Night riding

[ninerfan]

So I am a newbie myself, have had my road bike for about 2 mos, and recently switched to clipless pedals (2 days ago in fact! ). As it begins to get darker earlier, I know I will find myself returning home in nearly complete darkness. Therefore, riding time becomes a bit more sketchy.

How do most of you find riding at night to be? How feasible is it and what kinds of adjustments will have to made, equipment and so forth?

[sundial]

Ninerfan, I don't know what kind of roads you will be traveling, but when I rode home on the streets at dusk, I found the headlights hit at the right angle and I was temporarily blinded. Now I get home before the sun sets low to avoid any problems.

[enzed]

I enjoy night riding. In Sydney, the weather is starting to warm up, and the night air can be refreshing.

Bright clothing is essential, a bright safety vest might be dorky but it works.

Decent bike lights are also needed. I'd go with 2 rear lights & a decent front light (or 2).

Some reflective tape on the bike & helmet is also a good idea

And last of all, some common sense. Keep to well-lit streets, be aware of your surroundings, carry a moblle phone & spare tube, and stay away from off-road bike paths.

Have fun out there

[Wexy]

anything reflective is really important, but make sure you're also wearing light clothing, so a driver can easily identify the glowing object...

I ride with yellow lenses at dusk and at night. The yellow reduces the glare from street lamps and oncoming cars.

Make sure you're paying close attention to the road, as cracks and bumps are far less visible... I didn't realize how much I use my periphery when riding until it was so dark that I had to really focus in order to avoid cracks (and a possible crash).

[Delta7]

I sometimes ride in Danville on the Iron Horse trail at night. The Dinotte light is great in the dark and I feel safer. It's a little pricy for some, but I can see the path and be seen when I'm on the road with cars. The customer service is great, btw.


http://www.dinottelighting.com/Products.htm

Nashbar is selling at decent (high) price

http://www.nashbar.com/profile.cfm?c...d%3A%20DiNotte

Cheers!

[Dianyla]

Due to my extended work+school hours, for me bike commuting almost always means night riding, even around summer solstice.

I have all of the following mounted on my bike:
Super bright Red blinky light (Cateye TLD-1000) on the end of the rear rack
4 spoke lights mounted on the front wheel, for side visibility (Hokey Spokes)
Super bright White front headlight (Exposure, rechargeable bright LED)
Second white front headlight (Cateye Opticube) that I keep on strobe mode (it is also a reasonable better-than-nothing backup light in case I've forgotten to charge my LED light)

And then I wear:
Plain ol' red blinky light on the back of my helmet
Bright yellow vest or jacket or rainjacket

So far I've been able to see and be seen quite well with this setup. Many cars give me a wide berth, and are generally polite because they don't get scared when I appear "out of nowhere!".

[PscyclePath]

So I am a newbie myself, have had my road bike for about 2 mos, and recently switched to clipless pedals (2 days ago in fact! ). As it begins to get darker earlier, I know I will find myself returning home in nearly complete darkness. Therefore, riding time becomes a bit more sketchy.

How do most of you find riding at night to be? How feasible is it and what kinds of adjustments will have to made, equipment and so forth?

I ride a good bit at night this time of year, since my start time and usual route mean I'm coming back at least half way in the dark.

1) Lights and reflective gear are key. Lights have two purposes on the bike... first, to let motorists and other riders see you coming, and second to let you see where you're going. In both cases, you need active lighting systems, e.g., something with light bulbs that emit lots of light. Don't rely on reflectors alone. Reflectors are passive; they only reflect light that's aimed at them, and by the time your reflectors show up in a motorist's headlights, you probably have a big ol' "deer-in-the-headlights" look yourself.

2) Get a good set of headlights that hrow enough light for you to clearly see the road or trail in front of you. Typically, the rechargeable battery kind are best. You'll spend a good bit of money, as the more resonable sets will come in around $120 or so, but lights are one of those things that you usually good a good bit of illumination for the extra money spent. Also, a good bright blinky light for the rear of the bike. To be street-legal in most states, your bike must have a white LIGHT on the front that's visible for at least 500 fett, and a red LIGHT on the back that's visible for at least 600 feet. Some states will allow you to substitute a red reflector on the back for a red light, but it still must be visible for at least 600 feet. New bikes come with white and red reflectors, but that's a wholoe 'nother rant... The law requires active lights.

3) One of the basic principles for riding on the road is Be Visible. In addition to its usual application to your position on the road, you should wear light or bright-colored clothing. Blue, black, gray, brown, and green are not good jersey colors for low-light rides. White, yellow, orange, that odd chartreuse that many vendors call "hi-vis" are excellent choices.

4) Supplement your lights with reflectors... both on your bike, as well as your riding clothing. Reflective strips on your jacket, a reflective vest, etc. are all good. I bought an MTB helmet for night rides, and duded it up with some Scotchlite (TM) reflective tape for better visibility. I'm a big fan of "Tire Flies," (http//www.tireflies.com) which are little lights that thread onto the valve stems and light up as the wheels go 'round. These fo a great deal toward making you more visible in the dark. Those little reflectors on the back of your platform pedals are some of the most efective means of attracting attention in the dark, because of the motion.

5) Be alert, and ride defensively. Motorists aren't going to expect to see a cyclist out at night, and often aren't as alert as they would otherwise be in the daytime. Night time also brings you a higher probablity of encountering an "impaired" motorist who's had a little too much "refreshment," or who are simply tired, and/or have poor night vision. So be very careful. Stick to the back streets as much as you can on Friday and weekend nights, as this is when the drunks are most likely to be out.

6) Be extra careful at intersections and when making turns... again, motorists are less likely to be looking out for you. Don't let yourself get caught out in the intersection when traffic lights turn yellow (or, especially, red). Be more cautious, and stop on the yellow.

7) Slow down, so that you don't outrun the reach of your headlights... e.g., so that you can safely stop once you see a hazard in your lights. Never assume a motorist has seen you, since your lights are easy to get overwhelmed and missed against the brightness of automobile lights.

8) If you're blinded by someone else's oncoming headlights or overbright street lights/athletic field lights, don't look directly into the beam. Look off to one side and use your peripheral vision. One advantage of the MTB helmet is that it has a visor, and I can use that to help block a blinding light, sort of like a sun-shade in the car.

9) Turn signals can be difficult when you're riding on the streets... having a reflective band on your wrists can help your visibility here, but what I've found to be super-useful are "Glo-Gloves," reflective gloves intended for traffic cops and others, available for around $15 at http://www.night-gear.com.

Hope this helps a bit...

TOm