Best helmet for visibility? (color on underside of rear)

Anyone know of a good helmet at a good price for visibility safety?

I'm thinking that an optimally visible helmet would be a bright color
with the coloring extended under the rear 'tail' of the helmet so that
drivers can still easily see it from the rear when a rider is going
hard with their head tipped down a bit.

Any brand/model ideas? Links?

--JP

On 6 Nov 2004 10:24:51 -0800, (Jeff Potter) wrote
in message :

Anyone know of a good helmet at a good price for visibility safety?

Do you ride a recumbent? On a wedgie you will get much better value
by wearing a fluorescent jacket.

If you are really concerned, try a pennant on a pole, available from
recumbent and trailer bike shops. These wave around like crazy on
their flexible poles and are really visible.

Guy
--
May contain traces of irony. Contents liable to settle after posting.
http://www.chapmancentral.co.uk

88% of helmet statistics are made up, 65% of them at Washington University

Jeff Potter wrote:

Anyone know of a good helmet at a good price for visibility safety?

I'm thinking that an optimally visible helmet would be a bright color
with the coloring extended under the rear 'tail' of the helmet so that
drivers can still easily see it from the rear when a rider is going
hard with their head tipped down a bit.

Your head probably isn't tipped down as much as you think, unless you stare at
your feet while you ride. Put a strip of good, 3M reflective tape around your
helmet, and a few pieces here and there on your bike and clothing.

Matt O.

"Matt O'Toole" wrote in message ...
Jeff Potter wrote:

Anyone know of a good helmet at a good price for visibility safety?
[ ]
Your head probably isn't tipped down as much as you think, unless you stare at
your feet while you ride. Put a strip of good, 3M reflective tape around your
helmet, and a few pieces here and there on your bike and clothing.

I just like sensible design.

I've made up for bad design in the past with lots of tape. It's ugly.
I'd like to refresh my 15-yr-old helmet scene with a product that
doesn't need to be uglied up to work. A good solid color should do the
trick.

Regarding the other reply, I ride all kinds of bikes and notice how
different biker items look when I drive. No jacket for me unless it's
cold and the jacket is real breathable. And no pennant making noise. A
forward-facing white strobe plus red rear blinker seems like good
ideas, tho.

--JP

Jeff Potter wrote:

I've made up for bad design in the past with lots of tape. It's ugly.
I'd like to refresh my 15-yr-old helmet scene with a product that
doesn't need to be uglied up to work. A good solid color should do the
trick.

Strips of reflective tape don't have to be ugly. Use your artistic sense, and
make a nice pinstripe, or artfully placed dots or something. You only need a
little bit to be effective -- even a 1/8" pinstripe would work.

Regarding the other reply, I ride all kinds of bikes and notice how
different biker items look when I drive. No jacket for me unless it's
cold and the jacket is real breathable.

IMO, all cycling clothing should have reflective material built in. Even little
bits of piping can be very effective. I have a black backpack with a couple of
3" zipper pulls made of reflective cord, and even those show up in headlights
from a hundred feet away. Strangely, this kind of piping appears on lots of
clothing, without being reflective. Stripes are "in," but unfortunately not
reflective ones. It's even more important these days with dark colors being in
fashion. I don't understand why my Sidi shoes, which are purely bike shoes,
don't have a reflective patch on the rear, which just about every running shoe
in existence does.

I was discussing all this yesterday with a friend who did the RAAM this summer.
He was describing the RAAM requirements for reflective material, etc. He has
silver reflective tape on his bike, which blends right in with the bare Ti
finish. Nice, and very effective. You can get good quality reflective tape in
all kinds of colors these days, even black, to match whatever you're putting it
on.

Matt O.

Thanks! You make VERY good points for reflecto tape. I'll do it! I
like the pinstriping in matching colors idea. But I also have to have
my stuff be visible in all weather, including plain old daytime.
Anyway, I went and ordered an Orange Limar, on sale at Perf. We'll see
how it plays!

There's a racer-type around here who trains at twilight in murky,
no-reflectors, no light, in basically a road-camo outfit/bike:
gray/navy/black---on a dark navy bike, blackwall tires, navy helmet.
They wear winter gear that's all dark, too. I'm very surprised. My
wife and I both note how this rider is VERY hard to see when we
encounter him/her while driving---I usually see them on the other side
of the road and do a doubletake before I pick up that it's a cyclist.

---JP

6 Nov 2004 10:24:51 -0800,
,
(Jeff Potter) wrote:

Anyone know of a good helmet at a good price for visibility safety?

Personal observation:
Fluorescent Hot Pink (in daylight) followed by White (under most
lighting conditions), Hi-Viz lime green, yellow.

I'm not looking for pennants so have only noticed them after spotting
either the white helmet or jersey or brightly coloured jacket or
trailer. After ascertaining what it is, do I see the orange pennant.
This time of year they're less effective with the autumn background.
--
zk

On 6 Nov 2004 10:24:51 -0800, (Jeff Potter) wrote:

Anyone know of a good helmet at a good price for visibility safety?

I'm thinking that an optimally visible helmet would be a bright color
with the coloring extended under the rear 'tail' of the helmet so that
drivers can still easily see it from the rear when a rider is going
hard with their head tipped down a bit.

Any brand/model ideas? Links?

--JP

I've had no problems applying adhesive-backed reflective tape to the
styrofoam sections of helmets, including the bottom back section. In
ten years and three helmets, I've seen no signs of the adhesive
attacking the foam.

Then again, bright clothing and/or lights are probably more effective.

: I've had no problems applying adhesive-backed reflective tape to the
: styrofoam sections of helmets, including the bottom back section. In
: ten years and three helmets, I've seen no signs of the adhesive
: attacking the foam.

I haven't had any problems applying it, either. It's getting it to stay in
place that has been the problem for me. Maybe it's the Texas summertime
heat, but the reflective tape just curls up...

Pat in TX

On Sat, 6 Nov 2004 21:46:30 -0600, "Pat" wrote in
message :

I haven't had any problems applying it, either. It's getting it to stay in
place that has been the problem for me.

The solution is to buy non-adhesive reflective and glue it on with
cyanoacrylate.

Guy
--
May contain traces of irony. Contents liable to settle after posting.
http://www.chapmancentral.co.uk

88% of helmet statistics are made up, 65% of them at Washington University