Fifty Plus (50+) - My first night ride.

I have been having a bad day today. First I spent the day taking my wife from one doctor’s appointment to another. I had signed up to join a small group from our Church and my wife had already promised a woman she would take her to a doll class so I was going to have to take the truck. Went out to the truck and I had a flat. So I decided I would just mount my lights and take my road bike. It wasn’t far and I hadn’t been out on my normal Monday ride anyway. I got to the group about 2 minutes late but it was an Ok ride. It is a gated community and I wasn’t sure the guard was going to let me through. :o

After the meeting I started home and it was full on dark. Fired up the lights and set the tail lights to blink and decided to do the same for the front. First thing I noticed is it is hard to see what is on the road ahead of you. The second thing was the tingly feeling in my back when cars came up behind me and there was very little shoulder. :twitchy: I decided to ride on some of the main streets because of better lighting and traffic was pretty light anyway. Still all in all it was a tense ride coming home. I might get used to it but I am not sure. I am also not sure setting my front light to blink was the best move either. I might have made it easier for people to see me but it was harder to see the road. :eek:

How many other 50+ ride at night?

Saturday I was riding "the seven climbs of death." (http://www.bikely.com/maps/bike-path/Yarnell-Moshannan-AKA-7-climbs-of-death) From my house it is 70 miles, 6000 feet of climbing. I got to the foot of the main climb in time to get home before dark if I abandoned. I reasoned that I had my lights, and it would tempting fate to abandon a ride known as the 7 climbs of death. So I ended up climbing the last mountain in the dark. It really wasn't that bad. I also did over an hour of my February 200k in the dark. That was a little more exciting, unknown busy roads.

Saturday I was riding "the seven climbs of death." (http://www.bikely.com/maps/bike-path/Yarnell-Moshannan-AKA-7-climbs-of-death) From my house it is 70 miles, 6000 feet of climbing. I got to the foot of the main climb in time to get home before dark if I abandoned. I reasoned that I had my lights, and it would tempting fate to abandon a ride known as the 7 climbs of death. So I ended up climbing the last mountain in the dark. It really wasn't that bad. I also did over an hour of my February 200k in the dark. That was a little more exciting, unknown busy roads.

well I even avoided some of the roads I ride during the day because I knew there were pot holes I wouldn't be able to see. But I still believe the worst part was not knowing how the cars would react to me.

I generally will only ride at night on the MUP (W&OD trail or loops down to the Potomac). Of course I have lights on early morning commutes as well, but it's not completely dark when I start out.

I love the idea, but years ago while riding at night across a bridge, I damn near went down a culvert and into the river. I've been too chicken ever since.

I ride at night when that's the only time available. It didn't take long to get used to doing it. I also do some group rides with the Lake Erie Wheelers that start at 6:30 PM and continue through the year as long as the temps are above 22, the roads are dry and two guys show up. Christmas light rides are a lot fun on a group ride.

It wont take long to get comfortable riding in the dark as long as you have good equipment. I use the NightRider Minewt 2 light, have a blinkie on my helmet and a flasher on my bag.

I ride with a group that goes out each Monday evening. During the winter lights are required for the entire ride. We mostly stick to the MUP but some road riding is thrown into the mix. I agree that good equipment is essential. My first few rides was made with a $29.00 light set. After a few near misses I made a MAJOR upgrade. Much easier to ride at night now.

I learned to ride at night after we lost daylight saving time in '08. It was the only way to get in some after work rides. I experimented with various headlights until I found what works for me. I have a small Cateye blinky on the handlebars and two bright LED flashlights. I have a PlanetBike Superflash on the seatpost and one on the left seat stay. So far so good.

I've had one near hit. A cager pulled out to make a right turn in front of me. There's no way he didn't see me. I'm figuring he thought he would beat me into the lane. Anyway, he pulled out, I swerved left, he accelerated like crazy, and I pulled back into my lane and kept riding. That's about the only problem I've had with night rides.

The two PBSFs on the back work well as do the flashlights up front.

If we had an MUP around here, I would probably consider riding at night. Otherwise, No!

There is a fellow in my sub-division who commutes to work on his bike. For most of the year, it is dark when he makes the morning trip. I give him all of the room he needs but I see other who nearly run over him or run him off the road.

He has plenty of lighting on the rear of his bike so it's not like he can't be seen.

So, ride at night around here? Nope!

Almost everyone in my suburb is tucked in by about 9 PM so it's a great night ride.

