Choosing a jersey color

[Jen12]

So I'm finding that I could easily spend a fortune on cycling jereseys--there are so many that look so cute!

Financially speaking, that's not an option, so how do you choose? Do you stay with bright, loud colors so that you're more visible to cars? Or do you try to match helmet, bike, etc...or, do you just go with what's affordable?

[Biciclista]

well, of course a lot of us have more than one jersey.
how do i choose? favorite colors, I like to find colors that match my (orange) bike and of course, bright colors for visibility. But we're all different.
Welcome to TE!

[OakLeaf]

Hi-viz yellow.

We've had a number of conversations about that here, and I can go into more detail if you want, but there's one more reason I've added to my list.

Recently a trial near my hometown ended in a hung jury. The defendant had struck and killed a local cyclist - a trained ride leader and very experienced rider - at about 6 a.m. on the defendant's way home in his car from a night of drinking and partying. One of his defenses was that the cyclist wasn't wearing bright clothing. This was summer, just a few days from the solstice, and just about 15 minutes before sunrise, so there would have been plenty of ambient light.

As I've said many times, my jersey won't protect me from someone who just doesn't care. But I don't want my family to see my killer go free because I was wearing the wrong clothes. And when the killer gets on the witness stand and swears they didn't see me, I want that to be exactly as credible as the ones who don't see garbage trucks before rear-ending them.

[azfiddle]

If I could only afford one- and planned to ride in high-traffic areas- I would buy a hi-viz green or yellow for safety.

After that... I give a lot of consideration quality of the fabric and fit. I don't like them skin tight, but I don't like the really relaxed fit either. I have a couple of jerseys that are really good for hot weather (I live in the desert!) like one with a mesh back.

I look at color - no black for summer riding, and avoid colors that look awful on me. I am partial to blue, because it's my favorite color and matches both my old and new bikes. I bought a couple of really inexpensive jerseys at first, but don't like the feel and fit. My current favorites are made by Terry, Twin Six and Pearl Izumi.

And last but not least- given all those things, I'm a serious bargain hunter and look for close-outs and sales.

[NbyNW]

I just saw a news piece featuring these hi-viz jerseys (http://www.seemewear.com/content/order-see-me-wear™-jerseys-everyone-you-ride).

Not bad looking, and I do like that he gives his profits to Rails to Trails.

[emily_in_nc]

I just saw a news piece featuring these hi-viz jerseys (http://www.seemewear.com/content/order-see-me-wear™-jerseys-everyone-you-ride).

Not bad looking, and I do like that he gives his profits to Rails to Trails.

Too bad he doesn't offer a women's model, yet. The video is extremely convincing, not that I need convincing. I see so many bike commuters near where I work wearing black and navy, and they are nearly invisible! Most of my jerseys are yellow or red, and I have one shocking orange one as well. I do have a few in more muted colors, but I'll only wear them on bike paths or other places where there won't be cars. It really does make a difference -- safety before fashion.

[surgtech1956]

Hi-viz 99% of the time.

[oz rider]

Depends entirely on features and how it looks and the weather and where I'm going. Black is slimming and I like it :D but I have colours as well. I even wear a vile vomit pattern if all the other full-zip jerseys (rare in women's) are in the wash and I'm wearing bibs. If you're worried about visibility, use lights (batteries are cheaper than a taxi home from hospital) and look for reflective trim (there's some research around saying that, certainly for night, reflectivity is more important than colour). Lots of drivers will look but not see, whether you're dressed like a praying mantis or a ninja.

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

This threade reminded me I had to order some more screaming yellow Brooks Nightlife bike wear. My policy is to always wear something screaming yellow on me when i ride more than a mile or so. :)

[Crankin]

I like bold prints in bright colors. I tend to match my jerseys a little bit with my bike. I don't have too many blue ones anymore, since my bike is red and black.
I buy Voler jerseys or Terry mostly, which have a well fitting x small size. Voler makes full zip jerseys for women, as do several other companies. I gave up trying to buy Shebeest jerseys. They are huge on me and received a few with all kinds of defects. I like their shorts, though!

[Bike Chick]

I prefer bright colors with bold patterns. I have several jerseys and find that I leave the muted, more subdued colors in the closet and choose the brighter more vibrant ones over and over. I want to be sure that I am seen and while that is foremost in my mind, I also think it's fun to wear something colorful. I also have a hi-viz vest I will throw on occasionally.

I see riders in gray or black jackets that really blend in with the landscape on a cloudy day and want to stop and say something to them. I don't know if they don't own anything else or just don't realize how invisible they are.

Oak, you make a very good point.

[Red Rock]

When I first started to ride, I was into collecting the the jersey of the season or something to that effect. Then I stumbled onto TE and joined a jersey conversation like this and was quickly convinced that I needed to be wearing the hi-vis stuff. So that was on my mind until I had enough to last a few rides. My husband thought I was nuts by wearing that color but I would rather be seen than dead. My only problem now is finding it in long sleeves for winter riding.

Thanks to TE for converting me to the Hi-vis side.


Red Rock

[shootingstar]

Never thought of wearing jerseys matching my bike colour (which one? :o).

Anyway, I will never buy/wear an all black, navy, dark brown or grey jersey or jacket when biking.

