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.
@ten B
Designed by Cipo, so it gets a pass. It is somehow awesome in its garishness and Rule Violations.
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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.
@scaler911
This helmet is much better looking than those new Giro aero helmets.
@V-olcano
Anyone who is already a velominatus or wants to follow The Rules won’t buy it.
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).
@E
There are many things that would make cycling a little bit safer.
But we choose a line between safety and style.
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
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.
Exactly,
Wear what you want but look pro while doing it.
@girl
Or…
@the-farmer
And don’t wear a YJA.
@G’rilla
+1 badge to you, matey. Spot the fuck on.
@ChrisO
Ahh, that YouTube dork. “Carb the fuck up! I don’t drink coffee anymore! All pros are on the hot sauce!” The bird was the smartest person in that clip
@frank Safety = Rule #59
My thinking is, if this yellow jacket thing is important to you, for being seen by automobile drivers etc, then maybe get some obscure continental team jersey or a former team design or defunct team jersey which has a lot of yellow in it. e.g.
Something like that has to be a little bit better than looking like a ‘elf ‘n safety guru, surely.
why would anyone cover up the V kit???? That’s insanity.
@Dan_R
WTF is that black thing ? Worse than those bleeding toe cover monstrosities.
@strathlubnaig Its a arm warmer shrug for the ladies by Nalini. Italia women’s fashion and the women coming into the shop like them. The bottom of the jersey has this…so they don’t want to cover it up
or this…
@Dan_R okay. Thanks for clearing that up.
@Dan_R
If they don’t want to cover their jerseys up, then I suggest they don’t. That thing is ridiculous.
Never understood how offeded some seem by others choice of attire, I think I’d rather worry about when I can next spin the cranks than some other douche..
@the Engine Nah its baby cheeses
@brett
Italians and women’s clothing – not about function.
Bang on! Develop skill, confidence, and competence. YJAs are the ‘daytime running lights’ of cycling – soon to make all invisible.
@ChrisO I’d settle for the handshake, thanks.
@E I’m not against the YJA as something that increases safety, but my bugbear is more about how people in YJAs negate that difference by behaving irresponsibly on the road. Mind you, cyclists in all garb sometimes behave badly, its just that YJAs stand out (by design).
@Beers I’m offended when “cyclists” break road rules and tar me with the same brush. I could care less what other people wear.
However, I try to make sure I ride with people who care about the ride (bike, kit, behaviour, coffee), like @brett and @Rigid.
@ChrisO Yep, thought it might be an Australia only phenomenon. Thankfully our Magpies are vindictive fuckers so seem to target these knob-ends fairly well despite the apparently deadly spears of thin plastic protruding from the helmet.
@frank
@Boltzmann
I ride like a tractor on the road, “Wide Load, Please Pass”. Very, very, very rare have a horn toot. I appreciate patient motorist and give them a wave of thanks for waiting/letting me through. No matter what colour kit I wear, definitely no YJA for all the reasons mentioned above.
http://commuteorlando.com/ontheroad/animations/narrowlane/narrowlane.html
@Dan_R
Talk about a con job, as if there aren’t already enough bits of kit to buy, someone in marketing dreams up that little beauty, bet it costs as much as an actual jacket!!
The VMH knew what it was called FFS!
@E
Not sure about your analogy here..?
By far the greatest proportion by area of a flak jacket is not designed to stop a high velocity round (which incidentally in war zone is far more likely to be 7.62mm or 5.56mm) but in fact is a Kevlar weave designed to prevent the round exiting and taking half your gizzards with it. The only parts designed to stop a round are the front and back chest plate that cover the heart.
i don’t believe the YJA can help at all here. It does however make you highly visible and therefore a sitting duck for any snipers in the vicinity!
I could almost understand that Shrug thing if it came down a little further at the front.
But as it sits above the breasts it means that in cold and rain I suspect they will need to be reaching for the nipple lube.
@Deakus
Unless I’m shooting at you in which case you’re probably pretty safe
@brett
Seconded. That thing is ridiculous. Wear arm warmers or a jacket like the rest of us.
@ChrisO
Hee-hee.