During most of the Standard Time period, I ride home in the dark every work day. I just take it for granted, like driving at night.

Paul

I have been riding at night for about a year and a half. I have a Dinotte 600L and tail light and the thing lights up the road like a car. So, I can see the road in front of me very well. The down side to night riding, for me, is that it isn't nearly as fun as riding during the day. I also only ride on roads with bike lanes and very little traffic.

I once rode in a dark tunnel. I would guess it was no more than a quarter mile in length, but it was pitch black and all I could see was the little opening ahead. No lights. I couldn't see my bike at all. That was freaky.

Only one way to ride at night and that is with a searchlight on the front and two powerful rear lamps.

Don't do as much as I used to but We trained in the evenings of one winter on the Tandem offroad. We still hit trees and fell off though.

I'm a commuter, so I regularly ride in the dark. Right now, because of the time change, I'm spending at least half my ride in under darkness. The ride home is all light now, at least.

The blinking headlight wasn't the best choice. I'll only do that if I've got two headlights, and even then only if I'm in an area where I expect to be facing a lot of head-on traffic. Strobing the pavement and trying to make sense of it is too much like going to a 70s disco.

The only things I can recommend for night riding are practice and lights. Lots of lights. I've got one handlebar-mounted (well, actually it's in front of the fairing on my recumbent) DiNotte 200L and another on my helmet. I also run two SuperBlinkies on my tail and another horizontal blinker on the back of my helmet. Further, I've got a Down Low Glow double-tube purple light giving off side light and making me more noticable (the unusual is noticed more). Finally, I have firefly lights on the valve stems of my tires. Have lights that make you visible from all directions, not just front and rear.

Don't forget the reflectors either. Clothing, bag, helmet, tires, whatever. Glow like you're radioactive.

When I ride double centuries I usually start in the dark and end in the dark. On the Cameno Real Double in Feb. we had an hour and a half in the morning (5:30 AM start), and two and a half in the evening (7:30PM finish), i.e. before the change to daylight savings time.

I enjoy riding in the dark as long as I know the course and don't have to stop and look at a lot of street signs along the way. I use a NiteRider Blowtorch for a front light, and have two Planet Bike Blinkies for the rear (one on my bike, one on my Camelback).

So far, no issues with cars, and the NiteRider lights up the potholes quite well, so no issues there either. Night riding is fun and esp. so on otherwise empty country roads.

Rick / OCRR

I have ridden at night around here. It is wonderful, especially when there is a full moon. Thanks for reminding me. I need to recharge the ole headlight.

My first ride was with my brother, doing single track of all things. Tends to keep you focused I can tell you.

I commute, so I leave for work and come home in the dark in the winter. Right now, with the time switch, I leave for work before dawn but return home while it's still light. About 5 miles of my commute is on a winding semi-rural road with *no* streetlights, so when it's dark, it's dark.

Occasionally I'll do training / recreational rides in the dark as well.

It's very handy to have the equipment/skills/comfort of riding in the dark because it allows you to "linger longer" on a winter afternoon when you're out riding and you don't want to worry about getting home while it's still light.

I invested $$$ in really good lights (Dinotte; there are others).

I wouldn't enjoy riding without quality lights.

I ride extensively after/before dark. Good lighting (http://www.veloweb.ca/randopages/randolights.html) is the key.

Blinkies on front don't make sense, as you discovered. Just as irritating to oncoming cyclists, especially on narrow MUPs.

I'm hesitant to ride on a mup after dark because of ninja pedestrians. I have found that a helmet light is a great thing to have in traffic. It seems to keep people from pulling out in front of you and generally you can get people to dim if they are using their brights (a Pennsylvania specialty). I'm hoping to up my firepower considerably with new lights for my hub dyno.

I am thinking about running two lights in the front and I don't plan on using the flashing feature next time. I just didn't realize how dark a moonless night can be on a road without street lights. The helmet light idea sounds good as well. This was just the first time I had been out on a dark night and I kept feeling like someone was going to side swipe me even though no one came close. It does make you ride slower however. I discoverd that because at one point I was motoring along at a pretty good clip on a wider portion of the road and I came upon what I thought was a lighter patch of pavement only to discover it was dirt. Hard smooth dirt thank goodness and I got back to the pavement but I can see my MTB would make a better night bike in some cases than my road bike.

The biggest danger on the MUPs around here are from the deer as much as from the pedestrians, although both can get that "caught in the headlights" look...

