jmpsmash

anybody here do ride outdoor at night?

before you call me a lunatic, i can see a few good reason for it.

- in tropical areas, riding at night is both cooler and less harmful sun exposure
- for people who have a 9-7 job and a family, night time is the only free time to put in any miles
- trainers are boring and noisy

banerjek

That would be all the winter commuters. Been doing it many years.

datlas 

Yes. Just make sure you have a good strong light. The current favorite is the "Magicshine 900" see Electronics forum for details.

One drawback is that I enjoy group rides, and group rides at night are a problem.

carpediemracing 

Add:

When it's cold (winter or late fall early spring), it doesn't get colder once it's dark. So you can plan a ride at night without worrying about radical temp changes. Today it was below freezing in the AM and will be 70 or so midday.

I prefer the trainer but I'll ride at night too. It's not uncommon, else there wouldn't be a huge market for powerful bike light systems.

cdr

khatfull

I've been riding solo 20-25 miles a night, 4-5 nights a week lately. By the time I get home from work, dinner, kids amd homework, etc. it's 9-9:30p by the time I can think about a ride.

Dress warm.
Light well.
Ride known roads.
Ride good roads.

No issues. I have a Fenix flashlight as my main light (basically one of the Magicshines referenced above in flashlight format). Wonderful, cheap thing. Lots of light for the money. That said, I like the format of the Magicshine better. I'll probably get one and think about helmet mounting the Fenix.

helmut

Yes. I commute in the early morning pre-dawn and it's pretty dark. Some things you absolutely have to have:

Dorky yellow hi-vis jacket. I like the Performance Century Vest and Jacket. Alternatively, you could pick up a yellow safety vest from Lowes for about $10-20. They look dumb, but the yellow practically glows in the dark, and the reflective tape lights you up like a Christmas tree in headlights.

Front headlight: IMHO, the only lights to consider are the P7 flashlight or the Magicshine. The Magicshine is a little brighter and easier to mount, but it has external battery pack and is more expensive. With the P7, you need to buy the specific lithium battery and charger kit from dealextreme.

Taillights: I just purchased a Planet Bike Superflash from Performance and it is blindingly bright, and a great deal for $20. The Dinotte 140l is supposedly the bees knees, but it's $100 or so.

Getting some 3M reflective tape from an auto store isn't a bad idea if added to your bike/rack/body. Makes you super visible in headlights. Good luck.

caloso

Another vote for the PB Superflash. Best bang for the buck blinkie ever. Get two, and put one up high (ziptie to the back of your helmet, perhaps) and one low.

JonnyUtah75

I know the Magicshine is a forum favorite for bang for the buck. What's the best light that doesn't require mounting an external battery source?

10 Wheels

Good one:
https://www.bike24.com/1.php?content=...=0;mid=0;pgc=0

Tsuru

Love night riding....

roadiejorge 

kudude

Fenix flashlights from dealextreme. Someone can reference everything, but you need a light, mount, charger and batteries. Figure ~$60-70

bbeck

i just started riding at night when the time changed. im loving it not as much traffic.

carpediemracing 

+1 on superflash.

Also, down low glows.

https://sprinterdellacasa.blogspot.co...ight-ride.html

One of the pictures:



cdr

shuffles

This:


Plus:

Plus:
Plus:

This is what I've got, but the MagicShine is still better.

caloso

Just ordered one myself. (Although I'm a little anxious about it ever getting here after reading some of the posts in the Electronics Forum.)

kudude

I think you're supposed to order it BEFORE daylight saving's time. I'm sure it'll be here before you know it.

datlas 

That's another good reason to get the Magicshine from geomangear.com - great service, fast shipping.

DX is cheap but long waits (from china) and dubious customer service.

Cancel your order from DX and go to geomangear.com!

Doug

sqharaway

I ride to and from work, so this time of year the trip home is always in the dark. Still need a good light though... my nighttime ride at 9pm takes place mostly on neighborhood roads though and I rarely see more than three or four cars the whole time.

f4rrest

I've ordered 4 times from DX.
My waits for Dealextreme have all been around 10 days (in Calif too). MTE SSC P7 for $35 at dealextreme is a fantastic primary light.

JonnyUtah75

jmpsmash

riding at night is some new to me. but after thinking about it for a while, it does make a lot of sense for the schedule constrained.

the biggest issue is visibility. i went out with a little bit of twilight the other day and my old cateye 4 AA light was just woefully inadequate. both in terms of illuminating the road as well as being visible to other cyclist/cars.

i have scouted out a loop in my neighborhood that is around 4miles. i hope to test it out once my evening schedule eases.

tFUnK

i only ride at night. better air, no sun, less cars, and it's a lot of fun. granted, i'm not a cat racer but we do road/fixed group rides in the evenings 2-3x a week. i think night riding probably makes more sense if you're in the city; scenic routes aren't so scenic at night and riding in urban areas is more fun than open stretches of pitch dark rural country road (which i admit scares me sometimes).

Atol

The problem I have with the Magicshine is that it only serves one purpose and it only works for bikes.

I prefer the flashlight model because I can take it out of the handlebar mount and take it fishing, or use it to look for something in the dark.

stevegor

Overnight long distance riding is another world...very ethereal.

Having good lights to see is nice, but the calming sense of embracing the night air when riding out in rural areas with no lights is unreal......but I do turn my lights on when a car approaches.