ride high" was what it used to be called) and am aware and defensive.

Ok, I will look like a commuting road sweeper rather than an urban ninja, which is a bit of a shame but hell, road sweeping is a respectable occupation.

I don't recommend riding whilst high.

I ordered one of these yesterday...

...It has lots of reflective details;
...Will stop snow collecting in the vents of my helmet; and
...it will hide my helmet (I read on the almighty helmet thread. That motorists try to kill cyclists wearing helmets)

win, win, and win.