Commuting - Commuting in the Dark

I need some help. I love biking in to work, and the cold really doesn't bother me. I live in Pittsburgh and work out in the suburbs. I never have a problem biking in the city, with street lights and the amount of bikes around I always feel safe. The suburbs, however are another story. I have never biked outside the city when it is dark out, and was wondering how safe it is. With narrow roads and little shoulders, is there a good way to bike in the dark out on the back roads? I don't want winter to stop me from biking in with my new job. Any help/advice is appreciated!

I have to ride on narrow, relatively busy, 35mph-limit rural roads with no street lights to get to school. I run a superflash in back and an Ultrafire 606a from dealextreme on my helmet, along with reflective tape on my rims, seatstays, and fork. So far I've had no problems and it seems pretty safe, but I can't really say for sure - many bike ninjas and wrong-way riders have never had any problems either.

reflective clothing/gear is good, and of course good lighting is a must.

i go with a dynohub + halogen lamp, it's plenty strong for me, and never runs out!

With a bright blinker you should be more noticable at night than during the day with or without one.

I have a Superflash and a Fenix L2D-CE. Granted there are streetlights some of the way but it's pretty dark in places now too. The time change will help a bit with that.
Anyways, I've been fine, but make sure to use good lighting.

Hey, I live in moon township and I have to bike at night through the local neighborhoods and stuff. I just bought DiNotte Dual 200L. I love them, they are really bright and have rechargeable batteries which is a huge bonus. They are a bit pricey but I really like them and I can see everything on the road at night. I use some little blinkies on the back of my rack as well.

I use lights and plenty of reflective gear. One versatile item is a high-quality reflective vest, since you can wear it over whatever layers the weather is calling for. I like this one: http://www.safetygearonline.com/products/ansisafetyvests.asp?tid=4&pid=182

Reflective legbands are also good. They move, which attracts attention and also gives motorists a definite cue that it's a cyclist, plus they don't cost much. REI has the Jog-A-Lite ones for $5.

Beyond that, you definitely want some good lights. Planet Bike SuperFlash is a good rear light (make sure to aim it level). For the headlight(s), tell us your budget, how long you want it to run on one charge, and whether you would prefer a one-plug charging setup versus removing batteries to charge them in an external charger.

I haven't been commuting that long, but I know that those rear flashing reflectors work extremely well. My friends that have passed me have said I was easy to see on the highway leading to our neighborhood. It's a dark highway with cars zooming around doing anywhere from 55mph - 75mph. I wouldn't ride without mine.

more lights than cape canaveral launch pad

You need some lights and reflective gear if you want to keep commuting in the dark safely. Like Paul, I use a PB Superflash for a rear tail-light and a Fenix L2D Premium for a headlight (mine uses AA batteries). This is probably the least expensive light combination you can get that is really effective. The Superflash can be bought for $20 if you shop around and is probably the brightest tail-light short of the $150 Dinotte ones. The Fenix lights can be bought for about $60, plus you need a handlebar mount, batteries and charger -- for a total outlay of perhaps $75.

I wear only bright yellow jerseys, jackets and vests when riding in the dark or low light. Screaming yellow/ neon yellow-green is the best for visibility. I also wear reflective ankle straps, and my commuter tires have reflective sidewalls. Finally, in addition to the Superflash, I have two other tail-lights that are not quite as bright but add to visibility (one of them on my helmet).

I commute regularly at night on a 2-lane 55mph no shoulder road. I use at minimum 2 Dinotte 140L red lights facing to the rear, and 2 Fenix flashlights pointing forward. I also have lots of DOT-C2 tape on my bike, along with the state required reflectors. Reflectorizing yourself is also good. I use an ANSI class 3 jacket when it's cold. Lots of reflective tape FTW.

I have to ride on narrow, relatively busy, 35mph-limit rural roads with no street lights to get to school. I run a superflash in back and an Ultrafire 606a from dealextreme on my helmet, along with reflective tape on my rims, seatstays, and fork. So far I've had no problems and it seems pretty safe, but I can't really say for sure - many bike ninjas and wrong-way riders have never had any problems either.

