Hi Viz Gear

[Cormanus]

That's very good advice. I'll keep practising my SIAM.

[dbarkdoll_imp]

Outcome :no problem but he said that it could be misunderstood .

I'd have told him "Better misunderstood and alive than dead."

[the Ferret]

I'm with you dbarkdoll. I'd rather explain how I'm trying to stay alive and see what he says then.

[LongRanger_imp]

I wear an yellow Aerostich Road Crafter jacket and over this I put a High Viz Helite Turtle Back air vest.

Houtman, can you offer any suggestions with respect to Helite Turtle Back sizing? Are the sizing charts reasonably accurate or would you buy a size larger or smaller next time? After decades of feeling invulnerable, I'm ready to add one to my ATGATT.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v79tKQbJWNo

[Houtman_imp]

I am 6 feet and weigh 220 lbs (naked ....) and have a XL as I wear it over my Aerostich Hiviz road crafter jacket .
This is a perfect size for me , you can easily adjust the straps and I would advise to talk to them as well , very helpful people .
It has a build in back protector and therefor I removed the back protector in my jackets , this will give than a bit more room for layering other garments.

[johan_imp]

I thought I would throw a couple of Hi Viz gear options out there for discussion. The subject for me was prompted by the following: Last fall, on a clear bright sunny day, I was sitting on my bike at a full stop with both feet on the ground, front brake on, and first in line at a stop light minding my own business. All of a sudden, I felt a jolt from behind me. It turns out that a middle aged woman in an SUV had bumped me from the rear. Long story shorter, my rear fender, tail light housing, and license plate bracket all had to be replaced ( fortunately she had full coverage insurance ). Thankfully, it did not knock me down. The first words out of the woman's mouth were " I did not see you", although I suspect the real reason was that she had probably been texting while driving. This episode got me to thinking about some Hi Viz gear ( yeah I know if a car driver is not paying any attention at all, Hi Viz will probably not matter ) that might increase my odds of being seen.

Hi Viz Vest: After much online research, I found a Fieldsheer On Base 2.0 Hi Viz orange mesh vest on close out. Unfortunately most vests of this type ( unless it is a cheap road construction type that flaps in the wind ) are over priced for what they actually are, IMHO. The vest was originally intended for military personnel for riding their bikes on base, and so has a military I.D. holder with clear window on the left chest. I removed the holder by carefully clipping the thread it was sewn onto the vest with. There are 3 sizes, SM- Med, Med-LG, and Xl-3Xl. The Med-Lg fit perfectly over my size Large jacket. There are also several silver reflective strips front and back, as well as a zip pocket on the left chest that will fit cell phone, DL, and Insurance Card. An internet search has them on close out as low as $29 ( original MSRP $60+ ). I got mine at Revzilla.com, price matching another online dealer. https://www.revzilla.com/product/fieldsh...-mesh-vest . I rarely ride without it now, and know it may or may not increase my chances of being seen, but at least I have done something proactive.

Helmet: I grew up in Illinois, just outside Chicago. In 1967 when I first started riding, not only was there a helmet law ( later repealed ) but the law also required a silver reflective tape strip be applied to the back of the helmet. The strip was about 4-5 inches long, and roughly 1.5 inches wide. I had not thought about that tape strip in years, until I got bumped from behind. The tape, I believe, is made by 3M, cheap and readily available in small quantities. As a result, and although I do not ride much at night if I can avoid it, I have been considering adding some carefully applied/positioned reflective tape strips to the back of my helmet.

Does anyone else have any experience with the High Visibility gear thing, and/or thoughts about helmet reflective strips and Hi Viz vests?

I do 95% of my riding in Queens and Brooklyn, NY, so big part of surviving is being seen.
Depending on the weather, I choose from the following;

- Arai Defiant Pro-Cruise Hi-Viz Helmet (sadly, Arai has discontinued the hi-viz option)
- Icon Overlord Resistance Hi-Viz Gloves (warm weather)
- Dainese Tempest D-Dry Short Gloves (cold weather)
- Fly Racing Street Fast-Pass Hi-Visibility Vest
- Firstgear Mesh Tex Jacket – neon-yellow/black
- Firstgear Kilimanjaro Hi-Viz Jacket – Day Glo
- Knox Action MKI Shirt underneath a Carhartt High Visibility Long Sleeve T-Shirt
- Oxford Rain Seal Over Pants – Hi-viz yellow
- Oxford Rain Seal Over Jacket – hi-viz yellow
The rain gear is really for emergencies. I avoid riding in the rain in NYC.

I also use:
- Fly Racing Street Illuminator Street Backpack – hiViz
- TCX X-Wave Air Shoes with neon-yellow laces

Overkill? Not to me.
And, even though I look radioactive from a mile away, my number one rule still is: “nobody is looking for you, so assume they won’t see you”.

I can give you more details on the gear if you want to. I get everything at Revzilla but many places sell the same gear and will match the price.

Johan

[Banned_imp]

I don't know how you guys that live and commute in cities do it, I went into the city last week (a rare occurrence) to take my wife for a ride and to breakfast and got cut off twice in 10 minutes.

No thanks.

[the Ferret]

I hear ya W/R

[LongRanger_imp]

Yep. That's why I don't commute on mine.

[emptysea]

I don't know how you guys that live and commute in cities do it, I went into the city last week (a rare occurrence) to take my wife for a ride and to breakfast and got cut off twice in 10 minutes.

No thanks.

I get cut off all the time. I don't have a long commute and commuting might get old if I did, but I'm used to keeping an eye out for motorists, bicyclists, and pedestrians. I actually think it helps me be a better rider in rural areas.
Back to the Hi Viz topic: I'm thinking about buying the Helite airbag hi-viz vest. Super pricey, but it protects me in 3 ways (conspicuity, abrasion resistance, and impact resistance). Still thinking about it, though.