Originally Posted by
dahut
As you might expect, cadence takes on a new importance. Since you cant see anything along the road (and in my case there is no digital readout) you nothing to judge your progress by visually. All you have is your cadence. There in the dark, with no distractions, I focus far more on my rhythm than I would during the day.
Riding by Feel
Here's a big shift from daytime cycling. You ride the bike by feel almost exclusively. You cannot see which chain wheel you are on, so you shift and move through the gears by feel. The bike has to be well tuned, naturally, because every little variance is felt, or heard when you can't look down to see what's happening!
Of course, your bike has to be in top shape and well maintained.Believe me - riding at night will point to problems in a hurry.
Every little bump or hiccup in the road is felt, too. You cannot see them in advance, and you have a very short time to react to them. Even with a higher powered light than mine, this is still an issue.
I have an energizer headlamp that I bought at walmart for $15. It takes 3 AAA batteries and the light is pretty strong. The light points to where you are looking so you can look at your front and rear sprockets to see what gear you are in. Plus if there is a strange noise on the bike you can look [or try to look] at it without disembarking from the bike.
You can also look at the side of the trail / road while riding.
I love riding at night. On the Pinellas Trail where I ride [
http://www.pinellascounty.org/trailgd/default.htm] I see some wildlife [i.e. varmints] every evening. Possums, armadillos, cats, and the occasional coyote.
Usually I count cats on my ride to work. They stare back at you with glowing eyes as you glide through their territory.
This headlamp is also useful for doing home repairs if the area you are in is light-challenged. I also carry a Cateye light on the front of the bike for an emergency light.