In the pursuit of making bicycle commuting safer we’ve seen bike lights that shine in several directions, helmets and backpacks with built-in LED’s, and even devices that illuminate your bike’s rims but one product that really shined in our eyes was Proviz’s Reflect360 jacket.
Bikerumor first tested the original Reflect360 jacket back in 2014, and we were immediately impressed by the excellent all-around visibility it provides, even in semi-lit dawn/dusk conditions. The jacket has since seen a few revisions and was even updated with the perforated Reflect360+ that we also reviewed, but the most noticeable update has just been announced – the Reflect360 CRS is now available in several different colors, all which reflect light just as well as the earlier silvery grey models.
The company’s latest campaign on Kickstarter was fully funded in just six hours, and there’s still plenty of time to buy one of these clever dull-by-day, bright-by-night jackets…
The CRS part of the jacket’s new name stands for Color Reflective System, and the creators claim it’s the world’s first all-color 100% reflective cycling jacket. After many requests from Proviz’s existing customers, the newest version of the Reflect360 jacket is available in blue, green, red, yellow or black.
So how does it work? The jacket’s shell is made from a special material that is embedded with millions of tiny glass beads. By day the fabric appears pretty much normal, but when light shines on the glass beads it reflects back in brilliant white (regardless of the fabric color you choose). Our previous tests found the jacket’s reflectivity to be impressively strong and highly effective at reflecting direct and indirect light sources. Proviz’s reflective material won’t last forever, but does have a life span of up to 20 wash cycles.
The Reflect360 CRS is constructed from a waterproof shell material with seam-sealed construction and storm zippers to keep the elements out. The waist has a drawstring and the cuffs have Velcro adjusters to cinch the jacket down tight when nasty weather demands. The jackets also feature two chest pockets, shoulder vents, a lowered tail section and a soft-touch fleece lined collar.
Our previous tests found the jacket offers a relaxed, commuter oriented fit which is nice for accommodating insulating layers underneath but proved a bit baggy for serious road riding. Potential buyers might also want to know that there’s no stretch in the reflective, waterproof shell fabric. Temperature wise, we felt it was most ideal for colder days hovering somewhere around the freezing point.
The Reflect360 CRS jackets are available in Men’s sizes XS-4XL, and Women’s UK sizes 6-16. Currently Kickstarter supporters can buy a Reflect360 CRS jacket in any color for $85 USD but that price will eventually go up to $183. Delivery is expected for November 2016, and check out the Kickstarter campaign for further details.
