Getting darker earlier

[beccaB]

I'm very not happy that daylight savings time is over.Now it will be harder to find enough daylight to go for a decent ride when I get home from work at 4:30.
What are some of the coping mechanisms you guys use for this?

[Aggie_Ama]

There are night rides which can be fun although I am not a fan, the farm animals scare me when I can't see them! You could get a trainer and become buddies with Coach Troy.

Personally when it gets dark early I run a lot. Our local trail is well lit and right next door to the fire station so the firemen (and women) plus the local Constable are usually out. It feels safe enough to be out at dark and come Christmas time they decorate the light poles with Christmas lights. Of course I do live in Texas and can be outside year round quite comfortably.

[Grog]

Now that I commute 30K a day to work (on my bike) I am riding in the dark most of the time. (And in the rain, too...)

But I also run a lot more in the winter months. When I'm on my bike in the rain, I wish I was running. When I'm running in the sunshine and high temperatures, I wish I was cycling.

[tulip]

Becca, can you ride your bike to work? When I commuted on my bike, I rode to work in the morning (in the light) and took the Metro home in the evening when it was dark. It worked pretty well.

[beccaB]

Becca, can you ride your bike to work? When I commuted on my bike, I rode to work in the morning (in the light) and took the Metro home in the evening when it was dark. It worked pretty well.

Call me a chicken, but I have not had the courage to ride my bike to work yet.
I don't know how to change a bike tire yet, and I'm worried about being late. I work in 2 hour segments with breaks in between(school bus driver) and I value my time alone at home while my teenagers are in school. It probably only takes me 25 minutes to get to work on a bike. The weather here changes on a dime, and it's hard to figure out how to dress for it. On some days, if it ended up being bad at the end of my work day, I could probably have the husband pick me up. And yet, I've made every excuse in my mind to not do it. I'm pretty creative that way!

[arielmoon]

I am considering commuting but I would have to ride both ways and I worry about getting caught in a thunderstorm. I am actually considering trying it on Wednesday. 17 miles one way and I am going to allow an hour. I will have to shower and change at work. :P

I have a borrowed trainer and frankly I HATE IT. There I said it. It does not feel like the road at all.

[tulip]

...I work in 2 hour segments with breaks in between(school bus driver) and I value my time alone at home while my teenagers are in school...

Wow, that sounds like the PERFECT schedule for riding during the day. You don't have to ride after dark--you can ride in the middle of the day! And I can tell you, that is a nice thing to be able to do--low traffic, lots of light, and the warmest part of the day.

[Jewell]

Call me a chicken, but I have not had the courage to ride my bike to work yet.
I don't know how to change a bike tire yet, and I'm worried about being late. I work in 2 hour segments with breaks in between(school bus driver) and I value my time alone at home while my teenagers are in school. It probably only takes me 25 minutes to get to work on a bike. The weather here changes on a dime, and it's hard to figure out how to dress for it. On some days, if it ended up being bad at the end of my work day, I could probably have the husband pick me up. And yet, I've made every excuse in my mind to not do it. I'm pretty creative that way!

beccaB, I would really encourage you to give biking to work a try. When you have some free time try just riding to work to get to know the route you'd be using. Though I'm sure you comfort level depends on how good the roads are where you live (rural or urban).

I know when I started commuting to college and work it made me feel so alive. Night riding can be nerve racking, but its always a good idea to have a light you can see with.