Quite a few people have asked me why I started see me wear. After all, I’m 76, not exactly a kid. But, I like a challenge and I see such a need for the product, I simply couldn’t pass it up. Anyway, staying active may keep me around a little longer.
As a cyclist I’ve had my share of close calls with motorists. In some cases the driver is deliberately trying to come close to the rider to scare him or threaten him. There isn’t much you can do about that, except use a mirror and get off the road when someone looks threatening.
Well meaning non-riders tell me to ride on bike paths, but many paths are packed with walkers and runners and you must ride very slowly. On many paths it’s hard to get any kind of a distance ride. So we ride on the roads with cars.
I believe a lot of riders are hit because the driver didn’t see them, even in broad daylight. Drivers are easily distracted; adding electronic devices to the mix has made it a lot worse. Add to that the greater number of bike commuters and it’s quite dangerous out there.
A lot of riders add to the problem by wearing dark clothing making them hard to see. Bike shops sell clothes for style, not visibility. Further, a lot of riders are young males who feel immortal; I know, I raced sports cars in my long gone youth.
After a series of recent cyclist deaths I decided to try and do something about the visibility problem and developed a cycling jersey that would be very difficult not to see. The jersey uses brilliant colors; orange, yellow and lime printed in fluorescent inks. The design is a chevron pattern with alternating colors. It’s BRIGHT!
Hopefully it will prevent cyclists from getting hit, but it may have another benefit, if someone wearing it is hit or deliberately brushed, the very brightness of the jersey will make it harder for the driver to claim he never saw the cyclist.
Producing see me wear clothing is an act of love on my part and I didn’t want to turn it into a money making venture, so I decided to give profits to the rails-to-trails conservancy. They do great work turning railroad right of ways into bike trails, the kind of trails that a road cyclist loves; not many runners and good long distances.
I also decided to produce the jerseys completely in the U. S.; they are printed and sewn together here in North Carolina. I want to do my tiny bit to help support American workers. As sales increase and we can order in larger quantities we will cut the price as much as possible; so we can get as more jerseys out there.
Recent research proves that fluorescent colors are seen from a far greater distance by drivers. If you cycle please wear fluorescent clothes. We’d like you to wear see me wear, but if not, be sure to insist on fluorescent. It really does make a difference. And ride safely. – Earle Bower
