Visibility: why are do so many riders in black

Commuting, Day rides, Audax, Incidents, etc.
Bicycler
Posts: 3400
Joined: 4 Dec 2013, 3:33pm

Re: Visibility: why are do so many riders in black

Post by Bicycler »

Postboxer wrote:I bet, not that I'm recommending it, cycling naked would get you most seen.

http://www.ctc.org.uk/news/nude-dude-wh ... ng-in-buff

Once a cyclist caught me up and asked if I was OK. I thanked him for his concern and explained that I was just trying out my technical waterproof and breathable layer: not fluorescent but I seem to get noticed. I am certain that motorists have driven very courteously around me, so maybe I’ve done my bit for road peace and harmony.
brooksby
Posts: 495
Joined: 21 Aug 2014, 9:02am
Location: Bristol

Re: Visibility: why are do so many riders in black

Post by brooksby »

Hi-viz in daytime is certainly not a legal requirement. You can dress however you want - dress up as Darth Vader, if you want (although I don't imagine that helmet allows for very good visibility).

Hi-viz and/or reflective clothing at night (well, in the dark) is probably sensible, but still not a legal requirement. I think that the onus is on the driver, or the cyclist, to see things in front of him and to not hit them. But if you are dressed as a ninja after dark, in dark clothing and with no reflectives or hi-viz or anything else, then it *is* much harder for people to notice you and (unfortunately) I suspect that that would be taken into consideration if the worst happened.

However, lights and reflectors mounted on the bike *are* a legal requirement at night. Why would you want to ride at night either completely dependent on other people's having lights in order to be seen, or relying on the joys of lamp-posts to see where you're going and void potholes?
User avatar
gaz
Posts: 14649
Joined: 9 Mar 2007, 12:09pm
Location: Kent

Re: Visibility: why are do so many riders in black

Post by gaz »

I am reminded of CJ's rhetorical question.

Three years have gone by and some people's views have not changed one iota.

I'm also reminded of my favourite helmet quote :wink: .
High on a cocktail of flossy teacakes and marmalade
Flinders
Posts: 3023
Joined: 10 Mar 2009, 6:47pm

Re: Visibility: why are do so many riders in black

Post by Flinders »

Postboxer wrote:Shall we hold a 'national cycle into black cars day'?


Please don't. My car is black. :cry:
I didn't have much choice, the model I needed for work I had to buy 2nd hand (I can't afford new) and the dealer could only find one in the country, which happened to be black. :|
Flinders
Posts: 3023
Joined: 10 Mar 2009, 6:47pm

Re: Visibility: why are do so many riders in black

Post by Flinders »

Postboxer wrote:I bet, not that I'm recommending it, cycling naked would get you most seen.

It would also get you arrested, as the police worry much more about nudity than road safety, for reasons which escape me.
Also, even if you wore a colour that photographed in the right light and PS'd a bit looked a teeny little bit like skin, the ICU would condemn you. If you were a woman, anyway.
User avatar
[XAP]Bob
Posts: 19793
Joined: 26 Sep 2008, 4:12pm

Re: Visibility: why are do so many riders in black

Post by [XAP]Bob »

Flinders wrote:
Postboxer wrote:I bet, not that I'm recommending it, cycling naked would get you most seen.

It would also get you arrested, as the police worry much more about nudity than road safety, for reasons which escape me.
Also, even if you wore a colour that photographed in the right light and PS'd a bit looked a teeny little bit like skin, the ICU would condemn you. If you were a woman, anyway.


Yeah, but the UCI condemn me for riding a comfortable machine anyway
A shortcut has to be a challenge, otherwise it would just be the way. No situation is so dire that panic cannot make it worse.
There are two kinds of people in this world: those can extrapolate from incomplete data.
User avatar
Vantage
Posts: 3050
Joined: 24 Jan 2012, 1:44pm
Location: somewhere in Bolton
Contact:

Re: Visibility: why are do so many riders in black

Post by Vantage »

Bill


“Ride as much or as little, or as long or as short as you feel. But ride.” ~ Eddy Merckx
It's a rich man whos children run to him when his pockets are empty.
User avatar
gaz
Posts: 14649
Joined: 9 Mar 2007, 12:09pm
Location: Kent

Re: Visibility: why are do so many riders in black

Post by gaz »

