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Someone's been reading too many forums

Was out on Saturday and still trying to come to terms with how much the Christmas break has affected my 'performance'.

Anyway, I'm trundling up some 5% behind my co-rider, Kev, when I hear voices behind. Soon the first guy gets up to me and starts chattering away about "dayglo black" and "you can't be seen". I realise he's referring to the fact that both me and Kev are wearing black jackets, whereas he's wearing some kind of dull red colour.

I hear another guy get in behind me and exclaim: "I'm going to stick behind this!"- obviously a reference to me being a sizeable unit on the bike.

So my mood isn't exactly great and it gets worse as I reach the next junction behind them all and hear red-jacket giving a perplexed Kev yet more words of wisdom about "Can't be seen", "dangerous", "SMIDSY" etc. He's an older guy and probably means well so manfully I resist the urge to tell him to butt out and spotting a gap in the traffic, decide to be very zen about the whole thing and ride on.

Kev catches up and says: "That guy's been at the forums a bit," which cracked me up.

So, here I am, on the forum trying to figure out if there is a bit of anti-black jacket angst out there. Personally, I don't see that wearing black is inherently dangerous and I only ride in daylight on quiet roads anyway. If it's particularly dull or overcast I put my lights on. TBH I'm the size of a small car so if a driver can't see me then there's no hope for any of us, daglo jackets or no.

If you're new please join in and if you have questions pop them below and the forum regulars will answer as best we can.

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Tour Le Tour | 11 years ago
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I yelled a torrent of abuse at a moron dressed in all black two nights ago. I have to say it wasn't just because of the black, more to do with the fact that he had no lights, nothing reflective, and was on the wrong side of the bike path. Wearing dayglo yellow would have been a step up, but not as big a step as having lights on would have been.
On the other hand, last night, as it snowed, the guys in black stood out more against the white background than the guys in light colours did. But still, people with lights stood out more.
So I say make sure you are visible and ride in the right place, but visible doesn't have to mean dayglo.

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Wardy74 | 11 years ago
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I always wonder which comes first, the sighting of the cyclist or the colour they're wearing. Did you spot the cyclist because he/she was wearing hi-viz, or just notice they were wearing it?

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FMOAB | 11 years ago
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To the "real cyclists don't wear hi-vis" school of thought, in a radio discussion a few weeks ago, Graham Obree said that he would personally ban shops from selling black cycling gear. Good luck trying to destroy that "flashing budgie" if you meet him on the roads.

Personally, I think hi-vis is useful in town and in unlit country roads as I want to have a passive back up to lights, but dont want to rely on reflective materials that depend on a drivers headlights being properly aligned and working. However, when you have as many lumps and bumps as I do, black is definitely an attractive option for jerseys.

In short, I wear what I want and anyone who tries to impose an orthodoxy on what cyclists should wear, one way or the other, can [insert expletive of choice] off!

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seabass89 | 11 years ago
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I only wear reflective colours when cycling during rush-hour, and/or during low-visibility condictions such as night or poor weather.

But for christ sake, let people wear what they want.

As long as you don't wear all black with no lights or reflectors during the night you should be fine  10

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nostromo | 11 years ago
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It's been a good discussion for sure, with some very reasoned comments.

I've zero interest in being hit by a car but I also hate the idea of it being mandatory to wear hi-viz or fluorescent clothing.

Personally, I think lights are the way to go, particularly as modern LEDs are cheap and discrete when worn/carried and effective. I'm rapidly coming to the conclusion that lights should be on at all times during the winter months.

From memory, Ron Hill clothing for running developed jackets featuring carry points for lights (rear). You'd think with all the technical advancements in LED lighting that shaped panels could be incorporated into jackets, maybe even light sensitive so that they come on when light levels drop.

I shall continue to wear my black winter jacket though and balls to anyone who tells me different.

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