Reflective Jacket

J

Jim1348

Active Member
On my bike ride last night, I ran across some other folks walking/running. One of them had a reflective jacket. I don't mean just a strip, but they entire jacket was reflective. I was similar to the one in the video linked below. Maybe it would be good for biking, too.

 
I dont know. You’ll be noticed. That’s nice, but it might be too much. Like having an all chrome car or driving with your high beams on. Could be more distracting to drivers, or attracting (if they are intoxicated).
 
Because of the winter season, now I am often forced to ride in the dark. Recently, i could see the headlight of my e-bike reflected by two strips of something, visible from the distance of at least 200 metres. It was a cyclist riding the sidewalk, and wearing a typical reflective jacket as worn by construction workers.

Decidedly a good thing!
 
One thing I've noticed are (e)bikes do not have very good side illumination or have side markers like you do with vehicles. This type of reflective top would be excellent for dusk-to-dawn share the road riding to improve 360 degree visibility. I've seen these types of bike riders at night and 90% didn't have front/rear lights:

bike at night II.jpg
 
Last edited:
Jim1348 said:
On my bike ride last night, I ran across some other folks walking/running. One of them had a reflective jacket. I don't mean just a strip, but they entire jacket was reflective. I was similar to the one in the video linked below. Maybe it would be good for biking, too.

Click to expand...
Looks like a Kickstarter campaign. I'll stick with my lime green windbreaker from Amazon. I think it was 25 bucks...

 
I wear a Utility Pro jacket this time of the year. I went with orange because I am often out on horseback or ATVing. Some prefer yellow.

Someone on here has mentioned the Brightside side light.

I have been running my Streamlight Stinger with the Glow in the Dark Traffic Wand. It does give 360 degree visibility.

brightside.bike

Brightside Bike Light. Amber Side Lighting for Cyclists.

Brightside bike side lights. Helps cyclists to be seen from the sides of their bikes. Bright amber cycle lights for all road cyclists.
brightside.bike brightside.bike


mrgold35 said:
One thing I've noticed are (e)bikes do not have very good side illumination or have side markers like you do with vehicles. This type of reflective top would be excellent for dusk-to-dawn share the road riding to improve 360 degree visibility. I've seen these types of bike riders at night and 90% didn't have front/rear lights:

View attachment 168746
Click to expand...







Orange Hi-Viz Jacket.jpg
 

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Slaphappygamer said:
I dont know. You’ll be noticed. That’s nice, but it might be too much. Like having an all chrome car or driving with your high beams on. Could be more distracting to drivers, or attracting (if they are intoxicated).
Click to expand...
I have been using this kind of jacket for a few years now. I don't know anything about the potentially dodgy Kickstarter campaign version but the Proviz brand out of the UK has been around for years. The only thing is they are Chinese-sized so I normally wear an XL jacket and I need a 3XL instead. I have the raincoat. You can buy them on Amazon and they are damned expensive... but getting run over costs more and if you ride in the dark regularly (as in all winter) there's no question this kind of protection far exceeds a jacket or hoody with just strips. I replaced my construction hoody with this in fact.

Its just a grey jacket in the daytime. Only comes alive in reflective light at night.

The effect once I started wearing it at night was immediate and noticeable. I saw cars about to turn in front of me start forward and stop dead. It became a pattern where nobody turns in front of me anymore. Same with overtaking drivers who want to turn. They slow down and stay behind me (I can see them back there in my helmet mirror). Think on it: Who is going to be able to argue in court they didn't see me? I think drivers realize that. I do when I see a woman with a baby carriage crossing in front of me... I always make an extra effort because in part I know there is no jury in the world who will listen to a story where I try and justify how I ended up hitting them.
AvalancheRun said:
Are these annoying to look at?
Click to expand...
I have been at the side of an intersection and drivers have rolled down their windows and told me how awesome it is right after asking "wtf is that where did you get that?" The reactions I have gotten are 100% positive. You'd think some schmuck would get pissy but that hasn't been the case. People can see a construction vest too but the jacket seems to bring out a much stronger reaction that gets people to stand down and just take it in.
 
Proviz does seem to be the gold standard for this type of garment. A lot of prices on their website are better than what you see on Amazon. Pretty good clearance sale going on now especially if you need small or xl sizes.

provizsports.com

Proviz® | The World's Finest Reflective Sportswear

Proviz is a multi-Award Winning Reflective Sportswear. Premium gear for cycling, running & outdoors. Shop now for global delivery. Finance options available.
provizsports.com provizsports.com
 
I'v finally gone reflective sashes. Now If I can a 3M Solas sash...
Being a year round rider, 100F to 10F, they are a better fit.
 

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tomjasz said:
I'v finally gone reflective sashes. Now If I can a 3M Solas sash...
Being a year round rider, 100F to 10F, they are a better fit.
Click to expand...
Didn’t know those existed. I was screwing up making something similar
 
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