Singlespeed & Fixed Gear - riding at night.....

How do you guys do it? Even with front and rear lights I'm a bit scared to ride at night.

Do you ride mostly during the day? Or is riding at night a usual occurance for you?

Riding at night is really fun actually, not too many cars, no many people. The most important thing is to dress warm and be visible. I've been riding a lot at nice since I got a PDW Radbot rear light, that thing is the bomb, I highly recommend it.

Ask the Dr. Banzai how he does it, he LOOOOOVES riding at night.

I live right near some cornfields, so sometimes I'll ride a few miles out of town to watch some stars. Since it's getting colder, follow Vixtor's advice and dress warmly. I prefer layers so I can take some stuff off when I get going and get warmed up.

Get some good lights that are visible from a good distance. I like to ride in groups of 3 or so so we make a highly visible cluster with all our lights.

a good headlight and lock are on my shortlist, and then i'll be riding a lot at night

I like riding at night because it is more comfortable than riding in the sun. I really do not like the heat, so dusk/night riding makes me ride longer and I'm comfortable. Win Win.

If there isn't a lot of other light contamination, you are more visible at night, when properly lit up, than you are during the day.

If I ride alone at night (which is most of my riding in the winter when I commute), I stick to side streets mostly. I live in a city that is pretty "permeable"; i.e., you can go in one side of a neighborhood and come out the other and get places by traveling parallel to the main thoroughfares. I've also ridden on the main streets when necessary. As others have said, lights and visibility are important.

The majority of my riding is at night. Good lights are key.

Wear a reflective if you are concerned. :P

However, reflective vest + Super Pista = -1000 cool points.

A little thing i discovered was that you can generally get more powerful light in the form of a compact flashlight (ex: fenix/cree torches) and just buy or make a simple/cheap mount. I got a Fenix E21 + a $5 mount on ebay which came out to $40 versus $130 for a similar powered bike specific headlight. Any taillight with multiple light patterns works well i think.
Night riding is fun with the right stuff...

I love riding at night, for a while I was doing it exclusively. LA even has a whole bike scene that sprouted from night time group riding, so that's great for me. I just love the cool temps and being the only person around. You just have to be aware of when drunks are most likely to be out and about in their cars, this nearly cost me my life.



Riding at night is really fun actually, not too many cars, no many people. The most important thing is to dress warm and be visible. I've been riding a lot at nice since I got a PDW Radbot rear light, that thing is the bomb, I highly recommend it.

Ask the Dr. Banzai how he does it, he LOOOOOVES riding at night.

I'd better visit

Riding at night is ridiculous fun. You gotta try it mayng. I'm lucky in that my city is really safe at night; there are a ton of drunks but almost ALWAYS they're just walking/stumbling around, which is a lot of fun to see.

I love riding at night, but the only thing the sketches me out about it is the only time I have to ride at night is on the weekends and living in a college town means lots of drunk drivers.

I rely on lights and gut feelings.

Something doesn't feel right, compensate.

If you're scared just get one of these (http://www.google.com/products/catalog?hl=en&q=spotlight&client=firefox-a&cid=12768571829404845736&ei=1KS7TMvyDpTWM7vesbMP&sa=title&ved=0CBcQ8wIwATgA#p)on your bars.

I just returned from a night ride on my new Salsa Casseroll SS, which is equipped with LED headlight and tailight, that I operate in flashing mode, which both makes me most visible and consumes the least battery power. I can still see the road clearly with the headlight in flashing mode. For riding on really dark country roads or off road trails, I have a helmet mounted Lithium ION HID headlight, and carry the nearly 1 lb battery either in a backpack or jersey / jacket with a back pocket. When using the helmet light, the LED tailight is either clipped to the backpack or back pocket. I wear a helmet and shoes that are reflective.

I try to go on a longish night ride at least once a week. There is something infinitely more satisfying about riding at night--sometimes you can get it just right and it seems like you're the only one out winding through the sea of orange streetlights. Mostly, people are indoors and the world is yours. It seems like others in this thread agree. I've also seen some kamikaze driving post-midnight, mostly drunks speeding through stop signs and the like. Don't ever assume a vehicle will stop when you are riding at night--in fact, assume that drivers are drunk, because something like 75% of them are. Still, somehow it's much more comforting to ride on roads with that many fewer drivers.

do most of you guys live in larger cities? My town is not a bike town and that is part of what contributes to my worries, most people I feel are blind to cyclists.