I find that on my commute (keep in mind I live in a rural area) the cars give me more space at night than I get during the day. I rode in the dark both directions yesterday. I think the blinking rear light draws enough attention that cagers are moving over out of not knowing what's ahead.

Do you have a mirror? That helps for me. It may just be psychological, but that's OK.

Haven't ridden at night since I had a generator which operated the light on my 3 speed, I was probably about eleven years old.

I find that on my commute (keep in mind I live in a rural area) the cars give me more space at night than I get during the day. I rode in the dark both directions yesterday. I think the blinking rear light draws enough attention that cagers are moving over out of not knowing what's ahead.

Do you have a mirror? That helps for me. It may just be psychological, but that's OK.

Yes I have the typical helmet mirror. It works great during the day but when it is dark you can only see if there is a car back there lighting the road.

As a year-round commuter, I regularly ride in the dark.

My current setup includes:

DiNotte 600L on the handlebars.
DiNotte 400L on the helmet.
DiNotte 140L tail light on the seat post.
Planet Bike Superflash on the rack.
Schwalbe Marathon Plus tires, with reflective sidewalls.
A bunch of reflective tape on the bike (fenders, forks, cranks).
Reflective fabric on the Arkel panniers.
An ANSI Class II reflective vest.

With all that, I seem to get a lot of respect (bordering on fear) from passing motorists. They routinely will go completely over into the oncoming traffic lane, even when I'm in a 10' wide bike lane.

Plus, with 1000 lumens up front, and the ability to aim the headlight into the eyes of drivers approaching from side streets, I'm about as comfortable riding at night as driving my car. If, as some have stated above, you "can't see the potholes"...well, you simply don't have enough light. The good news is that modern LED-based systems can give you about the same light output as a car headlight - easily good enough for speeds up to 25 mph or so.

That said, I try to avoid Friday and Saturday evenings because the traffic generally seems too frenetic, and there's more drunks and stoners out then. YMMV.

+1 on DiNottes. Sunshine, rain, snow, new moon, they work all the time and get drivers' attention at distances long enough to help them make comfortable calculated decisions on how to avoid you.

In traffic, I run a bar light on steady to illuminate the road, and a helmet light on police/ambulance emulating strobe (a rapid 5-bright-pulses then low-intensity-pause then 5-bright-pulse... pattern unique to DiNotte) to "be noticed". The bar washes out the helmet flicker on the road satisfactorily. A lot of good headlights have come onto the market in the last 2 years, and more brands and even brighter ones are on the way, but DiNotte taillights are in a different universe than anything else.

Today, here on the Great Plains wind was 22 gusting to 30 by 11 AM. You just get tired of it. It's like climbing 3000 feet at a 10-20% grade without the exhilaration. But as occurs more often than not, the winds died down in the evening, similar to California passes in summer. So I waited until 45 minutes before sundown and rode for 3 hours. Started in shorts, put on tights and a jacket after sunset.

I could alternatively go out in early morning to beat the daily wind, but why deal with rush hour traffic? Weeknight riding is very peaceful.

If you are at all interested in night riding, head up to the, "Electronics, Lighting, & Gadgets" forum and read.

I just moved from what I call first generation lights to second. And like some have mentioned here, auto drivers move so far away from me it is unbelievable.

I use a P7 flashlight on the front, a Vetta tail light, four spok lites, a Vetta helmet light and reflective vest and other reflectors.

I am not certain yet what my third generation of lighting will be, but I know I will be adding it as I love night riding. Figuring least traveled routes and best times is part of the challenge.

I like riding at night around my neighborhood. Very little traffic and it's sooooo quiet! But I don't do it that often. I do use a head and tail light.

I like riding at night around my neighborhood. Very little traffic and it's sooooo quiet! But I don't do it that often. I do use a head and tail light.

Except by accident I wasn't a night rider either. It doesn't seem like rear lighting is as much of a problem as headlights. Every rear light I have seen is about the same with the exception of housing. These LEDs seem pretty bright even when I am more than 100 yards behind them. But the headlight needs to show more rather than just be seen, or so it seems. I just don’t know that at this point I need something as expensive as some of the systems I see for people that do a lot of night riding. I just seem to need something to get me home for that occasional ride when I was out a bit too long. I am thinking it is going to be hard to beat some of these LED lights I have seen on the different bicycle shop sites. A maglight mounted on my helmet might be a good addition?

Yes I have the typical helmet mirror. It works great during the day but when it is dark you can only see if there is a car back there lighting the road.