Oh this thread is bringing back some treasured memories :D .
High on a cocktail of flossy teacakes and marmalade
TonyR
Posts: 5390
Joined: 31 Aug 2008, 12:51pm

Re: Visibility: why are do so many riders in black

Post by TonyR »

I gather farmers are worried that motorists might hit any cows that stray onto the road at night so they've come up with a new breed.

flat,550x550,075,f.jpg
Sagwagon
Posts: 43
Joined: 4 Apr 2009, 8:17pm

Re: Visibility: why are do so many riders in black

Post by Sagwagon »

I never said it was equal responsibility but a cyclist can help themselves and should. We dont live in a perfect world get used to it, you may find in life you have to do things you may not like or agree with, riding in black is your choice, i think its foolish. How long before some insurance scumbag uses it as an excuse in a court case ? M`lud my client complained that the rider was dressed completely in black and was virtually invisible ! You can literally hear them trying it on ! Why give them the chance ? Your hearing is the next best thing to eyes in the back of your head, why would you cover them up ? Doesnt make sense.
User avatar
mjr
Posts: 20308
Joined: 20 Jun 2011, 7:06pm
Location: Norfolk or Somerset, mostly
Contact:

Re: Visibility: why are do so many riders in black

Post by mjr »

Sagwagon wrote:How long before some insurance scumbag uses it as an excuse in a court case ? M`lud my client complained that the rider was dressed completely in black and was virtually invisible ! You can literally hear them trying it on ! Why give them the chance ?

They've always got that chance. They can just as easily complain that the rider was dressed completely in yellow against the low winter sun. Few do because they don't enjoy being laughed at. M'lud my client complained that the house wasn't painted hi-vis yellow...
MJR, mostly pedalling 3-speed roadsters. KL+West Norfolk BUG incl social easy rides http://www.klwnbug.co.uk
All the above is CC-By-SA and no other implied copyright license to Cycle magazine.
User avatar
[XAP]Bob
Posts: 19793
Joined: 26 Sep 2008, 4:12pm

Re: Visibility: why are do so many riders in black

Post by [XAP]Bob »

But high viz doesn't demonstrably help.

Helmets don't demonstrably help.

Deaf people are allowed to cycle.

Why would you ride without mirrors? Gloves? both of those I'd put way higher on my list of priorities that dressing like a banana with a funny hat.
A shortcut has to be a challenge, otherwise it would just be the way. No situation is so dire that panic cannot make it worse.
There are two kinds of people in this world: those can extrapolate from incomplete data.
User avatar
Mick F
Spambuster
Posts: 56359
Joined: 7 Jan 2007, 11:24am
Location: Tamar Valley, Cornwall

Re: Visibility: why are do so many riders in black

Post by Mick F »

I dress like a banana with a funny hat, plus wear mitts and have a mirror, plus have "visibility lights".
None of this can do any harm, and if it helps, that's good innit?
Mick F. Cornwall
User avatar
661-Pete
Posts: 10593
Joined: 22 Nov 2012, 8:45pm
Location: Sussex

Re: Visibility: why are do so many riders in black

Post by 661-Pete »

I'm thinking, these guys really ought to have been dressed in white and/or Hi-Viz:
Image
They'd then probably have been spotted before they froze to death... :twisted:
Suppose that this room is a lift. The support breaks and down we go with ever-increasing velocity.
Let us pass the time by performing physical experiments...
--- Arthur Eddington (creator of the Eddington Number).
User avatar
mjr
Posts: 20308
Joined: 20 Jun 2011, 7:06pm
Location: Norfolk or Somerset, mostly
Contact:

Re: Visibility: why are do so many riders in black

Post by mjr »

Mick F wrote:I dress like a banana with a funny hat, plus wear mitts and have a mirror, plus have "visibility lights".
None of this can do any harm, and if it helps, that's good innit?

It can do harm... by helping to make cycling look like the sort of activity that is so dangerous it requires special protective clothing. We should join forces with walker safety organisations and reject this assault by motoring intersts.
MJR, mostly pedalling 3-speed roadsters. KL+West Norfolk BUG incl social easy rides http://www.klwnbug.co.uk
All the above is CC-By-SA and no other implied copyright license to Cycle magazine.
Post Reply