I live in a college town with like the third largest party school in California. I love riding at night, especially the weekends when everyone is out on their porches and downtown drinking. Sure it's the craziest time to ride, but that also makes it the most fun to me. Just have a bright flashing light on your back so you don't get hit from behind, and I see know difference in safety from the day.
Most the time when i'm out at night, i've been out for a while and don't have my headlamp with me. I don't see a huge need for it. I can see well enough with the moon and whatever streetlights there are. I pretty well have the potholes and speed bumps all memorized, and I prefer cars not to see me from the front. I know what a car is going to do if I'm not there. But if they do see me, I can't know if they will wait, go, creep, speed. A predictable driver is a much safer car.

I also just returned from a night ride with some people I don't know. Super super fun ride at night, not many people are out riding at this time.



I'd better visit
We're going to ride if you're going to come up to Vancouver. Unfortunately, I don't ride with the Doc...because I live really really really far away from him. Plus, I probably can't even keep up with him.

Some of the riders here in Davis do a night ride every Monday & Wed. Just be aware of the other cyclists, don't trap a new rider in the middle of the pack and run lights.

Hm... Should I bring my beater fixed to Vancouver to ride when I visit again this year... =P.

I like to ride at night! its great!!

But my 'good' light broke off my bike. I hit a bump and it broke off the clamp that held it onto my bike. Wtf? So now I am not riding at night until I get a better light.

No lights = no riding at night. Campus always has cars and as much as I love riding at night, I won't do it without lights.

I love riding at night and when our winter days are only 6 hours long and you are car free you will be riding at night... or walking.

I feel that since I am well equipped for night riding with reflective gear and good lights that I am probably more visible to motorists than I am in the daytime and there is usually less traffic.

Hm... Should I bring my beater fixed to Vancouver to ride when I visit again this year... =P.
Yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes.

Bring your Mash. :D


I feel that since I am well equipped for night riding with reflective gear and good lights that I am probably more visible to motorists than I am in the daytime and there is usually less traffic.
I wholeheartedly agree, plus, I can see cars' headlights on the ground when coming up to an intersection.

Riding at night is basically suicide. One of the surest ways to get R.I.P'd I can think of.

Don't do it, ever.



But really yeah it's safer. You're easier to see at night (contrast) and there's less traffic.

Agree w/t previous poster. I feel safer at night because I'm lit up like a Christmas turkey. Reflective clothing, blinkies galore and 2 10w halogen headlights. I run them one at a time as they both get about 2 hrs of run time. Give it a try. You'll probably love it.

My only problem/concern is drunk drivers. There are a lot of them.

I'm not sure which is less safe: 50 drunk drivers at night or 1,000 sober pissed-off-because-they're-late-for-work daytime drivers.

My only problem/concern is drunk drivers. There are a lot of them.

oh yes. this scares the hell out of me. Muncie has sooooo many of these. Everyone goes through the "dont drink and drive" seminar, but it seems everyone believes that they won't "get caught."

But with the 1,000 sober drivers, they will be more likely to stop if there is an accident, if only because of pressure from other vehicles being present. While, the 50 drunk drivers would probably just drive off due to fear of being arrested with a dui.

The good thing about buzzed/tipsy/mildy drunk drivers is that they're usually worried about getting caught so they're paying attention.

Probably significantly less dangerous than Sally Cubicle coming up behind you at the light while applying lipstick and texting during the morning rush hour.


But with the 1,000 sober drivers, they will be more likely to stop if there is an accident, if only because of pressure from other vehicles being present. While, the 50 drunk drivers would probably just drive off due to fear of being arrested with a dui.
I would never count on any driver stopping, day or night, sober or not.

Though if you're hoping for help, there is a better chance of pedestrians being around during the day.

step one: buy some flashy lights. i like my knog boomers.

step two: growa pair.




on a slightly more philosophical level... there are accidents you can avoid and there are accidents you cannot. be aware and make intelligent decisions and you'll be likely to avoid situations that may put you in harm's way.

the only time i've been hit was head on in broad day light.

http://www.ravingbikefiend.com/bikepics/uavatv1.JPG

My winter bike has a 3 speed / generator hub and a 3 watt headlight as well as a very bright LED on the handlebars, one smaller led on the fork and a PB Superflash out back.

My helmet also has a rear LED which is stupidly bright and with this I always have a rear light no matter what I am riding and having a light here makes one very visible.

Ask the Dr. Banzai how he does it, he LOOOOOVES riding at night.

Indeed I do. About 10pm every night (that it's dry) I get the hunger to go for a rip. I have some great layer combos and a spreadsheet even for mapping cold and conditions to my gear. I ride alone, sometimes with lights and it rarely involves coffee/tea and stopping. Therefore I don't usually carry a lock unless the backpack is coming with for gear reasons.

I like well lit roads, avoid construction areas etc. Your depth perception at night is almost nil with the road. Very flat light. You can't see the ridges and cracks that might eat a 700c tire. Happened to me last night even. took a hard right and happened upon some construction where they had dug a water main and paved over it. but there was a 2 inch rise for the second paving wave. Didn't see it and it ate my front tire. I unclipped on my goofy foot side and saved it at the expense of some post ride repair to my booties.

