How safe is riding at night on country lanes?

robbie the roadie

I like most cyclists probably do far more cycling in the summer months when it's light in the evenings but this year I would like to keep the miles up as much as possible throughout the dark months. I am interested in hearing what other people do to keep the miles up.

Unfortunatley I am unable to commute to work as I have a company car. This is actually essential for my job rather than a perk :roll: so before anyone mentions it it's not an option Also I borrowed a turbo trainer once and used it once as I found it very dull.

I do have a winter loop of about 4 miles using only left hand bends and is street lit so is quite safe around the outskirts of the town but doing laps of this is a bit dull as well. I was thinking of tackling a couple of 20 mile loops that I know very well using some decent(ish) lights along country lanes. Is this advisable or will it spell disaster :?

Blonde

I have done many night rides and long audaxes where you ride through the night and I'd say it is actually SAFER than being on busy roads. However, a driver will not expect to see a cyclist on an unlit country road at night. This means you need to be very visable from further away than you would in the city. A small light is easily seen from a long distance away on an unlit road, so actually being seen by your lights is no problem. Being able to see by your lights is another matter though - you need a bright front light with a fairly wide beam. You may need to take off your usual cycling specs to improve visability, even if they have a clear lense, as they make oncoming headlights more dazzling which is very diorientating on an otherwise very dark road. What you will find though is that a good refelective can make a huge difference to you being easily visable to others. If you don't want to wear a sam brown belt or reflective vest, try a sportful reflex gilet (about £15 on prendas IIRC) or something else with a good large reflective on the back, or you could buy some reflective tape and sew/stick it onto whatever you usually wear. A few reflective stickers on luggage, shoes or bike frame/mudguards are very effective as well. A head torch is a useful thing - not only is it a back up front light, but it enables you to read signs from a good good way off as well as being able to direct the beam downwards for map reading at night. Also it makes you look, from a distance, like some sort of alien spacecraft, which appears to vastly improve people's driving skills and politeness....

portuguese mike

i'd second Blondes advice. i commuted all last winter and didn't find it any less safe than during summer, perhaps less due to your increased visibilty from distance as Blonde says.

it is very important to get decent lights though, unless you want to crawl around at 10mph looking out for potholes etc. I use a pair (spot and wide beam) lumicylce halogen lights which are awesome. They aren't cheap - £200 - but they turn night into day and i can ride just as fast as in daylight even down steep hills and the battery lasts an hour and a half with both lamps blazing (and they only take 4 hrs to recharge).


take the plunge, it's way better than being sat on a turbo.

Blonde

I have a dynamo hub wheel (Schmidt) with Busch and Muller Halogen front and LED rear lights. These are great when you'll be riding for days or doing long rides and dont went to have to lug new batteries around and dispose of used ones. (Recharables are not very good for cycle lighting, they just aren't powerful enough and don't ever recharge sufficiently). Hub dynamo lighting is also great for commuting as you can get on the bike, day in, day out, without ever needing to check your batteries are working or risk running out of power mid-ride. The hubs don't weigh much - less than six AA batteries (which you'll proably be using with front and rear battery powered lamps) and the lamps themsleves are practically weightless as they don't comtain any batteries. You really dont have to think about your lighting at all with a dynamo - It is just there at the flick of a switch and is always the same, full brightness - no gradual dimming as with battery power. I feel it is more environmentally sound to produce your own electricity and in the long run it is cheaper, although the initial outlay can seem a lot.

If you aren't committed to doing the dynamo thing, you can get some very good battery powered Cat Eye LEDs lights. The run times are pretty long too. 20+ hours isn't uncommon, though you will get a gradual dimming from the very first moment you switch them on of course. Lights powered from rechargable battery packs are usually very bright, but you get quite a limited run time before they need recharging. The battery packs are heavy and they usually fit in a bottle cage which means one less bottle of water for you, so these may be better for shorter night rides only.

Pirahna

The two main things to watch out for are icy patches when it's cold and wildlife the rest of the time. Other than that it's safer than daytime riding.

bigease

I do a 12.5 mile commute all through the winter, and half of my route is on unlit country lanes. I have to say that I do find it a little intimidating when the nights first get dark, but I haven't found it any less safe.