True; however, the brighter you are lit the better your odds of making it to work and back home without incedent.. :D

I suggest you spend fifty bucks on reflective gear and relatively cheap blinkies and lights, and just go for it. I'm pretty sure you'll find you feel safe enough, and in fact enjoy cycling in the dark. Once you've crossed that bridge, you'll feel better about investing in dynamo powered lights and the like.

For the record, I have two bikes that I use for commuting, and both have dynamo hubs and really bright lights.

I would suggest two blinkers, with seperate power on the back. Both wont go out at the same time and no rear blinker will get you run over faster than anything.

I wouldn't ride without TWO lights. I've gotten off my bike at work and discovered that one of light had shut off for some reason. I no longer ride with just one light.

Reflective vest too; when hit by a car's headlights (which WILL happen most of the time when a car is approaching you), it's far brighter than all but the brightest taillights, and the much larger surface area commands attention better.

Both reflective (passive) and blinkies (active) lighting are necessary IMHO. Reflective, when it works, leverages the car's lights, and can be astoundingly bright. Active because there are many situations (especially cars approaching from sides) where reflective material may not be effective.

BTW, $10 or so is plenty for reflective gear. Harbor Freight sells an extremely bright reflective vest for < $5. Put on a reflective leg band, or maybe buy a roll of reflective tape at the hardware store and pimp up your bike if you're not averse to that. I bought some 3M hi intensity tape on eBay and really uglied up my bike, but then again I don't give a rat's ***** what my bike looks like, I just want to get to work and back.

Any little thing that gives you a little better chance of getting to work without getting run over is probably worth it.

I ride with a 1W LED handelbar light, a 3 W LED helmet light, A rear soperflash blinky on my helmet, the below light on the back of my bike, a reflective vest from harborfreight, ankle reflective straps, and wheel and side reflectors on the bike. Night doesn't scare me as much as twilight, just before sundown, or just after sunup when the sun can blot all that light and reflectors out.


http://www.columbussupply.com/products/?productid=764 (http://www.columbussupply.com/products/?productid=764)

I pretty much agree with the above. For about $100 you could get a fenix for the front, a good rear blinkie, a reflective vest, and a roll of reflecting tape. You might also want to have a cheap $25 front light as a backup (my backup, which I use sometimes, is a $20 flashlight from DealExtreme).

The other thing to reconsider is your route. You might feel more comfortable if you optimized your route to low traffic and, if possible, wider shoulders. Getting buzzed by cars is more unnerving at night in my experience.

I bought some 3M hi intensity tape on eBay and really uglied up my bike, but then again I don't give a rat's ***** what my bike looks like, I just want to get to work and back.

Same here; I have 4 feet of conspicuity tape on this thing.

With a bright blinker you should be more noticable at night than during the day with or without one.

+1 I get comments from co-workers that they see me 2-3 miles away with my blinkies... during daylight that distance is closer to 2/3 of a mile!

I have a Cateye TL1100 and a another 5 LED cheapy as backup. I have a cheap white blinkie in the front with 16W halogen light in the front.

Really, those wheel reflectors that "Everyone" strips off of their new bikes do work.

I went with the hub-mounted Reelights. Red in back, white in front. The use magnets on your spokes to generate electricity through induction and don't need batteries.

I also have a Superflash blinkie in back, and use a twofish lockblock and a flashlight for seeing in front, but, with the Reelights, I ALWAYS have a light flashing when I ride and I don't have to worry about batteries dying on me and leaving me low-vis.

I also wear an illuminite jacket whenever it is <50F.

For the front: http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.13060
For the back: http://www.amazon.com/Planet-Bike-Blinky-eXtreme-Bicycle/dp/B000KBEH1W

Problem solved. : D

Dinotte :)

Never felt safer since I got a set of lights from them.

Dinotte 300L rear tail light. Overkill? Yes. Best tail light on the planet? you bet. Expensive too. I hear they make great headlights too.

I only have a 10 minute commute and when I leave work it's at night. I use those blinking LEDs on the front and back of my bike.

a mirror

ansi 2 vest

superflash on the helmet.

reflective panniers
reflective straps on my limbs

is how I roll all over America.

