bike2math

I wear a "road work" style cheapo vest from Lowes. Got it for 3 bucks and change. Saved me a bundle as I have a detailed change of clothing I make as the temperature travels from 70 down to 10.

sbhikes

I have a nice lime yellow jacket and also a nice vest for warmer days from PerlIzumi. It stuffs into a tiny stuff sack and is attractive in the cut and fit. I can't see why anybody would consider it dorky.

rajman

I wear a yellow cycling jacket in any conditions below 15 C - it has reflective stripes, but I don't consider it a a safety vest.

In temperatures above - I wear either street clothes or a wicking jersey, neither of which could be considered particularly hi-vis.

Jessica

I have a mesh vest (summer wear) and a hunter's vest with added 3" reflective tape (sew on) for winter. Lots of pockets, gloves, balaclava and blinkies go in pockets very nicely.

I bought others, including the Nathan hall monitor stripe, and use them mostly for my rides with grandchildren (you go with Nana, you wear dorky reflective stuff). Since I take them for rides they would miss otherwise, they do not object.

vrkelley

Alert Shirt has the right idea;the shirt itself does the work. When my retro-fitted stuff wears out, I'll consider buying from them.

I take issue to adding more gear because the original stuff is poorly designed for the streets. Instead of buying yet another thing to wear, I've retrofitted, jackets, jerseys, and tights with the 2" 3M reflectant (or narrower where practical) that you see on the vests.

The clothing article does the work...no more fumbling for another thing to wear as a band-aid

Nightshade

I wear suspenders on my jeans so this company I know well.
Their suspenders can be hooked ,one handed, to the belt most
wear with jeans. This safety model is new so give it a look......

Up to 6'.......
https://perrysuspenders.stores.yahoo....refpersus.html

Tall size....
https://perrysuspenders.stores.yahoo....forpersus.html

legot73

I wear one for winter when it's dark most of the time. I just use a Home Depot special that you find next to the dust masks and safety glasses, but might go full time with the amphi-pod if I can find it reasonably priced. Thanks.

wild animals

i either wear a safety vest ($13 from ebay, orange, with 3 inner pockets and velcro closures that stick to my pants and make a lot of noise) or an alert shirt tshirt, or a yellow/reflective rain jacket. i dont like to ride without fluorescent colors during the day and reflective stripes at night. what i want to get though is one of these: https://www.safety-gear.breflective.c...-belt-sash.php or these: https://www.safety-gear.breflective.c...ve-harness.php because they come with pockets. sashes would pack down small and wouldn't make you overheat. plus you could take them off fast and hide them if you had to impress someone in a hurry

the randonneurs wear sashes similar to sam browne sash, so i guess they work for some people!
( https://www.rusa.org/rusaitems.html )

sv_ted

The Amphipod Xinglet looks great but I passed on it and stuck with my ugly Nathans mesh vest. Why? The vest is made for cycling so it is long in the back. That way, when you are bent over the bars, the reflective strips still work to the rear. I was concerned that the Xinglet would not. The pictures are always of someone walking so the reflective strips are straight on.

My $0.02

Eatadonut

Do people have opinions either way on the safety vests that have LEDs inside? Do they make any difference - I want to be seen by stumbly drunks and people who forget to turn on their headlights, too.

Lossy

The thing I don't like about a strap is that they trap your clothes right next to you. I guess if you wear full kit you may be used to it.

bradchu

https://www.fuelbelt.com/outdoor/visibility.html

On this website they have "reflective snap bands". I got a couple of these from Target for about the same price and I use them all the time to keep my pant-leg tucked back. Just a thought for another easy level of safety...

MikeR

That looks nice. The place where the front straps join - is it adjustable? What I don't like about my vest is I can't open my jacket zip when I go up hills without opening the vest. IF these are adjustable I could move them down and unzip the jacket more.

flipped4bikes

I was concerned about that too. Turns out that the 3M striping reflects lights from many angles, so it's not an issue. Just to be safe, I wear one of those touring triangles (a Nathan!) with clip on belt and it dangles in front of my butt!

It's interesting that a lot of night commuters I see will have some sort of light setup, but neglect to fill in the void with reflective material on their bikes and body. I really believe you need both so not only are you seen, they can also size up as a cyclist more quickly.

The Xinglet is very adjustable. It's designed to fit all sorts of body shapes. The clips in front adjust the width of the waist belt. Also, the shoulder straps are also length adjustable. I have the front center reflector moved down so I can unzip my jacket down quite a bit.

ColorChange

Here is where I got my vest. I don't think they come any dorkier ... or visible. I've had traffic cops stop me and say "Where did you get that?"

https://www.ledtronics.com/ds/VST-1004/default.asp

Nightshade

"No, never. I'm a cyclist, not a contractor. " Say 31 people

In spite of the post thus far 31 people of the 79 voting so far
have singled themselves out as totally brain dead with a
death wish by not using safety equipment.

I might be brain damaged but I'll be damned if I'll admit it
like they did.

Polls can be interesting stuff

ryanparrish

I do not know what to say about that it looks reall weird also you dont have to worry about your pants falling down if you use it as a belt/suspenders. looks like you could modify it with a triangle to get the slow tractor look

newbojeff

I definitely do not have a deathwish and want to be seen. I have front and rear lights. Bright. My panniers have reflective piping and I buy clothes (coat, tights, booties) with reflective piping. During the winter, I'm almost always wearing this which is reflective and frequently wear the matching rain pants. I've left my wheel reflectors on my bike. I'd like to have tires with reflective sidewalls.

But...I...cannot...bring...myself...to...wear...the...safety...vest.

Also, consider, how can one know they are brain damaged?

LóFarkas

32 now with me. Blinky and a reflective snap band is how I roll.
You can make yourself into a Christmas tree, it's not gonna help much.

chephy

Since when is a vest necessary safety equipment?? Bright blinkies and hi-viz/reflective shirts and jackets should be plenty good enough.

ItsJustMe

I wear a vest when I'm riding at night and I'm NOT wearing a cycling jacket, which already has a bunch of reflective junk on it.
Of course, the two of those together rarely happens anymore. I'd say I wear my vest about 5 days a year these days. Before I got the cycling jacket, I wore it every day.

Jim-in-Kirkland

Yes - an ANSI Class 3 vest - is now part of my early am & late pm commute with a lot of traffic including semi trucks on narrow 4 lane roads where I need the motorist to see me up ahead and move left...

Gojohnnygo.

I wear one all the time. I could careless what others think about it. There is a reason why road construction workers and other municipals wear them. It's not just required it's a smart thing to do.

michaelalanjone

Here I am, commuting to work. I wear the mesh vest - weighs nothing, looks goofy, noticed by everyone. I think, hey, the brighter/dorkier you are, the safer you are. It has those nite-glo strips on it, and was $9?, I think?

This is at about 6:30AM, riding beneath a parking lot light. Sorry it is blurry, took it with my cell phone.

sringlee

You mean a reflective Sam Browne belt? Pedigreen has one:
https://pedigreen.com/

And a very fine one may be had from the Hampshire County Council on-line store in the UK: https://www.shopcreator.com/mall/Road...pic-7954-1.stm