Black????really????

[Owlie]

Funny you should mention that, GLC. I've got a green jersey that I won't wear on the road because the area has tons of trees. DBF thinks it's perfectly visible. It might be in AZ, because there's not a lot of bright green around. (Never mind that it's not really visible from a distance...)
There are a lot of the bright yellow maples around here. You probably would have a hard time picking out even high-vis yellow against that backdrop.

I agree that the choices often aren't there. I e-mailed the company who made my jacket, suggesting that they should make women's jackets in brighter colors. (They have three options, two of which are black with reflective designs.) They agreed, but they said they were limited by what their supplier gave them. Next jacket I buy will be yellow or orange...

[kimikaw]

Great discussion here! Getting me thinking about all my bike clothes - not just the yellow hi-viz jacket I wear when commuting. My first bike jersey was black - and I did start to think maybe it wasn't bright enough for the road (but great for the trail).

For commuting, like others mention, lit up like a Christmas tree, front blinkie, two or 3 rear blinkies, lightweight reflector stickers on every spoke. But still know I must continually be aware of cars, consistent in my riding, and always a bit defensive.

[tamagojo]

http://m.theage.com.au/victoria/refl...016-16odw.html

This is an article that I read a couple of weeks ago. It suggests that after dark the most visible thing is reflective strips on moving body parts (eg ankles). It said that fluoresent gear is only useful in daylight hours. I thought it interesting

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

I've gotten onto elevators at various workplaces, where there were car-driving employees in same elevator, who expressed their appreciation for hi-viz apparel by cyclists.
Doesn't that say enough? Oak's comment on hi-viz wear as a OSHA requirement (by highway workers, construction workers on the road, etc.) says alot here.

Yep. I've had several occasions where drivers have made comments to me about how great it was that they could see my hi-vis clothes a half mile away as they approached down the road. That's good enough for me.

[jessmarimba]

The whole road got slowed down on the way home b/c of a cyclist in black on the shoulder. It was completely dark, they had just a single reflector in the back and a faintly blinking front light. The biggest problem is that a bike path runs right beside this road, and yet they were on a 4-6 lane rush-hour filled main road instead. Scary!!