About 85% of my jerseys are hi vi or bright colours of red, aqua bright blue, yellow, orange. Bright colours look good on me anyway.

I have 4 jerseys and jackets that are hi vi-- for different times of the year.

[Desert Tortoise]

It's fun to have a variety of colors and all. But I have found the hi vis really makes in difference in visibility, especially when around cars, cloudy days, or early morning rides.

dt

[jessmarimba]

I wear a screaming yellow backpack when I ride to work so I'm not as picky as some people about bright jerseys. Nearly any color I choose would be invisible against some portion of the scenery here. So I buy what I like, usually paired with black shorts or tights (and sometimes bright snowboard socks if its cold but not too cold) and pretty much match nothing.

(I like green. My bike is green. Many of my jerseys are green. My favorite jacket is green. None of them match the color of the bike.)

[OakLeaf]

Jess, WHERE did you find a screaming yellow backpack? I have been looking for one for literally five years. It's seriously one of the reasons I don't commute more in the hill country ... what I've been doing is hooking my yellow knit cap through one of the loops in the lightest colored backpack I could find, but it's not much.




... My bike has matching royal blue tires, tape, and bottle cages on a blue/black/white frame. And one of my pairs of gloves is blue. That's enough matching for me. :p

[jessmarimba]

It's not a "structured" backpack, but I use an REI Flash18 (or something like that - it was a gift). It's waterproof (reverses to a dry bag), comfy, and light. It's not like highlighter hi-vis yellow, but it's as yellow as you'll get outside of that.

[OakLeaf]

It's not a "structured" backpack, but I use an REI Flash18 (or something like that - it was a gift). It's waterproof (reverses to a dry bag), comfy, and light. It's not like highlighter hi-vis yellow, but it's as yellow as you'll get outside of that.

Hah! The one I have is a predecessor to that backpack, which I ordered because it looked a lot yellower on the screen, but it's really more of an olive drab. I might've even posted a review complaining about the lack of bright colors... :p

IAE, thanks! Now, which one do I want? :confused:

[jessmarimba]

Haha, they must've taken your advice! It's a good bag to bring clothes to and from work.

[hulagirl]

I buy only if my conditions are met. I've gotten by with one jersey for about 8 months until the thing started to smell so bad that I couldn't go near it. God how I hate synthetic fabrics!

1. Fabric type/thickness. It's damn hot here in Hawaii. I do not want to ride in some 8lb jersey that is so thick and heavy that I lose half my body weight in sweat! I want thin, technical fabric with a good SPF rating

2. Full zip. How I love full zip jerseys!

3. Silicone gripper Free. Agh! Go away with those things!!!

4. Sleeves. Short. Sleeveless means I have put on sunscreen and I prefer to ride with my arm coolers to avoid the goop.

5. Color - no dark colors please. Again, sun = hot here. Unless it is wool, black is not worth it. (heat or visibility) I prefer bright, contrasting colors.

6. Cost - I know that I'm looking for a lot of higher end jerseys. I LOVE my Giordana 2010 FR Carbon jersey (http://www.teamestrogen.com/prodGI_WSSJFRCA.html?utm_source=google&utm_term=GI_WSSJFRCA&utm_campaign=datafeed_compshopeng&utm_medium=productLink). In red and white! They had a pink and black one (sleeves only black) that I wanted but I can't find it any more. That jersey is my race jersey. It's the most comfortable, light weight, awesome in every way.

Now I do own more than one jersey. I weekend of bike riding in torrential downpours taught me a lesson - suck it up and buy a "junk" jersey that is cheap and can be used to get buy on training and messy rides. I have 2 of those. Plus a wool jersey that I don't like.

I do agree that folks should where bright colors. But I also feel stronger that lights do more for safety than color. Especially blinking lights. So many street signs are brightly colored and ignored now. I ride with front and rear lights, plus a front and rear lamp on my helmet (that is brighter than hell and I can point it right in a drivers face to make SURE they see me) and I have a flashing cord of lights wrapped around my seat post, top tube and stem. It's called the Bike Glow (http://www.rei.com/product/793960/bikeglow-safety-light) and boy does it stop traffic for me! People slow down as I go by and just stare!

[Owlie]

I have a mix, but my green, blue and black jerseys only really get worn on the bike path, or as underlayers. I have red, high-contrast color-blocked, and yellow/orange for road wear. I really need a high-viz yellow one, but new bike clothes really aren't in the budget right now.

DBF likes to match his clothes to his bike. Of course, he can do that because his bike's red. Try matching teal to anything!

[RidingBuddy]

Pink! I saw a study somewhere (sorry don't have time right now to cite the research) that motor vehicle drivers gave more passing space for riders wearing pink.

[jessmarimba]

Screaming pink is actually proven to be the safest color to wear hunting too...hahahaha...good luck talking hunters into that one.

[Becky]

On the flip side, for those who are red/green colorblind, pink and orange are hard to see (kinda gray, I think). Red appears black. Hi viz yellow shows up as white.

There was a study published about this that I read on the interwebz somewhere (here maybe?). I'll see if I can find it...

ETA: http://www.dartmouth.edu/~sullivan/bike/colorbv.html