Agree w/t previous poster. I feel safer at night because I'm lit up like a Christmas turkey. Reflective clothing, blinkies galore and 2 10w halogen headlights. I run them one at a time as they both get about 2 hrs of run time. Give it a try. You'll probably love it.

My only problem/concern is drunk drivers. There are a lot of them.

I'm not sure which is less safe: 50 drunk drivers at night or 1,000 sober pissed-off-because-they're-late-for-work daytime drivers.

oh yes. this scares the hell out of me. Muncie has sooooo many of these. Everyone goes through the "dont drink and drive" seminar, but it seems everyone believes that they won't "get caught."

But with the 1,000 sober drivers, they will be more likely to stop if there is an accident, if only because of pressure from other vehicles being present. While, the 50 drunk drivers would probably just drive off due to fear of being arrested with a dui.

The good thing about buzzed/tipsy/mildy drunk drivers is that they're usually worried about getting caught so they're paying attention.

Probably significantly less dangerous than Sally Cubicle coming up behind you at the light while applying lipstick and texting during the morning rush hour.

I would never count on any driver stopping, day or night, sober or not.

Though if you're hoping for help, there is a better chance of pedestrians being around during the day.

step one: buy some flashy lights. i like my knog boomers.

step two: growa pair.




on a slightly more philosophical level... there are accidents you can avoid and there are accidents you cannot. be aware and make intelligent decisions and you'll be likely to avoid situations that may put you in harm's way.

the only time i've been hit was head on in broad day light.

http://www.ravingbikefiend.com/bikepics/uavatv1.JPG

My winter bike has a 3 speed / generator hub and a 3 watt headlight as well as a very bright LED on the handlebars, one smaller led on the fork and a PB Superflash out back.

My helmet also has a rear LED which is stupidly bright and with this I always have a rear light no matter what I am riding and having a light here makes one very visible.

Indeed I do. About 10pm every night (that it's dry) I get the hunger to go for a rip. I have some great layer combos and a spreadsheet even for mapping cold and conditions to my gear. I ride alone, sometimes with lights and it rarely involves coffee/tea and stopping. Therefore I don't usually carry a lock unless the backpack is coming with for gear reasons.

I like well lit roads, avoid construction areas etc. Your depth perception at night is almost nil with the road. Very flat light. You can't see the ridges and cracks that might eat a 700c tire. Happened to me last night even. took a hard right and happened upon some construction where they had dug a water main and paved over it. but there was a 2 inch rise for the second paving wave. Didn't see it and it ate my front tire. I unclipped on my goofy foot side and saved it at the expense of some post ride repair to my booties.

Stay warm. Stay hydrated. Wear yellow sunglasses and assume you are invisible. Carry bus fare.

I also prefer riding on fatter tyres at night... means that even if I am half drunk and riding with my eyes half closed I can roll over stuff that would kill me if I was on 23's.

Next time I get called out for berating unprepared people riding in the rain I'm digging this up.

Don't ride half cut at night people. Breathing and urinating are welcome pastimes for many.

I used to ride at night from around 11 pm - 1 am with no lights. Then I got a ticket.

You completely missed my point but thanks for playing.

Perhaps I should have said "riding with my eyes closed" instead... now we don't do this either but having a bike under yo that can handle the stuff you can't see and gets you through it is a good thing.

My UAV is my winter / rain / apocalypse bike and if the conditions are crappy, cold, wet, and dark it's a great bike to have under you.

All of the above:

Can't beat it being cooler. still of the night and there is relatively no wind, maybe a gentle breeze at best. Drunks scare me, tired night shift workers going home or those going to work can be scary too. I generally prefer the dawn head starts for a ride. I also ride street light lit roads, generally go slower and a more casual & safer night ride, but w/ 15-30 minutes head start, you can get well into your longer loop rides. Add that slower and layering clothes really isn't necessary often times in the city, now rural, that can get darn cold. At a certain point of the pre-dawn/post-dusk ride traffic is virtually non-existent, so you can cross a multi lane road easier and safer. Most drivers are still having breakfast or eating dinner when you are doing your thing. Even when I travel by car, I prefer night driving to eliminate traffic problems and pretty much a lot of the reasons for a bike commute. I'm not big on using my brakes if it's not necessary, reduced traffic is the best for that, otherwise you're on the road with drivers that stop for no reason at all. So annoying getting behind someone that keeps hitting their brakes like that. I don't think they realize that every time they do that, every single vehicle behind them has to also, just totally unnecessary stress if they leave safe following distance and actually try to get to where they intend to go ?

Lights, I have are the Wal-Mart $ 20 Zefal brand set to be seen not really to see. I'd need one of those multi-million candle power lights to actually see the road far enough in front of me to generate the kind of speed I do in broad daylight.

wearing reflective gear is great. anytime I end up driving and happen across a cyclist, they are 10000x easier to see if they have anything reflective on, even if it's just some piping on a jacket they're wearing, or those ugly pedal reflectors. I want to get some colored reflective tape for my bike. put a bit on my rims maybe, or redo the logo's in it.

I typically stick to bike lanes and trails, I also ride with a Light & Motion Stella 180N.

riding at night is the best!

not to mention the sleep after a night ride

My Mash isn't my beater =(. LOL.

I'm praying for snow this year though in Burnaby..

When my back pain flares up I often find that riding brings immense relief as it decompresses things... so quite often I am up and out late cruising around.

Night rides in the summer can't be beat... mountain biking in the dark is a rush... if you have the right lights.

My folder is probably the best equipped for night riding as it has a 2 watt led and a 10 watt halogen up front and when you switch these on they turn night into day and are the same lights I use when I off road at night.

I have an aquantience who had his bicycle impounded and got a ticket for drunk biking.

it's a very serious offense

for a relatively unserious crime.

Night riding is the bomb, I stick mostly to the rails to trails or offroad. As bad as drivers are during the day, they are worse at night. When commuting at night I have had people slow down to near stop behind me trying to figure out what is going on

Last time I rode the local bike trail at night I came upon some teenagers laying crossways on the trail in the darkness looking up at the stars, I nearly ran them over. Marginal light, a bit too fast, and they were all wearing dark clothing. We were all having a nice quiet time on the trail, me riding a bike, them laying on the ground looking at the stars, then five seconds of hard braking, tire skidding, people screaming and laughing, a couple mutual "'scuse me's", and all was peacefull again.

Riding at night can be a pleasant experience occasionally interrupted with moments of terror and panic, then pleasant again if you survive.

We do an MTB night ride almost weekly.
Most of us run Amoeba lights - if DH-ers run'em at Angelfire, they'll work for my slow, half-blind riding style.

City riding at night is also a blast, just light yourself up first.