How to make myself more visible?

[emily_in_nc]

Performance sells a sheet of high-viz, reflective yellow stickers you can put anywhere on your helmet. They work!

[Becky]

Hey, here ya go....a Whelen Super-LED 360° Beacon. That's what I want on top of my helmet!

And speaking of flasher lights.....

If you ever get a 360 beacon, you have to post pics here And that sign is too much! LOL!

[Mr. SR500]

Marcie,

Might have a friend try a couple different to see what might work best. Might try orange for a rising sun.


How many more centuries have you completed?

[makbike]

How visible will the bright yellows/greens be if I'm riding east into the rising sun?

I talked with my colleague some more today and she said the thing she noticed the most was that she could not see me sign my intent to take the lane. Do you think reflective gloves of some sort would help?

Mr.SR500 - I've now logged 20 centuries for season (March to present). The club puts one on almost every weekend. The one this weekend is suppose to be very hilly/tough.

[Becky]

How visible will the bright yellows/greens be if I'm riding east into the rising sun?

I talked with my colleague some more today and she said the thing she noticed the most was that she could not see me sign my intent to take the lane. Do you think reflective gloves of some sort would help?

I'd wear the yellow before orange. I have an awesome orange jacket, and DH tells me that I blend right in with the sun when it's near the horizon.

What about something like this? http://www.safeturn.com/ I have the same concern about signaling, but I'm not sure that reflective stuff would be bright enough to overcome sun glare. I did buy some reflective iron-ons from www.lightweights.org, but haven't tried them yet. (BTW, their wheel stickies are excellent!)

I'm eager to hear what others are doing for the signaling issue!

[tulip]

Your route sounds really dangerous. I used to have to drive on a road like that--right into the sun. I couldn't see anything!

Is there anyway you can alter either your route or your time? It just sounds really dangerous and something that a yellow shirt will not solve (although it might help).

[Geonz]

I was thinking along those lines. There are stretches of my route that are dangerous at the equinox 'cause the sun comes up directly in front of me... b ut generally since I'm going west in the a.m. and east in the p.m. it's traffic coming the other way that would miss seeing me, which isn't as big a deal. Still, 'round that time I tend to take the long way in.

[makbike]

Tulip,

This is the best route to work. The other road, a back road, is heavily traveled in the morning (students, parents and buses). The cars literally fly down this back road and frequently the cars are not in their appropriate lane. It too is a road that goes west-east and so once again I would be riding into the sun.

[Serendipity]

Someone else mentioned this, I think, but can you change your time a bit - even 15 minutes to half an hour earlier or later - seems to make a huge difference when the sun is in the driver's eyes.

Sounds like a tough route - keep safe!

[makbike]

The time I leave is also pretty firm given traffic. If I leave earlier I'm amongst all the elementary school parents who drive their kids to school on the route I travel. I have to be at work at 8 so I try to leave around 7:45 (it is only a 7 minute commute).

[sfa]

With a seven minute commute, I wouldn't worry so much about overheating and would just suck it up and get a high-vis vest. Another cheap solution for your signaling hand are these blinkie LED buttons Since you're going such a short distance, you could slap one on to your glove or sleeve and just keep it on for the whole ride. They have strong magnetic attachments, and while they aren't designed for cycling, when my husband bought some my first thought was "wow, I could cover myself with these and be really visible! And look like something from a Disney parade!"

This is something that's likely only going to be a problem for a few weeks each fall and spring. I used to commute into the sun like that and it was always horrible for a few weeks, and then it would get to the point where the sun was either high enough or low enough that visibility was easier.

Sarah

[crazycanuck]

I don't know if this is something you'd use but i'll throw the info here for you.
I know nothing about this item however I want one..


http://www.bikesportz.com.au/product...umi_strip.html

[jaydee]

In winter, just before I get to work, I drive along a busy road that heads straight into the low morning sun. There is an on-road bike path on the edge of the road, but it is still so difficult to see if there is anyone in that lane as you turn into the road. There was one young male cyclist who probably looked super-sexy in his black gear every morning - but who just couldn't be seen from the car. One morning I still had all my cycling gear in the car, including a $5 UV yellow with reflector stripes vest. I pulled up in front of the cyclist and when he came near, I just held out this vest to him. He stopped and asked what I wanted - I told him to please take the vest and wear it as I just couldn't see him on the road. He was slightly taken aback, but said thanks and put the vest on. I often see him in the morning now, wearing the vest - I always give a toot of the car horn just after I pass him and give him a wave.

The workers' vests have a fluorescent / UV thread in the weave so that they show up in sunlight and can be seen from a great distance. In the evening, the fluorescence does not react to artificial light which is why you then need the reflective stripes.