Night riding

[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!".

[onimity]

All things considered I prefer to ride during the day, but since it is going to be completely dark before I leave work in a couple of weeks, I don't have much choice. I ride home on some country roads that are not lit, so lighting is really key to me.

I have a reasonably bright CatEye Opticube on the front of my bike, it isn't good enough to really see anything in total darkness, but it works fine on lit paths and helps get the attention of cars. I usually use it in blink mode.

I have a super-bright headlamp that I wear on my helmet. It is blindingly bright and does a great job of illuminating the road/signs/etc. I much prefer it to an on-the-bike lamp because it lights up what I am looking at.

I attach as many blinky lights to the back of me & my bike as I can (I have a collection of them) and I have a timbuk2 bag with a reflective panel (like this one...though TE doesn't carry the one I got anymore). I went in search of the bag after I saw a guy riding with one at night, the reflective panel is huge and really bright. I get so many comments from both cyclists and motorists, day and night, about the bag.

I wear reflective leg bands too, the movement of legs draws attention too.

Anne

[malaholic]

I am a newbie who just recently started riding at night also....the lack of peripheral vision is a little odd, but I'm finding that I really enjoy it. You'll want to wear shades with clear or yellow lenses so that you'll still have eye protection - especially because bugs will be attracted to your bike lights. Bright and/or reflective clothing is definitely helpful, especially on your legs where the motion will call attention to the reflectors, but realize the cars are going to be fairly close to you already by the time they see your reflective clothing or bike reflectors. Bike lights are the most important factor both for seeing and being seen.

Regarding front lights, there are a lot of choices out there for a lot of different price points; your choice will be dependent on how much you want to spend, and what you need for where & how long you'll be riding. For me, 10 miles of my commute are on a moderate-traffic road with no shoulder whatsoever, so I ended up getting an HID light (Planet Bike Alias HID) and I don't regret it even though it was pricey, because I know my beam can be seen on the road from a long way out from all directions (I'll possibly be mistaken for a motorcycle or a car with one headlight out - but I'll be seen nonetheless ) I have a Planet Bike Superflash blinky as my rear light.

I also carry with me a small, inexpensive LED headlamp (Petzl Tikka) as a backup. It will serve as an emergency light in the event that either my battery or bulb fails, and it will give me hands-free lighting in the event that I need to change a flat.

Good luck with the night riding, let us know how it goes!