recommendations for cycling in the dark

popette

I've got about 6 months cycling under my belt now so I've never really had to bother about cycling in the dark. After completing my first century at the weekend I'm really looking forward to a winter of cycling. However, I'm a bit nervous about what it's like cycling on country lanes in the dark. I'll save a long ride for daylight hours at the weekend but I'd do two rides of about 20 to 30 miles through the week. I cycle on a short stretch of road in the town which quickly leads on to countryside so it would be really dark. I'll get lights front and back and I'm also thinking about getting the altura night vision jacket to help with my visibility.
so, my question is who here continues to ride in the dark, what's it's like, do you have any tips and will I be safe?
Thanks x

John Stevenson

My evening ride is a 20 mile commute from the city centre to the suburbs that involves a mix of fairly busy roads, back streets and a couple of unlit stretches of bike path.

I use a Light & Motion HID light up front (expensive, but throws a lot of light and extremely visible), two five-LED rear lights, one set to flash, the other steady, and a dirty great reflector - one of the big round red ones used as roadside markers.

That seems to be enough light to get me noticed most of the time, so I don't worry about high-vis or reflective clothing; though I would if I were riding unlit roads too. Can't hurt. That said, the near-incidents I've had over the years were a result of idiots looking in completely the wrong direction. Short of a following helicopter, I don't think anything would have made them notice me.

McBain_v1

I ride after the sun has gone down and I really enjoy it - it seems much better somehow. Get yourself out from the kerb - you need to be more assertive in these conditions and put yourself more into a drivers line of vision. Of course, being lit up like Blackpool illuminations does help in this regard.

I use Cateye lights (ABS25) for the front, I have reflective armbands that have lights built in to them (set to blinky mode), I have three lights on the rear (one on rear fork, one on rear seat stem, one on back of CamelBak - two on blinky mode one on constant), reflective ankle bands, and as much ScotchLite as is available. I haven't got any LED lights elsewhere yet, but I don't think that anyone could legitimately use the excuse that they did not see me coming.

What I would really like for my night-time rides is one of those superb looking Light & Motion Arc lights (helmet mounted of course) so that if anyone gives me the full-beam treatment I can dish a bit back at them as well :twisted: Only thing is their price :shock:

driverpm

Hi Popette,
I've cycled the last couple of years on unlit country roads and it's been fine, i actually qquite like it. It took a while to get used to, as you just have your little patch of brightness in a seemingly black void. but as long as you're well equiped go for it! I use and rate the night vision jacket highly, it can get a bit hot & sweaty but given the higher chances of rain and the cooler windier weather it works well for me on my ~10mile commute, don't know how you'd find it on a 20-30 training ride, something like the gore xenon http://www.wiggle.co.uk/ProductDetail.aspx?Cat=cycle&ProdID=5360023936&n=Gore%20Xenon%20Ladies%20Jacket, might be better - its had good reviews and i'd be interested in just how water repellent it is (mens version obviously :oops: ).
All the fluorescent coulours in the world won't get you seen in the dark (good for the day light though) its the REFLECTIVES that do it, especially when they are placed on moving parts like your legs! you can get the bands and sheets of precut or uncut scotchlite stuff that you can slap onto kit and clothes. Flashing lights are good too at gettinfg cars to notice, one on a helmet can really help cars see you from a way off, especially in traffic. However the one thing that i still haven't got quite right is front lighting to see where i'm going and hazards with confidence, especially when there is no white line marking the left edge of the road (so i'd be keen to get advice on this too). Also, country roads are more likely to have bad surfaces/potholes that you won't see in the dark.
Generally car drivers are pretty good and dip their lights when they see you. However, a few seem to think the best they can do is keep you in full beam so you can't see a bloody thing even once they've passed! you just have to learn to look the other way slightly or shield your eyes with one hand (some drivers get the message - especially when the shielding hand doesn't extend all fingers )
good luck
Phil

marcruse

The only think i would add to some good advice here, is try to look at it from a driver's perspective. I was pooping myself the first few times i ventured on an unlit dual carriageway commute, but if you get the chance, try sitting in a car and watching what other cyclists look like. Rear lights are generally useless whereas high viz and reflective clothing is a must. Anything that goes up and down is good - eg reflective pedals or those ankle things. You'll look like an idiot, but they may save your life!

