- don't commute when its icy
- don't commute when it will be dark on the way home (I'm less bothered about being dark in the morning as there is a lot less traffic)
- look at the weather forecast and try not to commute in the rain
The main one is that I feel less comfortable is commuting home in the dark. Because of this its rare that I cycle to and from work after the end of October and before late February and this is despite having enough "be seen" lights.
On the rear I have 2 Smart Lights and a Fibre Flare Shorty Side Light (in red) and use all 3 in flashing mode. The Fibre Flare is a really effective light and throws a good bright light all-round. Powered by 2 AA batteries this lasts at least 30-40hours in flashing mode.
On the front I have a Lifeline 1W Led and more recently I have bought a Knog Blinder Skull.
The Knog is a small USB charged bright white LED front light with a constant mode and 3-4 flashing modes. Its most definitely a "be seen" light rather than a see light but its really effective. I tend to use it in the normal flash mode (50% on/50% off) and it gives about 2.5-3 hours run time, which for me is enough either to commute both ways or for a medium length morning ride where I use it for the first few hours when the visibility may be lower at the start of a ride.
I don't think the Skull adds anything to the performance and is just a design feature!
Some of these lights are discussed here: link
Despite quite a few lights on my bike I still feel vulnerable about being seen - both from the front or rear. I saw on the Internet before Christmas some reviews of the Proviz ultra reflective clothing range and was pretty impressed with what it seemed to offer.
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| Proviz Gilet in "Reflective Mode" |
Basically it looks like a full top made of the silver reflective material strips that are normally a small part of normal HiViz clothing.
The prices ranged from around £50 for the Gilet to around £75 for the jacket and this was a lot of money - and a search n the internet showed that the prices were consistent across a range of outlets. Fortunately Halfords stocked the jackets so I was able to have a thorough look at what they were and get a better feel for value and quality.
The jacket was well made but the material is quite heavy and appeared to have no breatheability at all. Its difficult to tell in normal light and just looks like a matt grey nylon material. Others had commented on this and this meant that perhaps the Gilet was a better bet since the lack of arms might stop too much sweaty heat build up.
I hesitated for a few more weeks before deciding that the significant increase in visibility I would get would make me feel happier cycling in the dark. I repeated the earlier trawl for the best price but the prices were very consistent. In then end I ordered it from Proviz direct (http://www.provizsports.com/en_gb/) - the price was within a pound or so of the lowest, there was free postage and a "free gift":
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| The Ankle or Arm band - a strap of the Proviz material with LEDs built in |
(although what I received looks nothing like this).
In terms of size I would normally say that I was a medium for most things. Proviz did not have any Medium in stock but the size chart suggested that a Small would be OK - although I was not totally sure. I am certainly not heavily built but getting a small was a risk.
The gilet arrived after a few days - well packed and no damage to the packaging. It was quite a small package but surprisingly weighty. Compared to my other more "traditional" gilets (in nylon) it is a lot heavier.
Opening the packaging and getting the gilet out confirmed the good quality of manufacture (good seams, no spare threads etc). What I had not expected was that there are 2 zipped side pockets and the back of the gilet is made of a slightly different material with perforations in an attempt I assume to improve breathability. The weight of the material at the front was the same as the jacket and is quite heavy. There is a small logo on the left breast.
The Small size was absolutely fine for me - the Medium I think would have been far too big, so it might suggest that sizing is generous - however the chest size for a Small was my chest size s perhaps Proviz just have a medium that's bigger than other companies. The neck is quite high and will be irritating but does seem to fold down to a more sensible level. In normal domestic lighting the colour is the same matt grey but if the lights are turned off you can see even with light spilling from another room how the light is reflected back and the material starts turning white and reflecting back.
I first used the gilet about a week later. It was a cold morning (1-2DegC at most) and I wore the gilet over a base layer, long sleeve jersey and a long sleeve jacket (in this case one of Aldi's finest). Despite being a Small this was the right size for me. Temperature wise it certainly kept the chill off and I did not get excessively warm by any means. Its difficult so see how reflective it really is when you are wearing it, but on my commute (a mix of lit urban and unlit rural roads) what I noticed was how much more room most drivers appeared to be giving me (some on the other side of the road completely). I got the same room on the way home as well. I don't know if this was some sort of psychological perception or if I really was that much more visible and as a result was being given room. A sample size of 1 commute (2 rides) is totally inadequate to draw any conclusions.
So what can I summarise so far?
- The gilet is well made
- It has pockets that were useful
- The material is quite heavy and might be too hot in warmer months
- It does appear to be very reflective
- The sizing may be on the larger size than you expect - make sure you select by Proviz size rather than assume that your normal size will be OK
- Its quite expensive compared to other reflective clothing
- I did feel more visible in it that normal but am still a lot more cautious in full dark conditions
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