Any little thing that gives you a little better chance of getting to work without getting run over is probably worth it.

Besides all the discussions about front and rear lights, reflective vests, etc, I just started using Spokelits on the wheels for active side lighting:

http://www.night-gear.com/p/Manufacturers_Nite-Ize/414/SpokeLit-by-Nite-Ize.htm

I've tried the SpokeLit and the HokeySpoke. The HokeySpoke didn't start up to my 19 mile commute, although I did think they were pretty cool. The SpokeLit seem to turn themselves off after a certain amount of time. I'm not exactly sure how long the period is, but it's not very long.

I recently purchased a Down Low Glow from Rock The Bike (http://www.rockthebike.com (http://www.rockthebike.com/)). I got the single tube. It's a sealed, waterproof neon tube that attaches to the bike and is powered by a rechargable battery. I have a recumbent, so it's on my seat tube, but on a Diamond Frame it would be on your front tube and, if you bought the two-light version, on the seat tube. The thing throws out an excellent light that really improves not only my front and back visibility, but side as well. They're not exactly cheap, but I think they're worth the money.

Other than that, I have a DiNotte 200L on my front and another on my helmet, and SuperFlash on my trunk bag and a regular blinkie on my helmet. My trunk bag is fluorescent green with reflective tape all around. My shoes are reflective. I wear a bright yellow jacket. I have reflective gloves. When I remember to put it on, I also like my SafeTurn light (http://www.safeturn.com/the_product.html).

Like I've said before, if someone hits me, they're aiming.

The SpokeLit seem to turn themselves off after a certain amount of time. I'm not exactly sure how long the period is, but it's not very long.

Like I've said before, if someone hits me, they're aiming.

Presumably you are aware that the Spokelit must be activated. When sold, it is in test mode, and will only stay on for less than about one minute. To activate you need to hold the on switch for about 10 seconds until it starts flashing quickly. There is a yellow sticker on the package that explains it. I myself didn't read the sticker at first and had that problem.

My morning ride yesterday ended in daylight and since it was my first ride with the Spokelit, I forgot to turn it off, and exhausted the battery ;-(

My motto is make myself as visible as possible and assume nobody sees me.

Presumably you are aware that the Spokelit must be activated. When sold, it is in test mode, and will only stay on for less than about one minute.

Yep, both mine are activated and run for at least 15 minutes, but by the time I get into work (between 1.75 and 2 hours), they're out. I can hit them again and they'll come on again, so I'm not exhausting the batteries. I suppose that I might be going over a bump or something that turns them off, but considering how hard I have to press to start them, I kind of doubt that.

I put a Spokelit on each wheel a couple weeks ago. I got the 'disco' flavor that cycle between colors while in steady mode (although blinky mode is only red).

So far it seems like they do attract attention, and they throw a fair amount of light. They also seem to unbalance the wheel, but as a practical consideration I don't think it matters. I only notice when I'm spinning the wheel on a repair stand.

As for the battery life, I haven't run out yet, but I did discover that you can get rechargeable lithium-ion coin batteries, using a charger such as this one (http://this%20one). Depending on how long the Spokelits last, that may be a good way to go.

Beyond that, I've got an LED blinky in front supplementing an older halogen battery headlight, an LED flashlight and a small red blinky (http://store.trekbikes.com/jump.jsp?itemID=1530&itemType=PRODUCT&path=1%2C2%2C15%2C478%2C481&iProductID=1530&bShopOnline=1) on the helmet, and two red LEDs in the back (older one and a Mars 3.0), and reflective tape on the frame.

I want to be seen.

Just got a cheap Bell (is that redundant?) front mount light that's detachable. On the back, another cheap blinky attached to my helmet (guess they really do have a safety use after all ;-)). Biggest thing I would probably worry about at night is the drunk drivers.

good lights that not only make you visible but light the road so that you can see road hazards. Reflective gear and/or light colored clothing are a must.

Something no one has mentioned and I may get flamed for this (or I would in the A&S forum) but route selection may be something to consider as well. It may be worth it to add a mile or two if it means you are on wider roads with better lighting.

