Really Reflective Clothing / Bits

[Annoying Twit]

I've noticed that even with my feeble 3w headlamp, that street signs stand out at night from about 1km away.

What can I do to make myself as a person stand out in to that degree? Clearly there is reflective tape etc., but I'm wondering what the best options are that others have had experience of.

[thirdcrank]

It's going back nearly ten years but this is a comprehensive example:

viewtopic.php?p=91119#p91119

On a previous thread, somebody jumped to the conclusion that the pics were of me. It's former forum member halit osis.

[andrew_s]

There are jackets available that are fully reflective, rather than just piping or bits of tape
Eg https://www.evanscycles.com/fwe-kenning ... t-EV275425

Check out Provis as well as Evans' own brand

When I've had a look at them in the shop, the material seemed quite stiff and heavy compared to other cycling jackets, so I wouldn't want to use one for longer rides than about town or commuting.


My experience is that piping is fairly useless - it stands up from the jacket surface, and the reflective stuff wears off quite quickly.

[meic]

Another option is to attach plenty of the high quality reflective tape to parts of your bike and luggage, that way it is always just there, without you having to adorn it yourself each ride.
I had plenty of such tape found from old Hi-viz jackets. I think that it is technically illegal to have the silver reflective rear facing but even the Police themselves do it.

As the bike is normally lower than the rider this is not as good an option when riding in dense traffic as it is out in the open countryside.

[PH]

Lower legs and pedals are what catch me eye and identify the object as a cyclist more than anything else.
I use some of these, not cheap but they've lasted well
http://respro.com/store/product/ankle-bands

[Bmblbzzz]

The reflective strips on a standard hi-viz jacket as worn on engineering sites really stand out from at least a mile away in car headlights where there is little other traffic or street lighting.

[Vorpal]

The parts that are most easily recognisable as a cyclist are legs and feet. Something like Altura Nightvision leggings are good for that. If I'm not wearing cycling clothes, or something with reflective stripes on my legs, I use reflective bands around my ankles. They are easy to find and cheap; some places even give them away with a logo on them by way of advertising.

It can also be handy to have some reflectives on gloves or arms for signalling. Something like the provis is quite clear that way.

[old_windbag]

If you don't wish to invest in an altura style nightvision jacket etc then you can always use one of the many hi-viz-reflective vests as used for H+S purposes on work sites. These are available for about £2 upward and hve zip or velcro closure. Wear it over any type of clothing. An example below

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Yellow-Hi-Vis-Reflective-Zip-Up-Safety/dp/B06XG5M7NR?psc=1&SubscriptionId=AKIAILSHYYTFIVPWUY6Q&tag=duc08-21&linkCode=xm2&camp=2025&creative=165953&creativeASIN=B06XG5M7NR

On legs as per PH, ankle bands work well. Aldi sell the LED reflective ones every now and again for about £5 a pair but you can buy polaris slap straps pretty cheaply.

https://www.cycle-street.co.uk/11594/products/polaris-slap-strap.aspx

They use that type of metal used in the old "clicker" toys that opens flat but snaps back into a coil.

It's good there are low cost avenues to being seen........ now to pass that info onto dog walkers.

Edit:

my feeble 3w headlamp

if it's LED that's a surprise for it to be feeble, perhaps the beamshape is poor wasting light.

[Annoying Twit]

Thanks for all the feedback here. I'll be able to answer/discuss things in full detail.

I'm aware of the cheap reflective vests and have them. But, what I don't know is how well they do the night visibility thing compared to the street signs I've been impressed with. My current high-vis top for summer has no reflective on it.

I've noted the street signs are not just visible by the 'stripes' around them, the whole things are. I noticed some blue ones that were visible huge distances away. That's the kind of effect I want. I don't know what level of quality I need to go to in order to get the same effect. The reflective photos from the old thread look interesting, as there's clearly powerful reflection from what looks to be fairly normal kit.

