Nothing new about it: The little furry mammals developed that strategy to survive among the dinosaurs (which is why we are here)...
Anyway, now my next door neighbor wants to ride at midnight... And he ain't one of those crazy bums on a Huffy. He even bought a vest with blinking lights (DUI drivers and SUV drivers chatting on the cell phone should be able to see him). And his bike cost him 2 grands (important in this hierarchal jungle where you are what you drive), so I guess he better find a use for it. The other day he told me he didn't have the nerve anymore to ride in traffic (he ain't no chicken, he's a veteran), which leads to this daring survival strategy. Actually, I do the same with my canoe, where the motorboats put me at the bottom of the food chain in the day time.
Well, our dinosaurs (SUVs and motorboats) make us get smarter and get nocturnal. And I can only hope Darwin was right: "It is not the strongest of the species that survive, nor the most intelligent, but the one most responsive to change."
NOTE: I told my neighbor to knock on my door. Just in case I'm sleepless... ;)
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With enough lights and reflectors I often feel a little safer at night.
Speedo
Pat
It depends on where you are riding and at what times.
Of course, a couple of blinkies and a good strong headlight are essential. I have heard people suggest having a blinking white light up front plus the headlight.
When I have ridden at night, I ride on lightly travelled roads and early in the morning. The early morning drivers tend to be alert and courteous. Curiously, around here at least, no one stops for stop signs before 6 AM in the morning. They slow but not stop.
John E
I would avoid midnight to about 3 a.m. because of the drunks, but post-sunset and pre-dawn hours can be great, if one has sufficient illumination. As others have mentioned, a well-lighted cyclist is probably more visible to motorists under these conditions than in broad daylight, and traffic volumes do tend to be light.
harleyfrog
Quite possibly the coolest thing for night time riding is a down low glow (http://rockthebike.com/lights/downlowglow). Me like. :D
AndrewP
At night the beam from the car headlights lets you know there is a car approaching long before it appears around the corner.
StrangeWill
I would avoid midnight to about 3 a.m. because of the drunks, but post-sunset and pre-dawn hours can be great, if one has sufficient illumination. As others have mentioned, a well-lighted cyclist is probably more visible to motorists under these conditions than in broad daylight, and traffic volumes do tend to be light.
The #1 thing to worry about though, is because of this one of two situations:
1) Drivers won't have an issue moving over into another lane for you.
2) On one laned roads, drivers are thinking the same thing and not paying as much attention.
Because of the later I'm not riding home from work at night :(
Nycycle
I feel safer at night as I think I am more visible due to my bright lights flashing, on the down side I don't have as good as view of the road hazards...........................
bizzz111
I ride at "night" (3:30-4AM) all the time. Much more fun and imo much more safe than coming back home in the afternoon.
I have a choice of either a MUP or the roads. In the dark I'll take the roads because they are much better lit than the MUP (which is completely pitch black) and cars are pretty much a non-issue. Coming home in the daytime, I'll take the MUP for most of the way mostly because it's a more scenic ride.
I haven't been riding around midnight-3AM, and as other posters have mentioned about the drunk driver, I'm not sure I would want to.
Diligent Nose
lights, and just being aware of where cars are, and reacting to them.
Ed Holland
I commute during the dark winter evenings. It's something to which one can quickly become accustomed. One does need to take account of certain things though. One is that it's near impossible to make and confirm eye contact with other road users, in the way one might when riding in daylight to acknowledge each others presence whilst making a manouver. This calls for leaving larger margins of safety when riding in traffic. Occasionally drivers neglect to dip lights from the brights/full beam position. This can be very disorienting.
Benefits: cars approaching from behind give themselves away with headlight beams & the shadows cast from your bike. This usually affords plenty of time to think about road position, especially on quiet roads.
twobikes
Several have mentioned shadows cast by car lights approaching from behind. Not only do they warn of approaching cars, but the direction of the shadow also tells you if the car is moving to the left to give you more room.
I wear plenty of reflectors, too. I have a lime green vest with a 4 inch band of reflective material all the way across my back. I wear reflectorized Velchro straps to hold my pant cuffs. I added adhesive reflector strips to the back of my helmet.
I have a flashing LED taillight. Simple blinkies are not very bright and not easily seen once you get more than a dozen feet away. A friend has come upon me while I was riding at night. He said he sees me from half of a mile away.
Once there was a thread that suggested drunk drivers actually home in on a flashing taillight as if it were a target. I do not know why, but flashing bicycle taillights are illegal in Germany.
I have "flashed" my headlamp at drivers who do not lower their high beams and with some success. I do this by putting my hand over the light and removing it. They usually dim their lights after half a dozen flashes, but not always.
I have a small LED flashlight with a pocket clip I fit onto the visor of my helmet. It moves with my head and helps define my shape for oncoming traffic. I also have a 3 LED headlamp. I know my route so well that it is adequate for helping me avoid obstacles.