When riding in the dark, I keep this adage in mind, "Don't just look for headlights look for cars." I think you have to be especially careful of cagers without headlights because they may be more distracted by whatever. I consider this in particular as I'm going downhill towards an intersection with a curve on the intersecting road. I don't have much warning of approaching cars, and it's easy to just look for headlights, so I conscientiously look for unlit cars.

Sounds like you may need a brighter/lower-mounted headlight. Most of the battery-powered models on the market are honestly inadequate when it comes to actually seeing the road. Also, the typical handlebar mount is, shall we say, less than optimal for illuminating irregularities in the road. The closer to eye-level the light is, the less visible shadows you get. And shadows are how your brain detects obstacles at night. Somewhere around mid-fork seems to be the best: higher and obstacles don't cast visible shadows, lower and illumination and range suffer. Both of my nighttime bikes have lights mounted at hub level. One works great, and the other (with a different brand and model of light) is not so great.

SP
Bend, OR

It is beginning to sound like I need more than one light on the front of the bike at night? I have seen several small LED lights that would be easy to mount to the fork without adding a lot of additional weight. I just haven’t tried many after dark where the proof of their worth becomes evident. In my driveway many halogen light look pretty good but at 15 or 16 MPH it doesn’t do much for what I see on the road. The next time I am out I will try adding a LED on the fork to see if that helps.

I enjoy short rides after dark . I have a single speed Raleigh Mixte setup with 26" rims that I use to cruise to town and back; mostly on a MUP . I'm very familiar with all the bumps along the way , but don't have any problems with them in my slow cruising speed . I find it a great way to relax . I use an LED flashlight attached to the bars and a head lamp and a flashing tail light . On my last night ride (last Saturday) , the only thing I came across was a deer feeding along the side of the street just up the way from my home. kirby

No such thing as too many lights for night rides on the road. I agree with all of the posters that suggest a steady front light for your vision. I always use my handlebar light on steady bright, I will sometimes use my helmet light in flashing mode. On the rear I keep one super flash on steady, the one next to it in blink, and the one on my helmet also in blink. I use "pedalites" which give good side light. No matter what, it is very easy to outride the reach of your lights, especially if you use the blink mode. Parked cars can then leap out into your path which is not good.

Don't have time to explain it now, but SSP has it right. Riding at night is actually safer than during the day as motor vehicle drivers give you more room, but shift commute home on Friday's. This rush hour bunch is crazy.

Headlight: something that costs more than $170. used to be measured in watts, 30 watts will work. lumens is a better measurement. 500 is good, 700 is very good and enought to safely cruise along at 20.

Taillight: something like the cateye TL-LD3001

Side lights: on front forks, just a simple $10 blinkie from REI, etc

Reflective surfaces: bike, tires, helmet, jacket.

Where it gets complicated is what is your environment: dark {you alone**, semidark{suburb, hot spots of light and dark**, busy {semi urban, lots of light distractions**, and weather impaired.

For dark, reflective works well. As you move to brighter and impaired vision, active lighting is the only way to go.

That should be enought to get you started. As SSP, I comute in the dark about 5 months a year, untile DST messes things up.

Don't have time to explain it now, but SSP has it right. Riding at night is actually safer than during the day as motor vehicle drivers give you more room, but shift commute home on Friday's. This rush hour bunch is crazy.

Headlight: something that costs more than $170. used to be measured in watts, 30 watts will work. lumens is a better measurement. 500 is good, 700 is very good and enought to safely cruise along at 20.

Taillight: something like the cateye TL-LD3001

Side lights: on front forks, just a simple $10 blinkie from REI, etc

Reflective surfaces: bike, tires, helmet, jacket.

Where it gets complicated is what is your environment: dark {you alone**, semidark{suburb, hot spots of light and dark**, busy {semi urban, lots of light distractions**, and weather impaired.

For dark, reflective works well. As you move to brighter and impaired vision, active lighting is the only way to go.

That should be enought to get you started. As SSP, I comute in the dark about 5 months a year, untile DST messes things up.



Now may reflect some of my bias. What kind of weight are we talking here?

Weight? For night riding it's safetyfirst and weight, speed second. Weight is from 1.0 to 1.6 lb, 16 oz to 26 oz, 460g to 746g. It doesn't help going fast if have to dial down speed because you can't see far enough ahead.