The only problem I have is coming up soon, when I am often mistaken for an Xmas tree.

While we're at it, can anyone explain how it's possible to ride with a blinky as a front light without having a seizure?

While we're at it, can anyone explain how it's possible to ride with a blinky as a front light without having a seizure?

A lot of front blinkies don't have enough power to actually show the road in the first place. If you're using something like a DiNotte 600L in blinking mode, in the dark, then that would be pretty brutal, yeah. Although I can certainly think of worse!

I actually see people riding on the local trail -- which leaves city limits, snaking through pitch dark 'burbs and farm country -- with a blinding blinky.

I'm thinking, like, are these people insane or do they enjoy the epileptic brain confusion it creates. Perhaps the experience harkens back to strobe lights and acid days. Yes, that's probably what they are reliving. I imagine when they get home, they must bouce off the walls.

While we're at it, can anyone explain how it's possible to ride with a blinky as a front light without having a seizure?

I ride with a front light set on blink often. In the daytime. How would that cause a seizure? I can't even tell the light is on unless I put my hand in front of it to check.

I also use one at night, but not as my primary light. I'll run with perhaps the HID on, then a small 100 lumen LED on blink beside it. It's a "be seen" light. I only do that in adverse conditions (fog, heavy rain, snowstorm, etc). I've checked what it looks like to oncoming drivers, and it's not bad at all.

While we're at it, can anyone explain how it's possible to ride with a blinky as a front light without having a seizure?

Close your eyes.

Everyone has you covered for rear lights and reflectors. Rear lights and reflective material do protect you from being involved in someone hitting you from the rear. These types of accidents are a fairly rare event, however.

Being hit from a vehicle turning left in front of you or coming out of a side street are far more common. A mistake that I see all to often is ignoring front lights. Most people think that if they have enough rear light they are safe and they can 'get by' with a cheap and weak front light. The front light serves two purposes. It lights your way, of course, but it also is a signal to drivers on side streets and making left turns that you are there. At a minimum, you should have something along the lines of the Fenix L2D...and yes, you should have more than one;)...but those are only the starting point. They put out around 180 lumens which isn't much light. 400 lumens is better, 700 lumens is where people start to notice, 1200 lumens is where people start to worry about anal probes:eek: and anything above that is just plain showing off:D (I run around 4600 lumens:D)

Think of it this way: At 180 lumens, you are saying to the world, "Um, excuse me. Um, I over here. Please don't run over me." At 4600 lumens you are shouting to the world, " Hey Dipsh*t! I'm here. You wanna piece of this!"

Get, or build, as much light as you can afford;)

I have a 15 mile commute home at night 1/2 of which is 55 mph Highways. So I need to be seen.

I run a Dinotte Rear tail light. :)

I have run three headlights. 1 Trailtech 30 Watt HID :) and two multimode flashlights, an Aurora SSC-P7 5 mode on high and a MTE CREE-MC-E 8 mode on high. If you don't see me coming you're blind! If I get a frontal impact it most likely intentional!

I live east of Pittsburgh (Monroeville). Some of the back roads have some blind turns and not much shoulder to work with. I would suggest driving them during the day to check for blind turns, shoulders and road debris. And as the other posters have pointed out the more lights the better. In particular the left hook. I fell victim to this one morning a little over a month ago. Thought I was running with sufficient lights (Blackburn X6) but the driver told the officier "I didn't see him". I had been running with this setup for two years+. So now I run with two Dinotte 200L, a Princeton Tec Switchback 3, and a Blackburn Voyager 4.0 (flash mode). A Cateye 1100 and a Princeton Tec Swerve on the rear.

At a minimum, you should have something along the lines of the Fenix L2D...and yes, you should have more than one;)...but those are only the starting point. They put out around 180 lumens which isn't much light. 400 lumens is better, 700 lumens is where people start to notice, 1200 lumens is where people start to worry about anal probes:eek: and anything above that is just plain showing off:D (I run around 4600 lumens:D)

My single ~160lumen helmet flashlight might make me a bit biased, but I think 180lumens are more than enough - all I have to do approaching intersections is momentarily aim the hotspot in the driver's window and they see me every time. Given the budget I would probably buy a P7, but that's more of a nice-to-have than a "minimum".

