High viz or cool?

But surely your helmet will still look like a helmet. Just a helmet with a protective sheath pulled over it. Why not just stretch a johnny round your head and stick some glow in the dark stars on it?
Style!

I was'nt aware Campag did johnnies ;)

Seriously though, its a tad less breathable and a tad more waterproof then my skull cap. So they should combine well to keep my head warm and dry (I think my helmet was designe to retain hail stones). I looked at a fluoro one but I've had issues with the site selling it.

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.

+1 Top advice

Yeah. Continuous AND flashing - once upon a time, continuous beam was all you could get - worse still, you had to power it yourself by way of dynamo which a) slowed you down, and b) wasn't very bright. But everyone was happy and everyone was safe and no-one died. Then someone invented the flash, and now everyone just flashes and loadsa people get hurt. Coincidence? I think not. Bring back the dynamo, whose sole purpose in life is to help you save yourself by slowing you down to a sub danger crawling speed...

Fuck I'm bored.......

@ commie - your Ginger looks like it's about to sneeze!

Yeah. Continuous AND flashing - once upon a time, continuous beam was all you could get - worse still, you had to power it yourself by way of dynamo which a) slowed you down, and b) wasn't very bright. But everyone was happy and everyone was safe and no-one died. Then someone invented the flash, and now everyone just flashes and loadsa people get hurt. Coincidence? I think not. Bring back the dynamo, whose sole purpose in life is to help you save yourself by slowing you down to a sub danger crawling speed...

Fuck I'm bored.......

@ commie - your Ginger looks like it's about to sneeze!

There was some research done, which I can't now find, on strobes vs steady lights on lifejackets (I'm also a sailor so this is interesting). The conclusion was that the stobe could be brighter for a given battery life and was more likely to be noticed, * but was harder for an observer to get a bearing and estimate range.
*So its steady and flashing for me.

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.

I drive probably 15-20,000 mile a year, much of it around London so see my fair share of cycle wear from the all black, no lights 6am commuters to the full on lights, hi viz, Scothlight, etc.

If there's one thing that really catches my eye it's reflective clothing / components on bikes. Why? I guess it's the odd shapes and movements which provoke some concious awareness. Next on the list would be decent flashing lights.

For the record I've never collided with a cyclist so I must be spotting the rest. ;)

As mentioned elsewhere, change batteries regularly. If my van had electric windows there would be more than a few cyclists given a bit of (constructive) verbal about their dim rear lights and perhaps a spare AA in the ear too.

Defence wise I use a Fenix on the front which has an amazingly high rate epilepsy inducing flash mode that really does attract attention and a 5 led rear light plus various items of reflective clothing.

Those Fenix lights epilepsy mode makes me feel ill...

Those Fenix lights epilepsy mode makes me feel ill...

Luckily it's also got an SOS mode probably for precisely the reason you mention :)

I have been using an Exposure joystick Maxx as a front light then I bought one of these:
http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.12325

£40 for the whole shebang: Light , Li rechargables, and smart charger.
I paid £140 for the Maxx but this thing is just about as well made and at least 3 times more powerful. As it is a very small but very bright point light source it stands out against car headlights.
Now I have the Maxx on flash and this on full.
This has just high and low, but for 1 dorra more you can get one that has more modes then a rampant rabbit.

http://www.wiggle.co.uk/p/cycle/7/Respro_Hi_Viz_Black_Diamond_Sticker_Sheet/5360011877/

http://www.theglowcompany.co.uk/acatalog/SPOKE-LIT-BICYCLE-LIGHT.html

Tape is on in all pictures. With and without flash for illumination illustration.

4 Attachments

that bike really takes the christmas cake..

two lights, no viz though

Thinking about these ...http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=33353246

Thinking about these ...http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=33353246

to quote 'For cyclists or pedestrians who want be stylish and safe!'

mmmmm ok then!

to quote 'For cyclists or pedestrians who want be stylish and safe!'

mmmmm ok then!

Three light reflective bows on the side allow you to be easily seen by cars in the dark.... ftw.. nope... wtf

sometimes I wear trackies on my bike, they aren't hi vis OR cool, why wasn't this option included?

hi viz is cool...
polo says so.

I've seen you lot chasing around in that grimy Hackney evening. Definitely need hi-viz :-)

...Will stop snow collecting in the vents of my helmet
.

Server fail ate my picture of a bike under snow in Norway :-/ There's no snow in LDN

Backgound
Just started riding ss again after 30 years. Waiting for bike shop to get 18 tooth sprocket in (they had to order one!) then will go fgss. Used to commute from Clapham to Islington on fixed, so can ride.

Question is this. I can't decide if I should wear full on high-vis class3/class2 BS EN 471 clothing and look a bit of a prat or wear cool looking urban cycle gear, which seems to be pretty low viz.

What do the team think?

Apologies in advace if this has been done to death already: couldn't find much on search.

My recipe for survival is this

***3 ***ultra bright LED rear lights set to flash at different rates
High viz BS vest
2 ultra bright front LED lights plus one more traditional light (Cateye)

I look like a mobile xmas tree and a total prat BUT it works. Every vehicle that comes past me leaves a very wide birth. Perfect for safe winter riding. 30 years of riding without being pulped!!!

Server fail ate my picture of a bike under snow in Norway :-/ There's no snow in LDN

Thought you guys had a fair bit last year ;)

Just bought a sheet of that Respro stuff. The mongrel needs a headbadge, thought I may try this in Hi-viz for a laugh.

Excerpt from the inquest into the death of a cyclist crushed by a HGV

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/southwarkcyclists/message/8188

Coroner: Please say what happened just before the accident.

Lorry driver: There were two buses right in front of me. One had his hazard lights
flashing on the approach in the bus lane. London Road. I had to stay
behind the other bus as it pulled out. There was a van stopped on my
right. There was nothing else in the bus lane. As the lights changed,
the bus was in front and headed towards Old Kent Road. I started turning
left into Newington Causeway. The traffic was heavy and I was nearly at
a standstill. As I looked to go in my mirrors I glimpsed a high-viz
yellow jacket behind me so I stopped.

I'm gonna get some hi-viz stuff now, especially now it's darker and gloomier.

The solution to pedestrian meets cyclist on road problems
http://www.theglowcompany.co.uk/acatalog/INDICATEARS.html

I once saw a woman walking along carry a kid wearing hi-viz, the kid was, not the woman.

Last night me and Max were heading to Souths and saw a jogger wearing a pretty bright light on his forehead...