Like Pretty Jerseys but They Don't Feel Safe

[Ana]

Where do you wear your pretty jerseys? I've been eying this one (http://www.teamestrogen.com/prodTY_1948_1.html) forever but I am not sure when/where I would wear it because I like to wear, at the very least, contrasting colors that standout from the landscape (i.e. red, yellow, orange, etc) and also feel safest in my high-visibility if I'm going to be on a busy street.

[Tri Girl]

You could always wear the pretty jerseys on organized rides where there will be LOTS of cyclists on the road (safety in numbers and all). What about on MUT's where you don't have to interact with cars?

[shootingstar]

At least the back of jersey is not dark. The black in the floral design keeps jersey colour from being too washed out from afar in bright sunlight. On a cloudy day, shouldn't be too worrisome.

Not every single jersey I have so far is in high vi colour, though 90% of them are. Some cycling I do is in quieter areas, just a hop skip and jump, several streets parallel to major arterial roads.

I worry particularily about high vi when I know the ride will extend into darkness hrs. or if I'm going on a long ride where another rider(s) need to see where I am at... But by default, most of my jerseys are high vi anyway.

It looks like a great jersey to also wear when stopping by to visit/chat up for a few hrs. with friends. If you look good in the cut, colours, go for it.

[Andrea]

Get a super bright blinky light and keep it on at all times. You can get away with dressing like a ninja if you do that.

[OakLeaf]

I'm with you. I wear my pretty stuff when I'm not in a position to get run over by cars. (And I keep a safety vest in the car if something happens that I do have to get out.)

No blinky light can approach the visibility of, whatever it is, a 12" x 18" "flag" aka my screaming yellow jerseys - particularly not in bright sunlight, where the light won't be seen at all.

Sure I look like a dork inside the grocery store in hi-viz yellow and cycling shorts, but I'm so over caring. :p If it's that important, I'll bring something else to change into.

[Zen]

When I saw a guy in a red jersey disappear in the shade i have become more conscious of the high viz effect.
one of my favorite jerseys is red :(

[TxDoc]

I try to use bright yellow/red or team colors when I'm by myself - and whatever I like when I'm in a big group.
But hey - once I was hit by a woman in a truck who ran a stop sign and said she had not seen me, and I was wearing bright USA team blue/red kit... go figure that one out :(

[TrekTheKaty]

My favorite jersey is a bright yellow jelly belly jersey. I love jelly belly, and if you miss me in that--well, you're blind.

My second favorite jersey is a red, white and blue flag jersey--because someone here thought a red neck in a pickup truck might be less likely to harass someone wearing the flag. But I guess TxDoc proved that wrong (hope you were ok).

I definitely take visibility into consideration when purchasing jerseys.

[Kiwi Stoker]

A friend of ours was taken out broadside at an intersection- he was wearing screaming yellow vest with reflective, bright pants and a bright top. It was an overcast but bright day (so no deep shadows) and no trees or anything. He got collected, rolled right over the roof and broke his kneecap. His bike got dragged 200m before falling off the car- the car didn't stop.

I think it really doesn't matter how bright or reflective the clothing you wear (although wearing all black is just wrong), unalert drivers are not going to see you. I always ride in a group. Its easier to miss/ignore a single cyclist.

[Biciclista]

if people are looking down at their cellphones, lunch, stereo, whatever, you could be nude with flashing lights and they're still not going to see you.
On the other hand, if you're wearing a pretty jersey like this one, you're probably going to get some smiles from passersby. Fortunately, most people ARE paying attention.

[OakLeaf]

Two things.

First of all, many (possibly even most, but I doubt it) - anyway, many drivers ARE paying attention, and those are primarily the ones I wear the screaming yellow for. It's the difference between them seeing me for the first time at half a mile versus them seeing me for the first time at 100 yards. They have a lot more time to slow down, move over, hold their line, whatever. Next time you're in your car approaching a bicyclist or motorcyclist, pay attention to when you see them for the first time. I guarantee it'll be far, far longer if they're wearing hi viz.

Second of all, if someone does run me over, I want them to be punished, and I want to be adequately compensated if I survive. That's why I nickname my jerseys "Exhibit A." It's true, as I've said many times, people rear-end school buses and garbage trucks every day and never see them. But they don't get away with it in court. Ninety-nine times out of a hundred, people who run over bicyclists and pedestrians DO get away with it in court, because they whine "I didn't see them" and they find sympathy with the trier of fact. With my jersey blinding the jury or judge, that excuse won't fly.

[kenyonchris]

A friend of ours was taken out broadside at an intersection- he was wearing screaming yellow vest with reflective, bright pants and a bright top. It was an overcast but bright day (so no deep shadows) and no trees or anything. He got collected, rolled right over the roof and broke his kneecap. His bike got dragged 200m before falling off the car- the car didn't stop.

I think it really doesn't matter how bright or reflective the clothing you wear (although wearing all black is just wrong), unalert drivers are not going to see you. I always ride in a group. Its easier to miss/ignore a single cyclist.

Our bike shirts (slated to be revamped) are navy blue. I pedal in it at night. In the dark. I have a blinky light and reflectors in various places, but when I am pedaling uphill at midnight in my dark blue gear I literally CRINGE every time a car passes. Just being out in daylight I feel screamingly loud.

If I have to direct traffic at an accident we are required to wear these horrible bibs that say POLICE on it in big reflective letters. And I will tell you that I have come mighty close to having my butt run over...I will be a flattened girl, but at least I will be wearing my vest.