For cars heading towards you with main beams, try to concentrate on the nearside verge/kerb otherwise you'll end up like a rabbit and just head straight towards the lights!

Enjoy.

blackhands

Most LED rear lights are useless - the only one I've found which is satisfactory is a Smart 1/2 Watt @ about £15.00.

Unlit roads are loss of a problem as long as you have reasonable lights and reflectors - the problem is often in lit towns where yeven with lights you tend to meerge into the backgound so pedal reflactos or reflective ankle straps really work,

heavymental

marcruse wrote:

For cars heading towards you with main beams, try to concentrate on the nearside verge/kerb otherwise you'll end up like a rabbit and just head straight towards the lights!

God yeh, i've had that. Its awful. Couldn't see a thing and with no kerb or white line on the edge of a country road I was lost. Just had to slow right down and head to the left a bit. Nasty.

ut_och_cykla

if you want some extra exercise (not much mind!) you could always fit a dynmao light front (German brand busch & Muller can't remeber sorry). Very bright, never runs out! Rear end I would go for multi LED's and reflectors - concentrate reflectors on the moving parts of you - legs/feet/pedals, and high up - LED on helmet?

driverpm

Cateye TL LD1100 Rear Light expensive but it works pretty well & good battery life too

another jacko

I feel quite confortable riding at night on my local 15 mile circuit on unlit country roads. In my view it is probably a lot safer than in the daytime. Lit urban roads are probably a lot more dangerous, because you just don't stand out enough from all the other lights around.

On country roads at night there's just so much less traffic, especially if you time your ride for peak evening telly watching time and what there is is small private cars, not lorries, buses and white vans...
Also car drivers don't see bikes in the daytime from very far off and even if they do "it's only a bike". At night they see your lights (assuming you have good bright ones) and reflectives from a long way off and by the time they realise "its only a bike", they have taken action just in case it is a large piece of agricultural machinery and have given you a wide berth.

As well as good bright flashing rear LED (I think mine is a cateye TL1100), wear a reflective vest and ankle bands and fit reflectors to your wheels and pedals as moving lights get noticed more. A good bright headlight will give most people enough light to cycle as fast as they do in the daytime. I've used a Cateye lead acid bottle cage job with a 10W flood bulb for several years, which was great if a bit heavy. As the battery's life has become marginal by now, I've started using some Smart 5 LED lights which are tiny and while not quite as bright are still good enough especially for under £20 and batteries last for ages. I use 2 - one flashing, one constant and haven't had many headlight blinding experiences.

Riding at night is great, quite often I've ridden along with an owl for company and there is something very special about the peace and quiet, being alone in your little patch of lit up road, the silhoutted landscapes and night skies.

Do it, enjoy it.

popette

thanks for all of your replies. Up until now, I'd worried about drivers being able to see me and hadn't really thought that I might not be able to see where I'm going!

It sounds like I need to do a bit of spending. You buy a bike and think what a cheap form of exercise it's going to be and then you get sucked into spending loads. Great isn't it?

erm, by the way, did I mention that I rode 110 miles at the weekend (just wanted to get that in again).

Chris5150

I hate Cateye stuff, think its rubbish!. Sorry but that has been my experience of their stuff. Rear light wise the blackburn mars they sell at wiggle is great, feels far sturdier and better made, I like blackburn stuff.
I have an Arc light on my mountan bike too for night stuff in winter, but I went for the Supernova P99 Dual for my road bike, just tested it the other night and it is superb at lighting up the country roads I cycle on...not cheap at all, but I intend on doing a lot of night biking thorugh winter and if these lights are the choice of the US police force then they will do for me!!
Just need wiggle to start stocking the rear light that supernova do now as that plugs into the same battery, I do what John does at the moment and go with two backlights just so I know if the batteries run out on one or one goes faulty I know Im ok...I get a bit paranoid with just one!!

Chris5150

PS very well done popette for doing 110 miles at weekend, good effort!

nolf

110 is very impressive!!
And if you say 175km it seems even more impressive!!

What time did you do?