Stay warm. Stay hydrated. Wear yellow sunglasses and assume you are invisible. Carry bus fare.

I also prefer riding on fatter tyres at night... means that even if I am half drunk and riding with my eyes half closed I can roll over stuff that would kill me if I was on 23's.

half drunk and riding with my eyes half closed....

Next time I get called out for berating unprepared people riding in the rain I'm digging this up.

Don't ride half cut at night people. Breathing and urinating are welcome pastimes for many.

I used to ride at night from around 11 pm - 1 am with no lights. Then I got a ticket.

Next time I get called out for berating unprepared people riding in the rain I'm digging this up.

Don't ride half cut at night people. Breathing and urinating are welcome pastimes for many.

You completely missed my point but thanks for playing.

Perhaps I should have said "riding with my eyes closed" instead... now we don't do this either but having a bike under yo that can handle the stuff you can't see and gets you through it is a good thing.

My UAV is my winter / rain / apocalypse bike and if the conditions are crappy, cold, wet, and dark it's a great bike to have under you.

All of the above:

Can't beat it being cooler. still of the night and there is relatively no wind, maybe a gentle breeze at best. Drunks scare me, tired night shift workers going home or those going to work can be scary too. I generally prefer the dawn head starts for a ride. I also ride street light lit roads, generally go slower and a more casual & safer night ride, but w/ 15-30 minutes head start, you can get well into your longer loop rides. Add that slower and layering clothes really isn't necessary often times in the city, now rural, that can get darn cold. At a certain point of the pre-dawn/post-dusk ride traffic is virtually non-existent, so you can cross a multi lane road easier and safer. Most drivers are still having breakfast or eating dinner when you are doing your thing. Even when I travel by car, I prefer night driving to eliminate traffic problems and pretty much a lot of the reasons for a bike commute. I'm not big on using my brakes if it's not necessary, reduced traffic is the best for that, otherwise you're on the road with drivers that stop for no reason at all. So annoying getting behind someone that keeps hitting their brakes like that. I don't think they realize that every time they do that, every single vehicle behind them has to also, just totally unnecessary stress if they leave safe following distance and actually try to get to where they intend to go ?

Lights, I have are the Wal-Mart $ 20 Zefal brand set to be seen not really to see. I'd need one of those multi-million candle power lights to actually see the road far enough in front of me to generate the kind of speed I do in broad daylight.

wearing reflective gear is great. anytime I end up driving and happen across a cyclist, they are 10000x easier to see if they have anything reflective on, even if it's just some piping on a jacket they're wearing, or those ugly pedal reflectors. I want to get some colored reflective tape for my bike. put a bit on my rims maybe, or redo the logo's in it.

I typically stick to bike lanes and trails, I also ride with a Light & Motion Stella 180N.

riding at night is the best!

not to mention the sleep after a night ride

Yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes.

Bring your Mash. :D


I wholeheartedly agree, plus, I can see cars' headlights on the ground when coming up to an intersection.
My Mash isn't my beater =(. LOL.

I'm praying for snow this year though in Burnaby..

When my back pain flares up I often find that riding brings immense relief as it decompresses things... so quite often I am up and out late cruising around.

Night rides in the summer can't be beat... mountain biking in the dark is a rush... if you have the right lights.

My folder is probably the best equipped for night riding as it has a 2 watt led and a 10 watt halogen up front and when you switch these on they turn night into day and are the same lights I use when I off road at night.

I have an aquantience who had his bicycle impounded and got a ticket for drunk biking.

it's a very serious offense

for a relatively unserious crime.

Night riding is the bomb, I stick mostly to the rails to trails or offroad. As bad as drivers are during the day, they are worse at night. When commuting at night I have had people slow down to near stop behind me trying to figure out what is going on

I typically stick to bike lanes and trails, I also ride with a Light & Motion Stella 180N.

Last time I rode the local bike trail at night I came upon some teenagers laying crossways on the trail in the darkness looking up at the stars, I nearly ran them over. Marginal light, a bit too fast, and they were all wearing dark clothing. We were all having a nice quiet time on the trail, me riding a bike, them laying on the ground looking at the stars, then five seconds of hard braking, tire skidding, people screaming and laughing, a couple mutual "'scuse me's", and all was peacefull again.

Riding at night can be a pleasant experience occasionally interrupted with moments of terror and panic, then pleasant again if you survive.

We do an MTB night ride almost weekly.
Most of us run Amoeba (http://amoebalight.blogspot.com/) lights - if DH-ers run'em at Angelfire, they'll work for my slow, half-blind riding style.

City riding at night is also a blast, just light yourself up first.