Riding. Alone. In the dark.

tommyjay

tommyjay

Not-So-Venerable Asshat
Does anyone do road miles in the dark? If so, what kind of gear (lights, etc) do you recommend?
 
I've done it, but it's not exactly ideal where I live (Bergen co.) Your best bet is to get some real bright lights (front and rear) and some highly reflective gear.
 
Light yourself up like a Christmas tree. Make yourself brighter or more noticeable than anything they would expect to see on the road. Then you will be safe.

How far you have to go depends on the areas you will be riding. In a brightly lit urban area, you'll need lots of light to get noticed. In a rural area, you can get away with far less.

I nearly always do primary and secondary lights. Both front and rear. One light may be overlooked or not recognized properly (as a person riding a bike) two lights in different areas? That will draw greater attention.

Handlebar and head in the front. Seat post and some other place in the rear. Never too close together. Up high is better as it will not be obscured by other cars. Brightest lights on the bike with secondary lights on front and rear of helmet are golden.

Reflective stuff is good too. Especially if you encounter many intersections. Cars from the side may miss the lights. Add reflective stuff to parts of the bike that are in motion. Tape between two spokes, on the crank arms, etc.

Now go be a night rider. I often find it to be safer than during the day. Drivers will take notice and let off the gas simply due to curiosity. They give you a wider berth too. Strange but true.
 
I ride at night at least 3 days per week. The woods are more fun and safer...but I prefer riding the road at night because there is less traffic to contend with.

In addition to what other posters said, don't use too many lumens on the road. It blinds oncoming drivers and is not good. The point is to be visible and not blind other users of the road. Use the brighter setting when there are no cars around. In some ways a handlebar light as your main light is better since you can look at cars without pointing your light directly at the driver.

Attaching a blinky light to the back of your helmet is good because it sits up high and increases visibility.

I also use one of these ( http://www.nightgear.com/amphipod-reflective-xinglet-flash-led-vest/ ) which I got as a gift last year.

Be safe and enjoy!
 
Got lights.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B003Z88PSI?pc_redir=1407428272&robot_redir=1

I use two of these for my commute ( typically only need one on at 'medium' intensity ) tracking battery charge can get tricky and lights go off abruptly, better to have two lights.

Stick with roads where you normally ride and know all the gravel/potholes. Some annoying car with HID headlights or brights will blind you from time to time and you had better be familiar with the road or you will plow into a pothole.

Not sure if it is safe to do as a 'normal' ride too often.

-W
 
when there is an approaching car you can use their light to help spot pot holes. i ride in the dark a lot (mostly in the mornings). i agree with what others have said - on the road i like the handlebar light as my main source of light. try not to stare into the lights of on coming cars. some people do it without even realizing it.
 
Yes, what Ben said. I have found that people often slow down more at night also. That is the "WTF is that" factor. I don't think the bright clothing does much if anything for visibility on rural roads but a good blinky is a must on the rear.

Knog blinders is the best I have found for the rear blinky. Multiple patterns and bright as anything and rechargeable.

Light and motion urban series is great and has openings in the side for some side visibility. The are small, inexpensive and for the road, you need nothing more than the 700 on the bars, even the 550 is plenty.
 
always felt safer riding at night. you can see the headlights behind you too, for some reason... it's comforting?
 
Another vote for the Light & Motion products, they are awesome. The Vis180 is bright as heck and a charge lasts forever. Front is either a Taz 1200 or Urban 550 for me.
 
I love night riding and log at least 1k miles/year at night on the roads for commuting and fun on all types of roads around Morris & Sussex counties and further afield over the past 8 years or so. I have done a few rides from dusk til dawn so I have had a lot of time to form preferences. I made the switch to generator lighting a few years ago and have not looked back. I do not miss the days of recharging my batteries every 2nd or 3rd ride and wondering if they will last if I want to explore an unknown road and extend my ride. I got tired of getting flashed by oncoming traffic because my beam pattern was optimized for singletrack. It seemed pretty dangerous to blind or annoy the drivers around me.