I make sure I have plenty of reflective material on me and my kit and make sure that all my lights are working and clean. I have been using a cheap rechargeable front light until now, but hope to get a lumicycle front light for this winter to improve my visibility on the dark lanes.

portuguese mike

Blonde wrote:

I have a dynamo hub wheel (Schmidt) with Busch and Muller Halogen front and LED rear lights. These are great when you'll be riding for days or doing long rides and dont went to have to lug new batteries around and dispose of used ones. (Recharables are not very good for cycle lighting, they just aren't powerful enough and don't ever recharge sufficiently). Hub dynamo lighting is also great for commuting as you can get on the bike, day in, day out, without ever needing to check your batteries are working or risk running out of power mid-ride. The hubs don't weigh much - less than six AA batteries (which you'll proably be using with front and rear battery powered lamps) and the lamps themsleves are practically weightless as they don't comtain any batteries. You really dont have to think about your lighting at all with a dynamo - It is just there at the flick of a switch and is always the same, full brightness - no gradual dimming as with battery power. I feel it is more environmentally sound to produce your own electricity and in the long run it is cheaper, although the initial outlay can seem a lot.

If you aren't committed to doing the dynamo thing, you can get some very good battery powered Cat Eye LEDs lights. The run times are pretty long too. 20+ hours isn't uncommon, though you will get a gradual dimming from the very first moment you switch them on of course. Lights powered from rechargable battery packs are usually very bright, but you get quite a limited run time before they need recharging. The battery packs are heavy and they usually fit in a bottle cage which means one less bottle of water for you, so these may be better for shorter night rides only.

Believe me lumicycle lights are plenty bright enough and they do recharge properly. the battery is also vey light as it's a li-ion type similar to those found in mobile phones - the water bottle its fiited in weighs less than 500g and you don't get any apreciable dimming for at least the first hour and a bit. its why lumicycle are so pricey, the actual lamps cost about a tenner each to replace, it's all down to the battery technology.

i'm not saying that dynamos aren't excellent BTW but i'd just like to clarify that you can get very good battery systems as well.

rohloff-rich

Try a helmet or bar mounted USE Exposure Joystick - about £150ish, but seriously bright for its size and an all-in-one unit so no leads to external battery packs etc.

On the back I'd be inclined to go for something really bright - the Dinotte AA rear light from On-One.co.uk is expensive at £69 but you will be visible for miles!:



:shock:

robbie the roadie

Yeah was looking at those dinotte lights on the on one website but I've already got some pretty decent lights so will try those out first before shelling out for really bright ones 8)

MartinJ

Hi night riding on country lanes through winter is great. Like you I find the turbo boring so much prefer to get outside. You get some fabulous starlit and moonlit nights!

Lumicycle lights are great. i use a single 12W spot most of the time - will give 3+ hours with the old NiMh battery. Like the others I would recomend plenty of lights/reflectives so the drivers can't miss you.

Carry a head torch incase of punctures/breakdowns.

Have fun!

passout

Try off road night riding - more fun than you can shake a stick at. I go most Thursday nights up in the Lakes, all weathers. Even canals offer an alternative, dog walkers do present a problem though. No cars but best done in a group though I have to say.

I also ride on road at night. Get some top notch front lights - the expensive ones are generally excellent and change your whole perspective. I use Lupine Nightmares which are outstanding - over 3 hour run time and 40W equivalent. Very relaible & fairly lightweight. The battery is bottle mounted. By happy coincidence they are on sale now with Evans.

Have a good quality flashing LEDs on the back of the bike and on you.

Something relective on your sides too. Those High Viz jackets work well - look awful mind. I've seen LEDs attached to tyre valves too, struck me as a good idea.

