The Black Team Sky Jersey was designed by Stupid McStupid

[Vorpal]

I'd wear black if Sky paid me to.

[Edwards]

Yet noone has difficulty spotting bonkers at 50 paces.

Only because we wear "Care in the Community Hats".

It took the liberty of changing the spelling for comic effect.

[Si]

Quite funny that on that photo upthread, all the attention seems to be on the man in the middle....the fact that he's wearing all black seems to make him stand out to everyone - especially to those who think that he can't be seen. Bit like recumbents - ought to be much harder to see than normal bikes, yet they are noticed much better. It's not the colour or the shape or the size, it's the fact that it is deviant. People who think that wearing black will get you instantly killed will always spot those wearing black, people who think those RLJing will get you killed will always spot those RLJing, etc etc, and those who don't bother looking for possible hazards won't spot them no matter what they are wearing.


Personally I go for matching clothing to the conditions - if it is dim then I would prefer something solid and bright. If the light is perfectly good then colour matters much less. Riding in the correct way will make a lot more difference - be where people are going to notice you and ride in a way that they do.

Oh yeah, that photo - please be aware that there is a substantial difference between a static photo and a dynamic real life road environment. Knee jerk reaction is that the chap in black is difficult to see against the background, but in reality he will be pretty obvious as he interrupts the background - all those fence posts disappearing and reappearing. Anyone who couldn't notice him easily really ought not be let out on the road in charge of a vehicle. As for peripheral vision arguments - hey if you can't see the bear then what hope a cyclist no matter what he's wearing?

[ChrisButch]

Doesn't anybody remember the black alpaca which was the conventional 'uniform' for time-triallists until the 1960s? Don't remember any complaints about visibility then. And tourists usually wore pretty dull colours - faded greens, greys and browns, not much different from the camouflage palette. Those Greenspot Nomad jackets and Hebden Cord plus fours weren't made to catch the eye.

[Brucey]

Doesn't anybody remember the black alpaca which was the conventional 'uniform' for time-triallists until the 1960s? Don't remember any complaints about visibility then.

I think the idea was to be as inconspicuous as possible...

cheers

[Flinders]

re the heat thing...
in the middle east, the men, who go around in public, and therefore in the sun, wear white to reflect the heat of the sun. The ladies, who traditionally spend more time not out and about and in the sun, wear black, which radiates the heat from inside. They both wear loose clothing.
It depends what you're doing and where.
I have experimented there, and here in the UK, and I'd wear white when in direct hot sun to keep cool, no doubt about it. Only if I was hotter than my surroundings and not in direct sunlight would I wear black.

(I don't wear black or white on the bike, I go for orange, or yellow + red, or yellow + orange. High viz yellow if it's raining or dark.)

[mrjemm]

I think nobody's referenced the 'albedo effect', which is what many posts here are discussing. It's supposed to be responsible for some of the increasing rate of polar ice loss- the ice melts in patches due to other reasons, so the darker under rock is exposed, which them absorbs more heat, that in turn melts further ice/remains free of ice... Vicious circle time.

Armies may wear camo, but some wear plain colours, no? Drab ones often. And in snow... Not black.

Lots of circular discussion and anecdotes here , as often is the case.

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albedo

[gentlegreen]

I wear black and grey because it doesn't show stains and because I do my own laundry. All my clothes also have to be happy being washed on the same setting.
Also for aesthetic reasons.
On commutes I usually wear some sort of hivis device.

[TonyR]

(I don't wear black or white on the bike, I go for orange, or yellow + red, or yellow + orange. High viz yellow if it's raining or dark.)

Be careful with red. While it stands out for most people, for the 10% of men who are red-green colour blind it doesn't stand out at all.

[Pete Owens]

Why is it that the victim blaming clothing fascists feel that it is acceptable to pick on cyclists and tell us what we should wear? - whether they are pushing their magic hats or telling us to dress like bin men. Or does the OP turn up for work dressed like a clown with a shocking pink suit complemented by a lime green tie and tell their boss that they are stupid for walking to the office wearing a normal business suit?

Cycling is a perfectly normal, safe and efficient means of getting around for which no special clothing is needed. Just look at any street scene in Copenhagen or Amsterdam. Insisting that a particular group dresses differently to the rest of the population is a sure way to get that group identified as "other", thus to lose the sympathy of the majority population - and minimises the chances of any of them considering cycling as a means of getting about.

[Mark1978]

Pete you are 100% correct. But also 100% wrong as the situation you describe in the likes of Copenhagen does not exist in this country, for our shame.

[TonyR]

Pete you are 100% correct. But also 100% wrong as the situation you describe in the likes of Copenhagen does not exist in this country, for our shame.

It does in Cambridge and it could equally well in other parts of the UK if it wasn't for the hardened road warrior image that prevails.

[Mark1978]

It does in Cambridge and it could equally well in other parts of the UK if it wasn't for the hardened road warrior image that prevails.

And it does to an extent in London too, but as you say that's far from being the case anywhere else. And I'm sure even on the rural roads of Cambridgeshire the road warrior spirit lives.

[meic]

Pete you are 100% correct. But also 100% wrong as the situation you describe in the likes of Copenhagen does not exist in this country, for our shame.

It does in Cambridge and it could equally well in other parts of the UK if it wasn't for the hardened road warrior image that prevails.

The image only prevails because nobody else is willing to take to the streets, if it wasnt for the "hardened road warriors" who would be on a cycle at all.
I have got to the stage where, I have drifted into being a Sunday cyclist as I dont have to "fight to survive" on a Sunday.

[[XAP]Bob]

Pete you are 100% correct. But also 100% wrong as the situation you describe in the likes of Copenhagen does not exist in this country, for our shame.

Is that because cyclists insist on dressing up?