The initial investment of a few hundred buck, a few hundred grams and a new wheel build was significant but I am totally satisfied. I’m using a SP Dyno front hubbed wheel wired to a Lumotec IQ Cyo plus headlight permanently mounted to my front rack. The beam pattern is unbeatable if you are doing a lot of night road riding. It is an automobile like square beam with horizontal cut-off which gets brighter as it is thrown further down the road. It does not annoy or blind oncoming traffic. The light output is nice and even, very easy on the eyes. Drag from the hub is too small for me to notice. To compare, I have used a DiNotte 200 something or other for a while and it fatigued my eyes, it was way too bright in the nearfield (killing my night vision)and threw needless light up to the sky. Leveling it so I wouldn’t blind oncoming traffic had me wishing for more throw down the road.

I prefer any old $20 simple rear battery light set to steady aimed straight back. Cheaper ones explode when rattled and the mounts suck. The mount must be solid! I have used a lot of models from CatEye which are okay, Planet Bike (superflashes are not waterproof), my favorite is a Spanninga that has lasted several years now, wish I could find another. The surface area that lights up red is large, I also like that it is bright enough to cast some red light on the bikes rear tire and the road behind. I am using rechargeable aaa and will stash extras during winter of when I’m out for a long ride. I do like a rear light clipped so that it is visible if I look back/down to ensure it is on and able to operate it while riding. Winter time and long rides I strap on another rear light as a back up, usually a small Blackburn flea.

I like to use reflective ankle bands, the multicolored ones from REI and a reflective sash band from Jogalite (I don’t use the waist strap, just throw it over a shoulder). In winter when I do a lot of night riding I add a reflective GloGlov to my left glove for signaling left turns and stops. Reflective stickers are cool too. The reflective bar ends from Bontrager bar tape seems good. I always use a cycling cap with a brim to shield my eyes from oncoming headlights. I yank the brim down when needed, it helps a good bit. I also carry a simple petzl headlamp in case I need to change a flat or read a cue sheet, works fine wearing it on my forehead with the band over the back of my helmet. Always clear glasses to deflect bugs.

If I am on main roads, in town/city or weather is bleak or there just seem to be a lot of yahoo's out I may set my backup rear light to blink while the other remains steady. I may add the headlamp in case I need to 'flash' someone for attention.

Remember to tell someone details or your route and when you expect to return home.

I really love a good night ride, I like the creepy, 'whats lurking out there' feeling when well off the beaten path.

My friends and I meet for a full moon night ride every month. Fullmoonadventureride.wordpress.com We have tons of fun and we all agree that with good equipment and safe predictable riding, we feel very safe out there.
 
I look like a X-mas tree from the back.

1 blinky on my bike
1 blinky clipped on my Jersey pocket
1 blinky on the back of my helmet.

When I ride road at night I only use my helmet light, that way I can look away when I see an oncoming car.

I also take all back roads on my night rides. Most of the time I do a quick 1hr local road loop with less than 10 cars passing me.
 
I always ride with a blinking rear light regardless of time of day. Every little bit helps. Seems like I'm in the minority but I really think quality reflectives are equally important on any night road ride. I've seen riders from a drivers point of view and the bright movement of a reflective piece always catches my eye more than even the brightest lights. There's so many things with lights these days and sometimes its hard to tell what the light is actually from and its distance based on its size. If you want to be safe just go overboard. It doesn't matter how cool you look.
 
sometimes i run two L&M Seca 1700s (bar and helmet), and Knog red on seat post. Single Seca is good enough but love extra light.
 
Just invested in an L&M Seca 2000 Race for the front and a Micro for the back. Gonna head everyone's warnings and get reflective tape and vest/jersey and give this thing a try.


My family doesn't like me enough to let me have fun if it inconveniences them, so my riding has been relegated to first thing in the morning. :cry:
 
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