Assos' new 2/3 RS line

[vertical_doug]

But the real problem is it takes 4 seconds to unlock your iphone.

At 30 mph = 44 ft/sec
At 40 mph = 58 ft/sec
At 50 mph = 73 ft/sec
At 60 mph = 88 ft/sec

[WFSTEKL]

But the real problem is it takes 4 seconds to unlock your iphone.

At 30 mph = 44 ft/sec
At 40 mph = 58 ft/sec
At 50 mph = 73 ft/sec
At 60 mph = 88 ft/sec

I don't disagree with your data. The fact of the matter is, if a cyclist is well illuminated, the motorist's argument that the cyclist was invisible will be harder to pass by a jury and/or judge. The cyclist might be dead, but his family is not.

[Greg Costello]

I live on a heavily wooded island in the Pacific Northwest where most two lane roads have narrow if any shoulders. A lot of folks ride here, to and from work and for recreation. And of course it rains all winter and sunrise will soon be after 8 am and sunset around 4:30. Over the past year I have been very conscious of the conspicuity or lack thereof of cyclists when I am driving. Lights are, by far, the best. Absent a light, bright particularly neon-type colors standout from the surrounding landscape the best. Particularly if on a moving body part like booties, gloves (to a lesser degree) and helmet. White is pretty good. Reflective elements of course for low light and nighttime. Black, dark blues etc just blend in; on a rainy fall winter day, riders without lights and in dark colors virtually disappear. I've gone to a bright orange POC helmet and orange or neon yellow booties/overshoes/gloves. Sold Shakedry that was all black and picked up the one with neon yellow elements but that will be more of a summer raincoat. Lolly red Campy rain gear for the wet months. I think you can get by with black jackets if you have enough of the other elements mentioned, particularly with lights, and it might be a different case in a more open landscape where black would stand out more as a siloutte against a light ambient background.

[Matthew Strongin]

I live on a heavily wooded island in the Pacific Northwest where most two lane roads have narrow if any shoulders. A lot of folks ride here, to and from work and for recreation. And of course it rains all winter and sunrise will soon be after 8 am and sunset around 4:30. Over the past year I have been very conscious of the conspicuity or lack thereof of cyclists when I am driving. Lights are, by far, the best. Absent a light, bright particularly neon-type colors standout from the surrounding landscape the best. Particularly if on a moving body part like booties, gloves (to a lesser degree) and helmet. White is pretty good. Reflective elements of course for low light and nighttime. Black, dark blues etc just blend in; on a rainy fall winter day, riders without lights and in dark colors virtually disappear. I've gone to a bright orange POC helmet and orange or neon yellow booties/overshoes/gloves. Sold Shakedry that was all black and picked up the one with neon yellow elements but that will be more of a summer raincoat. Lolly red Campy rain gear for the wet months. I think you can get by with black jackets if you have enough of the other elements mentioned, particularly with lights, and it might be a different case in a more open landscape where black would stand out more as a siloutte against a light ambient background.

This is generally my approach. The Shakedry jacket I have is so good that I won't give it up. But I'll wear a white/bright helmet and shoes with fluo green heels when it's raining. I've seen photos from friends and it's neat how much the shoes pop. And the fact that they're moving helps catch people's attention. And lights all the time. Every ride, anytime day or night (or early morning).

PS - Sorry about kicking off the major thread drift...

[rwsaunders]

Both my front and rear lights have a pulse mode option which is claimed to be better than a bright flash mode, in terms of not blinding a driver...who knows. I ride with lights in the daylight and I have received positive comments from folks who saw the lights from afar, then recognized when passing, that the schmuck in the lycra was me.

[GrantM]

I will add that when you are mowed down by a distracted driver, they will always claim that they didn't see you.

they can't say "sorry" they were looking at their phone!

-g

[GrantM]

But I'll wear a white/bright helmet and shoes with fluo green heels when it's raining. I've seen photos from friends and it's neat how much the shoes pop. And the fact that they're moving helps catch people's attention. And lights all the time. Every ride, anytime day or night (or early morning).

moving feet/legs are what makes it easier for you to be identified as a cyclist,
which is what you want, not to be mistaken for a stationary road sign.

-g

[GrantM]

"black sells because it is the only color offered."

H. Ford

I don't think Assos has ever made a colour i'd wear, their choices are terrible, imho, which is why
so many people seem to default to black.

It's true that black far outsells every other colour in cyclewear, with the brands i've sold/distributed,
but in today's environment, hi-viz is a thing for most brands. the challenge i personally have is the
lack of options in between. I have no desire to dress like a traffic cone, but don't want to be limited
to black. Rapha seems to have found a reasonable balance these days, with Brevet options of hi-viz
trim, and a mix of conservative colours i'd actually wear in the ProTeam or their other collections.


-g

[WFSTEKL]

I don't think Assos has ever made a colour i'd wear, their choices are terrible, imho, which is why
so many people seem to default to black.