I have a 15 mile commute home at night 1/2 of which is 55 mph Highways. So I need to be seen.

I run a Dinotte Rear tail light. :)

I have run three headlights. 1 Trailtech 30 Watt HID :) and two multimode flashlights, an Aurora SSC-P7 5 mode on high and a MTE CREE-MC-E 8 mode on high. If you don't see me coming you're blind! If I get a frontal impact it most likely intentional!

I pulled up to the bike shop about a week ago on my "daily driver" commuting bike with the DiNotte 140, a SuperFlash, a BRT-5, the two Trek bar-plug blinkies, my "screaming yellow" Pearl Izumi jacket with my ANSI Class II vest over it, and a SuperFlash on the helmet, plus a helmet light, the Seca 700 headlight and the Dereelight DBS.

A young lady walking by smiled and said, "if anyone were to hit you, it's definitely a case of homocide!"

:lol:

My single ~160lumen helmet flashlight might make me a bit biased, but I think 180lumens are more than enough - all I have to do approaching intersections is momentarily aim the hotspot in the driver's window and they see me every time. Given the budget I would probably buy a P7, but that's more of a nice-to-have than a "minimum".

The point I was making is that you shouldn't have to aim the light to be noticed. And it's the drivers that you forget to aim your light at that will get you:eek: I can do the same thing but seldom have too. Mine are so bright that I'm confused for a car running only one head light. It takes a particularly brain dead driver not to notice me;)

I've run LEDs with 180 lumen output and have had too many motorists pull out in front of me. The lack of illumination (it's getting better) and the restricted directionality are the reasons I don't use LED.

Started wearing this (http://www.brigadeqm.com/cgi-bin/tame.exe/store/level4c.tam?M5COPY.ctx=29118&M5.ctx=29118) LED vest, PB Superflash, PB 1/2w Blaze (need to upgrade, light gets swallowed up on wet roads without streetlights) and PB 4 LED Sport Spot on helmet. The LED vest fills in the void and doesn't require lights aimed at you. I get wide berths from cars from rear and on-coming cars notice and slow or wait. Maybe they think I'm a bike cop.

Everyone has you covered for rear lights and reflectors. Rear lights and reflective material do protect you from being involved in someone hitting you from the rear. These types of accidents are a fairly rare event, however.

Being hit from a vehicle turning left in front of you or coming out of a side street are far more common. A mistake that I see all to often is ignoring front lights. Most people think that if they have enough rear light they are safe and they can 'get by' with a cheap and weak front light. The front light serves two purposes. It lights your way, of course, but it also is a signal to drivers on side streets and making left turns that you are there. At a minimum, you should have something along the lines of the Fenix L2D...and yes, you should have more than one;)...but those are only the starting point. They put out around 180 lumens which isn't much light. 400 lumens is better, 700 lumens is where people start to notice, 1200 lumens is where people start to worry about anal probes:eek: and anything above that is just plain showing off:D (I run around 4600 lumens:D)


Get, or build, as much light as you can afford;)


I've received so many positive comments since I started using an HID lighting system, plus I can operate at a higher speed with more confidence. The number of lefthooks, crossovers, and pullouts have dropped dramatically when compared to the LED systems that I was previously using.

I pulled up to the bike shop about a week ago on my "daily driver" commuting bike with the DiNotte 140, a SuperFlash, a BRT-5, the two Trek bar-plug blinkies, my "screaming yellow" Pearl Izumi jacket with my ANSI Class II vest over it, and a SuperFlash on the helmet, plus a helmet light, the Seca 700 headlight and the Dereelight DBS.

A young lady walking by smiled and said, "if anyone were to hit you, it's definitely a case of homocide!"

:lol:

pffft........:p

:lol:

I have a Superflash and a Fenix L2D-CE. Granted there are streetlights some of the way but it's pretty dark in places now too. The time change will help a bit with that.
Anyways, I've been fine, but make sure to use good lighting.

Ditto on this.. I also use these lights. The Fenix sure is a sweet light.