I have a night schedule so i leave my house at around 3pm and dont come back til around midnight. I have a few questions about commuting on a bike.

1. besides magicshine (which i have to order online) are there any good lights that i can go and buy at the store? What do I have to look for when searching for lights? The store is already bright so how do i test the lights brightness?

2. I have driven by the roads im about to commute through. Most of the time they are very low traffic at night. Is it a good idea to still stay in the bike lane or shoudl i ride the right lane (its a 2 lanes each directions). I think I would be more visibleif im in the lane already because the car would see me faster than if im on the side of the road. I can just move to the bike lane or they can just switch over to the left lane if they want. I dont know if this is a safe practice though.

3. any other tips would be appreacited. Thanks

Magic Shine lights will give you the best bang for the buck, period. It's worth waiting a couple of days for the delivery. Also, consider some reflective materials: patches, strips and powerful rear blinking lights as well. The yellow reflective Velcro ankle strips are eye-catching since they move with your legs.

The drivers can see you just fine when you're on the side of the road. Or should I say, the drivers WILL NOT see you anyway until you roll over their hood and even then they'll wonder where the hell you came from. I'd stay on the side, to be out of their way, just in case. But that's me. There are more drunks at night too.

Consider installing the fattest and most flat-resistant tires you can. Even with the best light, it's harder to see and avoid debris and potholes at night.

For the front the Magicshine lights are usually highly recommended. I have two P7's from Dealextreme that work for me. A helmet light can also be used.

For the rear, most like the PB Superflash although the Radbot 1000 is starting to look very interesting. And don't worry soon someone will chime in about the Dinotte.

The other factor will be passive visibility. You can get reflective tape for your bike, rack, or wheels. You can also use reflectors on your rack or seatpost. Others like using reflective vest.

As for riding at night I would stay in the bike lane if you are able to. I would also ride the route during the day so you are aware of the road conditions. Also look for alternate routes just in case.

For safety or personal concerns know the area you will be riding through. Try to blend in if you feel it is a rough area, or be prepared to Salmon it (riding against traffic or on a sidewalk, basically opposite where the trouble may be) or Ninja it (riding without lights or reflective clothing and so on). It doesn't have to be for the whole commute, just the part you feel might be dangerous. You might also want to consider a cheap (or cheaper looking bike). Something like a Frankenbike (odd and end parts that are functional, no discernible make or model stickers on the bike, littered with tape and/or bumper stickers, scratched and scuffed, etc.) might also help.

Basically your goal is to get safely to and from your destination. How you do that is really up to you. I used to work overnights so there are times when I employed some of my suggestions. Also have a good place to lock your bike (with a good lock), good tires like caloso suggested, and know how to repair your ride just in case.

Riding at night is not as bad as it may seem. However I feel drivers think they have a certain anonymity which can lead to problems. If aggressive driving does occur get their tag number and call the police. Don't engage them in a confrontation.

Many are concerned about riding at night until they do it a few times (I know I was). I like having front and rear lights on flash as well as my general illumination light (PBSF in the rear, PB 1W Blaze in front). Use rechargeable batteries in everything and there is virtually no cost once you get set up.

As for bike lane vs. taking the lane, it really depends on the specific situation. I usually stay in the bike lane unless there is a reason not to. I also like having a mirror to keep an eye on what's behind me although their headlights usually give them away.

I have the same light setup as CACylcing (PBSF in the rear, PB 1W Blaze in front). I find these adequate for city commuting, but most of my streets are well lit, so therefore my lights are there to be seen, and not to see by. I stay away from dark streets at night and will not use the MUP after sundown. I don't rely on just these, however. I have clothes and bags with reflective material, a reflective sash, and extra little lights (these and these) on my helmet, hanging off of zippers, and/or mounted to my forks/stays.

If you do get a Magicshine for the front light, then I recommend to get the Tailight with it. So far I am happy with mine. Add a PBSF on your helmet and it will be even better.

For reassurance of your safety, later on you may want to add a 600+ lumen flashlight to your helmet. I came close to being broadsided from car that had the flashing red and I had the flashing yellow at the intersection. I can aim my helmet flaslight into their corner lighting up the area and actually got them to come to a hard sliding stop instead of running the flashing red.

You can test the brightness of others lights at the store by using either a dark sunglass or bring a small dark lens like the type welders uses. You can see which light is brighter at the led but it won't give you any idea of what the beam or the throw pattern.