I learned early not to look at the lights of an approaching car. Not only do they blind me, but you tend to steer toward what you are looking at, and that can be very dangerous.
I do feel safer at night than in the daytime. I have ridden at just about every hour during the night at one time or another. My riding is on blacktopped country roads.
MetalClydesdale
I used to have to ride home from my night job on some fairly busy streets and I always took my operating instructions from Neal Stephenson. I would ride like I was wearing a shinning neon suit and there was a $100,000 bounty for the first driver who could hit me.
Riding with that assumption I was never hi, I always seem to have gotten hit during the day.
DonQuixote1954
"Get a bicycle. You will certainly not regret it, if you live."
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twobikes
The Mark Twain quotation about not regretting the acquisition of a bicycle, if you survive has a specific context. It referred to a penny farthing high wheel bicycle. These were notoriously difficult to mount and dismount without crashing, especially for beginners. It really does not apply to riding the bikes we have now.
DonQuixote1954
The Mark Twain quotation about not regretting the acquisition of a bicycle, if you survive has a specific context. It referred to a penny farthing high wheel bicycle. These were notoriously difficult to mount and dismount without crashing, especially for beginners. It really does not apply to riding the bikes we have now.
Yeah, but the problem now is not the bicycles themselves, but the crazy drivers out there! :eek:
rnorris
I've alternated between riding during the day and at night for decades, and with the advent of good durable lighting systems, I agree with previous posts that riding at night is actually safer than during the day- if you have proper lighting. Just recently I had to cut back on nighttime riding due to insomnia problems (stupid aging body, never had the problem before) and I'm amazed at how much more cavalier and impatient the daytime drivers are. I get far more respect on the road at night when I'm lit up like a christmas tree than during the day. I ride with a bright steady headlight for visibility on dark roads, with a blinking headlamp on my helmet to catch drivers' attention, and at least two blinkies on the back.
chipcom
Yeah, but the problem now is not the bicycles themselves, but the crazy drivers out there! :eek:
Dude, get a grip.
Rex G
On fairly quiet streets, where there are not so many other vehicles' lights to obscure my lights, I seem to be safer at night than during the day, based on the number of near-misses, which might or might not be intentional, plus the number of motorists that seem to be more careful to give me a wider berth. On busy streets, the difference between night and day is not so distinct. I do like to avoid the midnight to 0300 time, most nights, due to the greater percentage of drunk drivers. I used to go on my longest rides on Sunday nights, when my area would be blessedly devoid of drunk drivers, but I now work on Sunday nights.
One of the above posts mentioned the inability to make eye contact; that seems to work both ways; with a motorist unsure of whether I see him/her, they seem to steer a more careful course past me. Sometimes I do look at their windshield, but quite often I keep my focus lower, to preserve my night vision, and they might think I don't see them.
One factor in my not fearing night riding, is that I am used to doing all kinds of things at night, from running to scuba diving to working police patrol. People have often indicated that I seem to have better night vision than they do, but, alas, as I age, I find that diminishing.
Speedo
Dude, get a grip.
+1
Riding in traffic can be annoying and frustrating an occasionally scary, but if it were really a case of dicing with death every time I went out, I wouldn't be doing it.
Speedo
JohnBrooking
With how cheap red blinkies are, there's no reason to have just one. Have 2 or 3! I set the one on my helmet to steady (for better tracking of my movement), and one on my seatpost and another on the back of my belt, both set to blink for getting attention among car taillights. That's in addition to the yellow flourescent jacket with reflective strip, reflective detailing on my panniers and boot heels (I wear boots in the winter), and of course the standard bike reflectors.
In the front, Cygolite Rover and sometimes a small blinking white light on the helmet.
Twice in one night two winters ago I had motorists compliment me on my visibility in the dark!
Creakyknees
Good thread.
One thing I've learned is that, lights n all, I should still act as though I'm invisible.
Case in point this past winter a minivan coming in from the right, blew the stop sign and nearly took me out. I was lit up and reflective and everything... but it's empty streets, he didn't see a "car" so he rolled the turn thru the stop sign.
OTOH, I do love me some warm summer night riding under the moon!
.
Ed Holland
One thing I've learned is that, lights n all, I should still act as though I'm invisible.
Wise words.
LittleBigMan
A well-lit cyclist is far more visible at night, and from further away, than a daytime cyclist. I have ridden many hours in darkness without the slightest problem from motorists.
In darkness, I'm more concerned about unseen obstacles in the road in front of me than I am about other road users. I recommend front lights bright enough to see the pavement clearly, which is more light than is needed just to be seen by motorists.
And +1 on avoiding peak drunk-driving hours.
invisiblehand
Lights ... lots of them ... I use a helmet light to attract the attention of traffic at intersections + reflective strips.
