Guest Article: Down with the YJA

Bicycles and automobiles- can’t we all just get along? @Kah writes about this universal (do aliens have this issue also?) problem of us co-existing with humans in cars. We all drive cars too and have cursed the occasional cyclists for some good reason. Cars are our greatest threat. We can crawl away from our own bicycle crashes, thanks very much. We always lose when a car is involved. Thanks for contributing @Kah.

Yours in Cycling, Gianni

High-visibility jackets offend me. I’m not in the position to judge fashion really, and generally don’t care what other people wear, but something that tarnishes an entire mode of transport as unsafe and dorky is not okay. These garments misinform the general public that cycling is an unsafe activity (look, that cyclist looks like a lit up flare and a Christmas tree had a baby!), they make all other cyclists look like dorks.

Now, I’m not picking on genuinely introverted people, but people who are just less comfortable interacting with other vehicles on the road. As someone truly in love with spinning pedals on the road, I don’t see why there is this reticence to spend time on the road. The footpath is by far the worse option: congested with pedestrians, littered with signs, and unpredictable in its ebb and wanes.

There’s a spectrum of how happy you are with sharing the road: going from very uncomfortable to exuding quiet confidence before becoming attention-seeking and finally there is a thin line to obnoxiousness.

Uncomfortable, more introverted cyclists tend to hug the kerb, trying to stay out of everyone’s way. Every potential interaction is exaggerated; every passing car becomes a danger. Confident cyclists who are experienced know when to draw attention to their intentions, when to back off while negotiating between quickly moving cars, and how to tell the difference between a passing maneuvere that is actually dangerous and one that is not even worth commenting on. This comfort around other road users is something you can cultivate, but not one you can fake.

Attention-seeking cyclists and obnoxious cyclists tend to feel more self-entitled. “I’m a vehicle/road user too!” is the common mantra of these cyclists who don’t feel inclined to offer the same courtesy they demand to the other road users. To be fair these rolling douchenozzles tend to be the same regardless of vehicle.

My problem is, the introverts are trying to make up for their meekness with the artificial posturing afforded by the YJA. Their mistaken assumption of course is that this magical garment bestows visibility, and thus invincibility in traffic, leading some to jump to the illogical conclusion that they have automatic right of way in every circumstance by virtue of the highly visible jacket.

Magic jackets are not the answer to safer cyclists. Learning to share the road on a bicycle is the answer. Anticipation, not hindsight.

Fucking cyclists.

kah

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View Comments

frank says:

May 18 2013 at 8:15 am

@ten B

And here's a question for the keepers: will the Farnese Vini/Vini Fantini kit ever be acceptable attire?

Designed by Cipo, so it gets a pass. It is somehow awesome in its garishness and Rule Violations.

[dmalbum: path="/velominati.com/wp-content/uploads/readers/frank/2013.05.18.15.01.37/1/"/]
frank says:

May 18 2013 at 8:27 am

I think it was @Cyclops who said that black is the only color that truly does not occur in nature and is therefor not used in any (US) camo. That means that the full Zwarte V-Kit - especially in it's latest 100% black incarnation, is the most visible cycling getup on the planet.
wiscot says:

May 18 2013 at 8:40 am

@scaler911

Lately, I've been trying to be more of a "hey, at least they're out riding" kind of guy. That is until I receive unsolicited advice on my choice of kit/ bike/ position relative to the fog line. It doesn't happen often, but when it does, it always comes from someone dressed like this:

@ChrisO

I'm sending you one of these:

This helmet is much better looking than those new Giro aero helmets.
snoov says:

May 18 2013 at 9:02 am

@V-olcano

@snoov

I could be out of line here, but it seems to me that Rule #2 and Rule #3 don't allow you to pawn that YJA off on someone else. I suppose you could include a note in the listing noting that it may not, under any circumstances, be used for cycling. On the other hand, you could always use it to make a kick-ass scarecrow!

Anyone who is already a velominatus or wants to follow The Rules won't buy it.
E says:

May 18 2013 at 9:35 am

I find this article baffling and similar in some ways to the argument some put up against wearing cycle helmets. Now don't get me wrong I am not in favour of bringing in a law making wearing helmets or high vis jackets compulsory but wearing either does not make cycling "look" unsafe or in my opinion "dorky" either. Compared to many activities cycling is relatively safe but there are risks as well so anything that makes the activity a little bit safer can only be a good idea (no?). But whether you choose to avail yourself of the option is entirely up to you.

I have heard helmets and high vis jackets for cyclists compared to flak jackets for soldiers. The argument made is that a more permanent answer to unusually high levels of lead pollution in the air (ie in the form of high velocity 9mm rounds) is to stop the fighting, not to start wearing protective clothing. Well true enough as far as it goes but until this happy state of affairs is reached troops will continue to wear their flak jackets and I will continue to wear a helmet and a high vis clothing.

We could all ride our matt black bikes at night, dressed in black, helmet less and without lights if we wanted to and hope that car users avoid us but there is a concept in the UK of contributory negligence and I don't think you would get much sympathy from a judge if you were involved in an accident and were seeking compensation from a driver who had driven into you.

(BTW yes I know lights are mandatory on a cycle at night but so are pedal reflectors and a bell and how many of us have those).
G'rilla says:

May 18 2013 at 10:00 am
@E

...anything that makes the activity a little bit safer can only be a good idea (no?).

There are many things that would make cycling a little bit safer.
- Knee pads
- Elbow pads
- Downhill neck brace
But we choose a line between safety and style.
the-farmer says:

May 18 2013 at 10:08 am

Hear hear E,

I wear a fluoro top and gilet, I think the issue others have with YJAs is the people who wear them not the actual garment. I wold argue that a YJA that fits well and looks good is not a YJA but just a colour choice. I feel that I look worse with my long sleeve blue jersey than when in the fluoro combo. However thatcouldn't be because I have good looking arms unlike some of you twiglets! I am seriously going to swing for this iPad autocorrect I feckin hate it. Could be not couldn't be!

In summary, well fitting tops yes, builders hi vis FOR THE LOVE OF GOD NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOi

If in doubt refer to rule 4
RedRanger says:

May 18 2013 at 10:13 am

So am I stupid for riding XC MTB with just a standard road kit, ie bib and jersey? if I run into a cactus I can't think of anything that will save me anyway. So I choose to be comfortable and looplas good as I can look.
the-farmer says:

May 18 2013 at 10:16 am

Exactly,

Wear what you want but look pro while doing it.
Dan_R says:

May 18 2013 at 10:44 am

@girl

What makes the wearing of a YJA even more ridiculous is when there is a decent kit on underneath. If you are going to wear a YJA teeming it with good kit does not make it a forgivable offence.