What do I need?

Djd3737

Hi,

Long post, sorry,

So I am afer some advice/reassurance on getting ready for some winter commuting, I have begun commuting 3 days a week and it is going well but I am aware that winter is on its way.

Commute is a 62k round trip, at least 2/3 of which is on unlit country lanes.

I do have a car so if it is icy, snowing, etc then I can give it a miss. If it is frosty, windy, raining, etc then I hope to get on with it.

Current Bike Setup:

Bike:
* Specialized Allez
* Schwalbe Durano Plus Tyres
* Road Racer Mudguards

Lighting:
* Front - Lezyne Super Drive, 2 x Cateye EL-135
* Rear - Smart Lunar R1, 2 x Cateye LD150
* Sides - Some little LED flashing things (on seat stays and stem)

Storage - Saddle Bag & Top Tube Bag:
* 2 x Inner Tubes
* Slime patches
* Tyre levers
* Multi tool
* Spare link
* Chain breaker
* Mini pump

Having never really ridden in "proper" dark on country lanes for any distance, I am not sure if my lighting will be sufficent to see by as well as making me visible enough on the twisting lanes.

I also do not have any 'Hi Vis' clothing/accessories at all.

In terms of keeping warm/dry I do have the following:
* Pair of seal skinz waterproof gloves (the bright yellow ones, don't think they are particularly warm)
* A couple of thermol long sleeve base layers, sub sports from Amazon
* Cheapo muddyfox bib tights
* Pro Endure Overshoes

Money is pretty/very tight at the moment, for example Altura Night Vision Evo jackets are well out of my price range.

Sorry for the rambling but need to know what I need to start saving for.

Steve

teutonic

There is some evidence that cyclists are most at risk of not being seen at dawn / dusk – they fade into the fading / flat light, particularly in the absence of attention grabbing clothing. There’s some evidence that ‘hi-viz’ colour, combined with reflective elements, is particularly effective in getting you ‘seen’ in dawn and dusk situations. Obviously, in the dark it’s the reflective elements that matter.
If you’re going to be on country lanes, I think you definitely need some hi-viz & reflectives. I think the best commuting gear is made by Endura. I have the Endura Laser gilet/vest, i think it was £30. It is very light, wind resistant at the front, and packs down to the size of an apple. And – i hope - ! it helps get me noticed.
I also have the Endura Flyte jacket, which i got for £100. Not cheap, but it’s waterproofing is excellent, it’s quite breathable, fairly packable, and again I hope it helps get me seen.
Endura do a range of other jackets down to about £40. Obviously you get what you pay for, the trade off of saving money is less waterproofing, less breathability, less durability.
I think the Altura stuff is poor. Fabrics are neither durable nor genuinely waterproof, and the night vision jacket I had, the hi-viz patches were peeling off within weeks. I think their whole ‘full body reflective’ thing is their gimmick, but fundamentally the gear is no good.
As a driver also, I do look out for the stuff I see riders using that catches my eye and is noticeable. One of the best things is hi-viz ankle / arm bands, which have built in little red flashing LEDs. Because they move with your limbs (not so static, and therefore blending into the rest of the lighting ‘chatter’ out on the road) they are very noticeable. Edinburgh bike store do robust ones (avoid cheapo rubbish versions on Amazon etc). No, they are not cool, but I believe they are effective.
On lights – it sounds like up front you have plenty of firepower already – i’m not even sure you need the three lamps. I think cat-eye lights are very average in output though, there are far superior options out there. Again because it moves, with your head – and you can use it to ‘point’ at vehicles at junctions – i would recommend a helmet mounted lamp. You can get soem excellent light weight ones now. The best lights are made by Moon. I have a Moon Mask 5. 70 lumens but its USB rechargeable, and the size and weight of a matchbox - and plenty bright. About £30 i think.
You may well be happy with the cat-eye’s at the rear and they may do the job. However for being noticed from a long distance behind, you might want something more piercing, that is engineered to handle winters on the lanes. Moon and Exposure make excellent rear lights.
You probably want to sort out the lack of hi-viz / reflectives first though.

