aliasfox

For dimmer lighting conditions, I decided to pick up a highlighter yellow helmet. In shade or near dusk conditions, I fear my black helmet will disappear, and I have concerns about why white helmet blending into a cloudy sky from behind.

what was mildly concerning to me, was that when I was looking for my new highlighter, yellow helmet, many of the options that were available had names like “Sunset Blue” or so close to black or white that they may as well have been. Surprisingly hard to find a hi-viz helmet!

PeteHski

Maybe helmet colour is simply not that important. When I see a cyclist on the road, the first thing I notice is whether or not they have lights. Second is the colour of their jersey and any reflective patches. Would a hi-vis helmet make much difference? Maybe it would if you didn’t have lights and was wearing a black jersey. Otherwise I’m not convinced it matters. I have seen a few helmets with integrated lights which caught my attention.

Sapper69

Granted, many of the replies in this thread have focused on the broader topic of cycling safety rather than the specifics of flashing vs steady red tail lights; but this is the comment of the thread so far imho:
I happen to live in a part of the world where there's a pretty negative attitude towards road cyclists, however a) we also have more than our fair share of self-righteous and/or dangerous cyclists whose behaviour contributes to the bad attitudes of 'the other side', and b) even in a utopia where motorists were perfectly law-abiding, sober, safety conscious and attentive, the immutable physics of a metallic object weighing at least a couple of tons coming into sudden contact with a human on a bike weighing one or two orders of magnitude less, will render irrelevant the "motorist was blind/stupid" argument every time, with only miraculous and/or spectacular exception. The slightest misjudgement by an otherwise perfect, safe, friendly motorist (i.e. a fallible human, as we all are) is still going to seriously injure, hospitalise or kill a cyclist, leaving the motorist at the scene 'treated for shock.'
So, of course, do everything you reasonably can to maximise your visibility to other road users, scrutinise the scientific studies and debate the technological intricacies, but in my humble opinion your overall defensive riding mindset, situational awareness, decision-making and attitude about where; when, how and with whom you ride on the road are going to do at least as much but probably way more in keeping you out of harm's way than using the right gear while rehearsing your "the driver was an idiot officer" lines for the emergency ward.

aliasfox

I have a Garmin Varia blinking away on the rear, and depending on conditions, I have up to two blinkies going on the front.

I got the helmet after realizing that most of my attire was predominantly black. Even my late-fall/winter jersey is an "Overcast Sky" grey, and my warmest bibs are a "Worn Pavement" grey.

I agree, as both a driver and a cyclist who notices other cyclists, lights are best for getting noticed from further away (I personally think a fast blinky is the best kind of blinky). Then reflectivity, then bright colors last - they're only helpful when there's actually light, and that can be hard to find at this time of year. That said, if a bright yellow helmet helps a car notice me half a second sooner, or a bright yellow glove gets them to notice my signal earlier, then I'm all for those pieces of kit.

Bob Ross

When I first started driving a car, I got a 1970 Volkswagen Beetle...which, as anyone who owned one can attest, is about as durable and protective as a tin can.
My Dad's comment to me was "Drive as if everyone is potentially trying to kill you, because it doesn't matter who's 'wrong' or 'right' once you've collided."

Sapper69

I gave my daughter exactly the same lecture when I was teaching her to drive a couple of years ago, including first hand examples of how much a PITA it is dealing with the aftermath of an accident even when the "other driver was at fault."

Alan K

My wife had one when had just met. All I remember about this tin can was that it used to get vapor locked in hot summers and she would cool the fuel line and the surrounding area by dumping ice water on it and the car will start again. I had never seen anyone dumping ice water on their car engine before.
After that summer experience, it wasn’t too difficult to convince her to get proper car with water cooled engine with an AC inside.

Rick_D

Flip side was winter with the auto-selfdestructing heat exchanger "heater" thingie. Cold and cold, followed by cold. Also, nothing quite like having the gas tank just in front of your knees. Crumple zone? Yes, it's you!

Rick_D

You're not off base. We seem to be in an era where trendy means monochrome for cycling clothes and bikes themselves. "We have Special Black, Anthracite, Bleak Mood, Dusk Fog, Tarnished Silver and Despair. Plenty of choices!"