@frank
Oh, it runs into the jacket price range. We only brought a few in to see if the women would like them. They are popular. That said, my pre-order deliveries are slow, so I don’t have any jackets or arm warmers in yet.
@strathlubnaig
Ugly beyond belief. Either wear an appropriate jacket or do what we ddid back in the day – stick a plastic bag up he front of your jersey.
Dan is just trying to make a living I guess. Whatever sells ! That’s capitalism.
Aesthetics and the misguided faith in visibility the YJA instils in the wearer aside, it’s the smug sense of Authority the magic cloak bestows that gets me. I’ve had YJAs scold me for wearing black kit, for riding in the rain without fenders (or not having sufficiently long mud flaps when I was riding with fenders) and for passing them without shouting a warning. It’s almost as if the garment comes with a list of anti-V rules they are required to enforce.
@Dan_R
@strathlubnaig
That’s what the drug dealers say too. Before you know it this shit will be selling in the schools. You ever seen what something like that can do to a kid?
@Dan_R surely you are pulling some sort of elaborate prank?
The good thing about a “shawl” (is that what they are seriously called?) is that i can only guess it might be rather difficult to put on in the middle of a ride. Hopefully the misguided souls who buy these will self-select themselves out of the gene pool when they try to put one of these on mid-ride.
That being said, they could be big in the tri market!
@pistard Exactly. Maybe there should be a YJA parody site of the Velominati. There’s a similar sense of misguided authority in both… :)
If the moon walking bear was Danilo di Luka would it make a difference? – I bet it would.
In encouraging Velominati to not wear fluro you are trying to kill us.
A club member last weekend was killed on a spot I ride through all the time and where the shop ride had been 10 minutes earlier; one of 12 cyclists dead in the last 6 years in my home region; last year Ben, Aubry and Uwe were badly smashed (multiple broken vertabrae, two with significant head damage, all with massive injuries) – we are not talking knee pads here. This isn’t the same as Rules about the colour and length of your socks.
Talking yesterday with people who had the horrible experience of being first to last week’s fatality no-one was caring about complying with the Rules as they looked for her – but how visible she was or was not might have saved her life.
The comment “There is nothing I hate more than….” sounds earily like the attitude of those tiny portion of motorists that are actively opposed to cycling. Mostly people aren’t out to kill us, death and maiming comes from inattention and distraction.
Of course we should adopt and maintain smart riding techniques; but if wearing fluro gives one tiny split-second quicker awareness to a distracted driver then it may save a life – possibly even mine, which I am very fond of.
Velcro-fronted hi-vis jackets for building sites and traffic wardens breach the Rules by not being cycling kit. On the other hand Vini Fantini- Selle Italia ROCKS it. I tried buying a set but all the normal sizes are sold out everywhere.
Seriously – stop putting people off wearing hi visibility cycling kit. You just might kill someone I know.
@HeinrichHausslersHairstyle
, MTB shoes, business socks, unshaven legs, non invited drafting, quick-ties looped through helmet to ward off magpies, non-cycling sunglasses, Shimano Tiagro group set on a budget priced Giant. Chapeau to you for getting out and riding but for fuck’s sake I’m not your brother in arms so don’t talk to me about it being a great morning for a ride.
I’m guessing their haircuts are not up to snuff either HHH?
@Erik Andersen
While I’m sorry for your losses, and injuries of your friends, I think you’re missing the point. Let me say up front that I’ve been in the back of an ambulance from “distracted driver” hitting me on my bike. Twice. And I’ve had friends and people I know injured and killed.
It really matters not what color kit you wear. “Hi-Vis” yellow means shit when a driver is texting and driving with a Venti latte between their legs, Bruno Mars cranked on their favorite pop station, kids screaming in the back seat. That’s on the driver of an automobile, not us. If we all wore “red” it’d have the same result. While I don’t have the time or inclination to see if anyone has actually done a study, I’d bet that you couldn’t correlate kit color with being hit by a car.
No one here is saying you have to do anything related to these rules or articles. But while I can’t speak for everyone here, you’ll never see me in a YJA.