P.s Next try 125 miles (200km's) :shock:

nolf

Oh also for night riding, I find the ones I like most are minor A roads, on most of the minor roads around here it's just too dark to see anything without super powerful (and super expensive) lights, whereas minor A roads are quiet enough to not worry about traffic and light enough to only need lights for others to see!

BTW You'll love riding at night, some of my best rides have been at gone 10pm (insomniac).

popette

thank you, thank you (curtseys to forum).

I did 6hrs 35 minutes but I was handicapped by my husband who hadn't done adequate training and as McBain_V1 said in another thread, I was his domestique for the day! I think I could have done much nearer to 6hrs otherwise.

200k sounds good - next year I will do Manchester to blackpool and back again. That would be about 140miles going from my house. That's the longest ride I'm planning for next year - the others are shorter, at around the 80 mile mark, but very hilly.

oldwelshman

rear leds rubbish? Why is that?
I have the cateye 1100 and it is great.I also use another for backup.
The best buy for lights in my experience was a rear blue led light off ebay !!!
Now I have been told it is illegal but I do not care if it saves me!!! In fact I have been passed by several police cars and not one has stopped me.
I set it on flash and it is visable from a long distance back and I notice now how cars noticably slow as they approach me as I suspect the think it is a police bike
I love cycling in evenings, especially after about 9, round the lanes.
I can see any cars ( dont see many in lanes that time) better due to their lights and they can see me better due to my lights.
The air seems fresher though cooler.
The only thing I do not like is I have to descend a lot slower as I have almost hot several deer as they always appear in the evenings !!!

popette

Just tried it for the first time. Oh god, I was scared. A squirrel ran in front of me and I screamed. I hadn't intended this to be a ride in pitch black but ended up going a bit further than expected so when I got back around 8, it really was dark.
The wildlife was really out on the razz - rabbits were running along side me and I could hear loads of rustling in the hedgerows. I had to make noise to warn them out of my way. My front light was a bit pathetic but I could just about see whilst out in the country as there was a tiny bit of light left. When I got back to town, it was dark. I rode assertively, stayed well away from parked cars and went down the middle of the road in the built up bits. On a busy roundabout I said a silent prayer to stop the 4WDs from squishing me.
I think I would do it again but I do have an imagic so may just stick with that.
It was cold tonight. I especially felt it on my head - need a cap to keep warm.

Alex_Simmons/RST

Whenever you upgrade your lighting technology, you wonder why you didn't do it earlier. I've been using a HID light (Topeak Moonshine) for several years and yes it cost a bomb but that bugger has saved me several times. Cars treat you with respect as they don't realise you're "only a bike". And you can actually see the road ahead and any obstacles/holes etc. I used an expensive halogen before that - but the HID is by far and away much brighter.

Lighting technology is advancing rapidly though and it won't be long before commercially available LED technology will both outshine HID (by several factors) and have battery lives measured in days, not hours. There are people using such beta versions of these cycle lights now in the world of 24hr MTBing.

kevinh

I have an Altura Nightvision jacket that got good reviews in C+. In the same article it stated that the best place for reflective material is on the arms and that does seem sensible. The Nightvision is available in several colours but the yellow shows up particularly well. I'm pleased with mine but have only used it one winter season so time will tell how durable it is.

popette

do you get hot in it? I went out last night in a short sleeve jersey and long sleeve cold weather base layer. I was a bit chilly by the end. Given that it's only september, I could see that I would need something warmer as time goes on.
I've now been banned from night time riding anyway - my husband doesn't like me going out in country lanes in the dark.

nickcuk

I have moved to three thin layers, with the out being a fleecy striped affair with 10ft of reflective tapes sewn onto the back, shoulders, arms, and front collar bone area.

I know the roads around Timperley - you are far safer on the dark country lanes than riding at most times on the A49. By the way - are there ANY cafes / cakestops in and around Beeston / Peckforton ? It's a nice 40 mile round trip from Holmes Chapel but I have never found anywhere for a Sunday morning bacon buttie

Airfriday

BRIGHT LIGHTS absolute essential for unlit or gloomy roads and lanes. I know every twist and turn plus current potholes on my regular daily loop. My village is lit but within half a dozen rotations or so, I'm in total darkness of the wilderness, no longer being able to immediately identify trees, bushes the odd house etc . . . my mental positioning has failed. Pot holes seem to appear where they never used to be. Absolute must to floodlight the road ahead for at least 10 mtrs or so. Your speed is restricted by the distance forward that your light(s) allow you to see.

