rsbob 

Because?

Because in low light and shadows it makes you virtually invisible to vehicles?
Because on really hot days you want to attract as much solar radiation as possible so you can bake?
Because you must be “on trend” with fashion as dictated by marketing companies so they can sell more product?
Because you like to live life dangerously?
Because dark is associated with being evil and “bad @$$”?
Because you must conform to your peers or face their ridicule?
Because you never considered any of the above?
OR
Because it looks cool?
OR
Just because?

Would really like to know your rationale.

Paul Barnard

Once every 5-6 rides like the rest of our shorts.

tomato coupe

Does one need a rationale for a color preference?

seypat

I think a lot of people start out in light clothes, but they get seduced by the dark side.

BlazingPedals

This says it all. Reverse snobicity.

tomato coupe

In 90 degree weather? Really???

Paul Barnard

Then there's the old "wiping peanut butter out of shag carpet" analogy.

kuroba

I for one welcome the -new to me- trend of colored shorts/bibs. Besides the classic navy variation I've seen maroon, grey, green, purple, etc. I have a pair of teal bib shorts on the way that I look forward to using on the bike and hopefully get the Specialized maroon one soon too. For jerseys, the brighter and more obnoxious, the better, though I'm not particularly fan of hi-viz yellow.

indyfabz

I carry the proper equipment for al fresco bathroom stops when touring.

tomato coupe

You carry a Super Soaker?

AlgarveCycling

I prefer brighter colours for visibility. My training kit is all Castelli and Santini - so orange jersey's for Winter mainly. My Summer kit is orange, purple, pink (Giro d'Italia kit), red and white mainly. Only jerseys, my bib's are all black with a colour trim at the end - red, white, orange etc.

Helmet's one orange and 2x white. Shoe's 1x white and 2x yellow. Rain jacket is a bright yellow but never needed it; I typically don't ride in the rain.

Racing kit is team stuff and that is all multi-colour with sponsor logo's all over.

Basically, my kit is colourful and bright. I still have a tail-light on my bikes though.

But even on a warm Summer's day, not a cloud in the sky, bright conditions, tail-light on, looking like a marsh-mallow in bright Giro d'italia pink jersey, black bib's with white trim, white helmet, white shoes, bright red Trek Madone SLR, a lady still managed to not see me and drive into me - thankfully I saw it coming and managed to swerve so avoiding a big accident.

Nachoman

Personally I'd rather wear a dark, stealthy, muted jersey and ride with a couple flashing lights.

BlazingPedals

Exactly. In low light, no colors show up well.

Sy Reene

Though some do show up better in car headlights. This shouldn't be a debatable topic really.

WhyFi

Because you're right and anyone that disagrees is wrong?

Incorrect.

Sy Reene

It's just science. Car headlights will not reflect as much off of dark clothing as light clothing. Please provide contradictory evidence to this statement.

WhyFi

What matters is whether it's a significant difference. With a flashing light running, which was the context of the comment, that's pretty debatable.

Also, IIRC, studies have shown that bright elements in motion are far more effective than those that are relatively static. IOW, bright jerseys aren't terribly effective but bright socks are.

drlogik 

I can't speak to why there's a lot of folks wearing black or dark clothes but there is a science behind black garments. They actually keep you cooler than white or bright colors. The beduins of the Sahara wear multiple layers of black because black absorbs heat. Now I hear the questions: yes so why would you wear black???

Well, they wear black next to the skin and black absorbs heat from the body too. Will this make a difference if you're only wearing one black layer? Probably not, but after living in Arizona for a few years a lot of people out there wear black shirts in the dead of summer. Now I know why, the amount of heat black absorbs from the sun when it's 115 degrees isn't that much different than a lighter colored shirt but it also absorbs the heat from your skin. Weird as it may seem, I felt actually cooler wearing a black polo than a white one. That's where the humidity is in the single digits in the summer though.

I now live back in North Carolina and that same black polo shirt in 95% humidity feels like a wetsuit! Single layer light colored shirts for me here.

rsbob 

OK, I was skeptical about black being cooler than say white, so I used THE Google and learned this from the NPR site, “"Unfortunately sunscreen sometimes affects sweating," Havenith said. "So the sunscreen then might reduce the amount of sweat evaporation or the amount of sweat production. So that's where things again could go wrong."

So if you're exercising in the heat, wear as little as possible, especially after the sun goes down.

But if you're not an Olympic track star, skimpy Spandex is not the way to go. Think light and loose. That's because even if you don't feel like you're sweating, you still want to evaporate moisture off your skin. The loose clothing allows air to pass long the skin and exit, speeding evaporation and carrying off excess heat.

Enlarge this imageBedouins stay cool because their robes are so thick.

iStockphoto.comAnother big question in the summer clothing world is color: dark or light?

Researchers have studied the heavy black robes worn by Bedouins in the desert. They say the key there is thickness. The outer layer of fabric does get hotter because the black color absorbs more heat. And that heat doesn't get transmitted to the skin because of the thick fabric.

But thin black clothing transmits that heat to the skin, making a person hotter.”

drlogik 

My story too! When I moved to Arizona I saw these crazy people wearing black in the 115 degree heat and thought they were absolutely nuts. That was until I talked to a long-time Arizonan who clued me in to why they wear black.

I too did the research and, dang, the guy was right. Now, that said, I don't see the same cooling effect here in North Carolina when we have those 95 degree days with 95%+ humidity. It's hot and sticky and sweaty no matter what we wear but light colored shirts do seem to keep me cooler when it's really hot and really humid. For 85 degrees or less, I wear my black Nike or Underarmor polos.

SpeedyBlueBiker

Yep! See my post at #171

tomato coupe

You wear two pairs of shorts in warm weather, but you can't understand someone else wearing long sleeves?

SpeedyBlueBiker

I don't know where you are getting this from. I never once stated I wear two pairs of shorts when riding and I understand why some people wear long sleeves when riding in 90+ degree heat. Here again is my post from #171.
"In Thailand, where I ride frequently, it's very common to see Thais riding in long sleeves, full fingered gloves, and also tights. Many also cover their faces. It's all to protect them from exposure to the sun as they don't want their skin to get brown. All this despite the temps being in the 90's with very high humidity."

tomato coupe

My mistake. I thought you were the person that we both had responded to ...

Sy Reene

So one of these guys has it right, and the other is still catching on?