As, sadly, we are London based, Respro thought it’d be rude not to let us have a go with their new’ish Hi Viz, brighter than lighthouses, range of unfortunately necessary urban survival gear. How eagerly it was all snapped up when the parcel arrived is an indication how essential a cycling accessory this stuff is.
Respro sent us a Short Sleeved Waistcoat, the Bag Tags and a Bag Cover. In addition Maria, who runs SURFmagic.co.uk, bought a pair of ankle bands around the same time. All the products are very function orientated with the Waistcoat being cut on the large side, presumably because they sell a lot of them to motorcyclists. The Bag Tags are very simple clip on glare creators which seem to be completely impervious to dirt and grime. All Hi Viz products use super-reflective stirps strategically placed so they are at headlight level when you’re on the bike.

There’s no escaping it, the Hi Viz gear is really, really visible day and night. If have to ask yourself whether you need to wear something as bright as Hi Viz on the roads then it’s probably best for everybody if you stay off them.

For the large part everything has worked really well. The only gripe is with the ankle bands that frayed along the edge a bit. In fairness to Respro though the ankle bands frayed on the first day and haven’t got any worse.

Prices: Short Sleeved Waistcoat: £24.99
Bag Tags: £8.99
Bag Cover: £19.99
Bag Tags: £8.99
Ankle bands: £10.99

Good, durable gear that might well save your life. For further information, about their anti-pollution masks – there’s nothing about the Hi Viz range, you can check the Respro website. Or you can ring them on 020 77217300.