Winter Training - At Night
Comments
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NWLondoner wrote:The idea of riding unlit country roads sounds ace
Until you get that inevitable damn puncture that is :twisted:
Just gets you good at fixing punctures by braille...
Edited for quote messup and spooling0 -
maander wrote:jthef wrote:Love riding at night but you need good lights ( I need an upgrade really).
Biggest danger is rabbits/birds for me at night jumping out or running just in front of you. You don't know what they are going to do.
Rabbits? Wait until you encounter a badger. I was almost taken out by one last year, and
I have seen a friend come off second best to one too. :shock:
Pah! Tiny mammals. Last week I passed three fallow deer hinds which shot in various directions, then in the ditch to my left I met a stag complete with a magnificent set of antlers. I'd have been completely f@cked if he'd come across the road, but to my relief he crashed the other way through the hedge with a great clattering of antlers and branches.0 -
Sometimes I go out for a quck spin in the evenings after work for "training" purposes. I have a proper audax bike with scarily bright lights.
Some people have mentioned lanes as being not good. The main advantage of lanes is that you can see the cars coming at night. Despite my nuclear lights I agree about potholes and hazards. Best to stick to lanes you know.
Fixing punctures at night does not require bat vision. You carry a head torch0 -
maander wrote:BigDarbs wrote:.
I run 3 rear lights and a reflector. DON’T USE FLASHING LIGHTS! Either front or rear. They are far more difficult for drivers to judge distance, speed and a precise location can be judged by an approaching aircraft)
Has there been any studies to prove this?
How accurate a distance does one need to know?
* Driver sees flashing lights, thinks "Cyclist ahead, must adjust my speed accordingly".
* Driver slows down and passes cyclist without crashing into cyclist.
* Driver proceeds on his/her way.
* Cyclist proceeds on his/her way.
* Flashing lights = job done.
Simple innit? :idea:
This isn't a dig a you bigd. It's just that I've heard this 'judging distance' theory several
times, and I always think that if one sees a flashing light when driving, chances are that
it will be a cyclist. All one has to do is slow down and not drive into them.
As far as a lot of drivers are concerned (me included), it's that simple.
+1 I look like a flashing xmas tree on my commute. I'd would rather that than a dead cyclist.0 -
I disagree with an earlier poster who said potholes are no more of a problem at night. They are hard enough to see in the daytime. I would only go out on a c*ap bike at night in the city- no point risking your £300 rims.
Some people just don't see you.
Especially people with a car full of kids. In the rain. On the way to a bonfire.0 -
I night road ride almost as much as I do during the day as during the summer I'm more likely to go out on the mountain bike.
I agree with most of what's been said:
It's harder to be seen on lit roads or a dusk.
Wear as much reflectives and use as many lights as possible - I use a constant and flashing rear lights.
Potholes are a nightmare on the North Somerset roads so good fron't lights are a must - Even then I crash through a couple every ride that I fail to pick up on faster section.
Dark and rain aren't a good mix as drivers don't slow for the conditions and it's far harder for them to spot you, especially in traffic.
Country lanes are nice but it's difficult to spot mud and leaves in the dark so take it easy.
Finally it's great fun and it feels like you're going 5 mile an hour faster when riding at night 0 -
Well people tell me that they spot my rear light on constant a lot better than my flasher on unlit roads. For that reason I always use a constant light on my rear when on unlit roads however I sometimes have my other light on flash if I leave work when it is still light as that one easier to see in the time before dark or when I'm in the city with its bright lights.
I do that for everything I wear. I will get someone to check me out to see if its all up to scratch. I don't feel the need to do the whole overboard thing of looking like buzz lightyear as I'm not all convinced that it actually makes you more visible. Either the person behind is paying attention or they are not and a decent set of lights and standard reflectives found on most clothing, shoes and overshoes for winter riding is more than enough to get their attention and if they don't see that then I doubt having more will actually make a difference however if it makes people feel more confident about riding at night then that can only be a good thing. Each to their own.0 -
^^^^^^^ couldn't agree more.0
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Having a bit more reflective gear is better than not having enough as I am sure you will agree. I often see riders not wearing enough reflective kit and it is very, very hard to see them. That coming from myself who is always looking out for cyclists at night and who has very good eyesight, not every driver will be so observant.doyler78 wrote:I don't feel the need to do the whole overboard thing of looking like buzz lightyear as I'm not all convinced that it actually makes you more visible. Either the person behind is paying attention or they are not and a decent set of lights and standard reflectives found on most clothing, shoes and overshoes for winter riding is more than enough to get their attention and if they don't see that then I doubt having more will actually make a difference however if it makes people feel more confident about riding at night then that can only be a good thing. Each to their own.
If you get hit and seriously hurt by a driver who did not see you then it really does not matter much if it was their fault or yours - imagine if you end up in a wheelchair for good. If you can prevent accidents like this then try to do so, having more reflective gear could mean the difference between being caught by a half asleep drivers eye and not so don't skimp on it. Really the reflective piping on most cycle gear is not good enough for night riding and even so called hi-viz kit may not be enough either.
Incidently I have noticed it is usually the cyclists who do not drive that tend to think they are much more visible than they really are to motorists.0 -
I have recently got back on the bike after a number of years off the bike. Before I took my family induced sabbatical from cycling I regularly did 50 mile rides on unlit country lanes with some fairly standard rear LED lights and a SMART dual headlight system which, at the time, I thought were awesome.
4 weeks ago I got myself some Lupine Wilma 5 lights. What a difference they make!!! Unbelievable - can pretty much ride my training routes at the same speed I would during the day and I really enjoy the sensation of moving at pace on a night ride. I tend to ride on undulating roads and reckon that I ride more steadily over the undulations at night than I do in the day! Probably because my eyes aren't telling my brain to ease up because of the rise in the road ahead!!
I use the Lupines on full whack on the lanes and 2 rear lights, a Fibre Flare on flashing and a Cateye TL1000 on steady and agree that cars tend to give me more room at night than they do during the day. I also wear a Sam Browne reflective belt and would recommend a set of Tortec mudguards... the ones with the reflective tape on them. They make a huge difference to side visibility.
GET OUT THERE AND ENJOY IT!!0 -
Lard Armstrong wrote:Like most of us, I struggle at this time of year to get the miles in during the week.
I hate the turbo and have resorted to going out on country roads at night, equipped with an armoury of high viz kit and lights. I am concerned that I am vulnerable and even with powerful lights, it's easy to hit potholes, etc.
Have you tried night riding ? Any tips ? Or alternative suggestions ?
Thanks,
LA.
Could always try a much shorter circuit, and try and fit a hill in it - I've got a short 3-4 mile run with a 400 m hill at 5-6 % approx - do that a few times (at a reasonable intensity) , and it makes a nice short (and hopefully, safe) ride.
Another option would be to go out at 4:30 - 6:30 in the morning - no cars around to speak of (only a few taxis) - great, hassle-free ride.0 -
Apologies if you've already mentioned this, but I've found a really well lit industrial estate with a 2 mile lap which is 3 miles ish away from my house, so 7 so laps and back again gives a good 20 ish miles.
I personally was getting a little racked off with cars not dipping their lights, making my lights pretty much useless on an unlit road and cars coming really close - at one point so close that I swear that a white van clipped my arm with his door mirror!
I just found now that its safer, there's a decent climb in the lap and you can get some really decent cycling in, rather than always stopping at traffic lights and such.
Only thing left is to enclose said industrial estate in climate controlled bubble at 20 deg.......0