@pistard Nah, thats just coz us cyclists love to bitch. We bitch about YJA, they bitch about you looking fantastic. It’s just how cyclists roll, right?
@Erik Andersen I appreciate the danger, but it’s going a bit far saying the rules or article are trying to kill? I mean, you can’t hold this community to that, really? I understand where you are coming from but the Rules aren’t a life and death situation like they are often made out to be. Sure, some are obsessive about compliance, but no one is going to be at the end of your driveway to tell you to stop riding because you wear and tell your friends to wear a YJA and it breaks the rules. No one is going to report you to the Keepers.
You won’t all of a sudden be any more or less awesome than you already were. You will just be you, going for a ride. YJA or not. IMO, the whole idea is to get people keen to ride, and to be interested in the bike, the craft and the sport. This owes you nothing, and you owe nothing to it, just take from it and contribute to it what you will, as long as you enjoy.
The article is about fashion, that’s all.
You and @scaler911 aren’t going to change each other’s mind over the interwebs, and as I understand, the only resolution is you must both meet at dawn at an HC climb and repeat until one of you has noodle legs and is dropped.
@Erik Andersen
You have spectacularly mis-interpreted the article.
The point is that many people who don this gear seem to adopt an attitude that it offers them protection, when the greatest risks they face are from poor riding based on a mistaken sense of visibility and safety. There are more effective ways to be visible and more effective ways to ride better. There is also plenty of reflective material which doesn’t scream yellow.
It also contributes to the sense that cycling is a dangerous activity. Although your circle seems to have had an unfortunate run of injuries, cycling is not inherently dangerous relative to other activities and transport modes
There was a study a few years back from Dr Ian Walker at the University of Bath – it was focused on helmets but found that drivers gave less room to people wearing them because they felt they were more predictable. The safest thing was to be a blonde woman with long hair and no helmet because they had no fucking clue what you were about to do. I suspect the same would apply to high-vis.
@Erik Andersen
Seriously – stop putting people off wearing hi visibility cycling kit. You just might kill someone I know.
I sense an enourmous amount of frustration from you which is understandable given your recent experience. I would be surprised if there is a regular long term cyclist who has not known, or known of, someone who was badly injured or killed on their bike but the fault only ever lies with the person responsible whether that be the careless or distracted driver, or the cyclist jumping lights.
I am not seeing whole bunch of people here who are putitng people off high visibility cycling kit. I see very casually deliberate cyclists on a daily basis who are highly visible. It is not just how you look, or whether you have a Christmas tree on the back of your bike for visibility, it is about how you ride…..eyeballing the motorist coming out of a junction…not being on the inside of the articulated lorry turning left at a junction (swap the left for right in the rest of the world).
The article is about……style, and style matters. Riding a bike is dangerous, it always has been and it always will be. I have a wife who rides horses, she accepts that every time she gets on a horse, she is at the mercy of chance and happenstance. She wears a helmet, but….she does not wear body armour, a neck brace or a back guard. She wants to ride the horse and look awesome doing it and she takes that chance everytime and both she and I accept that.
If I ride my bike, and I get hit by a car from a distracted driver, then that is not my fault, that is the drivers fault. I happen to believe that the “way” in which you ride has far more impact on your visibility than what you wear.
You still will not see me wearing a YJA. If the car driver cannot see my lights then no amount of flapply fluoro plastic will help either….and I certainly don’t want to be going to hospital wearing one….as my granny always said to me, wear a fresh pair of pants everyday, you never know when you might be in an ambulance with someone needing to take your trousers off!
@scaler911
@Beers
@ChrisO
@Deakus
Well said, all of you. Anecdotally, I’ve been hit by cars three times in the past two years. Twice while wearing colourful kit (Razesa/Spain jersey, orange Dutch jersey) and the drivers swore they didn’t see me. Third time I was wearing black and he DID see me, but turned left across my lane because he didn’t think a cyclist would be moving that fast. The last was the only one I walked (limped) away from. I start from the position that riding a bicycle automatically makes you invisible to motorists. Magic jackets (or hats) cannot substitute for awareness, education and experience.
@Beers
Fixed your post