It's true that black far outsells every other colour in cyclewear, with the brands i've sold/distributed,
but in today's environment, hi-viz is a thing for most brands. the challenge i personally have is the
lack of options in between. I have no desire to dress like a traffic cone, but don't want to be limited
to black. Rapha seems to have found a reasonable balance these days, with Brevet options of hi-viz
trim, and a mix of conservative colours i'd actually wear in the ProTeam or their other collections.


-g

I have a drawer full of Assos kit that I pull from regularly. The newest pieces in the collection are thirteen years old; the oldest are about twenty. That vintage was durable, and nicely styled. My most recent purchases beginning about a dozen years ago have been from Rapha. I prefer the styling and function. I don't need a penthouse, just a pair of shorts. I like the direction of the Brevet series. I only have one Brevet short sleeve jersey, but will pursue other Brevet items once I punt the kit that becomes translucent. Should be soon.

[GrantM]

I have a drawer full of Assos kit that I pull from regularly. The newest pieces in the collection are thirteen years old; the oldest are about twenty. That vintage was durable, and nicely styled. My most recent purchases beginning about a dozen years ago have been from Rapha. I prefer the styling and function. I don't need a penthouse, just a pair of shorts. I like the direction of the Brevet series. I only have one Brevet short sleeve jersey, but will pursue other Brevet items once I punt the kit that becomes translucent. Should be soon.

Yeah, I had a similar experience. They first lost me with the bibs with the purple pad, those upper straps were terrible, imho.
Then they apparently forgot how to make a jersey, and as my gear finally started wearing out, i waited for them to get their act together,
honestly mystified why such proven basic design elements now escaped them. I finally just gave up on them, they and me
don't seem to agree on what I want to wear.

-g

[Lionel]

This makes 3 of us then.

[Octave]

Both my front and rear lights have a pulse mode option which is claimed to be better than a bright flash mode, in terms of not blinding a driver...who knows. I ride with lights in the daylight and I have received positive comments from folks who saw the lights from afar, then recognized when passing, that the schmuck in the lycra was me.

I'd love to know where this info came/comes from.

Here, it is actually not legal to use a flashing or pulsing light in the front.

I've now built front Son dynamo based wheels for both of my regularly used bikes. Both have Sinewave lights in the front (750 lumens when moving at full speed, down to 200 if I'm crawling at 8kph) and wired in to a Supernova E3 taillight in the back (205 lumens). When its nasty out I slap on an extra 300 lumens via the Lezyne Pro Drive strip. I feel a million times better knowing that I'm well lit at all hours and the comfort of never having to worry about charging a light is aces. Plus, the Sinewave has a USB-out so I haven't had to plug my phone into a wall in the last month. A normal day's amount of riding (for me, 75km altogether) charges my phone completely. Pedal power!

That being said, I still keep a fluorescent helmet cover and ankle bracelet in my framebag for when the weather gets crappy. In that case I'm visible top (helmet cover), bottom (ankle) and in the middle (lights).

[rwsaunders]

^ Frequently Asked Bike Light Questions - The Bike Light Database

Vis 18 Pro: Premium Bicycle Taillight with Sidelights - Light & Motion

Taken from a page from the bmwmotorcycletech webiste...

We humans have some characteristics that are common with other primates. Some of our responses, particularly to color & light bursts, are relatively unique. It has been known for a very long time that human's eye/brain responses to light bursts are peculiar.

Some of today's knowledge about this subject was known by Augustin Fresnel, who invented the Fresnel Lens, which, when rotated, was very commonly used in seaside lighthouses. Fresnel found that using a lot of prisms in such a position as to result in a collimated radial light beam, would produce a beam of light that could be seen by mariners at a great distance. Lighthouses had been in use for a very long time, long before there were electric powered lamps. Unfortunately, Fresnel did not know about the Broca-Sulzer Effect.

Broca & Sulzer determined that short pulses of light of a certain duration will appear brighter than if the pulses lasted longer in time (or, for that matter, a steady un-pulsed beam).
There is much more to Broca-Sulzer, but here is what is important on a practical basis, assuming a quite modest or brighter light source: If the light duration is over 0.150 second, the light burst only marginally appears brighter than a continuous light. The effect is more if the light is quite bright. BUT ...if the light duration is around 0.044 second, a light of maybe 150 to a few hundred Lux, will appear very much brighter than a continuous light.

I will guess that some of you will immediately think: "Well, bright light causes the eye's pupil to contract to protect the eye, so a short burst will not last long enough for the pupil to become smaller", so, yeah, sure... the light appears brighter. NOPE! If you think about it, & the above paragraph, note CAREFULLY that the 0.150+ second duration is only marginally brighter-appearing, than a SHORTER duration effect, comparatively ...etc. So, the pupil effect is NOT pertinent, and the effect noted is quite prominent at very very low light levels, where the pupil is already wide-open.

[vertical_doug]

I did wave in the new RS Spring/Fall Jacket. It is a really nice piece of kit. The elastic ribbed sleeves are pretty nice.