Blonde

portuguese mike wrote:

Blonde wrote:

I have a dynamo hub wheel (Schmidt) with Busch and Muller Halogen front and LED rear lights. These are great when you'll be riding for days or doing long rides and dont went to have to lug new batteries around and dispose of used ones. (Recharables are not very good for cycle lighting, they just aren't powerful enough and don't ever recharge sufficiently). Hub dynamo lighting is also great for commuting as you can get on the bike, day in, day out, without ever needing to check your batteries are working or risk running out of power mid-ride. The hubs don't weigh much - less than six AA batteries (which you'll proably be using with front and rear battery powered lamps) and the lamps themsleves are practically weightless as they don't comtain any batteries. You really dont have to think about your lighting at all with a dynamo - It is just there at the flick of a switch and is always the same, full brightness - no gradual dimming as with battery power. I feel it is more environmentally sound to produce your own electricity and in the long run it is cheaper, although the initial outlay can seem a lot.

If you aren't committed to doing the dynamo thing, you can get some very good battery powered Cat Eye LEDs lights. The run times are pretty long too. 20+ hours isn't uncommon, though you will get a gradual dimming from the very first moment you switch them on of course. Lights powered from rechargable battery packs are usually very bright, but you get quite a limited run time before they need recharging. The battery packs are heavy and they usually fit in a bottle cage which means one less bottle of water for you, so these may be better for shorter night rides only.

Believe me lumicycle lights are plenty bright enough and they do recharge properly. the battery is also vey light as it's a li-ion type similar to those found in mobile phones - the water bottle its fiited in weighs less than 500g and you don't get any apreciable dimming for at least the first hour and a bit. its why lumicycle are so pricey, the actual lamps cost about a tenner each to replace, it's all down to the battery technology

i'm not saying that dynamos aren't excellent BTW but i'd just like to clarify that you can get very good battery systems as well.

I was referring to tha fact that ordinary rechargable AA batteries, etc, do not recharge very well, so are not a good type of battery to use in battery powered lights. I was not referring to the large battery packs intended to power cycle lights - I mentioned these battery packs further down in my post and said that the lights they power are very bright, though run time before you need to recharge the battery is limited. The loved one uses the lumicycle lights for his commute in winter - 13 miles each way, same as mine. They are good for that, but you might want to use something different for weekend rides/audax in winter, when you don't want to have to carry the battery pack all day for maybe 1 to 2 hours of cycling in the dark, and/or you also need the extra bottle cage for a bidon on a longer ride especially at night when there are no shops open to get water.

portuguese mike

Blonde wrote:

portuguese mike wrote:

Blonde wrote:

I have a dynamo hub wheel (Schmidt) with Busch and Muller Halogen front and LED rear lights. These are great when you'll be riding for days or doing long rides and dont went to have to lug new batteries around and dispose of used ones. (Recharables are not very good for cycle lighting, they just aren't powerful enough and don't ever recharge sufficiently). Hub dynamo lighting is also great for commuting as you can get on the bike, day in, day out, without ever needing to check your batteries are working or risk running out of power mid-ride. The hubs don't weigh much - less than six AA batteries (which you'll proably be using with front and rear battery powered lamps) and the lamps themsleves are practically weightless as they don't comtain any batteries. You really dont have to think about your lighting at all with a dynamo - It is just there at the flick of a switch and is always the same, full brightness - no gradual dimming as with battery power. I feel it is more environmentally sound to produce your own electricity and in the long run it is cheaper, although the initial outlay can seem a lot.

If you aren't committed to doing the dynamo thing, you can get some very good battery powered Cat Eye LEDs lights. The run times are pretty long too. 20+ hours isn't uncommon, though you will get a gradual dimming from the very first moment you switch them on of course. Lights powered from rechargable battery packs are usually very bright, but you get quite a limited run time before they need recharging. The battery packs are heavy and they usually fit in a bottle cage which means one less bottle of water for you, so these may be better for shorter night rides only.

Believe me lumicycle lights are plenty bright enough and they do recharge properly. the battery is also vey light as it's a li-ion type similar to those found in mobile phones - the water bottle its fiited in weighs less than 500g and you don't get any apreciable dimming for at least the first hour and a bit. its why lumicycle are so pricey, the actual lamps cost about a tenner each to replace, it's all down to the battery technology

i'm not saying that dynamos aren't excellent BTW but i'd just like to clarify that you can get very good battery systems as well.