On the horse I am so reflective that no one can take a picture. He has reflectives on his browband, noseband, breastplate, legs, and my stirrups. And still people are surprised by a loud, clopping, huge, reflective horse. I call my large fellow my "stealth horse." He is 18 hands and 2500 lbs and walks like he is stomping on large colonies of ants, but I can walk up on people as though I am on foot....or the bike...because people, when they are distracted, are oblivious. But the effect is MUCH more dramatic when people turn around to have his big head in their face than when I walk up on foot or the bike.

You can never be too reflective or too visible, because I am telling you (as I negotiate life in various stages of reflectibility) people will be surprised by you. At least when you dodge imminent road rash, you can mutter, "what, are you BLIND?" when you are as visible as possible.

[Biciclista]

Kenyon, I'd love to see a picture of you on your 18 hand horse. Or just the horse even. What breed is this horse?

[kenyonchris]

Kenyon, I'd love to see a picture of you on your 18 hand horse. Or just the horse even. What breed is this horse?

Here he is....practicing his stuff. He is a big goof. I look like a monkey on him!

[TxDoc]

Here he is....practicing his stuff. He is a big goof. I look like a monkey on him!

That's a great pic! Wonderful horse, thanks for posting this!!!

[Andrea]

Here he is....practicing his stuff. He is a big goof. I look like a monkey on him!

Wow! I wouldn't eff with you if I was a bad guy(gal?) :D

[Biciclista]

what a gorgeous horse! he looks like a Morgan (?) Thanks for posting the photo

[PamNY]

What a beautiful horse! We have a great fondness for mounted police around here, as they occasionally let my dog sniff noses with the horse. I don't know if this is protocol, but my dog is thrilled. It's easy to see how effective horses are for crowd control.

Pam

[Duck on Wheels]

tiptoeing back on topic ... That's a gorgeous jersey! I'd be tempted to wear it on a ride where I had a bike trail all the way (for instance, my 40-miler to H€ll and back is pretty much all on bike trails). Or for a commute or shopping ride, you could put a high viz vest over it and emerge from the high viz looking gorgeous when you go into the office, store, café ...

I wore a similar jersey, but a tad higher viz (red and black) on "Red Dress Day" on the ALC ride. With 2200 riders wearing red, bright yellow becomes "low viz" because drivers will all be staring at the masses of riders in eye-popping red costumes.

[bmccasland]

Here he is....practicing his stuff. He is a big goof. I look like a monkey on him!

He's handsome! And you look great!
NOPD has a horse patrol that gets used in the French Quarter. People are less inclined to mess with them.



I've tried to buy jerseys that are bright but still appeal to me. I'm lucky 'cause I have the levee path to ride or do group rides. So I'm not doing solo road rides, thus my chances for encounters with cars are lessened.

[Owlie]

He's a handsome horse!

I'm borrowing BF's bright red and white jersey until mine show up. I'll be riding with him, and his favorite jersey is yellow. He looks like a large goldfinch in it.
I bought one of those "fashionable" jerseys--it's blue, purple and white. It's fine for riding with the boyfriend, but I'd feel nervous riding alone in it. Guess I'll be buying lights and reflective tape as well.

[kenyonchris]

what a gorgeous horse! he looks like a Morgan (?) Thanks for posting the photo

LOL...a Morgan on steriods! He is a 5 yr. old percheron cross. He is a funny horse, still can be a little goofy but in a crowd is great. Some chick went nuts and threw stuff at us and he moved right into the barrage.

On topic, that is the same jersey I wear on the bike! It is in the works to change that, but ya'll can see why I cringe at night!

[GLC1968]

Wow, that is one HUGE horse! If you hadn't posted your height in the other thread, I'd have guessed that you were about 4'8" based on that photo! He's a beauty!

I have both high viz jerseys and pretty ones. Though, even my 'pretty' ones tend to be bright colors anyway. I have one black jersey that only gets worn on MUP's or when I'm in a group. I choose my jerseys based on the time of day that I'll be riding and where I'll be doing that riding.

Honestly, at my last job, half my bike commute was through an area under a LOT of construction and wearing high viz orange while the sun was setting only made me blend in even more! On those days, I made sure to pick a non-construction color jersey - like turquoise - and lots of reflective stuff.

Of course, no amount of screaming visibilty is going to save you when people are TRYING to run you off the road, either. :mad:

[SadieKate]

Just yesterday morning I nearly mowed down an uphill rider on the singletrack. Ok, he was still a ways off but I was facing almost directly into the very early morning sun, sort of squinting to keep from being blinded. His lime green and navy jersey coming from the sun's direction just looked like the flickering shafts of sunlight between the trees. I stopped in plenty of time but felt like a heel.

That pink jersey would have been more visible by far than the "high vis" green and blue.

[katluvr]

I am a sucker for cute/pretty jerseys and tanks, etc. (it is hot here in FL).
Even when I ride on the street I wear what I like. I do have a HOT PINK bike that stands out. Not sure during the day how high-vis always help (that is my musing) as one time, pure daylight, I am in a all white long sleeve jersey and hot pink bike and lady almost backed over me. She would not have seen me no matter what. Now I would NOT wear all black or alld dark colors...most everything I have is light, bright and/or colorful.
So maybe I vain or a stylesta (sp?)--I like my pretty, fun, colorful, etc jerseys/tanks.

[smurfalicious]

Huh, this has been a mildly entertaining thread for me because I've never given it a second thought. I wear what I like and think is cute because it makes me want to ride. From there I've learned everything I can about riding safely and defensively. I don't stay in the bike lane if there's a right turn lane I get to the left so no one gets any ideas about plowing over me.

I was riding with friends the other day and since they're all former Schwinn employees they were clad in bright red and one in red and yellow. I was rocking mostly black and blue. Someone still tried to get in right hand turn lane over top of all four of us!!! So jersey color has little impact on stupid and might, in my opinion, create a false sense of security. See yourself as a moving target, act accordingly and wear what you want!