Bright ideas for biking at night

There’s a guy who rides his bike on the streets of Seattle dressed up like a crossing guard who just had a run-in with a Christmas tree. The locals call him as High Vis Man.

I used to snigger when he rode past, until I was hit by a car while riding home from work last summer. (I survived, but not gracefully, as you know if you’ve seen our last video.) Since then, I’ve been getting in touch with my own, inner High Vis Man, trying to make myself utterly impossible to miss — or rather, impossible not to.

The video above covers the basics: Start with a headlight and a tail light, add helmet lights, and go crazy with the reflective tape. Here are a few more details for folks who are sorting through the options, wondering how to get their High Vis on without ditching every last scrap of dignity, or blinding the populace as they ride past.

How bright do you really want those lights?

Go here for more: http://grist.org/living/bright-ideas-for-biking-at-night/?utm_sourc...

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Permalink Reply by Anne Alt on November 25, 2014 at 8:02am

Another good item for side visibility: tires with reflective sidewall stripes. I really appreciate this feature of my Schwalbe Marathons. It doesn't take much light to make them visible. Spoke reflectors help, too.

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Permalink Reply by Mike Zumwalt on November 25, 2014 at 8:59am

A lot of the jogging gear is reflective and these http://revolights.com/# a little cost prohibitive and only 4 hrs of lighting time?

Good for commuting I 'spose?

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Permalink Reply by Anne Alt on November 25, 2014 at 10:48am

A string of battery powered LED Christmas lights can also add a lot of visibility. This is NOT a substitute for standard front and rear lights, but a nice supplement. They're fairly cheap and lightweight, and a set of batteries can last quite a while.