Trying to single-handedly bend the curve, as I bought one red and one yellow bike last year. :-)

aliasfox

My bikes are silver (painted steel and Ti), so they're no help on a cloudy day at dusk. That means it's time to buy a Pegoretti, right? We want the bright, musical themed paintjob for safety, right?

I ride with someone from time to time who wears mostly foliage colored jerseys - forest green and burnt siena are great colors for blending into a fall forest.

Biker Pete 

I use a rearward facing flashing red light on the seat post. If I were riding at night, I would additionally add a rearward facing steady white light on my ankle - I believe the motion of that light while pedaling would help a motorist figure out that it’s a cyclist.

greysquirrel

At dusk, a Celeste colored Bianchi rode past me and it totally stood out. Unfortunately, he made a turn and started going away from me and he was basically invisible. The seat stays/chain stays were so thin they had no color. Of course he was wearing all black with no lights. Just asking for trouble..

noglider 

Yes sometimes when I feel I need extra protection, I'll run two flashing lights, flashing at different intervals. As with other safety equipment, I can never tell if it really works. Maybe one day, I will learn that it doesn't work.

Maelochs

I sometimes do the same .... but even if on one occasion it is proven not to work, we will have no idea if it worked on every other occasion.

For all I know the two discordant flash patterns enrage drivers and make them want to hit me.

noglider 

Yes. You understand me.

LAJ

One on my left arm and one on my left leg below the knee, both in blink mode.

Two other taillights, one on pulse, one on blink.

This on blink



A MagicShine on high.

I feel safer at night than during the day.

choddo

Good point. And contrast ratio. Even 1000nit HDR displays can’t replicate real life brightness of lights.

Flashing lights, high speed (to maximise closing time), staying 1m from the kerb so I’m not seen as someone they can squeeze past and also have a bit of wiggle room, radar, reflective bits of clothing and using roads on which drivers can’t get bored and start pissing about with their phones are my main tactics.

Rick_D

Will opine the better choice is one steady and one flashing. Two flashers may or may not be visible sooner, but actually locating the bike and estimating distance will be better served by the steady+flash combo, especially from dusk to dark.

It's likewise hard to estimate distance to an on-coming front-flasher light when gaging when to turn left in traffic.

rm -rf

That study The effect of rear bicycle light configurations on drivers’ perception of cyclists’ presence and proximity was done by video projections in a driving simulator:~~~
In daytime bright sunlight, the sharp, fast flash of a taillight far down the road immediately catches my eye, even when I'm not looking for cyclists. This is way different than looking for cyclists on video. Drivers are distracted and don't pay careful attention during their typical driving situations.

I want that driver to see the flash a quarter mile ahead on a straight road, and start paying attention to their driving.
I want the driver coming around a bend to immediately think "cyclist just ahead!" from the flashing.

I ride with other cyclists that have 100, 150, 200 lumen taillights.The group sometimes gets very spread out. I instantly notice the flash when I can't even see that it's a bike on the road ahead, it's just too far away.
I aways run a two-per-second short flash tail light during the day. Flashing headlight too.

PeteHski

That’s one thing I do like about our local rural roads. They are narrow, winding and full of dangerous farm traffic. Any driver not paying attention would soon be eliminated.

Bob Ross

Just a reminder that the study cited in the OP did not agree with that old chestnut about steady lights making it easier for drivers to estimate distance than flashing lights

...which surprised me too.

greysquirrel

I think a solid light is just a point so it's hard to tell if it's moving closer to you. The flashing light will seem to appear in a different spot so you can estimate using 2 reference points.

Rick_D

Is the most unexpected bit to me as well. But with two lights, the combo strikes me as the better option in that case but we've also gone from two permutations to four. I'll back slowly away from the keyboard before pondering where the two are mounted....

rm -rf

In daylight: Hiviz clothing and riding with two or more riders are very good as the driver gets closer. Cyclist recognition is less dependent on lights up close. The exception is curved corners, where the driver doesn't see the bikes until they come around the bend -- there, the sharp blinky is an instant bicycle ID.

A reflective leg band is really obvious at night--that up and down motion says "bicycle". I do like the "wah-wah" setting on my taillight at night when I'm solo. It's ramps the brightness up and down fairly fast, and is kind of unusual. I think it's more effective than a night time sharp blink pattern.

noglider 

I really appreciate everyone's scientific approach to this topic!