I was referring to tha fact that ordinary rechargable AA batteries, etc, do not recharge very well, so are not a good type of battery to use in battery powered lights. I was not referring to the large battery packs intended to power cycle lights - I mentioned these battery packs further down in my post and said that the lights they power are very bright, though run time before you need to recharge the battery is limited. The loved one uses the lumicycle lights for his commute in winter - 13 miles each way, same as mine. They are good for that, but you might want to use something different for weekend rides/audax in winter, when you don't want to have to carry the battery pack all day for maybe 1 to 2 hours of cycling in the dark, and/or you also need the extra bottle cage for a bidon on a longer ride especially at night when there are no shops open to get water.

Yes, you did day that, sorry. i seem to be makiing a habit of not reading posts properly before replying, i put it down to trying to be sureptitiously so i don't get collared when i'm meant to be working.

Blonde

Heh heh! If you use Microsoft at work just write stuff in notepad text or in Word and paste it in quickly after...

ash68

hi everyone, new to the forum.sounds like good advise from all previous replies. with the same lumicycle light on the front as martinj and a couple of leds on the back and a reflective waistcoat i actually feel safer riding during the dark nights and early mornings in winter. problems seem to occur when it is dusky or semi-dark.perhaps driver's eyes havenot adjusted to the conditions or maybe i am just not as visible then. Either way nothing should stop us enjoying our bikes whatever the time of year.

flattythehurdler

I have a dinotte rear, which has been flawless, and an exposure enduro turbo, which had to be exchanges after nearly getting me killed by switching itself off in the middle of a roundabout (the second time it happened, must have been a switch problem)-the company were @rses about it, but wiggle replaced it without a problem, and the replacement has worked fine. They are expensive until you compare them to petrol, but worth every penny. Buses have pulled in thinking I was a police car. One thing for sure, you are seen. Maybe slighly antisocially bright, but I commute 30 miles on and off road (unlit) all year round, and wouldn't be without them. IMO you are more visible than during the day.

wastelander

Nickel Metal Hydride Batteries (NiMH) don't suffer from 'cell memory', can be topped up instead of having to be flattened off in the way that NiCad and lead acid cells do, are lighter and hold their charge brilliantly.

kenbaxter

Cycling at night is great but take it easy! Only major accident so far is hitting a badger at about 20mph and going clean over the bars. Badger was fine, I survived!

grumblestiltskin

Good lights epecially do not ignore the rear, I use a strobe and a reflective band as well. Best not to do this on an unknown road, as not always possible to see pot holes, or tree branches, it can be disorientating to ride in the pitch black.... it takes a little getting used to. Take a mobile phone. I hit black ice once and although not hurt ...as both bike and me slid to safety I felt a complete fool because no phone and I could have been stuck and incapacitated in the middle of a dark lane. I now always take a phone.

In the South East you casn use light pollution to see once your eyes are dark adapted, but have the light switch to hand. Bats and badgers can be an issue, badgers make loads of noise so if you hear what sounds like a tank approaching through the undergrowth stop and let it go, they are big. Bats can fly low in lanes and while their sonar is good , sometimes they miscalculate your speed, and may bounce of your helmet.

robbarker

A lot of good replies already, I'd just add that I use a Solidlights 1203D front LED lamp with a SON dynohub on my audax bike and it's much better that the Schmidt E6 or B&M lights we all used before. I also have a Lumicycle system for my road and mountain bikes which is also excellent - I'd put the two systems on a par in terms of useability.

I run a big german led rear light with a large reflector built in and supplement this with two vistalite Eclipses, one clipped to my rackpack (or saddle pouch on the road bike) and one clipped to the back of my helmet. The extra height gives a greater range of visibility. Combine these with a nerdy but effective reflective waistcoat and I get the impression I'm very visible at night.

The thing that puts me off more than the wet, cold and dark in winter is the road salt. Make sure you give your machine a good clean when you get home!