I wear a bright yellow reflective vest, reflective ribbon on my jersey sleeves (and if I'm wearing pants reflective ankle bands), two white LED lights on the front, two red LED lights on the back and these:

The bar end lights have been fantastic. I'm sure it makes it easier for car drivers to judge how much room to leave when going around me and they are somewhat visible from the sides, which is a bonus when going past side streets where a car could potentially pull out on me.

Seeing bikes from side streets has been a concern of mine..My reflectizered ankle straps also flash..Hope it impossible to not see me from side streets.

Assuming you have a light in the front so you can see the next most important is reflectors. All the posts here about reflectorized vests and straps are very good. The reflectors that came on your bike, especially those in the spokes and on the pedals, are very effective at attracting attention from an auto driver and identifying you as a moving bicycle. Nothing wrong with bike tail lights and blinkies but they are overpowered by car headlights and so don't show all that well.

I would never risk my safety on a hybrid bicycle in the darkness of the morning. The crime ratio is horrendous. Best leave early morning riding only to experienced riders who don't ponder on lifes little idiosyncracies. Especially if you ride the trails.

Can you elaborate?

Ok, who's got the pancake bunny picture?

Going to have to try those. For us 'Mericans,found a site that carries them:
https://www.knogusa.com/en-us/dept_6.html

I agree 100%. People just don't realize how insanely dangerous it is to ride early in the morning, and I hope that they get the message and stay off the trails I ride. I love the solitude and prefer to commune with the sunrise all alone.

Er. I mean, it's for their own safety.

please tell that rabbit to stop following me to Denny's

they're nice and bright; the only problem I have with them is the rubbery part that holds it in your handlebars, it's rather flimsy and can tear easily when you try and take them out again. I tore one of mine when I went to remove it yesterday after it stopped working - got a hard knock to the road after a Taxi pulled out on me from a car park (O/T I had to slam on my brakes, couldn't unclip and fell into the gutter. I have a nice lumpy bruise on my elbow and knee Of course the guy didn't stop to see if I was ok... ).[back on topic] Which brings me to my next point, they don't take well to being knocked about...but then I don't think many bike lights can take a direct hit and still function properly.

Do any semiconductor industry geeks make any predictions about when this joyful event will occur? Because then when my NiteRider fails, I will junk it and go LED.

I have a LED climber's headlamp made by Black Diamond that is as bright as my 10W niterider. Bike specific lights will be soon to catch up, maybe in the next 2 years.

right on right on.

Alright ! Maybe Santa Claus will bring me a new gift in late 2007 then.

Oh, regarding AAA batteries for the rear blinky, use the NiMH rechargeables, I top mine off every Sunday, I never buy batteries.

I leave for work @ 5:00am.... very dark out! (getting colder out too)

I would get at least 2 Blinky Lights for the REAR.
(I have one strapped to my Seat Post and another fairly large one on my rear rack)

Headlights... I started out with some cheap-o LED (Ascent Jet Set Combo---piece of crap!)...then another LED CatEye (EL 300)... Then I moved up to the Big Guns: ViewPoint™ EVO Dual Headlight System ...Got these on sale for 119.00 BIG DIFFERENCE!!!
WIth the cheaper lights you are always trying to make out whats on the road/trail. Not with the Dual Headlights.... you can fly!

I second the vote on Alertshirt.com , I just received a Sweatshirt (Safety Lime) holy crap is it bright! twas only 19.00 and moisture wick. but ya have to worry about shiipping costs.

Good luck to ya

Hang a light on your bike everywhere one will fit,mostly in the back, and BRIGHT, BRIGHT, BRIGHT clothing. And pray before you leave home.

Oh, and one more thing...ride defensivly. Assume they DON'T SEE YOU!

seriously, put two blinking lights on the back of your bikeframe (for one reason only!) so you don't get hit by a drunk or some other type of mental incapacitant.

I like the dynamo front hub powering a front headlight and red taillight. Never have to charge anything. Always ready to use. But I agree that bright (canary yellow) clothing is even more important. You can adjust your speed to match your lights, but you can't adjust motorists' speed to match your visibility. So max out on the visibility thing.

In addition to all the lights & reflective clothing, you will soon need to add some wool to your wardrobe. Socks, sweater & gloves for starters. Wool is great & still keeps you warm when it's wet.

NiteRider lights. People comment how bright my light is.

I would like a dual beam one but I got mine before there was such a think.

some sort of clear eye protection
long finger gloves
something to keep your head warm that fits the helmit
etc

Joe

I suggest you spend to get a good headlight, it costs less in the long run than purchasing several cheep ones that crap out. I don't like Nightrider because of their connectors and batteries (the lights are great but if they don't get reliable juice who cares). Lots of bright blinkies in the rear and reflective tape covering all the manufacturers' labels (that will be everywhere there is even the tinyest bit of space on a bike). I also suggest a removable trunk to store the additional clothes you wear in the morning (fall and spring) but not in the afternoon. I like removable because in the winter and summer I wear the same clothes morning and afternoon and don't want to carry an empty trunk.

I find riding before dawn to be the safest time to ride. Less cars, they see your lights in the dark easier that a bicyclist during daylight. You can usually pick and choose that part of the lane that has less bumps because you not competing with cars and you never get doored.

I am still a newbie at commuting, but I'm quickly learning about seeing/being seen better.

Lighting (seeing)
I'm currently running a Cygo-Lite Night Rover Xtra. It seems to fill my needs but I will be experimenting with some of the ideas in the Total Geekness thread.

Being seen
I have:

• Reflective Tape all over my bike (see blurry attachment)
• Squares of white reflective tape on my white helmet
• A Cateye blinky mounted on my rear rack.
• UV TireFlys on my valve stems.
• Niteize Marker Bands on my backpack (I just got panniers so these will probably move to my arms)

I probably look insane, but as one of my co-workers put it, if someone hits me, the crash should be considered foul play