Newbie - Commuting in the dark on lanes

beduffrich

Hi all. I got my bike in August for a 7 mile urban commute. I have now changed workplace and now have a 14 mile rural commute (leicestershire-Warwickshire). I'm a little worried about doing this for 2 reasons
1. The distance is quite a bit more.
2. It's bloody dark, is it safe?

Has anyone got any advice that might get me back on my bike before it starts getting light again as I'm a bit nervous about it at the moment.

craker

I think you may be safer on a dark road. If you've got a hivis top, reflective ankle things and reflectors plus at least two rear lamps and one front one + spares front and back (it might sound like overkill but its how I ride on the unlit bit of my commute).

At least your not competing with street furniture, house lights, traffic lights etc.

14 miles isn't too bad, plenty of folk around here do more than that daily.

cougie

Sounds like a nice commute.

As Mr Si says - go for two bright LEDs on the rear. Plenty of choice. Get one of the torches for the front - plenty of light there. Take spare batteries.

Go mental with reflective stuff too - you can buy the tape on Ebay in black or all sorts of colours and really make sure the bike is visible at all angles. And either get a decent bike reflective jacket or just a builders merchants hi viz vest.

You can also get cheap LEDs for the helmet too.

You'll look like an UFO - but nobody will mess with you.

beduffrich

Cheers Boys. I've got one light on the back and one at the front at the moment. I've got a high vis Cycling Jacket so i may give it a go tomorrow or next week.

redvee

I've got an urban/rural commute with the first 2.5 miles being on totally unlit tarmaced farmers track. Upfront is a Fenix L2D with a Cateye EL520, the Fenix mount is set a little loose so I can rotate round the bars to point of ahead and the Cateye is aimed much closer. On the rear I've got a Blackburns Mars 4.0 and Smart Superflash on the bike/saddlebag and 3 leds on the helmet.

beduffrich

That Fenix looks a lot like a maglite, whats the real difference?

daxplusplus

The brighter the lights the better and not just from a safety view. I'm finding commuting in the dark bloody boring compared to the sun sets/rises and lovely county views I used to get. The more light you can use up front the better - you get to see stuff and not just sit there looking patch of tarmac.

Peddle Up!

If you're carrying a small rucksack it might be worth investing in a high vis cover. I have one that not only waterproofs the bag, but has a large cluster for LEDs that can be set as steady/flash.

beduffrich

I've got an Alpkit Bourbag in Orange. I plan on getting something reflective for the window.

esspeebee

In the dark, hi-vis won't help you much until you're right in the main beam of a car's headlights. Reflective stuff will make you much more conspicuous much earlier, when combined with decent lighting.

Just remember that your front and rear lights do different things. One's for other people to see you, and one's for you to see the road. Both need to be sufficiently powerful to do their job.

MichaelW

At least 2 lights at each end.
At least one of the lights on solid. Blinking lights makes distance estimation very difficult for drivers. 2 blinkies out of sync is very hypnotic.
I like hub-dynamo/LED lamps, they are very bright and there are no battery management issues.
You need at least one lamp for bike repairs/inspections.
Most long distance riders know the road very well from months of daylight riding. Try riding the route in daylight to spot any hazards. Take some small bits of reflective tape and pin them to poles, trees, gates etc to give you some reference points on tricky corners.
Do you have a backup plan? Is there someone who can pick you up in a car? Give them a map of your route. Carry some taxi phone numbers.

beduffrich

MichaelW wrote:

At least 2 lights at each end.
At least one of the lights on solid. Blinking lights makes distance estimation very difficult for drivers. 2 blinkies out of sync is very hypnotic.
I like hub-dynamo/LED lamps, they are very bright and there are no battery management issues.
You need at least one lamp for bike repairs/inspections.
Most long distance riders know the road very well from months of daylight riding. Try riding the route in daylight to spot any hazards. Take some small bits of reflective tape and pin them to poles, trees, gates etc to give you some reference points on tricky corners.
Do you have a backup plan? Is there someone who can pick you up in a car? Give them a map of your route. Carry some taxi phone numbers.

Cracking advice thanks. I can always get a lift if I get any problems. Reflective tape on posts and poles sounds a top idea, although I reckon the amount of cars may negate the need for this. I have one last problem and that's crossing the A5 at 7-7.30 a.m. which can take up to 5 minutes in the car. I guess it's just a case of running for it and risking my life.

cougie

The old maglites had bulbs in them ? Have they moved to LEDs now ? The fenix is a revelation in light - its like holding a lightsabre when its misty. But then look at the Dealextreme 900 Lumen torches and the fenix pales into insignificance.

I like a Fenix on the helmet - doesnt have to be massively bright - but good for sideways vision and if you need to fix anything, And one of these http://www.lightmalls.com/ultrafire-501 ... ht-1-18650 on the bars.

I've an alpkit drybag rucsac too and although its a bright colour - its no use after dark. I bought some 3M reflective tape and applied a slab right down the back. Under the base is probably a good idea too as thats probably the most visible part for the motorist.