Time change woes
 

Man the time change is really cramping my style. After a few years off the bike and starting a family I decided to get back into this year. Rode a lot in 2013 and over the last 18 months I've dropped about 50 pounds. Now it's dark at 5;15 making it hard to ride during the week after work. Time to get on the trainer. It's hard to fit it in after work. I walk in the door and the boys are real happy to see me and we spend a lot of time together. Then dinner. It seems my only time is around 8:30. Tough to keep motivated but I am determined to keep at it.

I love the time change. I work second shift. Now its sunny and warming up at 9:00am. Yay!

I'm with you. I hate losing my afternoon/evening rides.

I don't understand why you need to lose them - headlights are fantastic in 2013.

having said that I left the house today at 3:30 and was wishing I had them with me at 5pm. Stupid flat!

I normally don't ride at night, but started riding good the last few weeks, so i invested in some headlights and taillights and i am planning on still riding each night, just sticking to the bike trails and trying to stay off main roads when dark. We will see how it goes

I haven't touched my bike since the time changed.....I'm horrible:cry:

I was thinking of riding my bike on a MUP at night but it only takes one person jumping out of the bushes, wrecks you and then rob you. When you're legs are tired from riding, I don't know if I have the strength to defend myself or run away. Yea, I can just join a group that rides at night but I can't because I don't know if I can keep up with the group. I just started riding two months ago and last thing I want to do is to get dropped in the middle of the ride.

lights are great and you can get some stuff that is amazing for $25... I was using mine in the summer when it was 105+ heat index in the day...

It's now only $20. You can't go wrong with one of these: http://www.amazon.com/Lumen-Bicycle-...ree+bike+light

U
 

Add this: http://amzn.com/B00435IPFK

I've been using on my rides for a year. No big issues. Swapped setup to one of our tandems for the time change and going to soccer practice. My 10 year old had so much fun riding in the dark, I just bought another setup for a second bike.

I've had cars stop in alleys and get out of the way. Two nights ago, teenagers playing ball in the street quickly got out of the way. As we passed (on the tandem), one said, 'It's just someone on a bike."

Total per bike....about $50-60 (more expensive last year). Fun factor.... Awesome.

Just get some decent lights. I'm pretty much resigned now to all my weekday rides being after work in the dark.

Can you ride to work? Or like the others say, simply ride outside in the dark.

Good point. I started getting up before dawn to get in a ride before work this summer when it got very hot.

I have a 6.5 loop on very nice roads with little traffic. It gets kind of boring doing laps of it; however, riding in the dark livens things up a lot.

LED lights are amazing both in the amount of light produced and how long the batteries last. I usually ride with two headlights (one on the bars and another on the helmet) and at least 2 tail lights. Nice to have some redundancy if one fails.

I have one bike set up for night riding with all the nerdy reflectors and plan on getting tires with reflective sidewalls when the tires need changing.

I don't mind the dark. Rather it's the cold that gets to me. I'm a wimp at temps below 40°F and hit the gym then.

LIGHTS! Best thing going... I discovered riding with lights last year and now really look forward to the time change. Just a suggestion: you do need a decent light for the front of the bike. If you are riding in urban areas, you don't need alot of wattage but if out in the country or on trail you will need more. I run two Nightrider 700 on my mountain bike (out on dirt trails) and one 350 on my road bike. The little blinky tail lights are cheap. Buy several, use one on the bike and one up higher - the more the merrier. I purchased a headlamp from Target - spent $15. It has a front light and a blinking tail light and I wear it on my helmet. Its not for seeing but to be seen.

Now I am very fortunate to have a great bike path system to ride. I try avoiding the actual street but if so, stay in residential or industry areas.

There is something magical (and alittle scary) about riding at night... give it a try...

Really!? The world is not as dangerous as the news would have you believe. Don't live in fear.

Over half of my riding is done in the dark since my free time is early morning before work. All I have at the moment is a cheap Bell headlamp and blinky out back, and belive it or not, it puts out more than enough light for me to see. To go any distance I need to either get on the highway to the west of me, or get to the I55 service road west of me. Both are quite busy, so I wear a lovely orange reflective vest (also run with it in the dark) and my helmet has a red blinky on the strap. Unfortunately the closest trails to me are in Memphis across the river.


The first Sunday morning I went out with my lights was heavy fog. It was quite eerie. The bad part is that I could hear the cars before I would see their headlamps...

I've got lights and bright colored clothing but my only fitness route is a rural highway, some parts without a shoulder! Even well lit and reflective, I don't trust riding in the dark among cars going 60-70 mph. I've braved it out a few times (accidentally once without any lights last week :eek:) but if its not the darkness that makes me unmotivated its the cooler temperatures.

I was extremely disappointed today, the temps were in the high 50s (unusually high for this time of the year in this region) and I was stuck working or driving when I should've been riding the bike! When I finally got home and got the bike ready, it was 5:00 and getting dark by the second. The temps were mid to high 40s by now, which is still decent, I decided to turn the lights on and go for a quick 5 mile ride anyway(wanted to ride further but my rear blinking light seemed to be really dim)

Can anyone recommend a rather cheap but bright rear light? My cheap Bell rear light isn't worth crap

Post #10 ....linked to Portland Design Works Danger Zone Tail Lite. Showing $24.42 delivered.

$30 buys you a lithium-ion powered LED light bright enough cars will mistake you for a motorcycle
$30 also gets you a bright flashing light for the rear

http://www.amazon.com/Cygolite-Hotsh...words=cygolite

My favorite, hands down.

Maybe I'll give night riding a shot.. Most of the roads around here are country with some moderate to light traffic depending on route chosen. It would certainly be a different experience, don't see to many roadies at night. It would be nice to do once in awhile to change things up.

I've switched my midweek rides from after work to before work. Today I rediscovered that it's COLD! in the morning! Sure, 50 degrees isn't really that cold, but when you're used to riding in the afternoon at 65+, it's quite a shocker!

I'm going to have to rediscover how to dress for cold, because it's been a few years since I road much in the late fall/winter/early spring. And I used to be so hardcore!