DETAILS
Headlights
L&M stella 200, 300g
L&M seca 700, 686g

Taillight
cateye TL-LD1100 100g

Ft Fork lights
nathan LED, 1.2 oz, 34 g
cateye TL-TD140, 30g


Math check
300
100
30
30
-----
460 == 16 oz

686
100
30
30
------
746 == 26 oz

On my days shifts I leave the house at 04:00. It's really, really dark out at 4 A.M.. Most of my route is lit with street lights so seeing the road is no problem for me. Actually my eyes are quite sensitive to light, seeing in the dark is easier for me than seeing in the light which came in handy for the first 25 years of my career as I coated film in dark rooms...almost total dark.

That being said, my need is to be seen. I use a triangle of blinkies on the rear...one old Vista light and two Planet Bike Super Flash lights. I have three spoke reflectors on each wheel and I use a Blackburn Quad up front. I run with the headlight off unless there is an on-coming car and then I put the light in flash mode. I saw no cars this morning. I use Mirror-Cycle mirrors on all my bikes so I know what's going on behind me. If I feel the need to jump out of the road, I do so.

I also wear a High Vis Rain coat with reflective strips, like emergency responders wear. I sweat a little but the few cars I see give me a wide berth. In the winter I mix it up with traffic in the dark on my way home from both the day shift and the night shift (5:30 P.M. and 5:30 A.M.) and they see me just fine.

I would like to invest in a good, bright headlight system someday, though I can get by for now with what I have.

On my days shifts I leave the house at 04:00. It's really, really dark out at 4 A.M.. Most of my route is lit with street lights so seeing the road is no problem for me. Actually my eyes are quite sensitive to light, seeing in the dark is easier for me than seeing in the light which came in handy for the first 25 years of my career as I coated film in dark rooms...almost total dark.

That being said, my need is to be seen. I use a triangle of blinkies on the rear...one old Vista light and two Planet Bike Super Flash lights. I have three spoke reflectors on each wheel and I use a Blackburn Quad up front. I run with the headlight off unless there is an on-coming car and then I put the light in flash mode. I saw no cars this morning. I use Mirror-Cycle mirrors on all my bikes so I know what's going on behind me. If I feel the need to jump out of the road, I do so.

I also wear a High Vis Rain coat with reflective strips, like emergency responders wear. I sweat a little but the few cars I see give me a wide berth. In the winter I mix it up with traffic in the dark on my way home from both the day shift and the night shift (5:30 P.M. and 5:30 A.M.) and they see me just fine.

I would like to invest in a good, bright headlight system someday, though I can get by for now with what I have.

Run up to the electronics forum and read about P7 flashlights. They are amazing and inexpensive.

I too rode last night in the dark. IT WAS GREAT if a bit chilly. I rode the 22+ miles to church leaving about 5PM and had a nasty headwind. Left church about 9 and took advantage of the tailwind! I find that with the rear blinky lights that cars actually give me more room than they do in the day. Our area is 100% rural. My church town is about 175 people and the only other town I ride through is about the same.

How many other 50+ ride at night?

Every morning. Nights too in the winter. I bike commute 18 miles each way to work. You learn to appreciate good lights. Multiples really don't help much unless they're at different heights. I run one on the handlebars and one on my helmet.

Now the deer getting spooked and bouncing in front of you are enough to stop a 50+ heart...:)

I didn’t mean to indicate I wasn’t concerned with safety I just have seen some of the light systems that look like they have a separate battery pack that connects to the light system and they look heavy. If I were commuting at night I more than likely would always have the lights with me. I just started taking lights with me when some of our club members started riding in the late afternoon and I was worried about getting home before dark. So I was thinking of something I could toss in my jersey pockets just in case. The rear light is almost always attached to the tool bag I hardly ever mount the head light unless I think there is a chance I will be out after dark.

I had considered setting up one of my bikes for night rides when a friend pointed out that I hardly ever go out at night. So what I have been thinking is I need something quick and easy to mount and easy to carry. Most of the suggestions have given me some insight into what direction I should be looking at.

Hi CCrew, I'm curious about something. Back in Feb. or March we had a relatively warm night, and I got it into my head to go for a ride at 5:00am or so. I rode from Falls Church to Leesburg and back on the W&OD trail. I saw more commuters than I expected going both directions. I thought I was a real pioneer :)

Anyway, I had my Dinotte headlights on bright, and wasn't really thinking about it much, but I managed to really annoy at least one person who called out to me "I can't see!" as I passed.

I always wondered if that was you :)

I ride home from work after dark quite frequently. I think that you will become accustomed to it after a while. There is nothing more relaxing then riding on a quite summer night, with the stars out, and little traffic on the road, wearing shorts and t-shirt.