I think staying in the bike lane is better unless you have lots of debris in those lane. If you venture into the road, some driver may take that personally and may even pass you very close as to trying to get you back into the bike lane. Been there done that, had one driver who buzz me than slow down just to tell me to get back into my lane....I didn't argue with him since that was better than telling me to get back on the sidewalk.

I have been working the same hours as you for years. I would suggest you get a small helmet light( I just use a little Royovack headlamp I got at Wal-Mart) so you can see to change a flat. The other thing would be a mirror. I actually feel safer riding home at night than I do riding to work during daylight.

One word about lights: redundancy. If you have a Magicshine, also keep a second light that you can put into service should it die. In fact, it might be a better idea to run two lights front and rear.

Despite the bad news about night cycling, it is often a very peaceful, low traffic time of day. Just keep you eyes open at all times!

One of my local bike shops does a demo of lights each year & posts their results online. They don't have the magicshine, but the results should help you with the relative performance of some different light setups (I hope it's ok to post links on here) https://eddys.com/articles/how-bright...t-light-ig493/

thanks for all the advice guys. quick question...can you really get a ticket for not having a tail light? someone told that today and i wasnt sure how true it was.

Depends on the state; Texas requires either a red reflector or a red light on the back. Either way, I'd be less concerned about getting a ticket than getting run over.

Magicshine is the best bang for the buck, but there are other nice lights available for reasonable prices. I also use a Fenix LD20 flashlight and like the Light & Motion Stella series. PB Superflash is probably the best inexpensive tail-light, and I use two of them for redundancy. I also use a Dinotte 140 tail-light, which is much brighter and costs 5X more. If you are riding on roads at night with high-speed traffic, it might be worth investing in something like the Dinotte or the Magicshine tail-light.

Regarding bike lanes, you are lucky to have that option. A good technique for riding on roads with bike lanes and wide shoulders is to take the lane in the road until you see a car approaching from behind, and then shift over into the lane as the car nears you. That way, they are more likely to see you and swing wide, and you have the added safety from shifting right. A mirror helps if you use this technique.

MK,

To your original question regarding which headlight to use, before a proper reply can be given, it needs to be known whether you need a light to see by or one just to make you seen?

It's reasonable to argue brighter is always better, but when you factor in whether your roads are lighted and traffic volumes, a bright blinking light might do the job, or you may need a full on headlamp.

To the second question regarding taking the lane, I'm with Tarwheel and say take the lane. You've said traffic volume is low and there are two lanes, so you should have no problems being aware of traffic approaching from the rear, and moving back into the bike lane. I think giving drivers the impression they need to move left and then you moving right will give you the widest safety margin, both in terms of heads-up time for the driver and physical space.

To the third question in the latter post about taillights and tickets...why would you ever consider rolling at night without a taillight?? Tickets should be totally irrelevant since it's exceptionally dangerous to ride at night without a taillight.

If I were commuting every night, I's suggest spoke lights.
https://www.rei.com/product/774213

Headlights and tail lights are for 'fore and aft. Spoke lights make you visible port and stabbard....
When your rolling, they create a bright, solid colored circle. Cager would be drunk or blind not to see you coming across. No T-bones please......

Reflective tape: inside the rims, between the spokes so when your wheels rotate they look like a solid reflected surface, on the cranks and pedals. Anything that moves catches the eye faster. I put reflective tape on my shoes and helmet too.

Don't even think of riding without a tail light.

Helmet mounted light is a good back-up as well as useful for getting driver's attention.

Ride in the bike lane or right of lane but taking up a lane will be a dangerous thing when drivers do not have the same line of sight at night as they do during the day. It's harder to judge distance at night.

Carry spare batteries.

What gerv said is good advice ... you need a backup on your light.

I like one on the bike, one on my helmet ... the helmet light I can aim quickly to get attention of drivers.

The Planet Bike Super Flash blinkies are very reliable. I'd still use too ... one on the bike out back, and one on the back of your helmet.

There are a lot of good LED flashlights now hitting the mass market ... you can do OK by shopping at Lowe's or even Target.

Traffic is light at that hour ... should be a good ride.

For midnight riding you have to be concerned with people driving home from bars. Get a glasses mount mirror so you can spot the drunk drivers as they aproach. One advantage of night riding is that the headlight beams give advance warning of cars approaching intersections on cross streets.