As with Bikes, my learning curve was lengthy. Most dry-battery lights bought from Halfords or similar only allow you to be seen. Not to see where you are going. Lighting from Light & Motion, Lumicycle, NiteHawk etc are very bright and will do the job but are very expensive.

Being a lighting engineer, I have made my own at a fraction of the cost. I would hasten to add, that they are halogen and not Xenon or CID technology. White light is the best but only achievable using Xenon or hi-power white LED's. My halogen units are based on the 6 Volt version of the 10 Watt MR11 (sealed unit with built-in reflector) are only £2.49 each from Maplin Electronics (part no: SK45Y).

A single 10 Watt unit is sufficient to light country lanes of 20+ft width and 25 to 30 ft ahead. I found it OK for 12-15MPH BUT if you want to go faster, like 20-30MPH then a 20 Watt lamp (same price) is required or 2 X 10 Watt units. The two 10 Watt units do not penetrate as far forward as a single 20 watt BUT the closer area is very much brighter!

Details here: http://www.microyacht.com/airfriday/af_008.htm

The basic headlight based on an MR11 lamp cost around £10 or less to make. A suitable 6V 4.5 Amp battery also from Maplin costs £6.99 and a suitable mains charger unit is £9.99 (part no: LJ92A).

A nice little winter workshop project (or kitchen table construction)

Jeremy Parker

popette wrote:

I've got about 6 months cycling under my belt now so I've never really had to bother about cycling in the dark. After completing my first century at the weekend I'm really looking forward to a winter of cycling. However, I'm a bit nervous about what it's like cycling on country lanes in the dark. I'll save a long ride for daylight hours at the weekend but I'd do two rides of about 20 to 30 miles through the week. I cycle on a short stretch of road in the town which quickly leads on to countryside so it would be really dark. I'll get lights front and back and I'm also thinking about getting the altura night vision jacket to help with my visibility.
so, my question is who here continues to ride in the dark, what's it's like, do you have any tips and will I be safe?
Thanks x

You can see what the cars behind are doing because their lights throw your own shadow in front of you. It's quite reassuring to see how they always pull out to pass.

Oncoming cars sometimes fail to dip their headlights for you. Sometimes dramatically shielding your eyes with your arm helps them to twig.

IIf there is a car behind you, oncoming cars almost always do dip their lights, but remember that your back lights/reflective stuff has often to be seen against the background of those lights, not just complete darkness

Jeremy Parker

acorn_user

Here are some tips from years of cycling from Weobley to Leominster at absurd hours on a back road.

To see, you need a halogen bulb. I was using this light that gave me 30 minutes off 5 AA cells, so I would turn it off and rely on my eyesight and use the force and only turn it on when a car neared.

When cars or other lights approach, close one eye. When the light is passed, open it, and your night vision will return much faster.

Just a few old jedi tricks.

If you are really riding a lot, you should seriously consider a dynamo set up or shares in Ever Ready!

Lif30057840

Nice time on ur Manc100 Popette.
I turned in 7.5 hour but did do 128 miles that day - its a 14 mile ride in and back from the event ( hehe excuses Lif)

popette wrote:

A squirrel ran in front of me... rabbits were running along side me.

sounds like a scene from Snow White :P
Nevr mind the live stuff, did u see the roadkill on the Manc 100? in my i.spy roadkill book (showing my age :P) i ticked off - Rabbit,Hedgehog, Squirrel, Pigeon, Giraffe and sadly a Badger

OK i made the giraffe bit up, but it was worth 100 points.

I ride with a B&M dynamo, halogen front light with standlight, 3 LED front light as backup, 3 LED red rear light and if i have my courier bag (usually do on commutes) i have a little cateye 2 LED hanging off it (i 4get the model - its round and has a sort of elastic strap to fasten it on tubes or straps). A good bottle dynamo doesnt slow u down regardless of the pressure on ur wheel, th only downside is the price of replacing ur rubber roller but rather than pay £6, im cheap and make them from suprglue and a .99p bag of assorted tap washers from Wilkinsons!