BigLights

Addtionally, for me at least, the weak link in cold and wet commuting has always been gloves. It's very hard to find ones that actually stay warm when it's pissing it down and is definitely worth investing in. I have an Exposure Maxx-D on the front, and an Exposure Joystick on my helmet (both with the Redeye, plus another Exposure Flare on the back).

Initialised

fleehouse2 wrote:

I do have a car so if it is icy, snowing, etc then I can give it a miss. If it is frosty, windy, raining, etc then I hope to get on with it.

Some Schwalbe studded tyres for your commuter so you can still ride when it's icy or snowing and sell the car for more money to spend on winter gear, like a spare set of wheels to store the snow tyres on so swapping them in and out is easy.

Djd3737

Thank you for replies, appreciated.

Have ordered a Endura Laser Gilet for "Hi Vis" concerns right now.

Will have to save up for a winter jacket and look at any extra bands, etc.

Gloves I have are definitely waterproof, maybe could do with some glove liners if they get cold.

Would love to sell the car, but sadly there are days when I have to do the school/nursery run.

flimflam_machine

If you can fit them on your current pedals, I reckon pedal reflectors are pretty effective. Their distinctive motion just seems to be pretty spottable. Failing that, some reflective ankle bands or tape to stick to your shoes.

Initialised

flimflam_machine wrote:

If you can fit them on your current pedals, I reckon pedal reflectors are pretty effective. Their distinctive motion just seems to be pretty spottable. Failing that, some reflective ankle bands or tape to stick to your shoes.

Some SPD shoes have rear reflectors built in so look into that.

Even if you need to do school runs it's worth getting snow tyres as you'll find you are faster on the bike in snow than you would be in a car.

The Rookie

I commute on country lanes similar to those you describe, I have put reflective tape strips on the rear of my crank arms (SPD pedals and the reflectors on my shoes really aren't that god), not the front as they go behind the panniers (well in front, but you know what I mean) but I could do! I've also got some quality (3M) red tape which is on the rear of my seatpost and on the rear of my panniers, I have seen it on seat stays for people who didn't run panniers, I wear a Sam Browne, my rear light is a 'moonshield' which is significantly brighter than the R1 (they are seriously bright), has a built in rechargeable and can be charged from a USB port, drivers at work have commented that its brighter than a cars rear foglight.

Tools wise I have a multi tool with chain splitter and carry 2 powerlinks and a 4 link length of chain (so I can chop out and replace a short damaged section), my chain also uses 2 powerlinks spaced one inner apart so in an emergency I can get that (loosing lowest gear), I have pliers (for getting those expletive deleted powerlinks apart), a tube and 4 sticky patches, a small pump and some tyre levers. In my desk at work I have some gear and brake cable inners and some spare side cutters (on the basis if I loose a brake on the way to work, sods law says the other will go on the way home!).

Clothing has never been an issue for me as I 'run hot', so a base layer and soft shell with 3/4 length shorts and Aldi gloves is all I've needed (commuted down to -6C), I wear a muff as well to keep my baby smooth cheeks in condition, although it has been known to ice up from my breath which leaves me trying to wrap it round certain bits and not others in a wavy pattern!

mudcow007

if you are traveling on unlit roads, you will decent lights

Front - i use Chinese clones of Magicshine lights. they are only £30 odd an allow you to see for miles an let people see you from miles away, just remember to aim them away from oncoming cars!!

Rear i use a MJ818 light with Smart R1 + R2


if you are intending to ride when its wet, you need to keep warm

passout

Some spare lights in case of failure eg http://www.planet-x-bikes.co.uk/i/q/LIS ... ycle_light
I'd have two on the back anyway, perhaps one on the bike and one on me. Check batteries also. Make sure that you front light is bright enough for you, if not upgrade and keep the old one on the bike as backup.
Hi Viz is good - as a minimum those ankle bracelet things but a gilet and /or backpack cover may help.
Due to the wet you may need some more pairs of gloves - check out planet x - and thick socks.

tptvmbircn

for all your lighting needs... http://magicshine.com/

saladdays

Consider tyres with a reflective strip.

tptvmbircn

saladdays wrote:

Consider tyres with a reflective strip.

ah a good point, schwable marathon xr!