DonQuixote1954
A well-lit cyclist is far more visible at night, and from further away, than a daytime cyclist. I have ridden many hours in darkness without the slightest problem from motorists.
In darkness, I'm more concerned about unseen obstacles in the road in front of me than I am about other road users. I recommend front lights bright enough to see the pavement clearly, which is more light than is needed just to be seen by motorists.
This a good point, which has led me to the following conclusion: It's a good idea to use a front suspension bike because it would absorb potholes and pebbles. My mountain bike is my favorite.
invisiblehand
This a good point, which has led me to the following conclusion: It's a good idea to use a front suspension bike because it would absorb potholes and pebbles. My mountain bike is my favorite.
I understand the argument. But I think that it is way overkill unless you commute with a small-wheeled bicycle.
IMO, slap on some fat tires -- Big Apples! -- and you will be fine. I use 32mm tires at a moderate pressure and most bumps, potholes, and pebbles are just absorbed. If you are worried about the hug potholes then go with the super fat balloon tires. If the hole is so big that a 60-559 mm tire is unable to handle it, then I would be surprised if the suspension did much to save your teeth.
SonataInFSharp
I feel much safer riding at night, from a "don't get hit by a car" perspective.
I worry more about personal safety at night, though, since I don't live in a spectacular area.
Ed Holland
I ride a road bike with 23 mm tires - no real problems there in comparison to daytime usage.
On the subject of visibility - on quiet roads a well lit cyclist is easy to see. However, in urban areas with more traffic and other distractions, it is harder to stand out. The places I really find one must watch are intersections where traffic from adjoining streets has a merging right turn lane (USA). More times than I care to think, a motorist's brief leftward glance for cars, has not been sufficient to recognise the presence of the cyclist (me) and yield as required.
Ed
invisiblehand
I ride a road bike with 23 mm tires - no real problems there in comparison to daytime usage.
...
Ed
I agree that skinny tires will give more than acceptable performance for many people. My bad for insinuating otherwise.
Ed Holland
I agree that skinny tires will give more than acceptable performance for many people. My bad for insinuating otherwise.
Hey, no problem. I understand that some of us might feel more confident with beefier tires :).
Bekologist
you own the night when riding in the dark sometimes. riding even busy streetscapes become different in the evening hours- i think this is some of the attraction to the midnight riderz night rides in LA and other locales.
fat tires make a LOT of sense as you roll across a pothole that would have bent your openpros and pinch flatted your open corsas..
chipcom
fat tires make a LOT of sense as you roll across a pothole that would have bent your openpros and pinch flatted your open corsas..
You'd think...but my 25 Gatorskins have held up better than my 32 Contacts or TT2000s
mike
Quite possibly the coolest thing for night time riding is a down low glow (http://rockthebike.com/lights/downlowglow). Me like. :D
Wow, harleyfrog. Thanks for edjukatin' me on the downlowglow. That thing IS cool! This is a definite "must have" to pimp your ride for a tour through da hood.
At $109 a pop, though, I am thinking I can get two year's worth of glow sticks from the Dollar Store.
Lights ... lots of them ... I use a helmet light to attract the attention of traffic at intersections + reflective strips.
You know, in Germany they don't want blinking lights for some reason. And I wonder what's best in America.
The new headlight I've got flashes well, but it does it into my face too, so I'm inclined to have it steady...
littlewaywelt
I think the key is to make sure you have active and passive lighting on your person and on your bike.
In my opinion the more you make yourself look like a "what the heck is that" from a distance and then clearly a person on a bike at a closer distance the better off you are. I consider riding at night safer than during the day because I know I can't be missed/that I can't blend into the surroundings.
Here's my lighting system
BIKE
ACTIVE LIGHTING
REAR: seatpost: Planet Bike Blinkie3, Planet Bike Superflash
rear rack: cateye LD1000
FRONT NiteRider Classic dual 10 & 15watt, Planet Bike Spot white
PASSIVE LIGHTING 3m scotchlight tape setup so all rear triangle and rear facing materials angles are in red, front triangle in white
3m Reflective tape on both rims red and white 1/3 coverage each so as to pulse red white blank red white blank
front forks white front, red rear
front frame trianlge white, rear frame triangle red
bike rack red and white alternating striping
cranks red and white
pedals red
bike lock front white, rear red (bike lock hangs down through rear rack)
PERSON
ACTIVE LIGHTING
Courier Bag relfective yellow or lit red niteize bands one on each side one rear,
Cateye LD1000 rear red light attached to courier bag
helmet planet bike superflash red rear
helmet pocket led white led front
PASSIVE LIGHTING
Courier Bag: patagonia white reflective tape built in
Clothing: illuminte lime yellow jacket with illuminte refelective arms or lime yellow vest ANSI 2
shoes red 3m tape, yellow ankle bands on each leg
helmet cover in winter illuminite, rest of the rear covered in 3m tape, red rear white front
gloves in spring fall, illuminte