Originally Posted by
Chris L
Headlights (which don't seem to have been discussed in this thread) are also important if you want to avoid pot holes in the road, or if you want to be seen by crossing traffic at intersections. I currently run an E6 headlight powered by a Schmidt hub dymano as a primary headlight, with a 5-LED battery powered back up mounted on my handlebars. The LED light also doubles as a camp flash light.
Once you have the right lighting equipment, you may come to the realisation that riding at night is actually SAFER than riding during daylight. I know I feel that way.
I mentioned my Schmidt hub dynamo. And I do run an LED backup just in case ... actually I find the LED useful on hills. I go so slowly up the hills that my Schmidt hub doesn't have enough energy to power the lights, so I switch on my backup light for those situations. The LED backup is also handy in rainy conditions on black roads at night ... for some reason the lamp I've got is almost useless in those situations. I had an E6, but it broke during a flight (my stupid mistake for not removing it and packing it properly), now I've got a Lumotek.
And yes, there have been many instances where I've felt safer at night ... there's so much less traffic, you can see traffic coming for miles away, and if I'm lit up properly with a good combination of lights and reflectors, cars tend to slow down and pull way over onto the other side of the road to go around me.