BIKEPGH MESSAGE BOARD ARCHIVE

i like the cuffs, but the pockets are a bit much.

now if carhardt would make cuffs like that

Those reflective fabrics are not as good as the advertising makes them look, and they're way too expensive. "real" automotive reflectors are so much better it's not even funny. Note that any time you see an ad photo for reflective fabric, there's never a taillight or a decent reflector to be seen. And that's before you wash that clothing a few times.

People really should test their night gear. Find a couple of friends with bikes and someplace really dark. Then see how visible your night gear is, first with only your own lights, and then with a car headlights shining toward you. I'd tell you all the things I learned, but you'll believe them so much more if you do it yourself.

You can buy reflective velcro closing straps--really reflective--at REI (and probably lots of other places). They're useful as a replacment for 'trouser clips' and when you put them around your ankles they are even better than the pedal reflectors you probably don't have any more.

pants from goodwill + striping from a reflective vest stitched into pant legs as "piping" or the REI closing straps for cuffs.

You could probably make 3 or 4 pairs of what I suggested for the cost of 1 pair of those fancy pants.

I read an article recently that stated one of the best and easiest ways for a cyclist to be sure they are visible on the road is to use reflective strips around the ankles. The combination of light (reflected) and motion catches the eye faster than just light -- even if the immobile light is somewhat brighter. And, when a reflective strip is caught in a car headlight, they can be very bright. I prefer the velcro closure straps that you can buy at any decent sporting goods place for about $5. They come in fat and skinny versions. I prefer the skinny versions, as I find them more comfortable. The fatter, multi-stripe versions might be better on some situations, however.

regardless of your price quibbles i'm more interested in the idea, which is genius.

i'm buying a roll of 3m reflective fabric and sewing it inside my carhardts in my @ home sweat shop for 1/8th the price... those yuppies in SF will never compete with my DIY prices... however you do it, having normal khakis or cords while not riding which a cuff roll turns into reflective saftey pants... so good.

@imakwik1 how high are you going to line the inside of the pants with the reflective material? I ask because some days I roll high, somedays low.

I have and regularly use one of the $5 strips Swalfoort mentioned. They work as described, but I have the recurrent problem of them working loose from my shin and ending up around my ankle. They might still work for visibility, but this allows a longish pant leg to get caught on something. This doesn't always occur, but I've never come up with a reliable way of keeping them in place. Hence sloaps's Goodwill pants and striping idea sounds really good.

i was actually thinking of doing it by riveting snaps into the leg, you could just do a female at the bottom male's up the side at varying places depending on the "roll" height, carhardts do this already to tighten the leg at the bottom and it works like a charm

i was actually thinking of doing it by riveting snaps into the leg, you could just do a female at the bottom male's up the side at varying places

just curious...what's the female/male component refer to?

The gender of the snap connector.

ah! I see. Wow, never thought of a snap connector having gender but there ya go. Interesting.

get yer mind out of the gutter

get yer mind out of the gutter

Erok's right: take the whole lane.

Mick

^^Applause.

whoa, mick, why didn't you think of that during the sticker slogan thread

next year! did those stickers come through?

they are on the way