To be seen, but with style!
It comes every year as a surprise: the darkness.
You get on your bike, the morning hardly dawns and suddenly you ask yourself: Can others see me?
Or maybe you just want to clear your head after university or a long day in the office and on the last kilometres you realise: It's getting pretty dark around 9 pm...
Now is the time to think about neon colours and reflective elements on bicycle clothing. But please, not the garbage man look, right? No need to worry. Our selection will show you how you can be seen in traffic without looking too much like a "disco ball” when walking into the office. To be seen with style.
How exactly does being seen work?
Light - or rather the reflection of light - is what enables us to see. This means that colours that reflect a lot of light, i.e. bright colours, are better captured by the eye than dark and muted colours. In addition, colours that occur less frequently in nature, such as neon colours, are perceived better and faster because they stand out more from the background. In addition, there is the fact that humans react to movements and can very quickly identify humans as such on the basis of known movement patterns. Once identified as a human being, it is easy for us to anticipate potential movements and directions of movement.
And what does that mean for my outfit?
This means that a cyclist in a completely neon-orange outfit littered with reflective stripes is most quickly perceived by other road users and recognised as a cyclist. However, then we'd be completely high-viz , which might not suit everyone's taste. The thing is: It can also be done more discreetly!
If you make sure you put the right accents in the right places, you'll get by with less than a complete neon suit. Note: Make large surfaces and areas that are in motion clearly visible. Reflective strips are often enough to attract the attention of other road users.
For tops such as jackets, vests or jerseys, a striking colour is a good choice due to the comparatively large surface area. However, a dark top with sufficiently reflective details can also work well. However, it should be noted that reflective elements only function when illuminated with light. So you won't be seen as well in a dark jacket with reflective strips as you would in a brightly coloured jacket when visibility is generally poor. But as soon as it's dark and headlights are used, well-placed reflective strips work fine.
Making movements visible
At the points that are permanently in motion during cycling, it is always worth optimising visibility. For example, with clearly visible shoes you can focus on the part that moves up and down with every pedal stroke. Of course, an appropriately visible overshoe has the same effect, with the advantage that it is much cheaper than a completely new shoe, and you can put it on when needed.
When choosing your knee and leg warmers, you can make sure that they have reflective elements at the ankle or knee level, as these areas are also in permanent motion. The same applies of course to your trousers, depending on the length reflective elements on ankle and or knee come into question.
Your hands and arms are also in a lot of motion when cycling, especially to give signals, be it as a turn signal or if you want to draw other rider’s attention to potential dangers such as potholes. The same applies here: bright colours are very clearly visible, as soon as headlight light is added, well-placed, reflective elements attract even more attention. If you would like to use arm warmers for in between the seasons, you can make sure that these are also equipped with reflective elements.
What else can you do?
Beside your outfit you can of course also optimise points on your bike for better visibility. For example, tyres with reflective strips increase the lateral visibility of your wheel enormously when a headlight shines on them. They are also located directly at the right height for this, so that you are well noticed at intersections and when turning. The same applies to spoke reflectors or reflective stickers, which you can apply to the rim, for example. Or you can try out a handlebar tape with reflective details on your Road bike.
Of course, the lighting of your bike also plays an important role. Only very few people will think of starting a ride without a light in the dark, after all, you don't just want to be seen, you also want to see. When choosing your lighting, you can also make sure that the lateral visibility of the bicycle lamp is good, in addition to the luminous power and lighting duration, and thus provide a further accent for better visibility.
The thing is: it's the mix of everything that makes the difference! Even if you don't want to cycle as a completely neon-coloured disco ball, you can make sure to be seen well. You only have to pay attention to the correct distribution of visible accents in order to attract the attention of other road users so that they see you immediately.
