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.

 

[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. Motorcycle Vests - RevZilla . 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.

 

[Houtman_imp]

Better order it a month too early than an hour too late.

 

[the Ferret]

looking at this photo from the rally I imagine it's pretty easy to see how visible the riders in Hi Viz are compared to the rider in the black jacket with red helmet. If not for his headlight being on he would be nearly invisible imo. For me, the rider with the hi viz jacket and helmet is easily the most visible. This is how we would look to a car driver coming towards us..thinking about turning left . The white helmeted rider in the background's helmet is easily seen, but the gray outfit is hard for me to see.

 

[suhawk305]

looking at this photo from the rally I imagine it's pretty easy to see how visible the riders in Hi Viz are compared to the rider in the black jacket with red helmet. If not for his headlight being on he would be nearly invisible imo. For me, the rider with the hi viz jacket and helmet is easily the most visible. This is how we would look to a car driver coming towards us..thinking about turning left . The white helmeted rider in the background's helmet is easily seen, but the gray outfit is hard for me to see.

Excellent illustration ferret. I was making the same observations at the Berea rally. Originally I thought that my bright yellow Shoei helmet would provide ample hi-viz area. However, riding near the end of our group rides, I could see you guys (and Mrs. rickcb!) wearing hi-vis jackets/vests (in addition to hi-viz helmets) which gave you a much larger hi-viz area. I think this is important for another motorist to be able to see you over a variety of distances and situations, vs a yellow helmet and headlight alone.
I will be shopping for a hi-viz mesh vest for this summer.

 

[emptysea]

I am not opposed to hi-viz gear, but I don't think this photo represents a fair example of what a driver would see on the road. Some of the pictures taken on the road might better illuminate (pun intended) your contention.

 

[Houtman_imp]

I have noticed that drivers see the Helite air vest much better than my previous high viz vests; they might think that it is a motor cycle cop.

 

[the Ferret]

Finally got warm enough for me to wear my new Tourmaster Hi-Viz mesh jacket my wife got me for my birthday last month

Very comfortable and flows a lot of air. I like it.