The full high-vis jacket is interesting. It's £80, but this is safety we're talking about, not being able to climb a hill 20 seconds quicker. I'll check what colours they are available in.

By "feeble" for my 3W LED, I mean feeble compared to truck and car lights. It's those sorts of vehicles that I want to be able to see me, and my thinking is "If I can see this with a 3W bulb, how far away can car and truck drivers see them. For cycling purposes my 3W LED is ample for my needs. The only annoyance is that I can't buy another of the same so that I can have one charging while the other is in use.

I think the key might be to take some cheap reflective kit out at night, drape it over a tree or sign or something, then ride away from it and back to it to see what it looks like.

[old_windbag]

The only annoyance is that I can't buy another of the same

Theres been a lot of dynamo light talk recently but my own B+M cyo premium( 3w dyno light ) will cause signs to reflect at around 2-300m and lights the road to about 100m. It's not unlike a dipped beam headlight and that same beam pattern can be had in a battery powered version of it. Thinks its this one :- https://www.rosebikes.co.uk/article/b--m-ixon-iq-premium-led-light-kit---80-lux-/aid:703616

I think the reflectivity of reflective safety clothing may surprise you. My light often lights up an object 100+ mtrs ahead for me to find it's a discarded reflective clothing item thats fell off a van/truck. Those clothes the road workers wear on motorways stand out well( the clothes are heavy but it's the reflective panels we're talking about ).

You may find youtube has an abundance of reflectives tests similar to what you may go out and try.

[Annoying Twit]

Yes, it's entirely possible that I just don't realise how reflective standard reflective kit is.

PS: I wanted to buy exactly the same 3W LED that I have now so that it attaches to the same attachment on the handlebars.

[JakobW]

IIRC not all reflectives are equal; better-quality stuff (3M and the like - possibly anything with an EN mark?) will refect more of the light back, and IME will stand up to wear better.

Is this mainly for the commute? Halfords etc. sell reflective Sam Browne belts, which is what I keep in the side of my commuting panniers as necessary. The Proviz jackets are incredibly effective, but a bit boil in the bag. If out in Lycra, the Rapha Brevet range is nice but pricey - I have the pink hi-viz gilet and it's great.

And, to interject a depressing note of caution, if you've already got decent lights on your bike, covering yourself in reflectives isn't likely to make you significantly safer. You're already perfectly visible - the main danger comes from drivers not looking/looking at their phones/etc. If you've not got pedal reflectors some reflective ankle bands are probably the best bang-for-the-buck; as others have said, the up-and-down movement both catches the eye and makes it clear you're a cyclist.

[mjr]

I've noticed that even with my feeble 3w headlamp, that street signs stand out at night from about 1km away.

What can I do to make myself as a person stand out in to that degree? Clearly there is reflective tape etc., but I'm wondering what the best options are that others have had experience of.

Don't bother. Haven't you noticed how little effect reflective road signs have on the speeding restriction-ignoring reckless motorists? Plus, you won't look like a person if you're dressed up as a road sign. Nope, unless you can make yourself look like a traffic cop pointing a speed gun or camera at them, they won't treat you better, so just wear ordinary clothes and refuse to give in to terrorism.

[old_windbag]

better-quality stuff (3M and the like - possibly anything with an EN mark?) will refect more of the light back

3M do a lot of good stuff I took a look for some sign related work I did. This tape on the video below is in effect like the underlying base for road signs.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YeOaWTirQ2c

That sort of product if flexible could be used on clothing, bags perhaps.

Edit: lets all chip in and get mjr a suit made of it for christmas ......

[jatindersangha]

I use this stuff - 3M 983 reflective tape on the bike - very stiff so I only use it on the front stem (white), seatpost and mudguards (red) and I have some small sections on the cranks (yellow).

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Spongebob-appr ... 2B983&th=1 (quite possibly a lot cheaper elsewhere)

I also have an Aldi hi-viz backpack cover which still reflects even when wet (many others don't)

--Jatinder