Reflectivity & Visibility: What you need to know

Now that the clocks have changed and winter is rolling in, it’s inevitable that the daily commute by bike or the early morning weekend ride may involve some riding in low light conditions at some point.

Whilst there’s no substitute for a good level of awareness from all road users, Rule 59 of the Highway Code advises cyclists that ‘light-coloured or fluorescent clothing can help other road users to see you in daylight and poor light, while reflective clothing and/or accessories (belt, arm or ankle bands) can increase your visibility in the dark’.

One of our core principles at Altura is to provide cyclists with thoughtfully designed, reflective and high-viz kit options to maximise comfort and improve the overall riding experience. Features such as waterproofing and improved breathability offer greatly improved protection from foul weather and sweat build-up when you’re working hard. However, it’s the increased visibility that our Autumn Winter outer layers provide, that have helped garner a reputation for quality in our more than 25 years of trading.

Reflective material embedded in our kit, reflects the artificial lights of vehicles and can be visible up to 3 times as far away as white clothing. Due to their makeup, reflective fabrics and coatings typically aren’t the most breathable, so in recent years we’ve focused on utilising these materials in key areas such as piping and branding to ensure visibility is still maximised but comfort for the rider is not compromised.

Reflective jackets are quite possibly the most convenient way to include reflective detailing in your outfit. Easy to throw over work wear on the daily commute and often water or windproof to keep you warm and dry.

For the road cyclists, our Icon Rocket Packable Jacket offers a portable and practical option for staying visible at any time of day or night, whilst also keeping the showers at bay with a durable DWR coating and Pertex Quantum™ fabric. All in a package light enough to store in your back pocket.

Our Nightvision Typhoon Jacket offers incredible reflectiveness. Available in bright green, red and black, the Nightvision Typhoon features silver reflective detailing in key areas such as the arms and back, providing a level of reflective visibility in all directions. While bright colours and reflective panels are a good way to make you stand out, we all know that lights are paramount to a safe ride home in low light conditions and are a legal requirement. With that in mind, we developed our Nightvision Electron Waterproof Jacket with the SCILIF™ lighting system uniquely integrated into the shoulders and back, emitting a light which can be seen up to 3km away. The Nightvision Electron jacket lights the way to a more visible ride in the dark.